CLU Sports

McMINNVILLE, Ore. - Several top-25 Division III football battles will take place across the nation in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday afternoon. Of those includes the No. 22 Cal Lutheran Kingsmen heading north to face the No. 5 Linfield Wildcats for a Noon start on November 21 at Maxwell Field. To listen to the game live on the Web, click here.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
Cal Lutheran
Cal Lutheran enters Saturday's contest on a win streak of eight games posting its longest since a stretch during the 2005-06 seasons earning victories in 11 straight. The Kingsmen have dominated on both offense and defense throughout the 2009 season outscoring opponents 324-120 this season and rank in the nation's top-30 on both sides of the ball.

Linfield
Linfield is a perfect 9-0 on the year and have scored 30 points or more on offense every game this season. The Wildcats won their season opener against non-conference opponent Hardin-Simmons 37-22 before the offense exploded for 59, 54 and 62 points in its final three NWC home games. However the combined record of Lewis & Clark, Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran is a mere 5-22; include Hardin-Simmons and it more than doubles the win total to 11-26.

OFFENSE
Cal Lutheran
CLU has used the "ground-and-pound" as its most common form of offensive attack averaging 40 carries per game this season. Receiving over half of the team's rushes is senior running back Brian Stuart with 181 totes for 938 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is currently averaging over five yards per carry and 104 yards per game ranking him 34th among Division III players.

The success of the running game has allowed Cal Lutheran to control the clock with leads late in the game as well as wear down the opposition. The Kingsmen have 80 rushing first downs to only 52 for its opponents and are holding the ball on offense for more than 34 minutes per game.

However as of late Stuart has managed only 100 yards on 25 carries combined over the past two games and not found the end zone. As opposing defenses key on Stuart, senior quarterback Jericho Toilolo and his receiving core have taken full advantage of its opportunities as of late.

Toilolo has thrown a TD pass in all nine games this season including a season-high three scoring tosses against Redlands in the regular season finale against Redlands. As a dual threat QB Toilolo has rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries over the past three games and on many occasions turning a sack into positive yardage eluding oncoming defenders.

In the past three games freshman receiver Eric Rogers has become the go-to target for Toilolo as the duo has connected 13 times for 287 yards and four touchdowns during that span. Six different receivers have caught three balls or more during that time including five apiece from fellow wide outs Matt O'Brien and Chris Hammond.

After the offensive line allowed nine sacks in the team's opening loss at Willamette and another four in the following contest against Pacific Lutheran, this unit has protected the quarterback allowing only nine sacks in the final seven games of the season. Only Claremont-Mudd-Scripps managed to get to CLU quarterbacks more than once in a game aside from the NWC schools.

Highlighting this group up front are two time all-SCIAC selection Matt Rosen, senior Jeffrey Wurts, sophomore Giovanni Lapp and transfers Marc Valdez and Chris Doukakis.

Linfield
Linfield ranks seventh in Division III averaging over 42 points per game this season. The Wildcats have scored at will against most defenses with 28 touchdowns through the air and 21 on the ground. In all nine contests this year Linfield as reached the end zone with at least one touchdown both via pass and rush.

Wildcats quarterback Aaron Boehme has thrown for 2,353 yards this season and 25 touchdowns during his senior campaign. In eight of his nine straight he has thrown for multiple scores including back-to-back five-TD games to end the regular season. A threat to find the goal line both through the air and with his feet Boehme is the second leading rusher on his squad with 310 yards and seven scores on only 42 carries.

Boehme has a favorite target in senior wide receiver Trevor Patterson who has caught 14 of Boehme's 25 scoring throws this season. Patterson has four games over 100 yards, has two 11-catch games and has scored in eight of nine contests this season. Teammate Chris Slezak is the next closest with 36 catches for 442 yards and three TDs.

LC running back Aaron Williams leads the Wildcats with 130 carries for 617 yards and nine touchdowns. He is the catalyst of a running back carousel that has feature seven different players in the last two games of the regular season.

After leading rusher Simon Lamson was unable to play after the second game of the season, Williams rushed for 108, 101 and 102 yards in three straight games with five rushing TDs.

An elusive quarterback and a steady offensive line have ranked the LC front five as one of the most efficient in the nation. The opposition has managed only four sacks all season ranking the Wildcats sixth best in Division III.

DEFENSE
Cal Lutheran
Possibly the most important matchup on Saturday will be CLU's ability contain the explosiveness of LC's offense. The Kingsmen have not allowed an opponent to score more than 21 points in a game this season while the Wildcats have put up no less than 30 points in each contest this year.

