Gameday 12/11/04 - NCAA Semifinal Linfield

Simply the Best as Cats Shutout Profs 52- 0 Photos courtesy of Rocket Valley Sports Photos. Slide show 18 photos 36 seconds. Photos courtesy of Tim Schuette. 5 pictures 25 seconds. By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com The good - Rowan held Linfield's QB Brett Elliott to under 300 yards, and intercepted him twice, while holding him to three touchdown passes. It marked the first time he was intercepted twice in game this year. It was also the first time he was held to less than four touchdown passes in a game. The bad - The Wildcats still put up 52 points. The ugly - The Profs were unable to score any points. It was the most lopsided loss since the Profs were defeated in the 1999 Stagg Bowl by Pacific Lutheran 42-13. The Wildcats are probably the best team Rowan has faced since the 1996 Mount Union team. In 1996 Rowan lost in the Stagg Bowl 56-24. Quarterback Brett Elliott passed for 254 yards and three touchdowns to lead Linfield College over Rowan University, 52-0 in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. With his first TD pass of the game, Elliott broke the NCAA record for touchdown passes in a season (56) for all-divisions. The old mark was held by Willie Totten at Division I-AA Missippi Valley State in 1984. He made 17 completions in 25 attempts. Elliott 's 59 touchdowns included seven in last week's quarterfinal that was a school record. Linfield (12-0) will play Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-1) in the championship, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, on Saturday, December 18 at 11 a.m. at Salem Stadium in Salem, VA. Mary Hardin-Baylor came from behind to defeat host Mount Union, 38-35 in the semifinals. "I've said all year that individual records reflect on the team," stated Elliott. "That's why football is so great. In baseball you can throw a no-hitter. In football, you can't do it yourself." The Wildcats advance to the championship for the first time after four trips to the NCAA tournament. Linfield has a streak of 49 straight winning seasons that is the longest continuous mark in college football. In the tournament, Linfield had a 52-14 win over Wis.-La Crosse in the second round and a 56-27 victory over Occidental in the quarterfinal. "I felt like we saw a very athletic team (Rowan) today," said Linfield coach Jay Locey. "I felt like they did a multitude of things with coverage real well. They gave us a lot of different looks." "We dipped into the playbook a bit. Sometimes you save some of that back for game tape. We just tried to mix things up a lot. They gave us a lot of 30 front, so we were able to run more than we usually do. Our guys did a great job of executing the game." Rowan finishes the season with a 10-3 record. It was the Profs' 11th appearance in the national tournament and ninth time they reached the semifinals. In the playoffs, Rowan defeated Hobart, 45-14 in the second round and Delaware Valley, 56-7 in the quarterfinals. The Profs received an automatic bid as the champion of the New Jersey Athletic Conference. It was Rowan's 14th conference title. "We saw them play tremendous football, with Linfield in every aspect of the game," said Rowan coach Jay Accorsi. "They came out very emotional and played well from the start. Our weakness had been defense of the pass, so we tried to take care of that." "I was very impressed with their speed. We saw speed in some of the other teams we've played, but nothing like we saw today in Linfield." The Wildcats were led by running back Riley Jenkins with 107 yards on 25 attempts and one TD. Wide receiver George Carter compiled 111 yards with four catches and two touchdowns. Brad McKechnie contributed with five receptions, 59 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Hazenberg added 39 yards with two catches and one TD. Garrett Wales kicked seven PATs (seven attempts) and a 20-yard field goal. For Rowan, quarterback Mike Orihel threw for 110 yards with 14 completions in 34 attempts. Rob Richardson rushed for 83 yards on 17 attempts. Sakeen Wright made five catches for 52 yards. "They just outplayed us," Orihel said. "Zero points tells the tale. We knew they were going to be fast. They played quite well and our offense didn't quite click." The Linfield defense was led by cornerback Zach Fleming and end Brandon Tom with seven tackles (4-3) apiece. The Wildcats forced four turnovers, three interceptions and one fumble. Safety Eric Hillson, cornerback O.J. Gulley and linebacker Brandon Olson each recorded an interception. It was Gulley's sixth interception on the season. Tackle Michael Greenberg recovered the fumble. Linebacker Mike McClain compiled 17 tackles (3-14) for the Profs. Linebacker Randy Tosh followed with 16 tackles (6-10) while linebacker Mike Seidenberg had 11 (2-9). Free safety Eric Bailey and cornerback Zakee Babb posted an interception apiece. Bailey finished the season with four interceptions, first on the team. The Wildcats marched to the Rowan 11-yard line on their first drive but Babb intercepted Elliott and had a 14-yard return. Linfield came right back and scored on its second drive (10:52) with a 36 yard strike from Elliott to McKechnie. The drive was only two plays, 42 yards. On the first play, McKechnie had a six-yard carry. Linfield's second touchdown came on its next series. This time the 14 play, 80-yard drive ended with a one yard TD run by Jenkins with 2:09 left