FB: Northwest Conference

[bluenote]

From the HS website:

About Linfield

The Wildcats are one of the most storied programs in Division III. HSU and Linfield have played in the regular season six times since 2006 but this will be the first meeting in the playoffs. Linfield is playing a road playoff game for the first time in 13 trips to the Division III playoffs. They have had a winning record for 61 straight seasons.

Um..... I think they got us confused with Mount Union.... LoL!

[D O.C.]

FWIW
This curmudgeon complained to STRETCH INTERNET about the LINFIELD-PLU game.
My laptop froze with a notice I should log
in again. When I went back to square one all I got was an offer for the Season Pass.

STRETCH said they had no reported technical difficulties in the area and gave me full refund.
In the future they said to contact:

help@stretchinternet.com

DEFENSE!

[CalCat]

Safe travels!

I suspect they're in the air.

The boys have already landed instead of arriving late Friday night like the game earlier this year in TX.

Yep that is much better. Against UMBH they flew into Dallas and bused to Temple. Olive Garden near their hotel stayed open for them for a very late dinner. I think they got back to hotel around 11pm Friday night.

[Jack Parkman]

Safe travels!

I suspect they're in the air.

The boys have already landed instead of arriving late Friday night like the game earlier this year in TX.

Yep that is much better. Against UMBH they flew into Dallas and bused to Temple. Olive Garden near their hotel stayed open for them for a very late dinner. I think they got back to hotel around 11pm Friday night.

The drive from Dallas to Belton is enough to put anyone to sleep for a long time.  I love living in TX but have to admit driving outside the city is as bad as it gets.

[George Thompson]

Looking at both teams stats, HSU has an edge in scoring, even though LC has an edge in total yards.
Defense, we have an edge.   Amazingly, HSU has significantly more penalties.   We have edge in punt yardage and interceptions.

The problem is we played different teams with one obvious exception.  So stats are not truly comparable.   

I am fearful of HSU.    Yet, we are playing much better now than 8 weeks ago.

LC 28, HSU 21.

GO CATS GO

[Pat Coleman]

It's really interesting seeing the experts write about Linfield's earlier game against MHB. It is like they looked at the final score and completely went off of that. Heck, it was 17-13 and Linfield was about to score when they fumbled the ball and the center got injured. From that point on, it was an uphill battle. Even after that, it was an 11 point game in the 4th quarter until Linfield turned it over and lost 40 yards on a poorly snapped punt. At that point the wheels fell off, getting outscore 28-0 in the 4th. Not making excuses, just think most people realize it was closer than the final score showed.

With that being said, I watched the Hardin Simmons vs. MHB game this year and came away thinking that those two teams are just as good as each other. It will be an extremely difficult game this weekend. Their RB was lightning quick and will be the best Linfield has faced, in my opinion. The D must make them one dimensional. I noticed that this if the fewest sacks (by far) that Linfield has had in some 15+ years. So it will be up to the defensive backs to really lock down and give the line a chance to get home. I think they can do that.

Mostly agree with you but:
2 things--
1.  Center got hurt and then the fumble happened on the next play (bad snap with new center)
2.  To be fair--Pat mentioned in his write up that the game was closer than the final score suggested.

HSU does look good.  I think they are very similar to the CATS in a lot of ways.....

Pat also said in his opinion UMHB was still a three TD better team that day. I would disagree and believe if the unforced errors weren't there the game wouldn't of been decided until late in the 4th and would have been very close...but the errors were there just like they were for UMBH at Linfield prior year playoff. UMBH should have won that game in my opinion but unforced errors got them.  Bottom line teams of this caliber playing each other can't afford any gifts to the other guys...and that goes for HSU and Linfield this Saturday.  The team that doesn't have turnovers and bad penalties will advance. On the other hand UMHB can screw up and play some sloppy ball and still beat a Redlands team....but not too much, Redlands might be a bit better then getting credit for.

I said three scores -- in my head I was thinking 17 points. Just for clarity.

[D O.C.]

Bored night so....
3 scores could be 2 safeties and a field goal? Could be. That would be 7 points = 1 score better then?   

[CamCat]

 For free video streaming of the Linfield vs. HSU game Pat Coleman says on game day go to www.d3football.com and the link will be there.

