NEWBERG, Ore. -- George Fox football wraps up its 2022 season on the road this weekend at Whitworth and has a chance to add a few more historical milestones to its resume.

While picking up a 41-20 win over Lewis & Clark for Senior Day, Fox had a few players set new season-high marks in program history: Chris McCoy became the leader in single-season passes defended (16), Jacob Erickson tied the single-season record for sacks (10.5), Haiden Schaan took over as the single-season passing leader (2,551 yards), and Schaan's 90-yard screen pass to William Moffitt is now the longest play from scrimmage in modern football history for Fox.

There are a few more individual milestones on the horizon — Leon Johnson III can become the all-time leader in career receiving yards this weekend, for example — but as a program, the big thing remaining is an eight-win season. Fox has topped out at seven wins multiple times since returning to action in 2014, but a win over the Pirates this weekend would set a new bar for single-season victories.

The Pirates won't be an easy mark in the Bruins' push for eight victories. This matchup features 24 first-or-second-string Pirates from the 2021 matchup, a game that came down to a last-second pass breakup at the goalline in Newberg. That defeat will surely be in Whitworth's minds as they prepare for this weekend.

Both teams are neck-and-neck heading into the final week of the season — Whitworth averages 31.2 points per game to the Bruins' 31.1 on offense, and on defense, both teams have allowed an average of approximately three touchdowns per game this year. Each squad is also within a few yards of the other in terms of total offense and total defense this season, so expect a compelling battle this weekend in Spokane.

Whitworth has the conference-leading tackler in its linebacker corp this year, but three of the top ten tacklers in the NWC are either in the Bruins' defensive backfield or at linebacker. There is also a healthy amount of crossover in the coaching ranks — John Bates, Ian Sanders, and Nic Brockhoff are all former All-NWC alumni of Whitworth — and Chris Casey spent a decade of his coaching career with the Pirates from 1994 to 2004 as well.

Last weekend, Whitworth held the conference-leading rush attack of Pacific to just 45 yards in a 28-17 win in Forest Grove and piled up 130 yards and three scores on the ground itself. The Bruins' backfield produced 147 yards on the ground and another 128 yards receiving out of the backfield in their win over Lewis & Clark, so it will be an interesting battle between team strengths in Spokane this weekend.

Schaan leads the conference in both passing yards and passing efficiency, and is second in passing touchdowns this season with nine games under his belt. Whitworth has two 1000-yard passers on its roster this season and projected starter Jayden Prewitt can rip it as well as any QB1 in the conference — against Pacific, Prewitt passed for 288 yards and a score.

Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Pine Bowl for all fans. Tickets can be bought in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App. Follow this link for purchases. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students, and children.

The game will be available via the Pirates' streaming network with audio-only, video, and live stat streaming options. Kickoff is slated for 12:30 pm.