Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Conner Wolfe caught a career-high seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, sparking No. 23 Linfield to a convincing 31-7 victory over the Denison Big Red in the Wildcats' season-opening game at Maxwell Field.
Saturday's game marked the second meeting in as many seasons for the Northwest Conference's Wildcats and the North Coast Athletic Conference's Big Red.
Wildcat quarterbacks Blake Eaton and Luke McNabb combined to throw for 268 yards, completing 23 of 33 throws without an interception.
The Wildcats (1-0) scored all 31 of their points in the first half, including 21 in the first quarter as Wolfe scored on a 5-yard play pass from Eaton with 9:07 left in the period and then pulled in a 70-yard bomb from McNabb two minutes later to give Linfield a quick 14-0 advantage.
All-America linebacker Blake Rybar made it 21-0 less than a minute later, returning a fumble 36 yards. Gavin Dalziel booted a 25-yard field goal with midway through the second period and cornerback Chance Spark picked off Denison quarterback Cade Nowik shortly thereafter, returning the ball 52 yards to the endzone to put the hosts on top 31-0 with 4:38 left before intermission.
The teams played a scoreless third quarter and the only points to come in the fourth period were Nowik's 26-yard scamper with 3:02 left to play, completing a nine-play, 69-yard drive.
Despite the disparity in the final score, the yardage totals were much closer, with Linfield leading the total output 326-209, thanks primarily to the Wildcats' two defensive scoring plays.
Rybar and Colby Kalaukoa topped Linfield's tackle chart with six stops each. Connor Stevens added five tackles, including an 8-yard sack and a 19-yard tackle for loss. Caleb Sell contributed two sacks from his defensive end position while also recovering a fumble.
Leading the Denison defense was Christian Lariviere, who turned in a game-high seven tackles, including a sack, and Drew Duffy, who had seven stops, 3½ for losses of 14 yards.
NEXT
Linfield heads to Wisconsin to battle Wisconsin-Oshkosh Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PDT. Denison opens NCAC play at Oberlin Saturday at 1 p.m. local time.