Player Blog: Jaymin Jackson "Why I came to Linfield"

We're starting a new player blog segment on Catdomealumni.com's ADvantage Catdome. I wanted to give the opportunity to current players to share their Linfield experience with the fans of Linfield football and hope to give our Catdome faithful an insight on the players they support and cheer for on Saturdays in the fall.

I contacted Sophomore Linebacker Jaymin Jackson about being our first player blogger and within hours he had poured out his thoughts to me. Jay had a stand-out sophomore season and was rewarded by being named to the Northwest Conference 2nd team defense. As you will read below Jaymin is very passionate and proud to be a Linfield Wildcat and I'm looking forward to watching him next fall.

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The reason why I came to Linfield was because I wanted to be a part of a program that mattered. Of course winning and national titles matter but what truly mattered to me were the things that most people don’t really get a chance to see.

Things like the pride that the former players, coaches, and current players have in this program. Knowing that the coaches are truly motivated to make you a better person than what you came to them as. Knowing that it matters that you play and practice as hard as you can because you have Linfield across your chest. Knowing that if the game is on the line that you EXPECT TO WIN. Having no doubt in your heart that your brother next you is playing for the team not his self. Developing a work ethic that none have come close to matching. Driving by the football offices at 2:00am and seeing lights still on. Busting your butt in the weight room and not thinking anything about it because that’s just how it is at Linfield. Seeing guys like Kyle Warner who break their back, not for individual gratitude but for the team. I came here to be a part of a family that will last a lifetime.

I wanted to become a better person, better football player and WIN. I wanted to be a part of something that was pure and not tarnished with selfishness and greed. I wanted to step on the field with 125 guys who it mattered to as much as it did me. This is the reason why I wanted to be a part of Linfield's program. Being able to love something as much as I do; Linfield football. I can honestly say that I don’t believe that you can find a place where it matters as much as it does here. You truly can’t put a price tag on what you will learn from being a part of a program like Linfield's, that’s why I came to Linfield.

I feel privileged and blessed to be able to wear the purple and white. I can’t wait to strap it up next season… and the cats of '08 are ready to get back on top and keep the streak rolling on.

CATDOME!

-Jaymin Jackson

Linfield Class of 2010

Red and Purple Interview: Pacific University AD Ken Schumann

Welcome back to the Red and Purple Interview on Catdomealumni.com. This is our first interview for 2008 and I had the absolute pleasure to trade email with long time Pacific University Athletic Director, Ken Schumann. For us that follow football in the Northwest Conference over the past few years there have been rumors about the return of football at Pacific. So instead of just let rumors float around I thought I’d go to the driving force behind Boxer athletics to find out more.

AD Schumann was great in being open to talk and I wanted to publicly thank him for taking the time out to give all of us the scoop about Boxer football and more.
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(Wildcat 11) Thank you AD Schumann for joining us here at Catdomealumni.com. For the past three years fans that have been following Northwest Conference football have been hearing rumors and have seen the occasional article about Pacific considering a return to the gridiron. As of today, where does football stand on the priority list at Pacific? Have you been able to gain the support of the faculty and Board of Trustees?

(Ken Schumann) Football is a priority along with several other initiatives which we have been implementing over the past couple of years with the goal of upgrading the athletic program as a whole. Since the completion of our Business Plan in 2005 we have been in a fundraising phase. Upon successful completion of the fundraising process we would then take the football initiative before the University Faculty for a vote. If that vote is positive the initiative would then go to the Board of Trustees for final approval.

(WC 11) In reading the article, “University considers return of football” from Pacific Magazine in spring of ’07, it mentions that estimated start up costs would be in the neighborhood of $1.25 million dollars. How close are you to this number and how has the Pacific alumni base responded to the fundraising campaign?

(KS) We currently are slightly over halfway toward our goal for funding start-up costs over a three-year period. All of the support we have received so far has come from alumni and friends of Pacific.

(WC 11) In 2008 the NWC will now be awarded with an automatic playoff bid for our conference champion. However, many teams in our conference still face the big issue of scrambling for non-conference opponents each season to fill their schedule and wind up either playing NAIA or DII teams or having to take costly flights to the Mid-West. Have the other football members of the NWC been in full support of football coming back to Forest Grove? Do you think the NWC is in great need of an 8th member to help bolster our schedules and to help alleviate some travel costs?

(KS) From the feedback I have received from other football playing members of the NWC there is solid support for the sport of football returning to Pacific. I believe that other conference members understand that it would be of great benefit to the football institutions to have a football program at Pacific for a variety of reasons; scheduling, budgeting and enhanced competition within the conference are just a few of the benefits.

