NEWBERG, Ore. -- Fresh off of their first conference victory, the George Fox football team looks to win their second in a row against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes.

The Bruins enter week eight with a 2-5 record — but showed significant improvement in their 63-10 thrashing of Willamette. Fox set program records for most points scored (63), most yards gained (623), and most individual touchdown scorers (8) while holding the Bearcat offense to just 222 yards of offense.

Thanks to his first-half performance against Willamette, DeMontre Thomas II has officially been named the starting quarterback, ending a seven-week battle for QB. The transfer quarterback from Eugene, Ore. dissected the Bearcat defense, throwing for 279 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

But it wasn't just the passing game that got going for the Bruins against Willamette — Fox ran for 345 yards in the game, the second-most in program history. Taylor Saben and Logan Candanoza combined for three touchdowns on the night; against PLU, Saben is listed as the starter and Candanoza the backup. Third stringer William Moffitt has recorded a carry in every game this season and will likely see a few on Saturday.

The starting wideout corps of Dillan Dobbins, Elias Polanski, and Logan Klopfenstein combined for 12 catches, 187 yards and one touchdown against the Bearcats, but will face one of the premier NWC secondaries on Saturday — the Lutes have recorded the most interceptions in the conference. The starting line for the Bruins will consist of the same five lineman as it has all season as they look to stop an equally potent Lutes rushing attack.

Defensively, Fox hopes to pick up where they left off against Willamette: the Bruins gave up just 10 points, intercepted a pass, and forced seven punts. Nash Wylie, the NWC leader in tackles, will command the defense at linebacker. Wylie is joined by GFU sack leader Jacob Erickson on the line and junior Austin Canchola in the defensive backfield. For the season, the Bruins have recorded 17 sacks and intercepted six balls, holding teams to 4.8 yards per play.

Ben Rembisz was named NWC Student-Athlete of the Week for his performance in the kicking game. The freshman made all nine of his extra points and kicked for two touchbacks against the Bearcats, and will start at kicker against the Lutes. Mikey Goforth, who turned a bad snap into a 15-yard gain as punter, will once again punt for the Bruins.

The Lutes enter the game off of a 49-14 win over Lewis & Clark and currently sit at 4-3 overall record with a 3-1 Northwest Conference mark. For the season, PLU has wins against Pacific, Willamette, and Lewis & Clark, with a 13-42 loss to Whitworth. 

Starting QB Darius Chaffin has helped the Lute offense come alive in the past two weeks, throwing for nine touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for two TDs as well. The junior was named Student-Athlete of the Week for his 276 yard, five TD performance against the Pios, and has thrown for 16 touchdowns and six interceptions on the year.

On the shoulders of Chaffin, the Lute attack has been balanced for 2023; entering Saturday's game, PLU is fifth in both passing and rushing offense. The starting running back against the Bruins will be Raysen Motoyama. Who has run for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Manuel Felan the main target for Chaffin and is third in the conference in receiving yards with 477.

Though the offense has put up numbers for the last two games, it has been the Lute defense that has guided them to a three-game winning streak. PLU has allowed no more than 14 points over its last three games, and has one of the premiere passing defenses in the country. All-NWC linebacker Kalen Davis-White leads the team in tackles with 62, but it's lineman    Nico Golla who turns up the pressure; through seven games, Golla has eight sacks — 11th in the country.

Pressure from Golla has allowed the Lutes' pass defense to be second in the conference, trailing only Linfield. Junior Kellen Meade has picked off three passes in the season, while the team has intercepted seven. That pass defense is something that Fox remembers all too well; in 2022, PLU recorded a pick six in their narrow 13-12 win over the Bruins. 

Now, Fox will look to avenge that loss and pick up their second straight win of the year. And after a Saturday to remember, the Bruins will aim to make their next game just as memorable.

Tickets for the game are available online via the Bruins' ticketing partner, HomeTown Ticketing, and general admission purchases will also be available at the stadium on game day. All games are available to be streamed via the GFU Athletics website, with all home games and away games at Pacific and Linfield available on KRCW — Channel 32 for Dish and DirecTV users and Channel 3 for Xfinity users.