By: Riley Bushnell and Sarah Reid
NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox football team is already halfway through their season with a winning record (3-2) and momentum on their side. Their next opponent is the University of Puget Sound Loggers (2-2), who they play this Saturday afternoon in Tacoma, Washington. George Fox is coming off a Homecoming win against Lewis & Clark and Puget Sound looks to recover from a loss to Whitworth last weekend.
Puget Sound transcends the label of a "pass-heavy" offense, in that they're nothing short of a passing juggernaut, ranking second in all of NCAA D-III in passing yards per game at 394. What's stoppable is their running game, which averages only 38.5 yards per game. There is no school more statistically imbalanced on offense in Division III than Puget Sound.
Logger receivers Kevin Miller and Brennan Schon haul in about 2/3 of the passing yards for the Loggers. Even though both are on the same team, taking away from catching opportunities the other might have, they are the two leading receivers in the Northwest Conference. The same goes for quarterback Hans Fortune, leading the conference with 316 pass yards per game.
Puget Sound's defense is also more vulnerable when on the ground, giving up 172 rush yards per game, the second-most in the conference. Their pass defense is notably superior, giving up only 238 pass yards a game, and are second in the conference with five interceptions.
What's going right for George Fox is the same formula that's worked all year. They are balanced offensively with 160 pass attempts and 209 rushing attempts this season. They have evenly dispersed their touchdown passes among six receivers, highlighting one major advantage over the Loggers – they have many options in the passing game.
The Bruin defense allowed a 21-point outburst from Lewis & Clark in the fourth quarter of last weekend's game, most of which was propelled by the passing game. Fortunately, the Bruin lead was too far out of reach in order for the Pioneers to stage a comeback, but the Bruin defense must make an adjustment against Puget Sound.
The Bruins look to stop Hans Fortune and the Loggers this Saturday the 10th to claim their fourth victory of the year, as they head to Tacoma to face off with Puget Sound at Baker Stadium at 1:00 p.m.
