hello and welcome in to this edition of
the Wildcat weekly Coach's report here with
head football coach Joseph Smith thank
you so much for taking the time to join us
you're welcome
so we look at last week's game taking on
a tough Lewis and Clark team and
Linfield got the job done pretty easily
in that game five score was fifty four
to seven and Linfield got off to a
really hot start scored 34 unanswered
points 21 points in the first quarter
how crucial was it for you guys
against a team that's on the rise to get
a good start early there and really kind
of shut them out before the game could
get going
you know we thought a quick
start every coach wants a quick start
nobody wants to start slow but anytime I
think you're playing teams that are
maybe questioning whether whether they
can really win you know there's
difference in expecting to win and
hoping to win and so when you're playing
teams of that sort I think you know get
an early start really reinforces the
fact well maybe they're not going to and
they don't play as well so I think
that's important and but again you know
we just really wanted to control what we
could control and I thought we played a
very very clean game early on the first
couple of quarters we executed at pretty
high level
so then we look at how the
offense in particular Wyatt Smith I want
to take it just a little bit
individually with him he throws for 399
yards and six touchdowns in that game
he's been having an unreal season thrown
for 32 touchdowns this season that puts
in tied for second in the nation in that
category and also for Linfield that
puts him number six all time in history
for most touchdowns in a season tying
him with Sam riddle he's one touchdown
away from tying it co-offensive
coordinator Aaron Boehme and then he's
gonna be joining a category with Tyler
Matthews and co-offensive coordinator
Brett Elliot with the season progressing
assuming we hope there are some more
touchdowns what does it make you think
of when you see Wyatt's name along
with those greats in Linfield history
well certainly you know the quarterbacks
y'all mentioned are pretty special to me
and certainly you know I hold them in
tremendous regard and high esteem and so
it's it's quite an honor for him to be
in any sentence with those guys and I
think everybody you mentioned will be a
you know
Hall of Famer and in our in our program
at some point so but as with all of
those men you named I think it's a
team game and and you have to have
receivers you have to have an offensive
line and you have to have a system that
allows you to be successful and and so I
think the amount of coaching that you
know Wyatt's gotten is has been pretty
pretty impressive from Ad Rutschman
to Jim Nagel to Aaron Boehme to Brett
Elliot it's it's quite a list of guys
and Scott Carnahan you gotta throw in Scott
Carnahan and Scott Brosius both in that
conversation both both worked with him a
lot so he learned from all those and
he's playing at a high level so I'm proud of him
again you talked about it
to his receivers have been playing
really well Keegan Weiss has another two
touchdowns he's cemented right there as
number one in the conference in
touchdown but now let's look ahead to
the big matchup that everyone's had
highlighted all season We'll be traveling
up to Spokane to take on Whitworth
one and two in the conference going head
to head and this a crucial game with the
Wildcats win they will win the conference
here this season your thoughts on this
marquee matchup here this weekend
well
we knew this was a game that that would
be like this I think it's pretty obvious
you know just look at the season the
game had come or the conference would
come down to this game and and again
it's just another game I think there's
too much can be made of games at times
and if you get wrapped up into that you
don't necessarily perform as well and so
we've played a lot of good teams over
the years and I think we're a good team
so they certainly have our respect and
they do some really nice things on
offense and defense and they're coached well
they play hard nice physical team so you
know we fully expect it to be a tough
game and and to be hard
there's always weird things that happen
up there in terms of just things go
strange up there in Spokane so we're
expecting that and it'll be pretty fun
Linfield is coming off a season last
year where they lost to Whitworth 19 to 14
I do have to ask because a lot of people
are curious is there any you know I mean
people are calling this a revenge game
for last year things of that nature I
know you talked about you don't care
what the rest of the conference is doing
but there's a big rivalry here between
us and Whitworth
your thoughts there on that just going
up in a rivalry game they're making up
for last season
no it's interesting you
know a lot of a lot of people want to
talk about rivalries and for us you know
yeah you got to be competitive for it to
be a rivalry so you know there's a lot
of guys that want to say oh we're either
rival but you gotta get in line I mean
there's a long line arrivals for us and
so you know we're gonna take whoever's
standing in front of us on Saturday and
we're gonna play our best and worry
about what we can control and yes
certainly we didn't like last year you
know that certainly was a very bad game
for us and they played well and all of
that but it doesn't matter I mean this
is this year and we're playing for this
year and and we want to extend our
season and we need to do that by winning
on Saturday so we're aware of that but
again we just got to focus on what we
can control and that's really not
anything we can control
it's interesting
too on the offensive side of the ball a
lot of the same pieces from last year
but it looks completely different and
really the entire team even with a lot
of similar pieces looks very different
from last season I want to take a look
at the defense the last three games
they're averaging five points allowed
against three teams a shutout got mixed
in there this will be the toughest
competition they've faced since the
Redlands game though in week two with
the Leif Ericksen their starting
quarterback a very talented player he
was first team all-conference last
season what are your keys for kind of
keeping him and the second leading
scoring offense in the Northwest
Conference at bay
you know I'm not so
sure UPS was was was probably the that
was a pretty good offense that that we
played I don't think Whitworth you know
has as many weapons as they had last
year I really liked their receiver last
year I thought he was fantastic but but
they are very good and so yes I think
it'll be a good challenge for our guys
they make you know they they make they
put you in space and have to make it
make tackles in space spread the ball
nicely from sideline to sideline and and
do some very nice schematic things so
you know our defense has got their work
cut out for them absolutely we've got to
be very solid in what we do and sound
in our run fits and and we can't give
up big plays that's sort of hopefully
the hallmark of our program
now lastly
here taking a look at the other side of
the ball so the Linfield
offense is number one in multiple
categories scoring offense, total yards
per game and then when you look at the
passing as well number one in passing
touchdowns, passing yards and passing
yards per game when you look at
Whitworth on the defensive side of the
ball they do give up a lot of yards but
they're number one in sacks
they're number one in interceptions
they're number one in fumble recoveries
they're their keys are trying to create
a lot of chaos on the defensive side of
the ball does your game plan change this
week compared in recent weeks just
because of how the Whitworth
defenses run
well absolutely I mean I
think game plans change hopefully most
weeks I mean it looks similar but
there's always little wrinkles here and
there that you have to account for just
in terms of the defense's lineup
differently so you need to account for
that and certainly you know Whitworth's base
defense if you will is maybe a little
different than some other teams and but
I think what they have going for them is
a very good pass rush they're their
front four is I think very good and
their linebackers very athletic and so I
think their their front six front seven
players certainly have my attention I
think they're very good so that'll give
us some problems so Linfield heads up to
Spokane this weekend they will take on
the Whitworth Pirates in a battle of
number one versus number two in the
conference with the conference
championship there on the line kickoff
is at 12:30 we'll have the coverage on
the Linfield Sports Network at noon but
coach best of luck this weekend
thank
you