(WC 11) From an outside perspective it appears that Pacific is in a transformation period within the athletic department. The beautiful Lincoln Park Athletic Complex opened up this past fall with soccer. In a short time, the spring sports teams move into their new digs. It feels that the University is making a push to increase the profile of athletics on campus. Is that a fair statement and do you see Lincoln Park being the future home of Boxer Football?

(KS) I would agree that athletics at Pacific are in a transformation period. It is my goal as Director of Athletics to have programs which are very competitive within the Northwest Conference and Division III across the board. The new facilities at Lincoln Park are a part of that effort and are first class in every way. If we are successful in bringing football back to Pacific the home for the program at least in the short term will be Hillsboro Stadium. I do not anticipate football being played at the facilities in Lincoln Park.

(WC 11) The NWC is rather diverse in its style of play, and this is probably putting the cart in front of the horse, but do you have an idea of what style of football you want your future Head Coach to bring to Pacific?

(KS) My belief is that the style of play is secondary to other characteristics the coaching staff would bring that are even more important. First, the Head Coach needs to be an individual of strong character and one who understands and is committed to the D-III philosophy and fits with the philosophy and culture of Pacific. Also, the head coach and staff need to be strong in the area of recruiting and committed to recruiting student-athletes who will be successful academically, athletically and socially at Pacific. As far as style goes, I would think that it would be difficult for a start-up program to have much success with a run first philosophy. Spreading out defenses can be somewhat of an equalizer until the size, depth and athleticism in your program is built up.

(WC 11) This is a little off topic but there’s a movement on a national level within Division III that is looking at a possible split into a 4th division of classification. There is a lot of speculation and unanswered questions about who would want to move and how the divisions would be split. It appears that there are some clear philosophical differences between the newer membership in Division III and the old guard in terms of various regulations within the current DIII. Have you been involved in these discussions at this past National Convention and do you see Pacific and the NWC supporting a possible “Division IV” classification?

(KS) No I do not see the NWC or Pacific being in support of a Division IV or a possible subdivision of Division III. I believe that the conference is united in our belief of the merits of Division III.

(WC 11) OK, last question. With the best case scenario when can we expect the Boxers to take the field again? 2009, 2010?

(KS) If we are able to reach our fundraising goals in the next few months the most optimistic scenario would be to play in the fall 2009 season. However, the most likely scenario at this point is 2010. But again all of this is based on meeting our Business Plan goals for fundraising monies for three-year start-up costs as well as affirmative votes by the University Faculty and Board of Trustees. If those goals are not reached then we will not be bringing football back in the near future.

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Previous Red and Purple Interviews:

Linfield SID: Kelly Bird

SOU former Star Running Back: Dusty McGrorty

Linfield Stand-Out Defensive End: Kelly Bertrand

Central Dutch's Miracle/Mishap in The Mud: Reid Evans

Senior Moment: Andrew Woods

During this past season at Linfield home games, The local McMinnville Quizno's sponsored quick interviews with Senior Linfield football players called "Senior Moments". These spots were ran during timeouts, halftime, or pre-game. I'll post up the raw footage of these clips over the next couple of months (without the intro/outro bumpers and background music) with the first being of Cornerback, Andrew Woods.

NWC’s 2008 New Year Resolutions:

A small unknown fact is like many people, the football teams in the Northwest Conference also start each new year with a resolution to help guide their next 365 days of existence. Everybody knows that following a resolution is a pine-knot tough thing to do but our programs out in the far west are up to the task.

Catdomealumni.com’s investigators were able to uncover these New Year resolutions for the 2008 season and as your independent world wide news leader of all things Linfield football it took a few days to collate this information.

Menlo: To install cup holders in their visitor’s coaching box and to upgrade their sound system.

Since Menlo has to blow a great majority of their budget on flight when the Oaks travel to any away game that leaves very little left over for minor items….like facilities. However, Menlo has committed itself in 2008 to install new cup holders in their scissor lift….er…I mean coaching box and to upgrade their sound system to this sweet new Ipod docking station.

Willamette: The Bearcats 2008 resolution is to milk their first win over Linfield in eight years for everything its worth.

So far, they’re off to a great start with any article on their athletic site that deals with football has to mention their 1-point win over our Wildcats.

Lewis & Clark: Around Christmas, my sources were able to take this photo of a note left for Santa that was found in HC’s Chris Sulages office.

I know, I know…a note for Santa isn’t a New Year resolution but we’re going to go with it.

Puget Sound: To assemble the greatest collection of football talent ever assembled at the Division III level or to at least to maintain their great pre-season rhetoric.

Before the 2007 season, Coach Phil Willenbrock stated that the passing ability of his quarterbacks “is better than any I think I’ve ever had in Division III.” It must be nice to have quarterbacks that can both run and throw the ball. I’m just looking forward to read the UPS season preview this fall where he’s bound to say something along the lines of “our linebackers this year are incredible. Not only can they drop back in pass coverage but they can also play the run too.” The talent at UPS is crazy.

