NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox football team will look to build off of a strong second half against Lewis & Clark as they welcome the Puget Sound Loggers to town for homecoming weekend.

The Bruins fell down 24-0 at halftime in their first Northwest Conference game of the year against the Pios, rallying to cut the deficit to 21-24. Though Fox dominated the second half, they ran out of time in the end, with their final Hail Mary falling incomplete in the three-point loss.

DeMontre Thomas II will get the nod at quarterback following a 177-yard, one-touchdown, one-interception performance against the Pios. Thomas II has started all four games thus far into the season, totaling 772 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.

It will be all similar faces for the offense as well, with the same 11 starters as last week returning to play. Taylor Saben and William Moffitt continue to serve as a two-headed monster in the backfield, with both players scoring against Lewis & Clark. Saben led the team in rushing yards with 77, while Moffitt had two touchdowns — one through the air and one on the ground.

River Osen, Thomas McMillan, and Elias Polanski will all get the start at wide receiver. Polanski leads the team with 200 yards receiving for the season while Osen is second with 120 yards. Chavis Lee, Kala'i Bradley, and Kaelen Fray are all listed as backups but will likely see time on the field. Lee leads the team at 25 yards per catch, while Frey enters the weekend following a four-catch performance versus the Pios. Tight end Cobey Aldrich, who is listed as the starter, leads the team with two touchdown receptions. 

Lawa Ah Yat, Dylan Pires, Kyle Osowski, Michael Echtle, and Sean Brewster will all start for Fox for the third consecutive game. After their slow start, the line locked in in the second half, helping the Bruins rush for 153 yards and pass for 177.

The defensive line sees the only major change for the Bruins in their starting 22 in Kuyper Assink. The freshman lineman earned his first career start following a career game in Portland, where he recorded two tackles for loss and one sack. Joining Assink up front are usual starters, Blake Mazurowski and Bryce Goetz.

In the defensive backfield is Borde, Kiegan Schaan, and Nolan Martin will earn the start as safeties, while Zak Holsey and Austin Harrison will start at cornerback. Harrison and Holsey have recorded each of the two interceptions that Fox has forced this far, while Borde leaves the team with five pass breakups. Martin and Schaan return to Newberg following 13 tackle and eight tackle performances, respectively.

Rounding out the defense is their core linebacking trio of Nash Wylie, Dustin Kunze, and Noah Tack. Wylie, who was listed as a starter for week four but did not play, makes his return to play; Caleb McElfish and Dylan Palama, who are both listed as backups for the weekend, took over the snaps in Wylie's absence and will likely continue to make an impact.

Riley Rutledge and Ben Rembisz will hold down the fort for the Bruin kicking game for the fifth week in a row. Rutledge had three punts with a long of 48 for the Bruins against Lewis & Clark, while Rembisz was 3/3 on his extra points.

These Fox starters and backups are looking to avenge a close loss at the hands of Puget Sound in 2023, where a last-second field goal gave the Loggers a 29-27 win. UPS enters the weekend with a 1-3 record and is coming off a 34-62 loss to Pacific in their NWC opener.

Mason Binning is the do-everything quarterback for the Loggers and enters his senior season as a three-year starter for a high-powered UPS attack. The senior passed 66 times for 416 yards the last time these two teams met, rushing for 22 yards as well. Through four games, Binning leads the conference and is 14th in the nation with 1,279 passing yards.

Binning is joined by Henry Hernandez, who is second in the conference with 407 rushing yards on the season. The senior has become the workhorse back for the Loggers in the past two weeks, rushing for 190 yards and two touchdowns against La Verne and 125 yards and a score versus Pacific.

The Loggers employ not one, but two key targets at wide receiver that have hauled in catches all season. Isaac Tran has surpassed 100 yards in every game — with a season-high of 183 against Southwestern (Texas) — while Joe Gallagher has recorded 14-plus receptions twice in the year.

While the UPS offense has been humming the past two games — the Loggers have averaged 41.5 points per game — the defense has been prone to give up big plays. Through four games, the Loggers have given up 59, 47, 41, and 62 points. In their 34-62 loss to Pacific, Boxers running back Brody Bantolina rushed for 215 yards and three touchdowns, while the Lewis & Clark offense rushed for 301 yards in their meeting in September.

Expect fireworks aplenty in this Homecoming showdown between the two teams as the Bruins look to win their first conference game of the season.

Kick-off for the game is scheduled for 4:05 p.m., with live stream, live stats, and ticket links available on the Bruins' website.