NEWBERG, Ore. -- After their winningest year in school history, the 2023 George Fox football schedule is here, with five home games, a new wrinkle in scheduling, and two other non-conference tests on tap for the coming season.

"Our program is very excited about the upcoming 2023 football season," Bruin head coach Chris Casey said, "As always, we have a very strong pre-season schedule and then the challenge of each conference game, where we must perform to a championship level."

After a 2022 campaign that saw the Bruins travel to both California and Texas, Fox will stay close to home in their first two outings — kicking off the season with their home opener against Howard Payne on Sept. 2. Last season, Fox outlasted the Yellow Jackets, 42-39, in an offensive showcase.

The Bruins will then travel to Forest Grove on Sept. 9 to participate in the inaugural Oregon Cup — a nonconference event between the two Northwest Conference teams. Fox will face Pacific twice in the year, with their other game played at Stoffer Family Stadium on Nov. 11.

The team will hit the road after staying in Oregon for their first two contests, traveling to Claremont, Calif. to face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Sept. 16. It will be the first time that the Bruins have faced the Stags, having played four other SCIAC opponents since returning to competition in 2014.

Following their bye week, the Bruins will start their NWC slate with homecoming against Lewis & Clark on Sept. 30, before hitting the road on back-to-back Saturdays against Puget Sound and Linfield.

With just two home games in the first seven weeks of the season, Fox lives at Stoffer in the final games, playing three of the last four at home. The Bruins will play Willamette on Oct. 21, while welcoming families for Family Weekend on Oct. 28 for their game against Pacific Lutheran.

After traveling to Spokane, Wash. to take on Whitworth at the Pine Bowl, the Bruins will face Pacific for the second time on the season — this time an NWC-counting game — with their Senior Day finale.

All NWC games this season are scheduled with a kickoff time of 1:30 pm, while the home opener against Howard Payne is slated to start at 5:00 pm. However, as Bruin football enters its second season being broadcasted on KCRW, kickoff times are subject to change to accommodate television audiences. Be sure to check the George Fox Athletics website to ensure that no start time adjustments have been made.

"We are truly thankful and fortunate to have such tremendous support from our parents, the GFU campus, our alumni, and the Newberg community," Coach Casey said of the season, "Our coaches and players look forward to seeing you for game one, September 2nd versus Howard Payne University. Go Bruins!"

Stay tuned for more updates about season ticket sales and package renewal information in the coming months. More information about ticket packages should be available at the end of April.