Pacific Lutheran: Start a new facial hair trend in Division 3 football.

The ‘Lutes gained media attention for their fast start and their sweet stashes during 2007. The Lute Seniors have narrowed their 2008 choices down to three: The Van Dyke, The Balbo, and The Napoleon III Imperial.

Whitworth: Deliver Redland’s Coach Maynard a batch of crap cupcakes to open the 2008 season.

As much as I rag on the Rats, they did get hosed by the DIII national selection committee when they were snubbed out of the ’07 playoffs. Redlands and Coach Maynard beat the Rats twice last season. The first time was the Dawg’s 24-12 victory over the Rats to open the ‘07 season and the second time was when Coach Maynard and the National Committee sunk the Rats ship in the playoff selection process.

Linfield: Get back to winning the darn conference.

Elliott to be a 'Cat once again.

Catdomealumni.com sources have let us know that former Linfield 2x All-American Quarterback, Brett Elliott (2005) has inked a deal with the defending Arena Bowl champions, The San Jose Sabercats. There hasn't been an official announcement as of yet but the news is expected to break in the next week or two.

San Jose's current QB, Mark Grieb is the incumbent starter (10th year with San Jose) and is a AFL stand-out. Stay tuned for more news later.

‘Cats will Cowboy Up for at least 2 more years

Linfield Sports and Linfield head coach, Joe Smith announced the 2008 football schedule on Thursday and our mystery opponent was revealed as none other than the Hardin Simmons Cowboys. There were some good guesses from the Linfield posters on the d3football.com northwest conference posting board but when it came down to it, Coach Jimmy Keeling and Coach Smith wanted to continue the series that currently stands at 1 win for each team.

The agreement will be for the next two seasons with Linfield traveling back to Abilene, Texas on September 13 to open their season and with the Cowboys flying back to the ‘Catdome in 2009. I’d like to give Coach Keeling “five alrights” for responding to Linfield’s request and continue a trend of top division III programs hooking up during non-conference play.

In giving the remainder of the slate the eye ball it looks like Linfield is going to have to put on the hard hat and grind out another challenging season. The ‘Cats will have the bye after HSU and have the home opener with long time NAIA rival the Raiders of Southern Oregon. SOU was a physical squad last season and I’m sure will be hyped up to take on Linfield in ’08.

After the SOU game, Linfield will have two more home games in a row with Menlo coming up on Oct 4th for their annual loss to Linfield before we really get down to brass tax. Oct 11th will have the Rats of Whitworth coming into the ‘Catdome with a 2 game winning streak over Linfield that disgusts me to the core. I’m not going to make excuses for the losses to the Rats but I’m not going to put a shine on it either…the losses to them have blown the past two years and it has to stop.

The ‘Cats have a short road trip on Oct 18th to L&C to see if the Pios will have taken any steps forward and then another big revenge game will follow the next week on the 25th with Willamette…nuff said.

Linfield will round out the season with two trips up to Tacoma to play in the Morgue on Nov 1st and then up at Sparks (PLU) for the season finally on the 15th. Sandwiched in-between is the final home game of the year with non-conference opponent, Western Oregon. I’m curious to see how WOU develops next season. They lose a huge senior class that has been responsible for bring WOU into respectability but they seem to have to have talent in the wings to reload rather then rebuild.

Overall, I’m excited with the different order of how the games will be played in 2008. Once again, Linfield has a monumental challenge in 2008 and every Linfield backer is excited to see how our ‘Cats respond.

Links:
Linfield Sports

2008 Schedule thoughts and musings.

Even though the 2008 Linfield football schedule has not be released there are some heavy rumors floating around that should be dispelled before the next thing you know people will have Linfield playing at App. State to open up 2008.

-Azusa Pacific is not happening. It’s true that if the ‘Cats couldn’t find a D3 game to replace Hardin-Simmons that most likely it was going to be Azusa. If that would have happened it would have meant that the only D3 games on Linfield’s schedule would have been NWC opponents. Thankfully we have avoided that misery and have about 99.99% locked up another D3 opponent with a two-year deal.

-The mystery team is not from California. Obviously we know it’s not Redlands or any of the SCIAC schools. Redlands and Linfield had a perfectly matching open date in 2008 but the Dawgs declined Linfield’s offer (again) and choose to front load their schedule with the Spartans of Dubuque (IIAC). I guess Coach Maynard is still sore from those curbings the ‘Cats put on the Dawgs earlier in the decade. Let’s just face facts people…the SCIAC wants nothing to do with Linfield. It’s been four years since Linfield paired off with a SCIAC school during the regular season and I have my doubts if it will happen again in the near feature. Cowards.

