NEWBERG, Ore. -- Saturday is a lot more than another football game for the George Fox football team.

Sure, it marks the end of the season. It marks the final road trip for this particular team to spend together. But it is also a chance to get back to .500 on the season.

Five weeks ago, it was an uphill battle. But since a loss to Whitworth, the Bruins have rattled off four straight wins to move to 4-5 on the year. In their final home game of the season, Fox downed Pacific, 27-21, in a reunion game for defensive coordinator Lukkes Gilgan, who coached in Forest Grove for nine seasons.

Now, it'll be a reunion for head man Spencer Crace as he faces his former team, Pacific Lutheran; Crace was the offensive coordinator in Tacoma for seven seasons, helping lead the team to some of their best offensive years.

They'll look to replicate that offensive talent with QB JJ Leman, who flipped his commitment from PLU to GFU to follow Crace. Leman has thrown a touchdown in every game but his first, including one TD pass in Fox's win over Pacific. He needs just 224 yards to become the third QB in George Fox history to throw for over 2,000 yards on a season. 

Taylor Saben, meanwhile, will look to expand upon his ever-growing program record TD total. In the Bruins' four-game win streak, the senior tailback has run for 358 yards and six touchdowns. Saben will earn the start while Brody Snyder, who has run for 322 yards and two scores himself, will be the backup.

All in all, it will be the same 11 offensive starters as the past week to round out the season. Kaelan Frey, Dreylen Tolentino, and Karsen Denault will each start at wide receiver. Denault, in particular, is looking to make history himself. With 170 yards receiving (a high number, yes, but one within reason), he would become just the second player in GFU history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season, alongside Leon Johnson III.

On the offensive line, the Bruins will start Toby Esqueda, Rylan McGraw, Lawa Ah Yat, Miky Amare, and Sean Brewster for the fourth time this season. The group has excelled up front, with the Bruins averaging 221 yards per game on the ground. Also starting on the line will be versatile hybrid Tucker Land, who averages 4.5 yards per carry and has pulled down a catch in every game.

On the defensive side, Fox will also start the same 11 players as before. Caleb McElfish led the team in tackles in Fox's win over Pacific on Senior Day and will start in his final game in blue and gold. McElfish will be at linebacker alongside Kaikoa Iokia, who was third on the team with seven tackles.

Also making a big impact in his final game at home was Reyn Asato, who had a key interception as the Boxers were driving late. Asato starts at cornerback alongside Ty Borde, while Ben Nuss and Sam Astor will be at safety. Zak Holsey mans down the middle at the nickel position.

While the Bruins didn't generate their normal sack numbers against Pacific, Kuyper Assink still managed to total one sack, the lone Bruin sack on the day, to move up to 9.5 on the season. Assink is still 1.5 behind Jacob Erickson, who set the GFU single-season record two weeks ago with 11 on the year. The pair will earn their final start of the season at defensive ends, while Silas Kincaid and Kaden Raever start at defensive tackle.

On special teams, it will be Ben Rembisz and Riley Rutledge serving as punter and kicker for the 20th consecutive game, dating back to 2024. Long snapper Noah Bjornstedt, meanwhile, made his presence known by recovering a muffed punt return to help swing the tides in GFU's favor.

Overall, it will be a very similar starting lineup against a very familiar opponent. The Lutes enter the game with an identical 4-2 NWC mark, with losses to Linfield (31-15) and Whitworth (10-6). Jacob Schuh will start for the Lutes at running back and ranks third in the NWC in rushing with 820 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

Quarterback Anthony Mahaffey is one spot in the NWC rankings behind Leman, throwing for 1,496 yards and 16 touchdowns. Mahaffey has thrown for 10 interceptions, though, and has tossed at least one in his past seven games — something Fox hopes to take advantage of.
 
Mahaffey has a litany of favorite targets, with six different players pulling in a touchdown catch. Jase Ellamar leads the team in receptions (37), Connor Meade in receiving yards (586), and  GFU transfer AJ Stepina in touchdown catches (6). 

Defensively,  Jackson Hale enters the game after a career performance in the Lutes' 46-36 win over Lewis & Clark. The junior has seven tackles, including five solo, and a pick-six, earning NWC Defender of the Week for his performance. 

Eli Fernandez leads the team in tackles, while defensive lineman Cole Becker is one of the few players in the Northwest Conference who can keep up with the raw numbers of Erickson and Assink, totaling eight on the season.

For the Bruins, Saturday marks the culmination of a season full of improvement. They'll have a chance to prove that by recording their fifth straight win — a feat that would tie the program record.

And hopefully, make Crace's homecoming oh-so-sweet.