FB: Northwest Conference

[D O.C.]

I'd like to thank Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound for doing their job.
Everyone else...don't forget to study.

[Wildcat'64]

Looking at the Linfield/WOU game statistics shows a much closer game ...other than the rushing yardage.  Looking at the Cat punting average (6 for 46.2 yards per punt).  That's Division I level punting.  WOU averaged only 25.7 yards per punt.  Obviously the Cats have some real talent in their arsenal of weapons.  The O Line did a great job against the " mammoth schollies" from Division II.

I think the Cats are on the cutting edge of another great year in the Catdome!

[Foss]

I think we saw the difference in overall interior line size and strength when playing a pretty good scholarship D2 team. Willamette could muster only 6 total yards in a half, and the 'Cats merely 6 rushing yards the entire game. As WOU continues to make efforts to improve its football program and allocate the necessary resources, playing them year after year is going to be far from picnicesque. Their recruiting is definitely on the up and up, too. WOU broke into the D2 top 25 at one point last season, and this was pretty much the same squad, minus the big TE - and yet the 'Cats looked better against them this time around, which is a good sign. After the fumbles and 16 point spot early in the first quarter, it was a pretty even affair.

DenS pretty much summed things up for the conference. Nice dominating win for the Lutes. Congrats to Redlands defeating a ranked Whitworth team. So much for Willamette getting any revenge on that embarrassing loss to Gustavus Adolphus last year. Menlo has been hard to figure – they played a tough Wisconsin school real close on the road last week and this week lose to Chapman by 17. I know UPS gets flack for their schedule, but I'm happy whenever they get a win against any non-conference opponent considering where they were just a few years ago.

Anyone notice Lewis and Clark plays Chicago on Sept. 29th? Why Urlacher & Company would think that beating up on the poor Pios would in any way prepare them for getting back to the Super Bowl is anyone's guess........

[George Thompson]

Has the Northwest conference fallen badly from 10 years ago?     2-7 so far this year.   Pretty sad start.     PLU looks like they may have come back, however.

Linfield needs some improvement to be a true national power.    Great passing, but no rushing attack at all.    Without a blocking back, we have no rushing threat.

Pass D needs shoring up.    But, those 3 early turnovers!!!    Reminded me too much of the Whitworth game last year.   That safety was avoidable--if Linfield had one or two blocking backs ahead of the runner.     

I do NOT blame the QB for that late game interception.   That play should never have been called.    Bring in two blocking backs and pound it in.   Four  shots at gaining only one yard for a TD.

Passing O, rushing D and punting  looked great.

But, the real question is WHY ARE WE PLAYING WESTERN OREGON?     We should only play Div. III teams and maybe an NAIA team or two.    Those Division II scholarships create a unfair playing field.

Hardin-Simmons will be a better test.   They will have two weeks to fix their mistakes.

[Foss]

George, WC11 explained this a little while back. Playing scholarship schools like WOU has unfortunately been due to a number of D3 teams declining the 'Cats repeated efforts to schedule games. We are left with playing nearby scholarship schools like WOU, or having only 7 or 8 games.

[MonroviaCat]

Yup,  if we could find a 10th game then we could start thinking about not playing D2 schools.  But really, we held our own against the D2 scholarship guys last night.  While a loss sucks, it doesn't (officially) hurt our playoff chances and if WOU is a good D2 school, then in theory they should prepare us well for our D3 opponents.

[bluenote]

The 3 quick turnovers that lead to 16 points killed us. Otherwise we're right in the game with WOU. In fact even with the 16 point spot we fought back and were right with them the whole game. Their qb made some great plays/passes on 3rd down to keep the ball out of our hands as time was running down and the interception on the goal line hurt bad because I think there was like 5 minutes left at that time...plenty of time to hold them and score/win if we could. I think a game like that will help us in the long run because it will toughen us up and make us more pissed/focussed and determined to win the rest. Sitting up in the stands, it seemed like the WOU fans had just won the Super Bowl or something the way they were so happy they had squeaked it out. Oh well....I can't wait until next Saturday. That game and the rest are the most important to me.

[D O.C.]

Just some thoughts on the 15th HSU math-up...

Who's chaperoning Pat and Keith?

Where will those of you who can't make it to Mac listen to the game? D & D or P & K?

Why is there air?

Crimson frisbees this week, please.

[coco]

My thoughts exactly, Blue. I think our boys are gonna be mad next week and will take it out on HSU. It was our first game and WOU's second.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't get to see the game, or even listen to it, but I've always hated that we play a D2 school. It doesn't help us, and the SOS doesn't make up for the loss.

We've got to get Pacific or George Fox in the NWC.  Or Albertson. Those road trips to C of I were better than this. We need to play at our own level and we need a 10th game.

That said, we'll welcome HSU to the Catdome next week. Then we'll knock them down, and help them back up. That's the Linfield way.

Bring it on!

[RedandPurple]

I'd love for Linfield to play one or two more games against D3 teams, however as the overall record shows we own wou.

The Series: Linfield leads 46-11-3...the Wildcats have won 12 of the previous 14 meetings...first meeting came in 1897 when Linfield won 12-0, giving the Wildcats the first win in program history...Linfield's largest margin of victory came in 1927 by a 83-0 count...the Wolves' biggest win was 27-2 in 1931...Linfield once owned a 12-game series winning streak spanning from 1955 to 1969...the Wolves haven't won back-to-back games in the series since 1975-76.

[D O.C.]

Having not looked at the rosters I cannot state as fact what I was told:
Western Oregon University had us by 52 pounds per man on offense and defense.

[bluenote]

....I didn't think WOU was really that much "bigger" than we were to tell the truth, maybe fatter. Not like everybody was talking about though. They might of weighed a little more here and there but we had a pretty quick and tough front on both sides of the ball. I think the difference in the game was the turnovers early and their qb and skill people/backs/receivers were actually very good also. I didn't think we applied a whole lot of pressure on the qb with blitzes and they seemed to find holes in our prevent defense when they needed a big play on 3rd down. We have to make a few adjustments and we'll be fine. Considering we have all new players on both lines we did great.

[D O.C.]

Then on to some notes from last year...

Remember down in Abilene

HSU intercepted the WILDCATS in the end zone on the first offensive series.

LINFIELD defense managed 3 stops (turnovers) inside the 10-yard line.

LINFIELD gave up a bubble pass 66 yard TD that appeared they had stopped.

So what? Just notes.

[Gray Fox]

Here are the stats from the Menlo / Chapman game.

  http://www1.chapman.edu/athletics/07-08/football/mc-cu.htm

[MonroviaCat]

Here are the stats from the Menlo / Chapman game.

  http://www1.chapman.edu/athletics/07-08/football/mc-cu.htm

Wow--Menlo went 3 and out or 3 and INT/Fumble on every posession of the first half.  Only had 4 series where they went more than 3 plays in the second half.  That is either bad offense or good defense.  Has Chapman improved that much?