-The mystery team is a name that the Linfield faithful know. That’s all I’ll say about that for now.

-Yup we’re still going to be playing SOU and WOU. If Linfield is struggling so bad to find D3 games then you have to know we’re still going to be playing our in-state/out-of-division rivals. Thankfully we have both at the ‘Catdome in 2008 but these are going to be two of the ‘Cats toughest tests. It does look like we’re going to be playing WOU through 2009 and I wouldn’t think that SOU isn't going anywhere either. I feel rather confident when I say that Linfield has one of the toughest Division III schedules in the country.

-Get ready to reset your calendars. Another nugget of information is that there's going to be massive changes in the order of the games in 2008. It sounds like the ‘Cats are going to be kicking off the year at the mystery team’s home field and then we’re going to catch a bye week. After the bye, the ‘Cats are going right into NWC play. The NWC schedule has also been shuffled so there are going to be a couple of HUGE NWC games right at the jump of 2008.

When I get the green light we’ll pull back the curtain and reveal the mystery team but until then just be thankful there is someone in D3 outside of the NWC who has the testicular fortitude to dance with the ‘Cats.

What’s Next for Catdomealumni.com?

Changes. There are changes on the horizon for Catdomealumni.com. I’m going to “upgrade” a few things about the site but it won’t be anything like Johnniefootball.com. I don’t have the cheddar laying around each month to maintain a site of that style. However, we’re going to pull the skin back and give our mothership a face lift. I plan on incorporating a flash player for the videos and leaving YouTube behind (I hope!) and there will be some other tweaks that I hope will encourage the site to be more interactive and easier on the eyes.

Like the previous two years March will be the kickoff of our Video season. Along with the 2007 season highlights we’ll have Linfield Legends month (already selected), Big Hit III, 1984 playoff highlights, a revision of the 2005 Linfield vs Whitewater tilt, and much more.

I’d also like to bring back the Red and Purple Interview but found that it was just too much to handle during football season. Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of following the program. I’ll be tracking down some subjects during the New Year and see if we can bring some hard hitting journalism to the Catdomeosphere.

I’m also excited to roll out a sister site to Catdomealumni.com. I’m not going to say what it is right now but I’ve been working with another Linfield program in building them a fan site. We should have some fun video content for this new site and I should have that rolled out in early January.

If anybody has any suggestions or ideas to improve Catdomealumni.com please feel free to post them up.

On The Eve of the Stagg Bowl.

It’s the eve of the 2007 Stagg Bowl and we have for the 3rd time in a row have a match up of the Death Star of Division 3 football the Mount Union Purple Raiders as they again lock up with the Warhawks of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I really hesitate to throw out the “Buffalo Bills” or “Rowan” tag out there if Whitewater doesn’t get it done this time but seriously how many times do you get handled in the Stagg Bowl by Mount Union before you just throw up the white flag?

I’m not going to spend much time breaking down this game because the bible of D3 has all hit every angle this past week. Bottom line is the Warhawks have the players to get it done but I honestly think by the end of it the game it's going to be all Purple Raiders due to their run defense and a more balanced offense. Phone it in: Mount by 17.

2007 Highlight DVD – It’s in the Can.

The only thing left for me to do for the 2007 highlight DVD is to drop off the video files to the Linfield coaching staff to distribute to the players and to use on the recruiting trails. Not to put myself over too much but I’m incredibly proud of this year's highlight film. Last year's 2006 version is special to me because it was the first season highlight film I put together but it was really a starting point in terms of experience for me. This season I didn’t have the hindering learning hurdles to worry about such as the very basics of the editing software and I was able to be much more creative this time around.

There are four sections to the highlight film this season and they include the main highlight film, the senior tribute, the blooper reel, and the extra footage is of the 2007 scoreboard opening clip. Grand total there is about 60 minutes of original Linfield football action for the players, coaches, families, and soon enough our catdomealumni.com viewers to enjoy.

One of the year’s the biggest changes was to the music. For years Linfield has been using a steady diet of AC/DC and other hard rock classics with a dash of more current tracks. I love this type of music but I really think the players have a different taste and desire to have tracks that speak more towards their generation so I scrapped everything we’ve used before and went with groups like Rise Against, Drowning Pool, Clutch, TI, The Classic Crime, etc. The biggest test to me if this music really worked is if it still sounds right 5-8 years from now.