Opponents on average are scoring less than two touchdowns against the No. 15 ranked scoring defense in the country. The Kingsmen have been able to widen the gap during the second quarter of most games outscoring opponents 114-10 during the second 15 minute stanza.

The defensive back field of safeties Garrett Redd and Eric Lopes, along with defensive backs Dennis Clay and Justin Haulcy-Bateman will get tested early and often from the Wildcats aerial assault. This group has been up to task throughout the season in playing a large part to the No. 8 defense against passer efficiency and No. 13 total defense in the nation.

Inside linebackers Matt Allen and Roland Jenkins are first and third in team tackles this season as the run stoppers and pass rushers. The duo has combined for 105 tackles including 10.5 for loss. On the outside are CLU newcomers Brett Lewis and Derek Wilson who have combined for three interceptions, 57 tackles including 9.5 for loss.

The defensive front line of upperclassmen Sawyer Merrill and Jordan Barta on the outside with freshman Rian Younker rushing up the middle have combined for 14 sacks and will face possibly its biggest challenge of the season against the Wildcats.

Cal Lutheran has not allowed a team to pass for over 215 yards this season while Linfield has been held under that mark only four times this year. The Wildcats are coming off a 504-yard, seven TD performance through the air last week against PLU.

Linfield
Despite allowing on average over 24 points a game Linfield has not trailed since facing a 14-6 halftime deficit against Occidental back on September 19 while allowing offenses to score late touchdowns with the result in hand.

The ball hawking Wildcats defense has snatch 19 interceptions including three by second leading tackler Drew Fisher. The sophomore safety also leads the team with eight pass breakups and has wrapped up 43 tackles this season.

On the defensive line senior Ian Estrada leads the team with five sacks, and seven of his 15 tackles on the season coming in the opponents backfield.

Senior linebacker Paul Partlow leads the team with 46 tackles and two fumble recoveries for combined returns of 20 yards, and has also forced a fumble this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Cal Lutheran
Preseason all-American kicker Jackson Damron has one of the strongest legs in the nation and is a Fred Mitchell Award finalist. He has made a field goal in each of the final three games and has a long of 46 yards this season and has the leg to connect from over 50 yards. On kickoff duties he has seven touchbacks this season.

Punter Josh Oosterhof currently ranks in the top-25 in punting average at over 39 yards per boot. Of his 36 total punts three have been over 50 yards and 14 inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Wilson, a starting linebacker on the CLU defense has displayed his playmaking ability all season in the return game. This season he is averaging over 10 yards per punt return and 30 yards per kick return while scoring on one of each.

Linfield
Maika Kunioka is the designated kicking specialist for the Wildcats and has connected on 9-of-13 attempts this season. His long on the season is a 37-yarder in a 3-for-3 effort against Southern Oregon back in late September. However he and teammate Tommy George have combined to miss all five attempts of 39 yards or more this season.

George, the team's primary punter does not qualify nationally due to the infrequency of the Wildcats offensive struggles. Only called upon 19 times this season he is averaging just under 35 yards per punt. The Wildcats have not recorded a touchback on a kickoff this season which may allow for CLU's Wilson some opportunities.

The LC main punt returner P.J. Sequiera is averaging nearly 24 yards per punt return racking up 189 yards and a touchdown on only eight attempts. In contrast the Wildcats are averaging under 16 yards per kick return on 36 tries.

CONDITIONS
According to online sources game time conditions are predicted to be wet and cold. There is an 80 percent chance of rain with temperatures ranging from the low-to-mid 40s.

Maxwell field underwent its most significant renovation in 2004 including the transformation to a synthetic playing surface. The conversion from artificial grass to FieldTurf will allow a well-kept playing surface despite environmental conditions.

HISTORY
Cal Lutheran
The Kingsmen will be making it once the opening whistle sounds for Saturday's contest as the team makes its first NCAA postseason appearance in program history.

CLU has made five NAIA Championship appearances in the past prior to becoming an NCAA Division III institution in 1991. Cal Lutheran won the NAIA national championship during its first trip in 1971 and will look to start in similar fashion with its first NCAA postseason berth.

Most likely before any player on either current roster was born these two schools met twice-both coming in postseason play. The Kingsmen earned a 29-28 victory during the 1977 NAIA first round while the Wildcats returned the five years later in McMinnville.

Linfield
Linfield wrapped up the regular season at 9-0 for the sixth time this decade. The Wildcats captured their first Northwest Conference championship since 2005 and 33rd crown overall with a 62-44 victory over Pacific Lutheran in the regular-season finale. The Wildcats have won 10 straight games and 16 of their last 18 and prevailed in 11 of its last 13 home games.

Since joining NCAA Division III in 1998, Linfield has compiled a 20-0 record against teams from the state of California.