NEWBERG, Ore. -- What a difference a few weeks make.

After the second weekend of October, the George Fox football team was 0-5 following a 16-40 loss to the Whitworth Pirates. The Bruins had not scored more than 21 points on the year and had given up 28 or more four of the five games.

Flash forward to Senior Day. Fox has won their last three games by a combined 61 points, scoring at least 31 in every game. The Bruin defense is fresh off of a game where they held Willamette to nine points in their victory. Everything seems to be on the come up for Bruin head coach Spencer Crace and his team.

Part of that turnaround is thanks to Taylor Saben — after just 116 yards in the first five games of the season, the senior running back has run for 282 yards and five touchdowns. Backup Brody Snyder has also been a revelation; following his breakout game against Lewis & Clark, where he ran for 145 yards, Snyder ran for 80 against Willamette. 

Alongside the running backs in QB JJ Leman, who has been instrumental in the Bruins' success. The freshman starter completed a career-high 75% of his passes against Willamette, and has nine total TDs (five passing, four rushing) in the past three games. He'll start his ninth career game on Saturday, and final home game of 2025.

Also in the backfield (some of the time) will be Tucker Land. Land, listed as the starting tight end, also plays a hybrid position. Against Willamette, Land had one carry and two catches. Expect to see Sheyden Iokia at a more "traditional" tight end position as well — over the past two games, the GFU tight end has eight catches. Alongside the tight ends, Karsen Denault, Kaelan Frey, and Dreylen Tolentino will all start at wide receiver for the eighth time this season, the three having combined for eight catches and two TDs in Salem.

The George Fox offensive line has been a revelation over the Bruins' past three games. The group of Toby Esqueda, Rylan McGraw, Lawa Ah Ya, Miky Amare, and Sean Brewster has helped the Bruins win three straight by keeping their quarterback clean and opening up running holes; Leman was sacked just once at Willamette while Fox has run for over 200 yards every time in their win streak.

On the defensive end, the Bruins will start the same 11 as the week prior. Star defensive end Jacob Erickson will help man the defensive line following a record-breaking week; the Bruins DE became the program leader in both single-season and career sacks with one in Salem. Silas Kincaid had a team-high 1.5 as well from the defensive tackle position. The two will start alongside Kuyper Assink and Kaden Raever.

Linebacker Kaikoa Iokia joined in on the sack party for the Bruins, totaling half of a sack with Kincaid, while also totaling a team-high two pass breakups. He will start alongside Caleb McElfish, who recorded four tackles against Willamette.

In the defensive backfield, Ty Borde and Reyn Asato will start at cornerback, while Ben Nuss and Sam Astor will start at cornerback and Zak Holsey and linebacker. Combined, those five athletes have five interceptions.

Special teams will feature the usual suspects in Ben Rembisz and Riley Rutledge. Rembisz has made a field goal in four of the past five games, while Rutledge is second in the NWC in total wards punted.

For both teams, it will be a bit of a reunion of sorts — after all, the teams did "switch" coordinators. Defensive Coordinator Lukkes Gilgan spent nine seasons in Forest Grove before joining Crace's staff, while Pacific's DC John Bates was the first ever coach hired by former Bruin coach Chris Casey and spent 11 seasons as the defensive coordinator in Newberg.

Along with coaching connections, the Boxers have a similar story to the Bruins, sporting an identical 3-5 record to Fox. Pacific started the season 1-5, but have rebounded for back-to-back wins. The Boxers downed Willamette, 35-14, before beating UPS, 52-35.

Brody Bantolina is the player to watch for Pacific, coming off of one of the best seasons in program history. In 2024, Bantolina rushed for 1,533 yards and 15 touchdowns, finishing as a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy and a Second Team All-American. It's been"tougher sledding for Bantolina in 2025 — the senior has 750 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games — but a "down" year for Bantolina is still good for second in the NWC; Bantolina rushed for 205 yards against Willamette and 141 against Puget Sound.

Sophomore Keaton Smith is slated to be the starting quarterback for the Boxers. Since taking over the job after the season opener, Smith has thrown 1,074 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Those numbers make up the lowest total passing attack in the NWC as the Boxers rely on their star running back. Riley Caramillo is the top receiver for the Boxers, pulling in 33 catches for 418 yards and three scores.

Defensively, Pacific has been opportunistic — the Boxers have three players that have intercepted two passes on the season in Avin Tanioka, Kilinahe Aki, and Keyon Mills. Of those three, only Tanioka is listed as a starter, with Aki and Mills serving as backups. Despite Pacific's strong coverage, the Boxers have struggled to pressure the QB; in eight games, the Boxers have recorded just 10 sacks — one less than Jacob Erickson has had all season.

The Bruins will look to take advantage of extra time in the pocket while being wary of ballhawk Boxer defenders. The game should be a thrilling final installment of Fox's 2025 home schedule.

And for the Bruin faithful, they hope to see a fourth straight win.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 pm, with live video, stats, and ticketing links available on the George Fox athletics website.