As for Catdomealumni.com I made the decision to post up all 9 games this upcoming video season. I know 3 of those games were loses but I think it’s good to share the great efforts even in the defeat so when April rolls around we’ll lay out 10 total tracks from the 2007 highlight reel (opening + 9 season games)

I don’t think I can explain how much time and effort it takes to put one of these projects together when you are just volunteering your time and I do need to give big thanks to a core group of people for helping me out in a giant way this season. First and foremost, props need to go to Mrs. 11. She was my Jerry Bruckheimer and test viewing group with just about every clip. She was incredibly patient and supportive with all the hours it takes to pull clips and editing the whole enchilada. The next big thanks go to Jerry Hanley. Jerry is the uncle of Senior Drew Ragan and a professional videographer. Jerry provided beautiful shots and footage during the HSU, UPS, Whitworth, and L&C game. This is my second year working with Jerry and it was a great experience. Third is David Cunningham w/ his student aides and SID Kelly Bird. David runs the video board during the games and his student aides work the two cams that provide the live action for the Catdome video board. They provided great shots at each of our home contests this season and Kelly Bird was huge in getting me set up with passes and various feedback that was very helpful. Also, thanks to the great Mike Rhodes for his footage at the L&C game. His shot of Lance Nelson's TD catch vs L&C was jaw dropping.

Overall I’m looking forward to sharing with you the final product and some great moments of the 2007 ‘Cats.

Breaking down the All-NWC Team:

The All-NWC Conference team has been out for a few weeks now and you can find it here at NWCsports.com. Linfield placed 11 players on the first team offense/defense and 22 overall players on All-NWC team.

Now I do have a beef with this team/overall process. The NWC team has always leaned towards having excess in terms of the number of players on the 1st team than rather making the team more exclusive. For example this years 1st team has 18 offensive players listed and 19 players made the 1st team defense. I just don’t get how you can have 2 place kickers on your 1st team offense. Both Willamette’s Matt Bicocca and Linfield’s Scott Birkhofer are excellent kickers but are you telling me that they couldn’t say one was better than the other? (BTW…I don’t know how anyone is on the same category as Birkhofer, the kid should be an All-American this year.)

I understand the coaches wanting to make sure those talented and deserving players are recognized for their performance but it just makes the team loss some credibility when it’s so overloaded with numbers.

In terms of the 2007 team there are only a few spots that I have issue with. The first item I was surprised with is that Linfield punter Stan Fisher was only an Honorable Mention member. Stan was nails all year long and performed at a high level but when you look at the stats he did sit 3rd in the NWC in terms of avg. per kick at 38.7 behind 2nd teammer Doug Rickabaugh (PLU) 39.3 avg and 1st teammer Clint Moran (Willamette) 39.8 avg. Stan also punted about 20 less than the players above him. That is a tough deal but after digging into the stats the punters above Stan did have great numbers. I think it’s clear that the NWC had great kicking talent throughout the whole conference. Stan had a 1st team performance this season but Moran and Rickabaugh are deserving.

The second issue was the co-defensive players of the year honor. This isn’t a dig at Andrew Eisentrout (DE, PLU) or Tully’s kid but personally I thought the best defensive player in the NWC this season was Linfield’s Brian Mehl (Saftey).

I really believe part of the reason why Mehl gets overlooked is that Brian is about the least flashy player you would see in terms of his on-field demeanor. He just gets the job done and from game one through game nine he was the best player on the best defense in the NWC. Mehl had an incredible stat line this season. He was number 2 in the NWC in total tackles (74), and had 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 Ints, and 2 pass break ups in nine games this season. If the NWC just went with Tully’s kid I could live with it but since they went with Co-POY’s I really have a beef with Mehl not being the second half of that honor.

I think the rest of the list is fine but I did notice a few things. Chris Ahsing is really a 1st team NWC running back? I guess the NWC is long removed from the days of Russell, Binger, Haberberger, and Reed. I would have been just fine if we would have stopped after Adam Anderson.

Also, Travis Masters was a 1st team as a slot which is wild considering he only played one conference game as a slot. Without a doubt Masters and Whitworth’s Anderson were the best two offensive players in the NWC this season and will be next year but that shows you how much respect Travis carried this year when the coaches basically said “We know you were moved to RB mid-season but you’re so good that you would have been our 1st team player at the slot if you played there the whole season.” Our little number 5 is going to be lights out next year.

Congratulations to our ‘Cats for being on the NWC team!

1st team offense:
QB- Trevor Scharer
WR- Josh Vierra
WR- Tyler Kaluza
Slot- Travis Masters
OL- Jared Hinkle
PK- Scott Birkhofer

1st team defense:
DL- Taylor Summers
DB- Keone Tawata
DB- Brian Mehl
DB- Andrew Woods
KR- Travis Masters

2nd team defense:
DL- Nate Arnold
DB- Andrew Bean
LB- Jaymin Jackson
DB- Bubba Lemon

Honorable Mention Offense:
RB- Pete Cruickshank
WR- Tyson Banker
OL- John Kemper
OL- Danny Kleiber
P- Stan Fisher

Honorable Mention Defense:
DL- Jeff Denney
LB- Drew Ragan

Bas Rutten's Thanksgiving Defense

Let's face facts: Thanksgiving day can be a rough time with family getting together and the mix of beer, food and football can lead to conflicts with family members. So my boy, Bas Rutten is nice enough to offer up some tips in how to get that Turkey drumstick away from Uncle Tony. Never underestimate the kick to the balls.

