NEWBERG, Ore. -- George Fox Football hosts its final home game of the 2022 season this weekend with a Senior Day matchup against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers.

Both teams are coming off of losses over the weekend — Fox fell 37-10 to No. 5 Linfield at home, and the Pios lost a shootout to Pacific (Ore.) in Portland with a 56-41 final.

Leon Johnson III passed 1,000 yards receiving in the loss to the Wildcats, and Haiden Schaan racked up 226 yards through the air. As a whole, the Bruins' defense acquitted itself well despite the final number on the scoreboard, stopping the Wildcats once on fourth-and-short and forcing field goals instead of touchdowns on multiple trips into Bruin territory. Chris McCoy showed up big for the Bruins with four pass breakups and a game-high 11 tackles, and Kiegan Schaan matched that total with 11 tackles and one for loss against a tough Linfield offense.

The Pios put on an impressive show against Pacific with 317 passing yards from their quarterback, Cruz Montana. The senior signal caller also created four scores for the Pios with both his arm and his legs. Montana got good production from wideouts Sean Bodi and Devin Guest, and the Pios' tailback Dyontae Navarrete rushed for 92 yards and two scores in the loss.

The difference for the Pioneers against Pacific was their defense — the Lewis & Clark defensive unit is seventh in the conference this year, allowing just over 36 points per game. That gives Lewis & Clark a marginally positive scoring margin of 0.9 points per game. Pacific was able to inflate that average and racked up 517 yards of offense, including 360 on the ground.

The Bruins' numbers were also skewed by their matchup with Linfield, but on paper, Fox is still one of the top defenses in the conference and allows just 14.8 points per game to NWC opponents this year. The Bruin offense has slowed somewhat in their last two outings, but they still have all the tools to win ugly or in a shootout.

This week's matchup should once again be decided by which defense does more to stop their opponent, as both teams have proved to be plenty potent offensively. Lewis & Clark has the second-best scoring offense in the conference, averaging 37.2 points per game, and Fox has the second-ranked passing attack in the NWC with 284.4 yards through the air per game.

The Pios have the second-weakest passing defense in the conference this year — an area of strength this year for Fox — and are dead last against the run, allowing 4.9 yards per carry to opponents and 13 rushing touchdowns against NWC opponents.

On paper, this game should go to the Bruins – they have as potent an offense by the numbers and a significantly better defense, but games aren't decided on paper. Lewis & Clark still has yet to record a win against George Fox since the Bruins reactivated the football program in 2014, and that is certainly extra motivation for the Pios. The scores have steadily increased in the Bruins' favor over the history of the matchups, but this year's version of the Pios has proven they can move the ball well and should not be overlooked.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate, live streaming options will be available on the Bruins' schedule page, and the game will also be broadcasted on KRCW (Channel 32 for Dish and DirecTV users, and Channel 3 for Xfinity users). Senior Day festivities will take place after the conclusion of the game and will be streamed live on the Bruins' webcast for those out of the area.