in the quarter. In the drive, Jenkins carried the ball five times for 21 yards and he also had an eight-yard reception. The Wildcats added 10 more points in the second quarter to lead at the half, 24-0. Orihel was intercepted by Olson who had an 18-yard return for a touchdown at 10:06. Hazenberg had a 53-yard punt return to put the Wildcats on the Rowan 42 yard line to start the drive which ended with Wales' field goal. Linfield scored 28 points with four TDs in the third quarter. Puni Ellis scored the first with a one yard run (13:29). Elliott completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Hazenberg (12:39) then one to Carter, 51 yards (7:23). Carter followed with a 35 (0:34) yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Tim Benzel. Hillison had a 23-yard interception return and his fumble was recovered by Fleming to put the Wildcats on the Rowan four-yard line. Jenkins had a three-yard carry before Ellis' TD run. Greenberg recovered a fumble to start the drive on the Profs' 28-yard line that led to Hazenberg's touchdown which was only one play. Carter's first TD drive took eight plays and spanned 81 yards. His second covered 76 yards in 10 plays. The Profs accomplished many things this year. They won their first playoff games since 2001 and dominated the East Region like the Profs of old. Rowan was able to win some close regular season contests. The Profs overcame numerous key season ending injuries and other nagging injuries that kept players out for a few games. They are a fun team to watch and a great bunch of guys. Good luck to the graduating senior leaders, Eric Sprengel, Pat Thompson, Tyree Jackson, Mike McClain, Mike Seidenberg, Yasin York, Pat Davitt, Justin George, Scott Blum, Mike Coghan, and Jon Berry. Your impact has been seen and felt by those of us that watch the Profs. Thank you. Thank you to the entire coaching staff who successfully navigated injuries and other conflicts while guiding Rowan to the semi-finals. To those veteran players coming back next year, expect that the bulls-eye is even bigger on the Prof football team. Opponents will be even more ready to take a piece out of the Beast of the East next year. I know you guys will continue the winning tradition in 2005.

Powerful Offenses to Tangle in Playoff Semifinal Maxwell Field aka "Catdome" where the Rowan takes on Linfield. Surface is similar to the Profs new turf. Photos courtesy of a "cool Linfield dude" 4 pics 20 second slide show. By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com This will be the first meeting between the Linfield Wildcats and the Rowan Profs. The Profs will make the longest trip in their history as they fly out to tangle with the Wildcats in McMinnville, Oregon in one of two semi-final playoff games on Saturday, Dec. 11th. The distance between is 2,929 miles. The winner of this game will play the winner of the other semi-final game between Univ. of Mary-Hardin Baylor and Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl - DIII National Championship on Dec. 18th in Salem, Virginia. Both Rowan and Linfield received the #1 seed and a first round bye in their respective brackets. The Profs advanced to the semifinals with playoff victories over Hobart (45-14) and Delaware Valley (56-7). The Wildcats advanced via wins over UW-Lacrosse (52-14) and Occidental (56-27). Trailing by 10 points in the first quarter, the Wildcats erupted for 35 unanswered points to defeat Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Occidental 56-27. Wildcats quarterback Brett Elliott passed for seven touchdowns, including four to Casey Allen and three to George Carter. Elliott's seven TD tosses set a Linfield single-game record and tied a Northwest Small College mark. In 11 games this fall, Elliott has amassed 56 touchdown passes. Allen set new single-season records for receptions (83) and receiving yards (1,335). Carter extended his career records for catches (166) and receiving yards (2,896). As a team, Linfield achieved new offensive records for points. Despite possessing the ball for just 10 minutes in the first half, the Wildcats led 42-20 at intermission. The Linfield defense gave up 453 yards but allowed just Oxy two touchdowns and a pair of field goals. Linfield has won 11 straight games and 38 of the last 40 contests the 'Cats have prevailed in 19 of their last 20 home games, including 13 straight games. The Wildcats captured their third consecutive Northwest conference championship with a victory over Willamette in the regular-season finalé. Rowan captured its second NJAC title in three years and 14th overall with a 42-14 victory over Montclair State Nov. 13. The Wildcats clinched their 49th consecutive winning season Oct. 16 with a 56-34 defeat of Southern Oregon, the streak is the longest continuous stretch in the history of college football. Linfield's last losing season was in 1955. Linfield is making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs since changing affiliation from the NAIA to NCAA seven years ago. The Cats have won three NAIA Division II national championships (1982, 1984 and 1986) and played for the NAIA crown two more times (1961 and 1992). The Wildcats take a 20-15 postseason record. This is Jay Locey's ninth season as head football coach at Linfield College. His coaching record stands at 72-17 and he has a 48-5 mark over the past five seasons. Under Locey, the Wildcats have won five straight Northwest Conference (NWC) Championships