SPOKANE, Wash. -- The George Fox football team faced a tough Whitworth Pirates team on the road, falling behind early and dropping the game, 16-40.

How It Happened
The Bruins started the game with a quick three-and-out before the Pirates set the tone with a grueling 14-play, 73-yard drive. Kaikoa Iokia recorded four tackles on the drive, but a crucial fourth-down conversion led to a nine-yard Deacon Dietz TD reception to give the home team a 7-0 lead. Two minutes later, the Pirates found the end zone again to extend their lead to 14.

After the teams traded punts and the Fox defense held after an INT, the Bruins' first substantial drive came at an unlikely spot — midway through the second quarter and starting at their own nine-yard line. Quarterback JJ Leman recovered from his prior pick, tossing a ball down the field to a leaping Karsen Denault for a 46-yard gain. The freshman QB built off of this success with completions to Sheyden Iokia and Kaelan Frey before finding a streaking Denault again; the receiver fought through a pass interference to haul in the circus catch and score the touchdown. Though the PAT was blocked and returned for two points, the Bruins were on the board, 16-6.

Whitworth drove down the field with Luis Salgado on a rushing TD, but Fox ended the half on a positive note. Leman completed five passes to four different receivers — including Jeremy Young who caught his first-ever pass — to get the Bruins in field goal range. Ben Rembisz, who set a career mark with a 40-yard mark against Linfield, one-upped his mark with a 42-yarder to end the half with Fox down, 23-9.

Back-to-back highlight plays for each team headlined the third quarter. Salgado scored his second touchdown of the day with a 41-yard rush, but Denault was there again to tally another big play; the freshman receiver was hounded by the cornerback, but hauled in a perfectly-placed ball, shed off a tackler, and took the ball 75 yards to the house. And after Jacob Erickson stonewalled Salgado on a 4th & 1, the Bruins were in business, heading into the fourth quarter down 14, 30-16.

Leman's pass to begin the period was incomplete and resulted in a turnover on downs, setting the stage for a quarter where the Bruins were outgained 94-12. Fox failed to pick up a first down in the fourth, turning the ball over on downs three times. Whitworth, meanwhile, tacked on an additional 10 points for insurance, taking home the win, 40-16, and handing Fox their fifth loss to open the season.

Top Performances
Karsen Denault had a career game for the Bruins, recording the fourth-most receiving yards in history and most since Leon Johnson III in 2022 — finishing with four catches for 156 yards (a staggering average of 39 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. JJ Leman, meanwhile, set another career passing mark, ending the day 23-45 for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Taylor Saben led the team with 30 yards rushing.

On the defensive side of the ball, Kaikoa Iokia led the way with eight tackles, five of which were solo, 1.5 TFLs, and the lone sack of the day. Ben Nuss and Austin Harrison each recorded a pass breakup. On special teams, Ben Rembisz nailed a 42-yard field goal, while Riley Rutledge had five punts for 192 yards.

Coach's Thoughts
"Unfortunate result today," Bruin head coach Spencer Crace said, "We didn't execute the game plan, we played undisciplined with penalties, and it took us a full quarter to get going offensively. As the leader of this team I have to do a better job getting us ready to play. Can't wait to go back to work Monday!"

What It Means
The Bruins are still searching for their first win of the season, now 0-5 (0-2 NWC) on the season. Whitworth improves to 3-2 (2-0 NWC) on the year.

What Happens Next
Fox will return to Stoffer Family Stadium on Saturday, October 18 for a matchup against one of the bright stories of the season in the Lewis & Clark Pioneers (5-0, 2-0 NWC), who are receiving votes in the national polls and 5-0 for the seventh time in program history and only the second time (2011) since 1963. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 pm.