NEWBERG, Ore. -- For the first time in Stoffer Family Stadium's history, fans will be packing the stands to watch the George Fox football team under the lights on Friday.

The Bruins have played 60 home games since the program returned to the field. Only one has been on a Friday: March 26, 2020, a COVID-era game with no fans allowed in the stands. Now, Fox will welcome the Bruin faithful for a game the day before Halloween against Willamette.

In his last meeting against Willamette in November 2025, quarterback JJ Leman had the most efficient four-quarter game of his career, completing 20 of his 27 passes for 169 yards and two scores. The starter for all seven games of the 2026 campaign and slated to be the starter in the eighth, Leman has completed 58.7% of his passes on the year for 1,525 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Fox turned to the run game heavily in their last game against Puget Sound, running the ball 46 times for 221 yards behind the line of starters Toby Esqueda, Rylan McGraw, Kyle Martin, Miky Amare, and Sean Brewster. The five are on the two-deep to start once again for GFU, as they have done all season.

Thanks in part to his linemen's efforts, running back Brody Snyder recorded the second 100-yard game of his career, averaging a staggering 7.0 yards per carry for 119 yards and one touchdown. Snyder's backup is officially Lyal Viers, who scored for the second straight week, finishing with 40 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. Though he isn't listed on the two-deep, Tucker Land has proven to be a key goal-line back for Fox — the hybrid position player has two carries for two yards and two touchdowns over the past two games.

By his outrageous standards, Karsen Denault had an "off" game against the Loggers, pulling in two catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Just seven games into the season, the sophomore is only 36 yards away from becoming the second George Fox player to have a 1,000-yard season (joining GFU legend Leon Johnson III) and is third in the nation in receiving. Denault is joined by usual starters Bupe Chisanga Jr., Kaelan Frey, and Raiden Gonzales at the receiver and tight end positions.

On the defensive side of the ball, Fox has been very effective at generating takeaways; after forcing 12 turnovers in all of 2025, the Bruins have already forced 18 (12 interceptions, six fumble recoveries) in 2026. 

Those turnovers were a big part of Fox's 17-point comeback win over Puget Sound as GFU picked off two passes and recovered two fumbles. Zak Holsey has one of those interceptions to put him at four on the season — the second-most in a season in program history. Holsey will be joined by fellow ball-hungry defensive-back starters Ben Nuss, Austin Harrison, Ty Borde, and Eli Miller.


Duke Alderete-Labuguen and Mika Petaia are listed as the starting linebackers on the Bruins' two-deep for Friday, each earning their eighth start. Alderete-Labuguen is second on the team in tackles with 42, while Petaia has 30 on the season. In the middle of the defensive line, Tyven Self-Gomes-Kealakai and Kaden Raever will start.

For the defensive ends, Jacob Erickson and Kuyper Assink continued their assault on quarterbacks everywhere — the pair each had 1.5 sacks. Erickson's seven sacks are the 17th-most in the nation and top the NWC, while Assink's six are tied for second in the conference.

Special teams has been consistent for the Bruins thanks to stalwarts Ben Rembisz, Riley Rutledge, and Noah Bjornstedt. Rembisz hasn't been called on to kick a field goal since Fox's homecoming game against Whitworth, but has made all 10 of his PAT attempts in his last two games. Rutledge, meanwhile, leads the NWC in punting yardage and is only second in yards per punt (40.7) to Linfield's All-American Cade Johannsen.

While Willamette football has hit tough sledding in the last decade — the Bearcats haven't won an NWC game since 2016 — they have improved greatly under third-year head coach Aric Williams. The Bearcats downed Pacific in the Oregon Cup third-place game, and led Pacific Lutheran late in a 14-6 loss.

The Bearcats' strength has been their defense; Willamette has held opponents below 25 points in three games, including their 6-3 win over Pacific in September. Defensive end Javi Rodriguez, an All-NWC Third Teamer his junior season, is tied with Assink with six sacks on the season. While Willamette's other all-conference defender, safety Jonjon Delgado, intercepted three passes against PLU and was named NWC Defensive Player of the Week, he has not played in the past three games.

On the offensive side, the Bearcats have struggled to get the ball into the end zone. For the season, Willamette has just eight touchdowns (as opposed to 27 from GFU), and they have been held to six points or fewer in four of their seven games. Willamette ranked 223rd out of 242 Division III teams, averaging 218 yards per game.

Senior QB Lukas Hewes, who has also missed three games due to injury, is listed as the starter in Coach Williams' two-deep. Hewes has thrown for 800 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions — four of which came in his previous outing against Pacific. Colby Ford is the top rusher (58 carries, 179 yards, 1 TD), while Keion Afford is the top receiver (23 receptions, 279 yards).

With a win over the Bearcats, the Bruins can secure a .500 record for the first time since 2022 — but that isn't the end of the line for Fox. With three games left and a chance to finish the year strong, it all begins on Friday for Coach Spencer Crace and his staff.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 pm, with live stats, live video, and ticketing links available on the GFU Athletics website.