Whitworth ends Linfield’s long run

McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Sometimes the best offense is the other team.

Bolstered by seven – yes, seven – Linfield turnovers that led to 17 Whitworth points, the 10th-ranked Pirates survived a late scare Saturday to knock off No. 15 Linfield 17-13 and clinch at least a share of the Northwest Conference football title in conditions only fit for, well, a Pirate.

Strong winds blew the sometimes heavy – but always consistent – rain right through Maxwell Field and took with it Whitworth’s 13-game losing streak to the Wildcats and Linfield’s 27-game conference winning streak. The win was Whitworth’s first over Linfield since 1975 and the first in McMinville in the school’s history.

It left the Pirates (9-0, 4-0), who garnered only 85 yards of total offense – just 16 in the first half – atop the conference.

“We hadn’t beaten them since ‘75 so it felt good for us and for the coaches,” said senior Joel Clark, who came into the game leading the NWC in total offense at 259 yards per game but was held to just 19 (10 passing, 9 rushing) Saturday. “Offensively, we didn’t execute as much as we wanted to. But the ball was wet, our hands were wet. It was hard executing in this type of weather.”

Just ask Linfield (5-3, 4-1). Despite dominating on both sides of the ball, the Wildcats who tallied 329 yards of total offense, somehow managed to give the game away.

But it didn’t end before Whitworth tried to give it back. Up 17-13 with 2:24 left after Jay Tully intercepted Linfield quarterback Trevor Scharer, the game appeared to be over. But Clark dropped the snap on first down and had to scramble to get it back. Moving back into the shotgun on second down, the snap sailed over Clark’s head and was recovered at the Whitworth 16 by Linfield lineman Taylor Summers with 2:10 remaining.

Three plays brought it to a fourth-and-3 with 1:28 left and everything on the line. Scharer rolled right, spotted wide receiver Josh Vierra cutting across the back of the end zone and fired what would have been a game-winning touchdown pass.

But defensive back Peter Ghilardi got his right hand in front of Vierra at the last moment, knocking the ball down and sending the Pirates to a celebration while handing the Wildcats their first November home loss in 18 games.

“A tremendous victory in very, very difficult conditions,” Whitworth head coach John Tully said. “For us to win this game, this is the toughest one of our games this year, is fabulous. The defense was fabulous, offensively the guys made a few plays. … We have one of the best defenses in the conference, and we showed it, and one of the best in the country, and we showed it. … They knocked the ball down in the end zone to end it – fabulous play.”

In what would quickly become a recurring theme, Linfield took the opening drive down to the Whitworth 25. On a third-and-8, Scharer rolled right, found room to run and carried the ball to the Whitworth 6-yard line, where, untouched, he dropped the ball. Senior linebacker Tyler Hall grabbed it, ending the Linfield threat.

On the second play of the Wildcats’ next possession, running back Drew Ragan was hit by junior lineman Peter Clark and fumbled. Junior linebacker Greg Caster – who finished with nine tackles, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble – made the recovery, and Whitworth turned the short field into a 40-yard Cam Collins field goal.

The Pirates weren’t done. On the fifth play of the next Linfield possession, Ragan was held up just past the line of scrimmage, where senior linebacker Casey Clifton, who finished with a game-high 16 tackles, ripped the ball out of his hands and waltzed unencumbered into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown.

Three Linfield possessions, three turnovers, 10 Whitworth points.

“That’s been our M.O. all year,” Caster said. “Get the ball on defense, tackle, strip. We work on it every day, and it paid off.”

After the Wildcats tied it with 10 second-quarter points, the Whitworth offense showed its only life of the day. Caster stripped Wildcats running back Pete Cruickshank and recovered the fumble at the Linfield 35. Three plays later, Clark ran a QB draw 23 yards for a TD, making the score 17-10.