GRANVILLE, Ohio – Connor McNabb rushed for 161 yards and one touchdown, and the No. 7 Linfield Wildcats turned away the Denison Big Red 28-14 Saturday night at Deeds Field/Piper Stadium.
Linfield (1-0), extended its regular-season winning streak to 26 games while snapping Denison's six-game win streak dating back to last season.
Denison, a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference, evened its record at 1-1. The Big Red was coming off an impressive 45-35 win over Capital.
McNabb carried the ball 24 times, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Wildcats quarterback Blake Eaton completed 21 of 35 passes for 218 yards and one score. Wideout Colton Smith pulled in six receptions for 53 yards.
Ben Baxter and Blake Rybar led the Linfield defensive effort, logging six tackles each. Alex Frazier-Dow and Colby Kalaukoa contributed five stops each.
Linfield took a 21-7 lead into the halftime lockerroom, thanks to three short-yardage scoring runs.
The game didn't start especially well for the Linfield offense as a pair of opening Linfield drives went nowhere. Denison was the first to put points on the scoreboard with Big Red receiver Josh Aiello working free for a 41-yard touchdown catch from Jimmy Stines. Daniel Cunningham's extra point made it 7-0 with 3:13 left in the first quarter.
Linfield squared the game at 7 shortly after when Blake Eaton snaked his way through the defense for an 8-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.
The Wildcats' defense tightened in the second quarter, holding the Big Red to just 47 yards in the period. Midway through the period, Wildcats tailback McNabb blasted across the goal line from 1 yard out, putting the visitors in front 14-7. Linfield added another short-yardage touchdown with five seconds left in the half as Smith found the endzone on a 2-yard sweep around the left side of the line.
Linfield outgained Denison 217-131 in the first half but the Big Red led the second-half stats ledger 203-177.
Both teams traded punts through most of the third quarter before Denison mounted its longest drive of the game, a 10-play, 93-yard march capped by a 2-yard blast up the middle by Big Red tailback Trey Febrocini.
Holding a precarious 21-14 advantage, the Wildcats answered less than two minutes later. A swing pass from Eaton to Aaron Martinez went for a 33-yard touchdown, capping a five-play, 65-yard series.
The Big Red moved the ball to the Linfield 5 with just over seven minutes to play, but the Wildcats held firm, keeping the score at 28-14.
Three minutes later, rover Johnny Miller intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards to the Denison 13. But Gavin Dalziel's 20-yard field goal attempt missed the mark. Denison got the ball back with just over two mutes to play, but again a Big Red drive was snuffed by an interception, this time by Caiden Biege-Wetherbee.
Fabrocini matched McNabb's 24 carries and finished with 69 yards rushing. Stines threw for 259 yards but competed just 19 of 42 throws and suffered two back-breaking interceptions in the final five minutes.
'CAT SCRATCH – The Wildcats traveled more than 2,500 miles to play Denison in Ohio. . . the Big Red are scheduled to return the favor by traveling to face the 'Cats in McMinnville in the 2024 season opener on Sept. 7. . . Linfield took the opportunity to stage a practice for the team Friday afternoon at The Ohio State University indoor football facility.
NEXT
Linfield heads to Southern California next Saturday to square off against the Redlands Bulldogs. Kickoff at Ted Runner Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
Connor McNabb runs for 161 yards, Linfield tops Denison 28-14
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230909_eu62.xml
2023
Linfield
28
Denison
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 21 Linfield (1-0) | 0 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Denison (1-1) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Sep 09, 2023