Video: NCAA trucking the Rats 20007 Playoff Bid

OK the video below is not of the backroom of the NCAA Playoff selection committee but it is of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan getting absolutely trucked. This is kind of what happened to Whitworth. They felt they were controlling their own fate (Hawaii up late in the game) but out of nowhere came the NCAA selection committee to smash the Rats playoff hopes (Fresno State Safety).

That’s a wrap. Linfield give L&C an atomic monkey stomp*

With the ‘Cats playoff hopes dashed with last week’s lost to Whitworth (10-6) the ‘Cats wrapped up our 2007 campaign with a 66-0 rolling of Lewis and Clark at Linfield’s Maxwell Field. It was a picture perfect late fall day at the ‘Catdome and it was great to see just about everyone in a Linfield uniform get between the lines and for our 24 seniors to go out in style.

I feel for the Pios in their early stages of trying to rebuild their program. The NWC needs L&C to get back to respectability and they have a long way to get there. Linfield tried their best to take the foot off the gas because the ‘Cats could have easily hung triple digits on L&C.

This is a scary time for the Pios. The NWC wasn’t easy on our Portland neighbors this season and I’m sure some in the L&C community are shaking their heads saying “Why are we even bothering?” These people need to keep in mind that it will not be easy to get their program back to a competitive level. The NWC is a tough road to hoe…just ask Puget Sound and Menlo. My wish is that the administration at L&C continues to support the program and see to it that other departments in the L&C community promote a positive relationship with the program (i.e. admissions).

For the ‘Cat there was some real mixed emotions for me during the game. We were “this close” to being 8-1 and headed to post-season play but fell short with the Willamette debacle and not being able to covert all those chances vs Whitworth. That part of the year was just downright painful. On the flipside I’m so proud of the way the team and seniors responded after Willamette. There were two ways the players could have gone. They could have either said “forget it” and just mailed in the rest of the year or they could have step up the level of play and move on. To rebound and play with a great amount of effort and pride does speak volumes about the character of this group.

I’m not ready yet to start talking 2008 because I’d still like to reflect on the season and talk about some of the great performances of 2007. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll name “Catdomealumni.com’s players of the year” along with some other talk about the 2007 ‘Cats and NWC, the conference’s playoff snub, and some other items about 2007.


* A “monkey stomp” is a term coined by the Liberty League post pattern community members of the D3football.com posting board. A “monkey stomp” is a victory of 21-points or more, and the higher the victory total the different degrees of a “stomp”. I would think a 66-point win would equate an “atomic monkey stomp”

Missed Opportunities

In what felt like a carbon copy game from 2006 Linfield had a number of opportunities to win Saturday’s game vs Whitworth but the bottom line is that we just didn’t get it done. I’m VERY proud of the tremendous effort on both sides of the ball and with the special teams. It was a battle of two very fine teams in an old fashion defensive thriller. It’s also disappointing to be eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight year and to not be able to bring home another NWC title.

It would be very easy to sit here start coming up with a laundry list of excuses for why we lost. I could point to not having our best offensive threat in RB Travis Masters, or a few terrible calls in the running into the kicker/roughing call, or the fumble recovery that was overturned by the back judge. However when you are a great program you have to be able to put that aside and find a way to overcome the injuries, bad calls, and bad hops to come out with a win. For the second straight year we didn’t and that’s a bitter pill to swallow.

To credit Whitworth they stuck to a very good game plan in being conservative on offense, not making any crippling mistakes with turnovers, and the Rats defensive backfield was able to make the plays during the game to bring home the victory.

So let’s get into our weekly wrap of the good, the bad, and the ugly

The Good

Defensive effort
Once again the defense was fantastic. Whitworth was going to try to bully Linfield up front but Linfield didn't budge much in holding the Rats running attack to half their average (127 total rushing yards), denied Whitworth any points when they started a drive on the Linfield 10, and held the Rats to 5 consecutive 3 and outs at the end of the game.

Pass Protection
We threw the ball 49 times and Whitworth brought pressure during the entire contest. There was only a couple of times that Whitworth was able to get at Trevor but as a whole the O-Line did a fine job in providing plenty of time to get rid of the ball.

Punter Stan Fisher and Scott Birkhofer
Stan punted 6 six times for a 38.7 avg and Scott booted a 47 and 37 yard field goal on the day. Both have been huge weapons throughout the entire 2007 campaign.