[HansenRatings]

Looking at both teams stats, HSU has an edge in scoring, even though LC has an edge in total yards.
Defense, we have an edge.   Amazingly, HSU has significantly more penalties.   We have edge in punt yardage and interceptions.

The problem is we played different teams with one obvious exception.  So stats are not truly comparable.   

I am fearful of HSU.    Yet, we are playing much better now than 8 weeks ago.

LC 28, HSU 21.

GO CATS GO

Which is why I have opponent-adjusted stats here:

Hardin-Simmons:


Linfield:

[wildcatdad22]

For free video streaming of the Linfield vs. HSU game Pat Coleman says on game day go to www.d3football.com and the link will be there.

Here is the link for the game: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hsu/

Now on the HSU website.

[DFWCrufan]

I really hope they did not fly the guys to Dallas Love or DFW, Abilene regional airport is much closer, easier to navigate and nice quiet location and only 13 minutes from the campus.

[D O.C.]

Portland media take... (I'm over it too, Joe)

http://www.oregonlive.com/collegefootball/index.ssf/2016/11/linfield_becomes_road_warriors.html?ath=1158ab60dc0243edc9dbf8cf02c05041#cmpid=nsltr_strycardrightbutton_single

[HansenRatings]

Portland media take... (I'm over it too, Joe)

http://www.oregonlive.com/collegefootball/index.ssf/2016/11/linfield_becomes_road_warriors.html?ath=1158ab60dc0243edc9dbf8cf02c05041#cmpid=nsltr_strycardrightbutton_single

I'm confused about something in the article:

Last year, for example, Smith said Linfield ran a deficit of about $130,000 playing host to three home games and traveling once.

How did Linfield run a deficit of over $130k when they were hosting games? I'm pretty sure the NCAA pays the home team the equivalent of what the pay for the visiting team's travel stipend (hotels & such), and the NCAA definitely pays for flights to away playoff games (when I was at UWP, a flight game to Lewis & Clark ended up costing less than $100k). Do they stay in fancy hotels the night before their home playoff games? Otherwise the program should have came out money-ahead from hosting.

[Pat Coleman]

The NCAA pays for traveling and housing about 62 people, if I remember correctly -- 52 players and 10 coaches/personnel. (The number might be slightly higher, but that's the basics.) If you bring more people than that then you're responsible for paying for that cost (or recouping it) as an institution.

To me, that number seems pretty outlandish.

[CalCat]

It's really interesting seeing the experts write about Linfield's earlier game against MHB. It is like they looked at the final score and completely went off of that. Heck, it was 17-13 and Linfield was about to score when they fumbled the ball and the center got injured. From that point on, it was an uphill battle. Even after that, it was an 11 point game in the 4th quarter until Linfield turned it over and lost 40 yards on a poorly snapped punt. At that point the wheels fell off, getting outscore 28-0 in the 4th. Not making excuses, just think most people realize it was closer than the final score showed.

With that being said, I watched the Hardin Simmons vs. MHB game this year and came away thinking that those two teams are just as good as each other. It will be an extremely difficult game this weekend. Their RB was lightning quick and will be the best Linfield has faced, in my opinion. The D must make them one dimensional. I noticed that this if the fewest sacks (by far) that Linfield has had in some 15+ years. So it will be up to the defensive backs to really lock down and give the line a chance to get home. I think they can do that.

Mostly agree with you but:
2 things--
1.  Center got hurt and then the fumble happened on the next play (bad snap with new center)
2.  To be fair--Pat mentioned in his write up that the game was closer than the final score suggested.

HSU does look good.  I think they are very similar to the CATS in a lot of ways.....

Pat also said in his opinion UMHB was still a three TD better team that day. I would disagree and believe if the unforced errors weren't there the game wouldn't of been decided until late in the 4th and would have been very close...but the errors were there just like they were for UMBH at Linfield prior year playoff. UMBH should have won that game in my opinion but unforced errors got them.  Bottom line teams of this caliber playing each other can't afford any gifts to the other guys...and that goes for HSU and Linfield this Saturday.  The team that doesn't have turnovers and bad penalties will advance. On the other hand UMHB can screw up and play some sloppy ball and still beat a Redlands team....but not too much, Redlands might be a bit better then getting credit for.

I said three scores -- in my head I was thinking 17 points. Just for clarity.

Ok...still think it would have been closer then 17.