NEWBERG, Ore. -- It's déjà vu all over again for the George Fox football team.

For the first time since revitalizing the program in 2014, the Bruins will have an in-season rematch on their hands when the Pacific Boxers come to town. The two teams met in September for an Oregon Cup game in Forest Grove, where the Bruins took down the Boxers, 14-9, in a defensive battle that featured two safeties.

Despite being listed as the backup when they played last, DeMontre Thomas II took every snap at QB in the Bruins' win. Thomas II finished the night 12/19 for 187 yards, rushing for a touchdown as well. The junior transfer quarterback, now cemented as the starter, will be playing in his third consecutive full game against the Boxers.

There's one piece that the George Fox offense has that they did not have in their first meeting — Dillan Dobbins. The fifth-year senior missed the first two games of the year, but has been one of the main pieces for the Bruin air attack; in seven games, Dobbins has pulled in 21 passes for 510 yards and four TDs. Dobbins will be joined in the starting lineup by River Osen, who recorded a 100-yard game against Whitworth, and Elias Polanski.

Another change for the Bruins will come at the tight end position; Cobey Aldrich steps into the fray as the starter after recording six receptions for 83 yards thus far in the season. Sheyden Iokia will be the second man in rotation following Aldrich. 

Behind the tight ends and the ever-consistent line will be the three-headed monster running back rotation of Taylor Saben, Logan Candanoza, and William Moffitt. Fox ran effectively against the Boxers in September, rushing for a combined 163 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bruin defense also shone in Forest Grove, allowing just nine points — two of which came off of a safety — in the best effort of the season. Starting safety Kiegan Schaan forced a safety in the fourth quarter to extend the Bruins' lead from 12-9 to 14-9, as the defense held the Boxers to less than 200 yards of offense. Schaan will be leading the way with conference leader in tackles Nash Wylie and star defensive lineman Jacob Erickson. As it has been for the past four games, the remainder of the Bruin defensive starters stay the same.

The Boxers share many similarities to the Bruins. Both teams enter the game with 2-4 NWC records. Both won big over Willamette to end a losing streak — Fox winning 63-10 and Pacific taking down the Bearcats 64-6. And both have kept the same core intact despite a lengthy QB battle.

Both Ryan Helt and Braden Titus have taken snaps for the Boxers in two of the past three games. Helt, who entered as the day-one starter, has 1,162 yards, but just six touchdowns and two interceptions. Titus, who has played over the last three games, has thrown for 584 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions. Helt is listed as the starter with Titus as the backup for the season finale. 

Brody Bantolina is the Boxers' workhorse running back, leading the conference with 832 yards rushing on the season — and one less game than many of his opponents, no less. Bantolina has scored seven times on the year and averaged over 100 yards per game, but his worst performance on the ground came from these same Bruins. The Fox defense held the Boxers' star to just 41 rushing yards on the day.

At receiver, Isaiah Pitre has been the top target for the Boxers in 2023, pulling in 30 catches for 462 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. It's not just Pitre getting the catches — Kai Bookland and Tyler Vargas each have over 300 yards receiving.

Defensively, Jesse Stroede leads the backfield with four interceptions on the season, while Hunter Brown leads the team in tackles. The Boxers' best defensive performance came against the Bruins in their 9-14 loss, but since that point, the Bruins offense has come alive.

While it may look like the same two teams are meeting for a finale on Saturday, there are still several differences. The Bruins have won two of their last three — with their only loss a close affair with undefeated Whitworth — with a revitalized offense and several new faces in the defensive backfield since the two teams last played. The Boxers themselves have experimented with different QBs and have found a star running back to take the bulk of their carries.

Yes, there may be slightly different circumstances for the teams than there were for the teams in September. But there's one thing the Bruins want to replicate from their meeting months earlier: a W.

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.