NEWBERG, Ore. --- The only night game for George Fox football didn't disappoint Saturday night, as the Bruins opened up Northwest Conference play with a 27-7 victory over the Boxers of Pacific University.

Recap:

The night started slow for both teams, as the first quarter was represented well by strong defensive stands. In fact, the first traditional first down didn't come until the sixth possession when the Bruins started a drive with 4:50 left in the first quarter.

The Bruins turned that possession into the longest of the game, as they recorded 12 plays for 67 yards. The drive bled over into the second quarter after a dominating showing on the ground. With a four-and-one to start the second quarter, Bruins' quarterback Grant Schroeder rushed for three yards to keep the drive alive. The next play Schroeder faked the handoff to break off a 4-yard touchdown run for the first score of the game.

George Fox continued to be a force on defense, holding the Boxers on their next possession to a turnover on downs after a failed fourth-and-seven. The Bruins ran with the momentum, as Anthony Garcia broke away for a 29-yard rush to keep the adrenaline pumping. Schroeder connected with Brad Lander two plays later for a 43-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.

With time winding down before half, the Boxers looked to get on the board with a chance for a 28-yard field goal attempt. The Bruins had other plans, blocking the field goal attempt with five seconds left on the game clock. Rudy Hughes managed to scoop the loose ball and with a group of Boxers about to bring him down, Hughes turned around and tossed it to teammate Charles Riga. Riga then dodged two players to return the blocked field goal for a 94-yard touchdown to end the half.

George Fox went into the locker room with a 21-0 lead.

The pace of play slowed down in the second half, as the weather decided to participate with a little bit of rain. The Boxers managed to put together one of their longest drives in the third quarter with 11 plays for 73 yards. The drive by the Boxers ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass by JT Greenough to Kevin McGee.

It was the Bruins with the exclamation point, though, as Schroeder found the endzone at the start of the fourth quarter with a 16-yard touchdown run.

Top Performers:

Schroeder led the team with three touchdowns, two coming from the ground and one in the air. He went 6-16 with 105 yards and 13 attempts for 60 yards. Brad Lander only needed one catch in tonight's matchup for the 43-yard touchdown. Jason Santoni continued to impressive for the Bruins with massive punts. Santoni recorded 320 yards on seven punts for an average of 45.7 per punt and a long of 63. He also pinned the Boxers inside their own 20 three times.

Charles Riga led the defense with 12 tackles and half a sack. Daniel Campos was right behind him with 10, while Caleb Dalzell grabbed two sacks and seven tackles.

What It Means:

This marks the first time the Bruins start NWC play with a 1-0 record. The Bruins are now 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins will have a test next week with their third game against a Top 25 team. The Bruins will travel to Spokane, Washington, to take on No. 14 Whitworth. Whitworth is coming off a 38-9 loss to No. 8 Linfield College.