Playoff Notes: NCAA First Round
No. 20 Linfield at No. 12 Chapman
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Ernie Chapman Stadium (Orange, Calif.)
12 p.m.
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THE MATCHUP
Chapman football is in the postseason for the third time in six years. The champions of the SCIAC will host Linfield College – the champions of the NWC – at noon on Saturday. Chapman and Linfield matched up five times over a four-year span from 2014-17. The Wildcats took all five of the matchups, including an NCAA First Round game in McMinnville, Ore. in 2014. Linfield posted some dominant wins in the three matchups in the Northwest. The games in Orange were much more competitive with Chapman falling 21-14 in 2014 and 27-12 in 2017 – both season-openers. The Panthers led both home games at halftime but didn't score in the second half.
A HISTORIC YEAR
The 2019 season isn't over but is already one that has been cemented in the record books. The Panthers accomplished several program firsts on their way to their third conference title. The second game of the season saw a Chapman's first-ever win over a ranked opponent in a 37-30 victory over then-No.10 Whitworth. Chapman later defeated a ranked Redlands squad, which remains a ranked team at No. 17. With two wins over ranked teams, the Panthers went on to post the first undefeated and nine-win season in proram history, overtaking the 1995, 2013 and 2014 squads that finished with eight wins. With all that accomplished, the Panthers were rewarded with another first – the first postseason home game in Chapman football history.
STOPPING THE RUN
Chapman's defense has kept opponents to historically low numbers on the ground. The 566 yards against the Panthers in nine games are the least in the program's 26-year history in Division III, as are the seven rushing touchdowns allowed and the average of 62.9 rushing yards per game. The Panthers have allowed less than 100 yards rushing in six of their nine games this year, including three games of allowing 10 yards or less. Teams are averaging just 2.4 yards per carry against the Panthers front seven – the second-lowest average in Chapman history.
TAKE IT AWAY
Chapman has forced 25 turnovers this season, intercepting 16 passes and jumping on nine fumbles. While the Panthers finished the regular season ranked third in the SCIAC, they were also 19th in all of Division III with the 25 takeaways. Chapman has forced a turnover in every game this season and picked off at least one pass in eight of the nine games. The secondary has turned it up a notch to finish the season with three interceptions in each of the last three games. Chapman's 16 picks are the most for the program since 2012 and the fourth-most in program history.
PARTY IN THE BACKFIELD
Four different players have at least seven tackles for loss for the Panthers this season. Junior Dillon Keefe led the team and the SCIAC with 15 tackles for loss this season. His 1.7 TFLs per game ranks 34 in Division III. Sophomore Duncan Heger as well as seniors Ricky Medeiros and Noah Kjos each have seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage this year while senior Jonathan Bunnel has 6.5. Both teams average over seven TFLs per game but the Panthers are among the nation's best in sacks per game. Chapman's 35 sacks this season are the third-most in program history. The average of 3.67 sacks per game ranks 12th in Division III while Keefe's 8.5 sacks equates to an average of just less than one per game, which ranks 28th in the country.
MOVING THE STICKS
Both teams have excelled at keeping the sticks moving down the field this year. Chapman's 237 first downs rank 18th in Division III. Linfield is just 13 spots behind in the rankings with 227 first downs. The teams flip flop in the rankings of allowing first downs. Chapman has allowed 150 first downs this year to rank 31st in DIII while Linfield ranks 21st and has allowed 143 first downs. Chapman has especially excelled on third down, converting half of its third down tries in to firsts and ranking 15th in DIII. Linfield has converted 45 percent of the time on third down. Both teams also rank in the top-50 in third down defense with both teams getting the third down stops over two-thirds of the time.
JUST RUNNIN' THROUGH
Chapman had its best season on the ground since 2014 with 2,329 rushing yards this year. The total yards as well as the 26 rushing TDs rank as the fourth-most in Chapman history. This season, the Panthers boast the 12th-ranked rushing offense in Division III, averaging 258.8 yards per game. Four different Panthers have spearheaded the effort on the ground and taken a turn with the game-high yardage. Sophomore Tanner Mendoza had a career-high 35 carries at La Verne for 133 yards to finish the season.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
With 10 combined turnovers in last week's win over La Verne, the box score didn't have the cleanest look. However, the Panthers had a bright spot near the bottom of the box score – no penalties. Chapman did not commit a penalty in the game while La Verne was penalized three times.