NEWBERG, Ore. --- A rejuvenated run game, a larcenous defense, and truly special teams: all were on display Saturday in George Fox's 27-14 victory at Pacific Lutheran. Off to a winning start in Northwest Conference play, the 1-2 Bruins look to solidify a foothold atop the Northwest Conference as they head into Hall Of Fame weekend and a showdown against the Willamette Bearcats.

Ethan Kassebaum rushed for a career-high 103 yards on 18 carries as the Bruins accumulated a season-best 187 yards on the ground, controlling the clock in the second half with two scoring drives that included a combined 19 plays and nearly 10 minutes of game time. The George Fox D picked up the slack for a scuffling offense early, with freshman Kiegan Schaan's 22-yard scoop-and-score fumble return touchdown lighting the scoreboard in the first period, one of three GFU takeaways on the day. The Bruins also stuffed the Lutes three times on fourth down in minus territory. 

"It took a total team effort," said head coach Chris Casey. "PLU is much-improved and we had to grind it out. Great job of tackling, wrapping up and moving our feet. Our offensive line really got their pad level down, ran their feet and moved people and then our guys ran the ball hard."

Jason Santoni was superb both punting the football and on a pair of 40-yard field goals. The Bruins return game was on point, with Justin Montijo providing a 46-yard kick return and a 19-yard punt return, while the senior safety's fumble recovery near midfield set up the Bruins final TD drive. Cover teams limited PLU to 18.5 yards per kick return and no punt return yardage, with the field position edge provided by George Fox's special teams critical in what was a defensive slugfest much of the game.

"Great coverage and Jason Santoni flipped the field twice with over-50-yard punts," said Casey of the special teams effort. "We were very good with our protection in the kicking game and then Jason really did a nice job."

While George Fox is fresh off its first victory of the season, the Willamette Bearcats are over a month removed from their lone win, a non-conference 48-35 victory over Puget Sound on Sep. 4. The Bearcats dropped their NWC opener to Pacific, losing 49-19 in Salem Saturday. The Boxers got five TD passes from senior quarterback Kenyon Harris, scoring on their first two drives in the first period before icing the game with three more scores in the third quarter to take a 42-13 lead into the final period.

Through four games, the Willamette defense is surrendering 40 points per game, while George Fox is limiting opponents to 20.3 points, trailing only NWC powers Linfield and Whitworth. Offensively, both teams are in the bottom half of the conference table, with the Bearcats scoring 21 points per game and the Bruins 20.7. While the Bruins ignited their run game Saturday, the Bearcats continue to struggle to move the ball on the ground, averaging just 60.3 rushing yards per game through four games, which ranks 228th out of 240 NCAA Division III football programs. Willamette will be looking for the remedy this weekend against a George Fox defense that currently ranks last in the NWC in stopping the run (175 ypg). It is important to note, however, the Bruins two prior opponents were both top-25-ranked teams, giving them one of the tougher preseason schedules in the conference. Willamette's non-conference opponents have a combined record of 4-9, while Redlands and Chapman, George Fox's first two opponents, are a combined 6-2.

During their first season back on the gridiron in 2014, the Bruins lost 38-6 to the Bearcats in Salem. Since then, George Fox has won five in a row in the series, including a 61-13 rout at Willamette in 2019. In that game, Kassebaum rushed for a then career-high 72 yards on just three carries, including a 59-yard TD run on the first drive of the second half that gave George Fox a 47-0 lead. The Bruins rushed for 337 yards on that day, the third-highest total since football returned to the Newberg campus (the record of 355 yards was set in 2017 in a 58-12 home win over Willamette). The Bruins are 2-0 at home against the Bearcats.

"We just have to keep doing the little things right," said Casey. "Blocking and tackling, turnovers and penalties, kicking and punting. We had some turnovers, which we want to clean up on our reads, but we caused three turnovers in the last game and scored a touchdown on one of those, so it ended up being a little bit of a wash.

"We're really proud of our guys' effort and their toughness and fighting through some adversity in that game to really finish strong in the second half. We look to continue that this week."

Prior to Saturday's 1:00 p.m. kickoff, there will be a tailgate ceremony at the quad starting at 11:00 a.m. The 2021 class of Hall Of Fame honorees will also be recognized with a halftime ceremony at Stoffer Family Stadium.