CLAREMONT, Calif. -- A 47-yard field goal in the final seconds doomed the George Fox football team as Fox dropped their final non conference game of the season in a hard-fought contest, 7-16 to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

How It Happened
After two punts to start the game, the Bruin offense got some traction on their third thanks to the return of Dillan Dobbins. Dobbins, who had missed the first two games of the season, had two catches for 48 yards in the first quarter — one of which was a 17-yard bomb from DeMontre Thomas II to the fifth-year senior.

Despite the early touchdown, the Bruin offense struggled. As has been the case for much of the season, the game quickly turned into a defensive struggle. The Fox defense did not allow a point in the first half, with the Stags never reaching the red zone — meanwhile, the Bruin offense failed to get on the CMS side of the field in the second quarter. Thanks to a clutch interception from Nolan Martin at the end of the half, the Bruins led, 7-0.

For the second time this season, the Bruins turned to a new quarterback in the third quarter. Max Richey stepped into the game for Fox following the halftime break looking to jumpstart the offense. Though Richey did rifle one completion to Elias Polanski for 18 yards, Fox once again failed to reach the opposing red zone.

After holding off the Stag attack for 40 minutes, the Bruin defense finally let one through; a superhuman effort from Walter Kuhlenkamp turned a five yard QB draw into a 65-yard touchdown to tie the game at the end of the third quarter, 7-7.

Two huge plays wildly swung the momentum in the fourth quarter. With 4:00 left in the game, Nash Wylie's leaping interception gave the Bruins the ball at the CMS 42-yard line. The very next play, however, Richey's pass sailed behind Polanski and for an interception, giving the ball back to the Stags.

The final nail in the coffin came minutes later when the Stags capped off a short, six-play, 22 yard drive with a field goal from Rich Brutto. Brutto, who had missed two kicks early in the day, knocked the 47-yard attempt with one second left to break the heart of the Bruins. Down 10-7 with no time on the clock, Fox's desperation lateral was recovered by CMS and returned for a touchdown to make the score 7-16.

Top Performers
DeMontre Thomas II finished the day 6/15 for 69 yards and a TD, while Max Richey finished 7/14 for 83 yards and an INT. Logan Candanoza finished as the leading rusher with six carries for 26 yards, while River Osen was the top receiver with three catches for 65 yards, Dillan Dobbins had the lone TD catch of the day, finishing with three receptions for 52 yards.

Defensively, Hunter Williams, Jacob Erickson, and Nolan Martin all finished with a sack, while Zak Holsey finished as the leading tackler with nine. Martin and Kiegan Schaan each had two pass breakups, with Martin and Nash Wylie each picking off one pass.   

Coach's Thoughts
"We can't beat ourselves," Bruin head coach Chris Casey said, "Claremont is a very good team, one that made the playoffs last season, but turnovers, missed assignments, mistakes in coach's calls and technique hurt us. Ultimately, we didn't play complimentary football and didn't capitalize on opportunities. While this loss had nothing to do with attitude or effort, we've got to get back to building off of each other in the coming weeks."

What It Means
The Bruins finish their non-conference slate with a 1-2 record, while the Stags improve to a 2-0 record.

What Happens Next
The Bruins have next weekend off, and will use the week to prepare for their NWC opener and homecoming game against Lewis & Clark on September 30th. The kick is scheduled for 4:00 pm.