Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
NEWBERG, Ore. – Quarterback Blake Eaton passed for 291 yards and two touchdowns and the Linfield defense held host George Fox to 24 yards rushing in a 47-7 dismantling of the Bruins in Northwest Conference football action Saturday night at Stoffer Family Stadium.
With their 17th straight victory over their Yamhill County rival, 20th-ranked Linfield improved to 3-0 in the NWC and 5-1 overall, moving to within one victory of securing the program's 68th consecutive winning season. The Wildcats can extend an all-divisions record streak of plus-.500 seasons at home next Saturday when they host Puget Sound.
George Fox lost for the third time in four outings to fall to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the NWC.
Eaton completed 23 of 33 passes without an interception. His favorite target was Jacob Slifka, who hauled in seven passes for 58 yards. Caleb Woodcock and Jackson Pfeifer collected four receptions.
Gavin Dalziel nailed field goals in each half covering 39 and 49 yards, helping pad Linfield's lead.
Linfield built a 23-0 lead through the game's first 28 minutes as Aaron Martinez scored on a short run, Eaton and Luke McNabb each passed for scores, and Dalziel was successful on his first attempt from 39 yards.
George Fox brightest offensive moment game in the final two minutes of the first half. The Bruins found the end zone with 1:43 left before intermission when quarterback DeMontre Thomas II laced a pass to a wide-open Chavis Lee for a 43-yard touchdown play, trimming the Linfield advantage to 23-7, but that was as close as George Fox would come.
The Wildcats outgained the Bruins 216-130 in the opening 30 minutes. George Fox was held to minus-4 yards rushing in the first half.
Linfield extended its lead with three long touchdown drives to open the second half. Eaton started off by leading the Wildcats down the field 75 yards, capping a 10-yard march with a three-yard toss to tight end Will French.
After a Bruins drive managed just nine yards, the Wildcats got the ball back at their own 29-yard line following a punt. Linfield needed just six plays to score again with Pfeifer plowing over from the 5. Pfeifer accounted for all 71 yards on the drive, carrying the ball four times and catching two passes from Eaton.
Linfield wasn't through yet. The Wildcats continued to move the ball on the Bruins defense, going 85 yards on 13 plays. Martinez finished it off with a two-yard blast over the right side of the line. Dalziel's extra point made the score 47-7 with 9:32 to play.
Defensively, Linfield limited George Fox to 0.9 yards per carry on 24 attempts. The Bruins finished with 197 total yards, managing 3.52 yards per play. Safety Colby Kaluakoa led the way with seven tackles, including five unassisted. Linebacker Blake Rybar made six stops, including one for loss. Alex Frazier-Dow, Conner Stevens and Caleb Sell all contributed sacks in the game. Chance Sparks picked off a first-quarter pass that set up a Wildcats' touchdown.
Linfield finished the game without allowing a turnover, went 9-of-15 on third-down plays, and converted all five red-zone opportunities.
AHEAD
Linfield is back at Maxwell Field on Saturday to host Puget Sound in another Northwest Conference counting contest. Action begins at 1 p.m.