NEWBERG, Ore. -- Despite a 21-point halftime deficit, the George Fox football team showed resilience in a close loss to the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags, having chances to inch closer but ultimately falling short, 17-27.

How It Happened
The Bruins started with a bang on the second play of the game, with DeMontre Thomas II finding Chavis Lee through a sea of Stags for a 48-yard completion. Though the completion put Fox in prime position, Taylor Saben was stuffed for a three-yard loss on an ensuing fourth down play, halting the Bruin drive at the CMS 20-yard line.

After a long drive that resulted in a field goal, the Stags showed some flash of their own midway through the first quarter, with Walter Kuhlenkamp finding Mason Cotton for a 70-yard connection of their own to give Claremont a 10-0 lead. Despite the double-digit deficit, the Bruins ended the fourth quarter with a huge play on special teams — Kaikoa Iokia recovering a muffed punt to give Fox the ball deep into Stag territory as the first ended.

Ben Rembisz started the second quarter with the first points of the game for GFU, knocking a 28-yard field goal through with ease. The field goal, coupled with a CMS punt, gave the Bruins what seemed to be a much-needed momentum shift.

Unfortunately for Fox, the pendulum swung the other way in one fell swoop; Thomas II's pass to Elias Polanski was deflected and intercepted on the carom by Jacob O'Connell, who returned the ball 26 yards for the Stag touchdown. After the next Bruin drive stalled out with a failed fourth down attempt at the CMS 26, the Stags extended their halftime lead to 24-3 with a Justin Edwards touchdown. At the half, the Bruins trailed by 21.

Fox exited the halftime tunnel a new team — and proceeded to play the third quarter with a previously unseen fire. The Bruin defense forced a three-and-out, and quickly began driving. The highlight of the possession was a pass to receiver Thomas McMillan, who dragged the entire population of Claremont with him to the four-yard line. Thanks to McMillan's effort, the Bruins found the end zone on fourth and goal on a Thomas II QB sneak. 

The very next play from scrimmage, cornerback Zak Holsey picked off Kuhlenkamp, returning the ball to the CMS 37 and sending the Bruin crowd into a frenzy. Fox failed to capitalize on the field position, though, turning the ball over on downs for the third time in the game on fourth and two. The Stags took advantage of the opportunity, moving down the field before a 51-yard field goal from Rich Brutto to give the Stags a 27-10 lead.

The Bruins would not go down without a fight, however, as the offense countered with a drive of their own. This time, GFU converted a fourth down in Stag territory, with Thomas II finding a resilient McMillan for a 17-yard game. Two plays later, William Moffit broke through several CMS tackles to score from 17 yards out. At the end of the third, the Bruins had cut the lead to 10, 17-27.

CMS slowed the game to a grinding halt in the fourth, taking up 10 minutes of clock with an 18-play drive that featured three third down and one fourth down conversion. But just when it looked like the Stags were going to put away the game, Nash Wylie stepped up: the Bruin linebacker stonewalled Edwards at the one-yard line, forcing the CMS running back to fumble. Nolan Martin jumped on the loose ball, giving Fox one last hope.

That hope would be short-lived, though. Although passes to Kaelen Fry and Polanski gave Fox two first downs, a strip sack on Thomas II proved to be the dying blow. The Stags would run the clock down low, not giving the Bruins enough time to mount another drive. Though Fox had fought hard in the second half, the Stags dealt the Bruins their first loss of the year, 17-27.

Top Performances
DeMontre Thomas II finished the night 16-31 with 220 yards and one interception, rushing for one touchdown as well. William Moffitt had the other touchdown on the day, finishing the afternoon with 45 yards on the ground. River Osen led the team with three catches for 52 yards, while Thomas McMillan had two clutch catches for 47 yards — 37 of which came after the catch.

On defense, Nolan Martin had 13 tackles for the afternoon and recovered the fumble on the Bruins' goal-line stand. Nash Wylie, who forced the fumble on the goal line, was second on the team in tackles with nine, while Zak Holsey had the other turnover in the interception. Kiegan Schaan led the way with 1.5 tackles for loss, and Ty Borde had two pass breakups.

Coach's Thoughts
"We had our chances against a good CMS team, but we didn't capitalize enough," Bruin head coach Chris Casey said, "But I'm proud of our guys for the way that they played the second half. Their effort, physicality, blocking, and tackling helped us finish strong. It's something for us to build off of."

What It Means
The Bruins fall to 2-1 as they transition into Northwest Conference play. CMS improves to 2-0 on the year.

What Happens Next
Fox will take the next Saturday off before traveling to Portland, Ore. to face Lewis & Clark on Saturday, September 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.