NWC’s best battle at Whitworth

They rank No. 1 and No. 2 in 12 key Northwest Conference statistical categories, including scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, total defense, pass defense, first downs, first downs allowed, third-down conversions and opponents’ third-down conversions.

So it’s no wonder Whitworth and Linfield sit atop of the NWC football standings. The teams should settle who sits on the top branch and puts themselves in line for an NCAA Division III playoff berth at their 12:30 p.m. showdown today at the Pine Bowl.

For the Pirates (6-2, 4-0 NWC), a win clinches their second consecutive outright championship, and they would probably guarantee a second straight postseason appearance with a victory over Puget Sound next Saturday. The NWC doesn’t receive an automatic playoff bid until 2008.

For 12th-ranked Linfield (5-2, 3-1), a win likely clinches no worse than a co-NWC title and probably a playoff berth – presuming it defeats winless Lewis & Clark next Saturday – while leaving Whitworth on the outside.

“People should come out to watch because it has all the makings of being a great college game,” Pirates coach John Tully said.

Whitworth knocked off the Wildcats 17-13 last year in what Tully described as “monsoon” conditions. Linfield committed seven turnovers, offsetting a 329-85 edge in total yardage. It was Whitworth’s first win over Linfield since 1975 and snapped the Wildcats’ 27-game NWC winning streak and six-year run as conference champions.

“It would be a big game regardless,” Linfield second-year head coach Joe Smith said, “but certainly that game was very difficult for most of our team to swallow, considering the disparity in yardage. It’s hard to hold a team to 80 yards and lose.”

The Wildcats, who have clinched their record 52nd consecutive winning season, have won four straight games by an average of 25 points. Their defense has allowed just one touchdown in its last three NWC games. Senior Trevor Scharer is averaging 276.9 yards passing per game. The running game has blossomed behind an improving line and the move of Travis Masters from receiver to tailback a month ago. He’s produced three 100-yard games.

Whitworth’s cornerstones are a punishing ground game and an opportunistic defense. Adam Anderson averages 103.2 yards rushing of the Pirates’ 246.9 per game. The defense has forced 25 turnovers.

“Both teams are probably pretty defined in who they are,” Tully said. “We want to secure the ball, like every week. Defensively, we’ll stay aggressive and they know we’re going to be aggressive. Their first thing is probably going to be trying to stop the run. They’ll spread it out on offense with very good skill players and try to take advantage of that.”