McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Pacific University football battled against No. 7 Linfield, but the highly-ranked Wildcats pulled away after halftime and picked up the 52-23 win over the Boxers
 
Pacific (3-2, 2-1 NWC) racked up 257 yards of total offense, but gained just 87 net yards in the rushing game. Quarterback Kenyon Harris (Senior/Ogden, UT) struggled with Linfield's pressure as he was sacked six times and threw for just 102 yards on the day.
 
Josh Harris (Senior/Sonora, CA) had a good day running the football with 97 yards on 15 carries, picking up two touchdowns to lead the offense. Tight end Dominic Funk (Sophomore/Forest Grove, OR) exploded for a 68-yard catch and would lead the Boxers on the afternoon.
 
Isaiah Pitre (Redshirt Sophomore/Oakland, CA) caught Kenyon Harris's only touchdown pass of the day. This was Pitre's third touchdown grab of the season.
 
Michael Timmerman (Senior/Torrance, CA) had a great day at the linebacker position, recording eight tackles with a forced fumble.
 
How It Happened
 
After the two teams traded punts on their opening possessions, Pacific opened the scoring with a Caden Almer (Junior/Pollock Pines, CA) 27-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
 
The seventh-ranked team in the nation got to work on the ensuing drive as quarterback Wyatt Smith hit Connor Morton for a 17-yard touchdown to grab the lead.
 
The Boxers would go three-and-out before Linfield scored yet again to make it 14-3 in favor of the hosts.
 
Pacific responded with a touchdown of their own when Josh Harris punched one in from four yards out to make the score 14-10.
 
Both offenses would go quiet before the halftime whistle as the Boxers would force the Wildcats into two three-and-outs in the second quarter. 
 
Linfield showed their dominance in the third quarter as a 61-yard pass set the Wildcats in great position and they would eventually score to make it 21-10. A field goal followed by a touchdown would give the hosts a three-score lead at the end of the third quarter. 
 
The Wildcats added yet another touchdown before Pacific finally ended their scoring drought when Kenyon Harris connected with Pitre for a 13-yard touchdown pass. However, Linfield would answer with yet another score to extend their lead.
 
Tyler Vargas (Sophomore/Newman, CA) took the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to the Linfield 12-yard line to give the Boxers great field position. Josh Harris scampered for his second touchdown of the day to make the score 45-23.
 
Linfield added one more touchdown before the end of the game to clinch the 52-23 victory on their home turf.
 
 
By The Numbers
 

• Chase Hofmann (Junior/Half Moon Bay, CA) made seven tackles.
• Koa Atkinson-Sioloa (Sophomore/Holualoa, HI) registered six tackles and Gage Quinabo-Reis (Senior/Honolulu, HI) racked up five tackles.
• Pacific has never beaten Linfield since they reinstated the program in 2010.

 
Up Next
 
Pacific heads back on the road to continue Northwest Conference action as they travel to Newberg, Ore. on Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. to face George Fox.
 
For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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