George Fox University

NEWBERG, Ore. -- It was a night to remember for the George Fox football team in their first-ever Friday night game.

The Bruins jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, dominating the way to their second shutout win of the season, 55-0, in a game that featured several broken records.

How It Happened
Perhaps the only thing that went wrong for the Bruins on Friday night was that they did not win the coin toss. After Willamette deferred, Fox started with the ball and quickly marched down the field. JJ Leman found Bupe Chisanga Jr. on the first play of the game, who earned 24 yards thanks in part to a facemask penalty. Already on the plus side of the field, Fox turned to what worked in their comeback win over Puget Sound: the run game. Brody Snyder broke through for a 17-yard touchdown to get the Bruins up early, 7-0.

The Bruin defense would allow just four first downs in the game — and only one in the first half — as Fox grew their early lead. Following a 12-yard rush from Snyder, Leman rolled out and found Raiden Gonazeles on the back side with no one within a country mile of him. The senior tight end pulled down his second career catch and walked into the end zone to make it a 14-0 game. After Duke Alderete-Labuguen and Kuyper Assink tackles forced a Willamette punt, the Bruins struck again on their first official play of the drive. Lyal Viers took a handoff up the left sideline and outran everyone on his way to a 52-yard touchdown.

Fox wasn't done yet, though. The Bruins forced another three-and-out and again drove down the field. Chisanga Jr. pulled down an acrobatic catch on third down to keep the drive going, and Austin Ramsey paid it off. The backup QB entered the game and pulled the ball on a read option, cutting around the Bearcat defense and falling into the end zone after an 18-yard run to make it a staggering 28-0 at the end of the first.

After not making a catch in the first quarter, Karsen Denault entered the fray in the second. A hard snap count made Willamette jump, and the star Bruin WR took advantage of the free play and made a leaping grab on the first play of the second quarter for a 37-yard gain. Then, it was Leman's turn to find the end zone, scampering from seven yards out and walking in. Just two minutes into the period, Fox had already jutted out to a 35-0 lead.

Willamette thought they had picked up their first big play, completing a pass over the middle — but Eli Miller had other plans. Keion Afford pulled in the Willamette pass at midfield, but Miller approached behind him; the senior defensive back stopped the 32-yard gain with a punch that stripped the ball at midfield. Austin Harrison picked up the ball, and Fox paid off the effort with a 42-yard field goal from Ben Rembisz to put Fox up 38.

With that 42-yard field goal, Rembisz moved into a tie for the all-time scoring lead with former standout running back Taylor Saben. And it wouldn't be long before he had a chance to break that record. Following a Jacob Erickson sack, the Bruins embarked on a 12-play, 60-yard drive. Two catches from Tucker Land set up Fox at the two-yard line, and offensive coordinator Joshua Mondt called on Kameron Spencer.

The longtime quarterback lined up as a tight end, but cut his motion short to line up under center. Spencer then caught the entire Bearcats defense off guard by quickly collecting the snap from center Matt Bradley, and gave Rembisz a chance to break the record by falling in for the two-yard TD, the first of his career. Rembisz then calmly knocked down the PAT, giving him 181 (25 FG, 110 PAT) points in his career, the most in program history. The team broke a record of their own as well, recording 45 points — the most in a single half— and took that 45-0 lead into the break.

Willamette began the second half with a different strategy: the team used either wide receiver Robbie Finlay or backup defensive back Tyler Schoenrock as wildcat quarterbacks for the remainder of the game, and did not officially attempt a pass in the second half. Finlay attempted to throw on the first third down of the third, dropping back — but was immediately pressured and hit from behind by Miller before he could get a throw off. Miller performed his second successful peanut punch of the game to knock the ball loose, and Erickson rampaged down the sideline, shoving a Bearcat player out of the way and just barely staying in bounds to track down the loose ball.

The next Bearcat drive, a fumbled exchange between the receiver and running back ended up in the hands of Alderete-Labuguen and put the Bruins back on the attack. Snyder had a 23-yard rush, but a holding penalty cancelled out what would have been Leman's second rushing touchdown of the day. Instead, Rembisz scored his 184th point of his career, knocking in a field goal from 36 yards out to extend Fox's lead to 48.

GFU's final points of the game came on their third drive of the third quarter following two positive rushing plays from Damien Ehlers. Leman recorded his last pass attempt of the day, finding Viers on the screen pass. The freshman took advantage of solid blocking and waltzed untouched into the end zone, becoming the first player to score two touchdowns on the day thanks to his 35-yard touchdown. Up 55-0, the question now became if Fox would break their record 53-point win, previously set against Willamette in 2023.

While no points were recorded in the fourth quarter, several GFU players played in their first collegiate games or recorded some of their first stats. Garrett Steyskal had two tackles and Jack Neale made his name known with three straight — before Neale recovered a fumble forced by Vincent Cabezudo to stop Willamette's most promising drive of the day. 

Declan McDonald, Jaxon Dunnigan, and Gabe Williamson all recorded rushing attempts on the ensuing drive for Fox, but it was quarterback Jackson Alt who got the Bruin sideline fired up. The senior quarterback, who had appeared in just one game prior to Friday night, completed his first career pass with a 30-yard beauty to Jeremy Young to convert on a third and five. Kainui Iokia and Mason Turnbaugh had tackles and Sayre Williamson had a seven-yard run, but it was Spencer who finished things off with a kneel down to preserve the biggest win in program history.

Friday Night Lights didn't end up too bad. Final score: George Fox 55, Willamette 0

Top Performers
Ben Rembisz etched his name atop the George Fox record books, scoring 13 points on the night (seven PATs, two field goals) to become the all-time leading scorer in George Fox. Rembisz had his third kick from 40-plus yards in the first half, knocking down a 42-yarder. Jacob Hundven averaged 58.3 yards on 10 kickoffs, while Vincent Cabezudo had 24 yards returning and a forced fumble.

Through the air, JJ Leman was 12-20 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, while Austin Ramsey was 3-4 for 48 yards and Jackson Alt was 1-3 for 30 yards. Leman and Ramsey each had a rushing touchdown, but it was Brody Snyder who led the Bruins with 80 yards rushing a TD. Lyal Viers was close behind, somehow averaging 15.8 yards per carry on his way to 79 rushing yards, 65 receiving yards, and two TD (one rushing, one receiving). Kameron Spencer and Raiden Gonzales had the other two touchdowns, while Karsen Denault led the team with four catches for 73 yards to become the second Bruin to ever have 1,000 yards receiving. 

Defensively, Jacob Erickson again led the way with seven tackles on the night, one of which was a sack. Erickson also had one QB hurry and a fumble recovery. Eli Miller, Jack Neale, and Kuyper Assink were second on the team with six tackles, with Miller forcing two fumbles, Neale recovering one, and Assink recorded three QB hurries.. Duke Alderete-Labuguen and Austin Harrison had the other two fumble recoveries, 

Coach's Thoughts
"We came out and executed the assignment!" Bruin head coach Spencer Crace said, "After starting slow last week, it was great to see our guys jump out of the gate early and compete. Proud of Ben Rembisz becoming the all time leading scorer. Bruin nation was bumping and it was a fun night under the light! Looking forward to getting back to work on Monday."

What It Means
The Bruins capture their second straight win and move to 5-3 (2-3 NWC) on the season, their first time surpassing the four-win mark since 2022. The Bearcats fall to 1-7 (0-5 NWC). In the 2026 season, Fox was 3-0 in night games at Stoffer Family Stadium.

What Happens Next
GFU will play their final road game of the 2026 slate as the square off against the Pacific Boxers. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.