REDLANDS, Calif. -- While the George Fox football team showed great fight in their first game under new head coach Spencer Crace, they fell just short on the road in Redlands, losing to the Bulldogs in a 7-10 battle.

How It Happened
Crace turned to true freshman JJ Leman as the starting QB in week one, with the Bruin playcaller showing his versatility early. Leman, who became the first true freshman to start a game at QB for Fox since Jaden Sheffey in 2019, completed the first two passes of his career, including an eight-yard ball to Sheyden Iokia for a first down. The Bruins' first drive ended in a punt, however, and though Fox drove into Redlands' territory on their second drive thanks to Leman's ability as a runner, their next drive ended on a failed fourth-down conversion.

The Bruin defense, meanwhile, locked down the Bulldog attack in the first quarter, forcing a punt before Austin Harrison recovered a botched field goal snap to keep the game scoreless. And despite a Fox turnover the very next play following Harrison's recovery, the Bruins again kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard by forcing another missed field goal. 

Redlands struck first midway through the second quarter, with Taylor Bowie knifing through the middle of Bruin defense for a 76-yard touchdown. The Bruins then embarked on their best drive of the day to that point, utilizing several Leman scrambles, a late hit from the Bulldogs, and a swing pass to Taylor Saben to reach the red zone for the first time. Unfortunately, that first play proved to be unlucky; Leman's pass was deflected and bounced off of his intended target and into the arms of Redlands' Kaleb Gibbs, who raced 62 yards to the George Fox 21 before being tracked down by Leman. The momentum shift resulted in three for the Bulldogs, who converted on a 24-yard field goal to take a 10-0 halftime lead.

The third quarter featured two missed field goals, a punt, and no points between the two teams. The Bulldogs' miss was from 40 yards, while Ben Rembisz narrowly missed his field goal try later in the quarter from 30. The quiet third quarter meant that Fox would have to rally from a 10-point deficit to pick up a season-opening win.

 As had been the case all day, the Bruin defense continued to shut down Redlands. Kaikoa Iokia made several key plays to start the quarter, hurrying the Redlands QB and forcing a fourth-down with a third-down tackle, getting the ball back in the Bruins' hands. The drive started with two solid runs from freshman Tucker Land, before two other freshmen made a play; Leman, who had been effective with his legs all day, had his best throw of the night, found Karsen Denault down the sideline, who caught the ball while bouncing off of a defender before racing 41 yards down the field. Sensing a momentum change, the Bruins dipped into their bag of tricks.

Leman swung the ball out to Kaelan Frey on a backwards pass that looked to the entire stadium to be a screen. But, just as the Bulldog defense raced up to stop the ball, Frey stopped in his tracks and tossed the ball to an open Denault. The freshman receiver fought off two more defenders, diving into the end zone to complete the trick play and reach closer to Redlands, 7-10.

Once again, Fox's defense bent but never broke. The Bulldogs worked their way to the George Fox 29, but Caleb McElfish stonewalled running back Donovan Maxey for a loss of five, forcing another long field goal attempt; Redlands missed their third FG of the day, this one from 51 yards out. Though the next two possessions were quiet for Fox, a key open-field tackle from Reyn Asato on the final possession gave the Bruins hope.

Leman found William Moffitt for a seven-yard gain on the first play of the drive, but Fox stalled from there. The Bruins attempted three run plays to try and pick up the first down (one from Moffitt and two from Leman), but all were stonewalled by the Bulldogs, who forced the turnover on downs. Though Fox had fought valiantly, it would be Redlands who earned the win as Fox fell, 7-10.

Top Performances
In his first career game as a true freshman, JJ Leman finished 13-28 for 121 yards and three interceptions, running for a team-high 87 yards as well. Senior receiver Kaelan Frey showed off his arm on the trick play, throwing for 38 yards and a TD to go along with his four receptions for 23 yards. Karsen Denault led the team in receiving, finishing with two catches (both on the same drive) for 79 yards and a TD. 

Defensively, Ben Nuss led the team with 10 tackles, while Jacob Erickson roared back to life after missing his junior year due to injury; the defensive end finished with 2.5 tackles for loss. Kuyper Assink had the lone sack of the day, while Nuss, Reyn Asato, and Zak Holsey each had a pass breakup. Silas Kincaid tied the team high with eight solo tackles.

On special teams, Riley Rutledge had five punts for 190 yards — but had one of the biggest plays of the day, recovering from a high snap to recover the fumble, turn around, and boot a ball down into Redlands territory.

Coach's Thoughts
"I'm proud of the way our guys competed," Crace said, "We fought hard to the very last possession. We were just a few plays away. Our defense played lights out, but Redlands got two big plays, and that was the difference. I love the grit this team has. We're going to be a great team; we need to grow and learn from this experience. We saw three freshmen on offense bring a spark that tells us the future is very bright in the Berg! Can't wait to get back to work on Monday."

What It Means
The Bruins begin the year 0-1, while Redlands is 1-0

What Happens Next
Fox will have their penultimate Oregon Cup game as they travel to NWC rival Lewis & Clark for a nonconference matchup. The game, which will be held in Portland, Ore., is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 pm.