The Bad

Missed Opportunities
A 4th and inches, a blocked field goal, and the 4th quarter we had 5 drives that started around mid-field or in Rat territory to get it done. Convert any of these and that game may have had a different outcome.

The Ugly

Turnovers
Linfield 5 turnovers, Whitworth 0. Everybody knew coming into the game that turnovers would play a huge key and they did. The game’s lone touchdown was on an early interception return by Whitworth and it proved to be the deciding factor. You have to give Whitworth’s DBs a lion’s share of the credit. They made some great breaks and made the plays in the end that brought home another NWC title to Spokane.

Rat Race! Linfield at Whitworth

This is for all the marbles and I didn’t want it any other way. Any Linfield fan has the terrible taste of last year’s defeat to Whitworth still dangling on their pallet. It was a painful experience as a clearly more talented Linfield squad squandered scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity and most ‘Cat fans, including myself, felt we gave away the NWC crown.

Some might say that Linfield fans say that anytime we lose but that’s not always true. As sad as it was to see the great 2005 squad drop that heartbreaker to Whitewater it sat well with me that it was two great teams giving everything they had. The Warhawks survived and everyone knew they witnessed a game for the ages. But this example is about as far away from the 2006 Whitworth game as possible.

So here we are one year later and the ‘Cats are heading into another game against the Rats that not only has NWC title ramifications but essentially is a play-in game for a post-season birth. This is why kids come to Linfield….to play in big games.

We’re going to skip this week’s know your foe due to time constraints so let’s drop right into Wildcat’s 11 keys to victory.

Limit the Whitworth Run Game

The Rats are a zone running team and they have done it very well this year in leading the NWC in rushing yards at 246 yard per game. The Rats are lead by sophomore transfer (Idaho) running back Adam Anderson at 103 yards a contest. The Rats don’t have very many rushing plays they just run them out of multiple formations and I’m sure we’ll see QB Kory Kemp running the zone keeper out of the empty set. Linfield has to control this aspect of Whitworth’s game and I believe we match up well here with our front seven.

Linfield passing game has to make plays

Linfield has been focused on being a more balanced offense and has done a very nice job of that over the past few weeks but Linfield is going to make their hey with the passing game this weekend. The Rats rushing defense is stout so I don’t expect Linfield to run wild in the Pine Bowl so Trevor Scharer and company needs to bring their “A” game this Saturday.

Cash in on Scoring Opportunities

This was a big key in last year’s lost. Linfield blew multiple scoring chances last year with either drops in the end zone or just awful turnovers. Linfield HAS to make good when they sniff the end zone. Scoring could be at a premium so the ‘Cats have to convert when the opportunity presents itself.

Continued Solid Special Teams Play

Linfield has been great in coverage this year and our kicking team of Stan Fisher and Scott Birkhofer has been stellar all year long. The ‘Cats special teamers need to have their eyes wide open because the Rats are not afraid to run fakes and other hi-jinks. We could put ourselves in a good spot if we’re able to snuff out a potential fake special teams play.

Securing the Ball

Not much to say here besides we all know Whitworth loves striping the ball. Let’s be the team that forces turnovers and not the other way around.

Overall

Let’s make Whitworth beat us on Kory Kemp’s arm and not his legs. If the ‘Cats can limit their rushing attack and force Whitworth into a passing mode then Linfield will be in great shape. Both teams will be up and excited for the contest but I have a strong belief that this Linfield team has been hitting its stride and is ready to breakthrough in a game like this. I’m calling it right now that Linfield will win by 10. Go ‘Cats!

Welcome to the visitor's Coaches Box at Menlo!

When a visiting team's coaching staff gets wiped out don't tell me that I didn't warn you.

'Cats climb all over Trees

Our Linfield Wildcats dominated the host Menlo Oaks in a workman like game for the ‘Cats as they pounded out the 37-6 win. The victory secured the ‘Cats 52 straight consecutive winning seasons on the same day UC-Davis streak of 37 consecutive winning seasons came to a stop as the Aggies fell to 3-6 on the season with a 28-21 loss to South Dakota State.

The Victory sets up a major showdown/NWC game of the year as our ‘Cats will head up to Spokane and the Pine Bowl to lock up with the Whitworth Rats. I’m already in knots about this game because I’m stuck out of state with work and will not be able to attend. I curse the fiscal end-of-year gods for having 2007 fall on this weekend.

We’ll talk later about the Rats and all the thoughts racing around my mind. First let’s touch on the good, the bad, and the ugly of this past weekends beat down.

The Good

Another Defensive Gem

How this defense has grown over the course of the year. Defensive coordinator Jackson Vaughan and his staff deserve kudos for taking a group that had a rough start and then shaped them to into a force. The defense is just a physical group of kids that love to crack heads. They should have had their 3rd shutout in 4 games but a turnover set up the Oaks at the 1-yard line to allow Menlo to save a little face. Their growth has been key in Linfield ripping off 4 straight.

