SALEM, Ore. -- For the third time in three weeks, the George Fox football team picked up a victory. This time, the Bruins won on the road, their first victory away from the friendly confines of Stoffer Family Stadium, downing Willamette after a standout second half, 31-9.

How It Happened
For the second straight week, Fox dealt with rain on gameday — and for the second straight week, they started by emphasizing the run. The Bruins ran just one pass play on their opening 12-play drive, with the first 11 on the ground. Taylor Saben, Brody Snyder, and Mason McBride all recorded a carry, with Saben and Snyder each totaling a run of 15-plus yards. The drive ended with a kick from the defending NWC Special Teams Player of the Week, Ben Rembisz, who showed why he earned the award with a 39-yarder to put the Bruins up, 3-0.

Fox had nearly taken the entire first half of the first quarter on their opening drive, and the defense quickly halted the Bearcats. The teams traded punts from there, with a 20-yard punt return by Willamette's Elijah Romero giving the home team the ball in GFU territory. A roughing the passer helped move the Bearcats 15 extra yards, and a 28-yard field goal from Nick Seidl tied up the game, 3-3.

Once again, the teams traded punts before the Bruins embarked on their most productive drive since the early stages of the game. Fox, who hadn't picked up a first down since the eight-minute mark of the first quarter, got one on a pass from JJ Leman to Sheyden Iokia — and thanks to an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Bearcats that prevented another punt, the Bruins were off to the races. A 13-yard pass on 3rd & 10 to Tucker Land and a 26-yard rush by Saben had Fox knocking on the door to end the half. It was Saben who punched the ball in from one yard out, giving the Bruins a 10-3 lead that they would take into the break.

Headed out of the locker room, GFU seemed eager to prove that they could pull away from the Bearcats — and it was Jacob Erickson who set the tone early. Erickson, who had recently set the program record for sacks in a career, set the single-season sack record with his 11th, taking down Bearcats QB Luke Rasmussen for a six-yard loss.

After the punt, Tucker Land showed off his moves, breaking a Bearcats defender's ankles to pick up the first down — and two plays later, Karsen Denault showed moves of his own. The freshman wide receiver found himself open down the center of the field, and Leman found his favorite target for a 29-yard score. 

The next drive for the Bruins was more of the same. William Moffitt broke free from a scrum at the line of scrimmage for an 18-yard gain before Leman found Kala'i Bradley for a 15-yard gain. Leman completed two more passes — one to Kaelan Frey and one to Saben — before Saben again punched through the line for a one-yard touchdown. After a pass breakup from Ben Nuss, the Bruins headed into the fourth quarter up 21, 24-3. 

Leman attacked the Willamette defense through the air repeatedly to start the final frame, beginning with a 13-yard completion to Moffitt. Leman had two more completions to Frey before scrambling twice for gains. The Bruins nickel-and-dimed down the field, taking a drive from the GFU 14 and converting it into points on a 15-play, 86-yard drive that put Fox up, 31-3. Though Leman found four other receivers on the drive, it was Denault who caught his second touchdown of the day to end the drive — this one not as open, as the receiver managed to catch a ball from a scrambling Leman, get one foot down in the far corner of the end zone, and hold onto the ball through contact to score.

The Bearcats managed to get a TD on the board, scoring a 29-yard touchdown of their own, but even then, Fox managed to find a positive, as the ensuing PAT was missed. Fox forced a turnover on downs on the Bearcats' next drive, with Kaikoa Iokia breaking up his second pass of the game. Kameron Spencer came out to take the final kneel down of the game, with the Bruins winning their third straight, 31-9.

Top Performances
JJ Leman completed 75% of his passes on the day — a career-high — finishing 21-28 for 176 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Though Leman also rushed for 32 yards, Brody Snyder led the team with 80 yards on the ground, while Taylor Saben led the way with two rushing TDs and 68 yards rushing. Karsen Denault had two receiving TDs of his own to go alongside 35 yards, while Kaelan Frey led the team in receptions with four.

Jacob Erickson not only broke the record books with another sack, he also led the team with eight tackles. Silas Kincaid, meanwhile, was second on the team with seven tackles and led the way with 1.5 sacks. Kaikoa Iokia had two pass breakups on the day, with Ty Borde, Ben Nuss, and Sam Astor each recording one.

Ben Rembisz ended the day 1-2 on field goals, nailing a 39-yarder. Punter Riley Rutledge, meanwhile, had five punts for 207 yards, one of which was downed inside the 20-yard line.

Coach's Thoughts
"It was a slow start, but our guys persevered and kept fighting," Bruin head coach Spencer Crace said, "Defense had another lights out performance and offense continued to show the versatility and balance between run and pass. Excited for another week to get better!"

What It Means
Fox has now won three games in a row for the first time since 2022, moving to 3-5 (3-2 NWC) on the season. Willamette falls to 1-7 (0-5 NWC) on the year.

What Happens Next
Fox will be back at home to honor its seniors on Senior Day, hosting Pacific (3-5, 2-3 NWC). Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:30 pm.