NEWBERG, Ore. -- The entire George Fox football team hummed a harmonious tune in front of the Bruin faithful on Saturday night against Puget Sound, wowing the homecoming crowd with 30 first-half points en route to a dominant 40-14 victory.

How It Happened
While the Bruins' offensive success might catch the fans' eyes, it was a solid defensive effort that got things started. Fox forced a fumble on the first drive of the game, with Noah Tack jarring the ball loose and Ethan Price falling on the loose football to set up the offense in prime position; Fox was sure to make good use of the spot, with DeMontre Thomas II finding Elias Polanski for 35 yards before sneaking it in to give the Bruins an early 6-0 lead.

Fox would score once more in the first quarter, with William Moffitt finding the end zone to push the lead to 13-0. The score wrapped up a nine-play, 48-yard drive that featured a 3rd & 10 conversion pass between Thomas II and Thomas McMillan. Following another defensive stop, the Bruins were back in business again as the second quarter rolled around.

The next drive was the Taylor Saben show, with the junior running back touching the ball on all three plays in a 14-yard reception, 51-yard reception, and three-yard touchdown run to push the Fox lead to 20. Puget Sound countered, taking advantage of an interception and scoring their first TD of the day to cut the lead to 20-7 — but it took 21 minutes and a fortunate bounce on the pick for a powerful UPS offense that had averaged 41 points per game the past two weeks to score.

A 34-yard return from Saben helped the Bruins on their next drive, with Thomas II and Moffitt controlling the pace; the nine-play drive was punctuated with a touchdown pass from Thomas II to extend the lead. After forcing a three-and-out, the offense was on the move again, punctuating the half with a long, 12-play drive that ended with a 29-yard field from Ben Rembisz to give the Bruins a 30-7 halftime lead.

The second half started with two chunk plays from Saben, with the junior breaking away for a 50-yard kick return before rushing for a 32-yard gain. The two plays put the Bruins into field goal range again, with Rembisz putting another kick through, this time from 32 yards out.

As had been the theme all night, Fox's defense bent, but never broke on their next drive, with UPS embarking on a 12-play drive that resulted in no points after a missed field goal. The Loggers were limited to just 228 yards of offense on the night, by far their lowest yardage output of the season.

Saben built on his defense's successes, putting a bow on his career day with a touchdown run to advance the lead to 40-7. A last-minute touchdown from the Loggers brought the game to its final score of 40-14, giving the Bruins a massive homecoming victory.

Top Performances
Taylor Saben was the human embodiment of lightning in a bottle for Fox, getting it done in all aspects of the game; the junior rushed nine times for 50 yards and two touchdowns, pulled down four catches for 109 yards, and returned two kicks for 84 yards. Quarterback DeMontre Thomas II ended his night 15-29 for 278 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown as well. 

William Moffitt led the team in rushing yards for the game, finishing with 53 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while Sayre Williamson rushed for 27 yards. Elias Polanski had the lone receiving TD of the day, finishing with 52 yards and a score, while River Osen ended with 62 yards.

On defense, Noah Tack was a force to be reckoned with from the linebacker position, ending the day with 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks for 26 yards, a quarterback hurry, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. Ty Borde was next up with nine tackles and a pass breakup. Nolan Martin, Kuyper Assink, Kiegan Schaan, and Nash Wylie all chipped in on a sack.

For special teams, Ben Rembisz finished with two field goals and four extra points, while Riley Rutledge recorded one punt for 33 yards. In his first collegiate appearance, Kellen Kobata recorded two touchbacks on two kickoff attempts.

Coach's Thoughts
"Our whole goal today was to play a complete, full game," Bruin head coach Chris Casey said, "We hadn't done that the past few games, but we did that today. All three phases of the game — offense, defense, special teams  — did amazing today from start to finish, playing complementary football. I'm proud of the guys and their toughness and accomplishing our weekly goals."

What It Means
The Bruins snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 3-2 (1-1 NWC), while the Loggers fall to 1-4 (0-2 NWC).

What Happens Next
Fox will stay in the friendly confines of Stoffer Family Stadium as they host the No. 19 Linfield Wildcats (4-1, 2-0 NWC) on Family Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.