By: Riley Bushnell and Sarah Reid

NEWBERG, Ore. --- Last week, George Fox limited the No. 2-ranked Linfield Wildcats to their fewest points of the season in front of a packed house of more than 3,300 fans. Now, George Fox (3-5) heads into the backstretch of the season looking to get back into the winning column against the Boxers of Pacific University (5-3).

Pacific has quietly put together good year and stands in fourth place in the Northwest Conference. Much of this is due to Pacific making more out of their possessions than any other team in the conference. Pacific is first in the conference in both red zone efficiency at 84% and touchdown efficiency in the red zone at 76%.

The man behind the madness is senior quarterback Warner Shaw, who's currently tied for the conference lead in passing touchdowns at 20. With so many touchdowns coming their way, Pacific receivers are reaping the benefits of their efficient pass offense- their three top receivers have five or more touchdowns each. The most notable playmaker from this trio of receivers is Nathan Suyematsu, who is currently the leading receiver in the NWC, approaching 1,000 yards for the season.

George Fox will have to make up the difference on the defensive end to win by preventing Pacific from getting down to the red zone where they operate at their best. In order to do so, they must prevent those Pacific receivers from earning big gains.

What Pacific provides on offense is not the same as what they've displayed on defense. They give up more points per game than George Fox (33.9 to 32.0), and are spotty when facing an opponent's passing attack, giving up nearly 300 yards per game.

Pacific's run-of-the-mill defense bodes well for George Fox offensively. The Boxers should yield some big gains in the air from Grant Schroeder and his receivers.

If there's to be an "x factor" in the game to watch out for, it's special teams. George leads the conference in kickoff return yardage, while Pacific leads the conference in yards per return. Although neither team has scored on special teams this season, both special teams units are good enough at blocking to allow a breakthrough from their returning man.

George Fox heads up to Forest Grove on Saturday and will face off with the Boxers on Pacific's turf at 1:00 p.m. Fans can watch the live stream here.