NEWBERG, Ore. -- How you get up after a hit matters. For the George Fox football team, that response comes on Saturday.

After starting the season 3-0, the Bruins couldn't reach 4-0 for the first time in program history, falling to the Linfield Wildcats in their Northwest Conference opener, 58-24. Now, they'll welcome the reigning NWC champion, Whitworth, to Stoffer Family Stadium for the first-ever Homecoming/Family Weekend combo game.

Thousands of Bruin alumni and families will get the chance to watch sophomore QB JJ Leman lead the team onto the field against the Pirates. Leman is slated to start his 15th consecutive game for Fox and hopes to bounce back after he failed to throw a touchdown in week four. For the season, Leman has tossed seven touchdowns to just two interceptions, throwing for 893 yards and rushing for an additional 121. Austin Ramsey, who threw a TD pass on his first career attempt against the Wildcats, is listed as the backup.

Brody Snyder is again listed as the starting running back for Spencer Crace and the Bruins. The junior was held to a season-low 10 rushing yards on seven carries in McMinnville; prior to that game, Snyder had recorded at least 56 rushing yards in each game of 2026. Damien Ehlers is the backup on GFU's two-deep, but Fox fans could expect to see several carries from Lyal Viers — the freshman led the team with five rushes for 47 yards against Linfield.

For the wide receivers, starters Karsen Denault, Kaelan Frey, and Bupe Chisanga Jr. all recorded at least four catches and 48 yards against Linfield. Frey had his first TD of the season with a diving one-handed grab in the fourth quarter, while Denault had his first collegiate rushing touchdown alongside 131 receiving yards; through four games, the sophomore WR has 531 yards, 10th in the nation.

Toby Esqueda, Rylan McGraw, Kyle Martin, Miky Amare, and Sean Brewster are all listed as the starting linemen up front for Fox for the fifth consecutive game. The fivesome has kept their quarterback relatively clean throughout the season, with Leman sacked a season-high two times in McMinnville. Tight end Raiden Gonzales, who typically serves as Fox's blocking TE, is listed as the starter in GFU's two-deep.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jacob Erickson looks forward to a return to Stoffer Family Stadium. The fifth-year senior has dealt with double and triple teams sent to the defensive end position, and while he began the year with 4.5 sacks at home, he hasn't recorded a sack in his previous two away games. With so much attention sent Erickson's way, though, Kuyper Assink has racked up 3.5 sacks in the previous two games. Kaden Raever and Makana Paikuli will start alongside the DE's at the tackle position.

For the fifth straight week, the Bruins will start the same defensive starters behind their defensive line. Mika Petaia and Duke Alderete-Labuguen have been solid in the middle for the Bruins at the linebacker position, with the pair second and third in team tackles, respectively.

Both Ben Nuss and Eli Miller had their work cut out for them in their previous game, each recording a team-high eight tackles — fellow starter Ty Borde was right behind with seven. The trio is joined by Zak Holsey at nickel and Austin Harrison at corner.

On special teams, Ben Rembisz returns to Newberg after the best statistical game of his career. Rembisz hit one of the longest field goals in program history with a 45-yarder to end the half against the Wildcats, one of two 40-plus-yard field goals he connected on for the day. Riley Ritledge, who leads the conference with an average of 41.3 yards per punt among qualifying punters, will receive snaps from Noah Bjornstedt.

Whitworth, meanwhile, defeated Pacific, 41-6. The Pirates outgained the Boxers 442-107 and had a 38:26–21:34 advantage in time of possession. Quarterback Logan Lacio completed 24 of 28 passes for 270 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lacio spread the ball around to ten different receivers, and four different players caught TD passes. Deacon Dietz caught four balls for 79 yards and a score, while Matthew Ehler made four catches for 32 yards and one TD. Drake Matthies caught a 40-yard touchdown pass on Whitworth's first drive of the second half. TE Nate Peterson caught the Pirates' first touchdown of the game. Kurt Solano led the running game with a career-high 90 yards and a touchdown.

Because Whitworth was so effective shutting down Pacific's running game (-12 yards rushing), the Boxers were forced to try and complete quick passes out to the flats. Cornerbacks Omari Williams and Kade Long were up to the task, leading the team with seven and six tackles, respectively. Defensive end Lucas Reynolds made five stops, including two for losses of four yards. Drew Cody made his impact felt with four tackles, a pass break-up, and two QB hurries.  Maddox Suitonu had his second interception of the season.

Iden Bone kicked the two longest field goals of his career. He made a 48-yarder to complete Whitworth's first possession, surpassing his previous career-high of 47 yards set last season.  Then he drilled a 55-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give the Bucs a 13-0 lead at halftime. Bone also made all five of his PATs for 11 total points en route to being named the NWC Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week and to the D3football.com Team of the Week.

The last time these two teams met, the Bruins were 0-4 and on the road at a team that would make its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Whitworth got out to a quick 14-0 lead against George Fox and then cruised to a 40-16 win over the Bruins. 

Since then, though, the Bruins have a 7-2 overall record. And though the Bruins lost their last time out, they've proven that Whitworth can be a turning point before.

This time, they'll be ready to jump back up after a hit.

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:00 pm. Live stream, live stats, and ticket information are available on the GFU Athletics website. 

Whitworth Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Communications Steve Flegel contributed to this story.