NEWBERG, Ore. --- After two competitive games against a pair of southern California powers and two more full weeks of practice time, the George Fox Bruins head to Puyallup, Washington Saturday to open Northwest Conference play against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes.

Like the Bruins, the Lutes opened the season against a pair of Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference foes, falling to Cal Lutheran 48-22 on the road before defeating La Verne 22-12 in their home opener at Sparks Stadium. Also, like the Bruins, the Lutes have had a bye week to prepare for their NWC opener.

George Fox is coming off a 23-21 loss at Chapman against a team that went undefeated in the 2019 regular season, defeated Linfield in the NCAA Division III playoffs, and is expected to repeat as SCIAC champs this season. Trailing 16-0 at half after holding the Panthers on 4th down at the goal line on the final play, the Bruins made a game of it in the final two quarters. Following a 25-yard run on fourth and two late in the fourth quarter, Haiden Schaan connected with Leon Johnson III on a five-yard score, his third touchdown pass of the half to pull the Bruins to within two with a little under two minutes to play. An onside kick to the right sideline went out of bounds untouched, and the Panthers were able to run out the clock to hold on for the win.

Through two weeks, Schaan is completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 480 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Johnson III has been his favorite target with ten grabs for 124 yards and two scores. The Bruins are third in the NWC in pass offense through two games. Ethan Kassebaum is pacing the running game, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Kassebaum scored on a 50-yard screen pass at Chapman, the Bruins' longest play from scrimmage since the second-to-last game of the 2019 season. 

While the Bruins offense has leaned more on the passing game, the Lutes come into the matchup second in the NWC in rushing at 172 yards per game. It has been a balanced rushing attack with three backs, along with quarterback Erik Bainter, all receiving between 14-17 carries through two weeks. The junior Bainter has completed 60 percent of his passes for 352 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Sophomore Marc Basa leads the Lute receivers with eight catches for 80 yards, but three other receivers have 73 yards each. 

Junior linebacker Ashley Barton leads the Lute defense and currently paces the NWC with 10 tackles per game. Senior defensive lineman Tristan Thomas has three tackles for loss through two games, good for third in the conference. The Lutes are allowing 27 points and 368 yards per game, good for fifth in the NWC on both fronts. 

The Bruins have faced stiffer competition than PLU. George Fox's two opponents, Redlands and Chapman, combined to go 19-3 in 2019, while PLU's two foes finished 9-11 combined in the last full season of competition. The Bruins are surrendering just 23.5 points per game, good enough for third in the NWC through two weeks. Senior cornerback Lucas Schwin already has two interceptions and four passes defended, ranking third and second, respectively, in the conference. Senior linebacker Josh Poppleton has a team-leading 12 tackles.

"We have been very much in our first two games against very good opponents, while not playing to our highest level," said Bruins head coach Chris Casey. "If we play up to our potential we believe we can compete with anyone."

George Fox has won the last two meetings with the Lutes and three of the past four. In the last showdown in 2019, Jaden Sheffey passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two more as the Bruins prevailed 37-14 at Stoffer Family Stadium. Johnson III had a career day with six catches for 156 yards and two scores. The Bruins outscored the Lutes 23-0 in a second half that featured a successful onside kick and recovery in the third quarter.

"PLU is much improved," said Casey. "We are looking forward to correcting our previous mistakes, blocking and tackling better, and getting into league play."

Saturday's game kicks off a 1:00 p.m. and can be viewed here: https://nwcnetwork.tv/golutes/. The Bruins return to Newberg on Saturday, Oct. 9 for their first home game in a month when they entertain the Willamette Bearcats at 1:00 p.m.