Running Game

A season high 228 yards rushing with three backs getting 15, 14, and 13 touches a piece. Menlo was dropping 8 and daring the ‘Cats to run the ball all day long. Linfield was more than happy to take the Oaks up on the dare and pound away. The better we rush the better this team will be.

Focus

I’m going to touch on this in a second but playing at Menlo would be very tough to get up for. There isn’t much if any excitement in playing at Atherton. Linfield knew what they had to do on Saturday and never gave Menlo a chance to hang around. That speaks to the maturity of these players.

The Bad

Missed Opportunities

I’m reaching a little because there isn’t much you can find wrong in a 31-point win so I’m going to knit pick a little. Linfield could have added to the point total but had a few missed chances in really digging Menlo’s grave deeper. A few times the execution could have been a little sharper when the ‘Cats were within striking distance.

Paying $5 for parking

I understand that space at Menlo is very limited but that is the first time I’ve ever paid for parking at small college game. Hell, I don’t even remember having to pay for parking at the freaking Stagg Bowl. I’m rather tight with a buck so that had me all sideways as I pulled up on campus.

The Ugly

The Facilities

This was my first trip down to Menlo and it may have been my last. What a dog of a facility. I thought that UPS was a morgue but that takes the cake. Seriously it was hard to even get excited to film this game. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a player going into that environment.

Now I realize that Menlo has a few disadvantages going against them. They have to share their field with a middle and high school so the turf was down right brutal. And it’s not like Menlo can go and purchase land in the area to build a new facility. Menlo is located right off the main drag in the Silicon Valley/Bay Area and land is the rarest of resources in that part of the country. It would cost more than an arm and a leg to expand that campus in terms of owning land, let alone start laying brick and mortar. However, that is no excuse with what Menlo is currently working with.

No locker rooms anywhere near the field, a scissor lift acting as the coaching box, an ankle busting turf, speakers that looks like they came from the Theta Chi basement acting as their PA system, just a lack luster football field. I don’t blame the Menlo coaching staff because this is a reflection of the administrative support of athletics and they should be embarrassed.

We're going streaking!!!!!!

Congrats to the 'Cats as they locked up consecutive winning season number 52 with a 37-6 victory over Menlo.

Going back to Cali. Cats vs. Trees

After coming off a tremendous team effort vs PLU our Linfield Wildcats (4-2) will take a crew of 52 and head on down to the Silicon Valley to battle NWC football-only member, The Menlo College Oaks (1-5).

On paper this looks like a game Linfield should take with authority but we have seen in the past that Menlo has caused the ‘Cats major problems in previous contests. This group of ‘Cats has to remember the lessons they learned with the Willamette debacle in that they need to bring the “A” game every week. Now is not the time to regress as a group.

Know Your Foe

Oak Trees….I think that’s self explanatory. However the oak tree has a significant place in Linfield’s heart as our Oak Grove is the location of countless commencement ceremonies, weddings, and various gatherings of the Linfield and McMinnville community. In fact the oak grove is where Mrs. 11 and I tied the knot and we couldn’t have picked a better spot.

It’s my favorite part of campus and the anchor of the Oak Grove is the 250 year old “Old Oak”. However not is all well for the 80 foot tall majestic white oak. A main symbol of Linfield is slowly dying of an infestation of carpenter worms. The news-register wrote an article about the efforts to extend the tree’s life and to better its current support system. It’s very sad news as I always take a moment and take in the raw beauty of this tree when I pass by the oak grove.

So as much as I want to say “Cut down the Oaks this weekend” I think Linfield’ers need to maintain our Oak Karma.

Keys To Victory

Focus

That sounds easy enough but road games that include flight can distract even the most focused group. Menlo has had many injuries and is playing a huge number of youngsters but the more the young kids play the better they will be. So our ‘Cats need to take this game very seriously and do what a good team does to an outmatched opponent and that’s put them away early and don’t let up.

Running Game

I’d like to see Linfield continue to forge that identity of a balanced physical offense and pound away at the Oak defense. Running the ball is going to be key down the stretch so I’d like to see a heavy dose of #5, #20, and #27.

Overall
We have seen tremendous growth over the past three weeks and my challenge to this team is to continue to improve. When all parts of this team are clicking as a unit Linfield can beat anybody in Division III. However those words will ring hallow if we trip up on Saturday. I believe this Linfield team has something to prove to themselves, their fans, the NWC, and Division III. I look for Linfield to drop the hammer this weekend and win by at least 4 scores if not more.

The National Champions of Pregame: 2007 Texas Longhorns

This was right before the opening kickoff! To coin a phrase from Coach Locey: "make sure you're wound to the proper tension." Not sure this is it...