Photo Courtesy of Jake Ryan

FOREST GROVE --- The George Fox Bruins opened up Northwest Conference play on a crisp Saturday afternoon to the Boxers of Pacific, dropping the conference opener in overtime, 19-13.

Recap:

George Fox relied heavily on its ground game on the day, rushing for 144 yards of its 231 yards of total offense. Freshman quarterback Jaden Sheffey continued to impress with his mobility, giving the Bruins an early 6-3 lead after an 11-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

The Boxers had a chance early in the second quarter to respond, but the George Fox defense was ready to answer the call. Lucas Schwin forced a fumble from Boxers' quarterback JT Greenough for a sack of 8-yards, and Nathan Corliss came up with the football to end the four-minute drive near the red zone.

With each side unable to capitalize, the two teams went into the break with the Bruins leading 6-3.

Neither side started the third quarter strong, but the Bruins' defense gave the offense a spark after Bradley Thurber came up big with an interception. The turnover by the Boxers set the Bruins up with great field position and momentum on their side. A loss of nine pushed the Bruins back to a second and 19 on Pacific's 33, but Sheffey found room, running for 21-yards to put the Bruins just outside the 10. A couple of run plays kept the Bruins moving forward until Wesley Riddell broke through for the 1-yard touchdown run to give the Bruins a 12-3 lead. Rolf Veenstra put the PAT through the uprights and the Bruins led 13-3 with six minutes left in the quarter.

Pacific's defense was quick to bounce back, forcing a Sheffey fumble and taking it to the house for a 52-yard scoop-and-score. With the point after, the Bruins were up by three, 13-10.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Boxers were able to move the ball 49 yards on nine plays to set up a 26-yard field goal to force overtime. Boxers' kicker Caden Almer knocked the field goal through and the score was even at 13-13.

Going into OT, Pacific won the toss and elected to play defense. The Bruins were unable to complete passes to James Nguyen and Evan Nelson, setting up a field goal for Veenstra. The Boxers blocked the field goal attempt and sent their offense onto the field. JT Greenough connected with Ty Hargis for a 6-yard touchdown to end the game.

This marked the third straight game the Bruins recorded at least one interpretation.

Top Performers:

Wesley Riddell led the ground crew with 73 yards on 16 attempts and a long of 43. He found paydirt once and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Sheffey was the other Bruins to get into the end zone with a rushing touchdown and 47 yards on 19 carries.

Austin Shadbolt led the Bruins' defense with 11 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for a loss.

What It Means:

The Bruins move to 2-2 on the season and open NWC play at 0-1.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins come back home for homecoming weekend, as they host Whitworth Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 pm.