George Fox University

TACOMA, Wash. -- At the start of the second quarter, the George Fox football team was on its heels. They trailed the Puget Sound Loggers 17-0, had been outgained by 100 yards, and had just two first downs.

Three quarters later, it was Fox who came out on top, completing the largest comeback in program history and shutting out the Loggers in the final 40 minutes to win going away, 35-17.

How It Happened
The George Fox defense started strong, but the Bruins faced early adversity. Sam Astor had an open-field tackle, and Kuyper Assink had a QB hurry to force an early Logger punt, giving Fox the ball. JJ Leman and Brody Snyder each used their legs to march down the field, but Leman's third pass of the day was too high for his target and was picked off by Dylan Ott. Ott raced down the field for an 80-yard touchdown to put the Bruins down 7-0 early.

Things went from bad to worse for the Bruins as GFU went three-and-out the next possession. The Logger attack converted two third-and-longs before connecting on a 14-yard pass that made it a 14-point game. Fox quickly went three-and-out, and Puget Sound ended the period on a 57-yard pass play to keep the homecoming crowd in Tacoma roaring.

The Loggers marched into the red zone, but Assink and Duke Alderete-Labuguen made the first big defensive stop of the day, sacking PS quarterback Brady Beck to force a field goal. Down 17-0, Leman scrambled to convert a crucial third down — and instantly made the Loggers pay. The Fox QB found who else but Karsen Denault, who hauled in a deep ball and stretched it to the one-yard line on a 43-yard completion. The next play, Tucker Land bruised his way into the end zone to get GFU on the board.

Fox didn't wait long to get their next momentum play. A slow dribbling kickoff from Jacob Hundven was picked up by the Loggers' Isaac Lugo, but Izzy Jantes was right there to twirl around the PS returner and force a fumble. Astor fell on the ball, and the Bruins were back in business. Five plays and a fourth-down conversion pass to Sheyden Iokia later, Leman rolled to his right and dove past the far pylon to score again, cutting the deficit to 17-14.

Back-to-back fumbles by each team kept the game see-sawing as the first half rounded to a close. Two plays after GFU had fumbled the ball, Beck lost the ball on a wild scramble, with the ball being picked up by Jacob Erickson. The Bruins then turned to Brody Snyder — and the running back answered the call. Snyder ran the ball four straight times, gaining all 58 yards on a drive that culminated in a 25-yard rushing score. Erickson nearly forced another fumble on the final play of the half, reaching Beck as he threw the ball, but the officials ruled the pass incomplete. Fumble or not, one thing was certain:

After trailing 17-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Bruins had rallied back to take a 21-17 lead heading into halftime. 

The Bruins' defense picked up right where they left off to start the second half, with Erickson stonewalling De'Andre Dukes Jr. on fourth and one to give GFU the ball on their side of the field. Fox turned right back to what was working: running the dang ball. The Bruins threw just one pass on the drive, a play that was offset by a PS penalty, and the drive culminated in a nine-yard TD rush by Lyal Viers.

Erickson and Tyven Self-Gomes-Kealakai recorded back-to-back sacks on the next drive, and Fox was off and running (literally again). Leman and Damien Ehlers recorded four straight rushes before the quarterback let it fly to Denault. The Bruin receiver hauled in another deep ball, pulling in the pass for a 35-yard score and putting Fox up double digits.

Eli Miller entered the game as the only starting GFU defensive back without an interception. That changed on Saturday. Miller soared through the air and picked off a desperate Beck heave on the next Logger third down. Though Fox had to punt on their next possession, they headed to the fourth quarter up 35-17.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, but there were still several standout highlights in the period. Zak Holsey stopped the most promising PS drive since the first quarter with a diving interception in the end zone to stop any hope of a homecoming comeback. Then, on the next drive, Kaelan Frey had the catch of the day, hauling in an Austin Ramsey jump ball and pulling it down over the Logger defender. 

The Bruins were content to run out the clock to end the game, recording a 17-point comeback and 35 straight to beat the Loggers, 35-17. It's the largest comeback for the program since their return to the gridiron in 2014, besting the old record set 11 years prior: a 14-point comeback in a 39-35 victory over Redlands on September 12, 2015.

Top Performers
Quarterback JJ Leman threw just 15 times on Saturday, completing eight of them for 110 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while rushing for 30 yards and a score. Brody Snyder, meanwhile, averaged a staggering seven yards per carry, rushing 17 times for 119 yards and a TD. Lyal Viers had a touchdown for the second straight week, recording 10 carries for 40 yards. For the second straight game, Tucker Land had a one-yard rushing touchdown, his only rush of the game. The other TD of the game was recorded by Karsen Denault, who averaged 39 yards per reception with two catches for 78 yards and a TD.

Defensively, Jacob Erickson was a menace everywhere, recording 1.5 sacks, a team-high nine tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. Eli Miller and Zak Holsey each recorded an interception, while Duke Alderete-Labuguen and Izzy Jantes each forced a fumble. Kuyper Assink led the team alongside Erickson with 1.5 sacks.

On special teams, Riley Rutledge had four punts and 155 yards and one ball inside the 20, while Ben Rembisz made all five of his PATs and Jacob Hundven had one touchback.

Coach's Thoughts
"Proud of our team's resilience and grit," Bruin head coach Spencer Crace said, "Puget Sound came out swinging, but our guys kept fighting over and over again and never quit. We have to learn from our mistakes and stop allowing teams to gain momentum off turnovers. We will keep growing and getting better as we run to the roar!"

What It Means
Fox earns their first NWC win of the season, snapping a three-game losing streak and moving to 4-3 (1-3 NWC), while Puget Sound drops to 2-4 (2-2 NWC).

What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel back home to host their first-ever Friday night game as they face the Willamette Bearcats (1-6, 1-3 NWC) on October 30. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m.