and they have advanced to the national tournament four times in the last four years. He was chosen the NWC Coach of the Year for the fourth time. Previously he received the honor in 2003, 2002 and 2000. In 1983, he came to Linfield as the Defensive Coordinator. Elliott is the top quarterback in the NCAA statistics (Dec. 4) in pass efficiency (202.3) and in total offense (374.7). He was named the Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year. During the season, he was selected the Offensive Player of the Week five times. In the national statistics (Dec. 4), Linfield was ranked number one in the nation in total offense (523.5), passing offense (390.9) and scoring offense (51.8). Linfield's wide receivers Allen, Carter and Brandon Hazenberg were chosen to the Northwest All-Conference first team. Allen led the conference in receptions (7.45) and yards per game (121.4). Carter and Hazenberg were third (5.56 rpg, 108.3 ypg) and fourth (5.22 rpg, 74.6 ypg) respectively. In the national stats (Dec. 4), Allen was ranked third in yards per game (121.4), ninth in scoring (12.5) and 11th in receptions per game (7.5). Cornerback O.J. Gulley has recorded five interceptions for a total of 213 yards. He has one interception in each of the playoff games, a 100-yard return for a TD against Wis.-La Crosse and a 40 yarder against Occidental. His 100-yard return tied the NCAA record and set the school mark. After two tournament games, Linfield is first in scoring offense (54.0), pass offense (429.0), total offense (541.0) and pass efficiency (219.3). Elliott is ranked first in passing average (429.0) and total offense (426.0). Allen is the receiving leader in receptions (10.5) and yards (194.5) per game. Rowan is in the midst of its 20th consecutive winning season the Profs' last losing campaign came in 1984 when they ended 4-5. The Profs have the third most wins in DIII since 1990 (144-33-1, .814 winning pct.) and the 4thmost playoff wins in DIII tournament history (25-10, .714 winning pct.). Since 1991, Rowan has made 11 appearances in the NCAA Championship Tournament. Rowan has played in the championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, five times in the last 11 years (1999-98-96-95-93). In 2001, 1997 and 1992, Rowan reached the semifinals of the tournament. This is Jay Accorsi's third season as head coach at Rowan University. He took over the position after nine years as an assistant coach with the Profs. His coaching record stands at 27-6. Accorsi was chosen the conference's 2004 Coach of the Year and it was the second time he received the honor. Rowan quarterback Mike Orihel is nationally ranked (Dec. 4) ninth in pass efficiency rating (158.1) and 13th in total offense (285.8). He was selected the conference's Offensive Player of the Year and during the season was the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week five times. His first season, he was chosen the conference's Offensive Rookie of the Year. Brandon Medine, Ulysses Encarnacion, and Rob Richardson share the rushing duties, taking over for injured senior Pat Thompson. Last week, the trio combined to rush for 125 yards against Hobart. Senior Mike Seidenberg was the starting tight end at the beginning of the season. He moved to linebacker in the third game of the season because of Prof injuries. Seidenberg is third on the team with 69 tackles (42-27). In addition, he has compiled five sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups. He was named to the All-Conference second team. Against Delaware Valley, the defense went to a three-man line. The Profs held the Aggies to 280 yards, 162 rushing and 118 passing. Hobart only totaled 85 yards rushing and 209 passing. Ends Brian Bond and Chinedu Njoku each have recorded 10 sacks for a loss of 45 and 87 yards respectively. End Keith Heimerl follows with nine sacks for a loss of 55 yards. The Profs have a total of 45 sacks (-328) to their opponents' 14 (-115). This season Bond received his second straight NJAC first team selection. In the playoffs the Profs are ranked first in pass defense efficiency (71.1) and scoring defense (10.5) and second in total defense (287.0) in the NCAA tournament statistics. Rowan is also second in total offense (493.0) and scoring offense (50.5). Wright is tied for second in receptions per game (8.0). According to many Linfield fans and probably most of the D3football.com staff the Profs have very little chance to win this game. Some are predicting 30+ point victory for the Wildcats. Almost no one is picking Rowan to win. Our cornerbacks are too short to cover their bigger wide-receivers. Mike Orihel is no Brett Elliott. The Prof running game is suspect with Pat Thompson out. Linfield has the number one offense in the country. Great season Profs, but this is the end of the road. Wildcat fans are already booking the charter flight to Salem, Virginia next week. Dismissing the Profs over the years has become a fun hobby for quite a few. Numerous season ending injuries should have derailed the team this year. Some regular season games were won by only a few points. How good is Rowan really? Since there are no common opponents between the two teams, the only people that have some idea are the men preparing for the game. Rowan has been underrated all year, and is starting to turn it on. Linfield has been a favorite all year and has lived up to the billing. The BCS doesn't even come close to stuff like this. Go Profs!