SALEM, Ore. – The Pacific University football team opened Northwest Conference play with a dominant 49-19 victory over Willamette. 
 
Pacific (2-1, 1-0 NWC) was in control from start to finish, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives to jump out to a quick 14-0 lead. The Boxers would pull away after halftime, notching three touchdowns in the third quarter to build a sizable lead. Pacific capped the game with another touchdown in the fourth to cruise to a comfortable win to start their conference campaign.
 
Pacific posted 433 yards of total offense with 233 through the air and 200 on the ground, lead in nearly offensive category.
 
Kenyon Harris (Senior/Ogden, UT) put in another fantastic performance under center, going 17-24 for 233 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes. The Boxers' signal caller connected with eight different receivers and led his team to a season-high 49 points. 
 
Kyle Kern (Junior/Roseville, CA) led the receiving corps with five catches for 79 yards. He was Kenyon Harris's favorite target on the day and proved to be quite the threat in the red zone, making two touchdown grabs in the contest.
 
Isaiah Pitre (Redshirt Sophomore/Oakland, CA) had a breakout performance on Saturday afternoon, hauling in two touchdown receptions. The Oakland, Calif. native had three catches for 68 yards.
 
Joshua Harris (Senior/Sonora, CA) had a steady day as he carried majority of the load for Pacific in the rushing game. The senior registered 75 rushing yards on 22 carries.
 
Noah Steverson (Sophomore/Rohnert Park, CA) and Carter Atkins (Sophomore/Sherwood, OR) had a party in the backfield as the two defensive linemen were nearly un-blockable. Steverson recorded 1.5 sacks while Atkins had two sacks with three tackles for loss.
 
 
 
How It Happened
 
Ethan Kameshige (Junior/Ontario, OR) got the Boxers on the board to start the contest as he took a short pass 41 yards to the house to give his team an early 7-0 lead.
 
Pacific's defense held strong on Willamette's first possession and forced a punt, giving the Boxers the chance to double their advantage. Kenyon Harris and company marched right down the field in their seven-play, 61-yard drive that resulted in a Kern touchdown reception to make it 14-0 just 10 minutes into the ball game.
 
The Bearcats would answer with a score just before the end of the first quarter. However, Pacific managed to put together a 92-yard scoring drive late in the second quarter that took 18 plays to develop. Lucas Voss (Freshman/Sherwood, OR) scored his first touchdown in the Red and Black, punching it in from one-yard out to make it 21-7 at the break.
 
The Boxers picked up where they left off in the third quarter when Kenyon Harris hit Pitre for a 40-yard strike to make it a three-touchdown advantage.
 
Willamette quickly cut the lead with a long touchdown pass of their own, but Pacific showed their dominance with another Harris-Kern hook up to make the score 35-13.
 
Pitre hauled in another touchdown before the end of the third quarter and Kameshige scampered for a 21-yard rush for a touchdown in the final minutes to put the game out of reach and clinch the 49-19 victory on the road.
 
 
By The Numbers
 

• Chase Hofmann (Junior/Half Moon Bay, CA) led the Boxers defense in tackles for the second straight contest with eight on the day.
• Koa Atkinson-Sioloa (Sophomore/Holualoa, HI) posted six tackles.
• Pacific has won their last seven games against Willamette.

 
 
Up Next
 
Pacific returns to Hanson Stadium for their homecoming matchup with Puget Sound on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
 
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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