NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox football team led early, but wasn't able to get by the undefeated No. 5 Linfield Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, losing 37-10 on Family Weekend.

How It Happened
Facing a Wildcat team that had been dominating opponents out of the gates, the first quarter belonged to the Bruins. After forcing a three-and-out, Fox seemingly scored on their opening play of the game. The sellout crowd of 3,038 roared as Haiden Schaan found Dillon Dobbins for what would have been the longest scoring play from scrimmage in Bruin history — while the crowd celebrated, though, the play was called back due to an ineligible man downfield.

Instead, the first three drives of the game all ended in punts before Fox broke the tie midway through the first quarter, scoring first with a 41-yard field goal from Ethan Hoffman. A 14-yard carry up the left from Taylor Saben started the scoring drive on solid footing, and Schaan connected with Leon Johnson III for a 38-yard chunk play to get into the red zone before the Bruins settled for an early three points.

After muting the Wildcats for the first, the No. 5 'Cats tied it early in the second quarter with a 28-yard field goal of their own. A would-be touchdown on that drive was broken up by Kross Knoll to force the field goal try, and the game continued on.

Schaan found Johnson III deep right on a crossing pattern on the Bruins' next drive, but Linfield forced a fumble on the play to get a short field. The Wildcats took advantage of their opportunity and made it 10-3 with a 46-yard drive, but the Bruins' defense still made them earn each yard.

Fox turned the ball over again on its next possession and Linfield got seven more points off of a turnover to make it 17-3 midway through the second quarter. 

Fox answered with a defensive stand and a score of its own to make it 17-10 late in the second quarter to keep it close. Schaan found Johnson III open on back-to-back plays for 70 yards in all, and a nine-yard touchdown toss to Chad Bletko completed the drive to make it a one-score game. It was Bletko's first receiving TD of his career — the week prior against Pacific (Ore.), the senior picked up his first rushing touchdown.

Linfield had the last word of the half, however, as they marched into field goal range in under a minute. Aided by a costly personal foul from the Bruins' defense, the 'Cats were able to hit a 38-yard try for a 20-10 lead at the break.

Fox went three-and-out on its first possession after getting the opening kick of the third quarter, and Linfield turned that into three more points after the Fox defense held firm at their own 26-yard line. Penalties stalled the Bruins' next drive as well, and the game headed to the fourth quarter with a 23-10 score after a fast-paced third.

Linfield opened the fourth quarter with a scoring drive to make it 30-10 and picked off Schaan again on the next Bruin drive to set up a drive on the Bruins' 25. Fox held firm, however, and forced a turnover on downs after stopping the 'Cats short on their fourth-down rush attempt. ,

Linfield made another stop on that possession as the Bruins continued to struggle in the second half on offense. After returning a punt to their own 46-yard line Linfield scored the final points of the game with a 14-yard corner route to make it 37-10. The Bruins' next drive came up short of the sticks on fourth down and Linfield kneeled out the remaining clock for the win.

Top Performances
Johnson III became the first Bruin wideout to record a 1000-yard season with 130 yards in the game, giving him 1031 yards and counting on the year. Schaan finished with 226 yards through the air and Bletko finished with 60 all-purpose yards and the Bruins' lone TD of the game.

Defensively, Chris McCoy put on a clinic at cornerback and led all players with 11 tackles and four pass breakups. Kiegan Schaan added 11 tackles of his own, including one for loss, and Austin Canchola produced eight tackles and a pass breakup.

Hoffman was perfect on both kicks, recorded a touchback on a kickoff, and placed one of his seven punts inside the Wildcats' 20-yard line.

Coach's Thoughts
"I'm very proud of our guys' attitude and effort today," Bruin head coach Chris Casey, "Linfield is a very good team, and they played well today."

What It Means
Fox falls to 6-2 on the year with a 3-2 Northwest Conference record while the Wildcats improve to 7-0, with a 5-0 NWC mark.

What Happens Next
Fox will return to Stoffer Family Stadium to take on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Senior Day. Tickets can be purchased online, while the game is available on both KRCW (Channel 32 for Dish/DirecTV, Channel 3 for Xfinity) and can be streamed on the Bruin website.