NEWBERG, Ore. -- The Bruins' good fortune under the floodlights continued on Saturday, Sept. 17 as Fox cruised to a 38-28 win in its home opener over the Chapman Panthers. After coming from behind to win in each of their first two games on the road, Fox never trailed in front of over 3200 fans at Stoffer Family Stadium while putting on a historic display on offense.

How It Happened

There was plenty of scoring to start the game – six of the first eight drives ended in points to open the half. In the end, Fox out-gained the Panthers 518 to 356 in total offense, putting up the fourth-most yards in one game since football returned to campus in 2014. The 356 yards and 28 points were both season-lows for the Panthers.

George Fox won the coin toss, deferred to the half, and then stuffed the Panthers' opening drive to get the ball two minutes into the game. Three plays and 73 yards later, Haiden Schaan and Leon Johnson III linked up again for their seventh pitch-and-catch of the season on a 67-yard bomb up the left sideline.

Chapman answered back with a very methodical march to even the score at 7-7, using 17 plays to go 72 yards while burning over nine minutes of clock.

Fox responded with another scoring drive on its next possession, scattering three rush attempts in between completions from Schaan to Johnson III and Dillan Dobbins. Dobbins capped the drive with a 39-yard touchdown catch for a 14-7 lead, and Fox kept the momentum from that point onward.

Fox forced another three-and-out on the Panthers' next series and took advantage of a short field after the Panthers' punt attempt failed to cross the 50-yard line. Five plays and two minutes later, Logan Candanoza cruised in from 12 yards out for his first touchdown carry of 2022 to give Fox a 21-7 lead after Ethan Hoffman made his PAT kick.

Chapman tried to take the wind out of the Bruins' sails with another long drive — 73 yards in nine plays — but the Bruins responded in kind after Chapman cut into the lead, 21-14, with 7:18 left to play in the half.

Fox covered 70 yards in six plays to make it 28-14 in short order. Ethan Bullock ripped off a 19-yard run to get things going before penalties appeared to kill the momentum, first pushing Fox back five yards with a false start and erasing a would-be 45 scoring strike to Elias Polanski for a face mask on offense. Once again, Schann found Johnson III with a dime up the seam for 58 yards on a third-and-25 play from the Bruins' 40 yard line. Schaan scampered in off the left tackle for the score on the next snap to give Fox a 14-point cushion at the half.

The second half only featured four scoring drives, but both teams moved the ball well in another entertaining 30 minutes of action. Neither team scored on their opening drive, but the Bruins were able to go 88 yards on the third drive of the half to make it 35-14 with 40 receiving yards — and a nasty stiff arm — from Tom McMillan punctuated by a six-yard run from Candanoza for the score.

An equipment malfunction gave Chapman the ball on their 48-yard line after Hoffman's cleat ripped in two on his run-up for the kickoff, and the Panthers needed only one 52-yard rush down their sideline to make it 35-21.

The Bruins were held to a career-long field goal try from Hoffman on their next drive, but the senior nailed a 47-yarder to make it a three-score game again late in the third quarter. 

Chapman answered with a touchdown to start the fourth quarter, but neither team scored again after the Panthers pulled it to 38-28. Chapman looked like it had another chance to score late in the fourth quarter, but a 29-yard would-be touchdown was picked off by Kiegan Schaan and returned to the Panthers' 20 with three minutes left. Fox killed the clock with six running plays and walked off the field winners as time expired with a fourth-and-goal on the Chapman 10 yard line.

Top Performances

Schaan was 7-10 for 220 yards and two touchdowns by halftime, so a nod to his skill players and the Bruins' line is well-earned. Fox put a season-high 518 yards of offense on the books with 193 on the ground and 325 through the air in large part because the running lanes were open and the pocket stayed clean for Schaan throughout the night.

Johnson III had 154 yards on the night — his third game of 150+ this year — and one touchdown catch. His seventh touchdown of the year ties the school's single season record, but unlike the previous owner of that record, Johnson III has hit that mark in just three games.

Candanoza led all players with 85 yards and two touchdown carries on the ground, and Dobbins racked up 120 yards of total offense with 65 receiving, 55 rushing, and one 39-yard touchdown grab.

On defense, Fox was led by Justin Montijo with 12 tackles, including five solo, and a pass breakup. Chris McCoy and K. Schaan each made eight tackles and were ballhawks all night – McCoy broke up three passes and nearly had an interception to kill a drive, while Schaan did snare the pick that robbed the Panthers of a scoring chance at the two-yard line.

Hoffman hit his first career field goal of 45+ yards, nailing a 47-yard try in the third quarter, and also put the ball out of the endzone on his opening kickoff. On his only punt of the night, Hoffman was able to pin the Panthers inside their 20.

Coach's Thoughts

"That's a very good team with athletes all over the field and a great scheme on both sides of the ball - our guys were able to respond each time we faced adversity and answered the bell," coach Chris Casey said of Chapman after the win.

"Our guys have a lot of confidence heading into league play and they feel like they can compete with anyone, and they've earned that right to feel confident. That confidence comes from how they've prepared and how they've executed in games. They've learned how to win in high-scoring games and they have come from behind and held on to leads, and that will only help as we head into [Northwest Conference] play."

What It Means

The Bruins' best start ever keeps growing as they finish non-conference with a perfect 3-0 record, while the Panthers take their first loss of the year and drop to 2-1. The win also stretches the Bruins'  winning streak to 5-0 dating back to 2021.

What Happens Next

Fox will take a week to rest and recover before the Bruins turn their attention to Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 1 for Homecoming and the Hall of Fame at Stoffer Family Stadium.