FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Pacific and George Fox engaged in a hard-fought defensive battle on Saturday afternoon, but Bruins made more plays in the second half to earn the 21-7 victory.
The two teams went into halftime tied at 7-7 after some sloppy play on both sides of the ball. Pacific turned the ball over five times, with four of those turnovers coming in the second half. This allowed the visitors to take a two-touchdown lead to pick up their third Northwest Conference win.
Top Performers
- Rustin Williams was the force leading the Boxers' defense with his team high 13 tackles (11 solo). The linebacker also tallied two tackles-for-loss and a sack.
- Zion Booker came up with an interception in the second half to accompany his two-tackle day.
- Kai Bookland and Isaiah Pitre each recorded seven receptions in the contest.
How It Happened
Both teams traded punts to start the game before George Fox put together a grueling 14-play, 85-yard drive to gain an early 7-0 lead.
Pacific's defense continued to hold strong and forced another punt to give the offense some good field position at the 8:49 mark in the second quarter.
Ryan Helt settled into a groove and connected with
Jaden Ramos and Pitre on consecutive plays to move the chains.
Brody Bantolina carried the ball six times before catching a pass out of the backfield to get his team down to the 1-yard line.
Kash Taylor promptly punched it on the first-and-goal to even things up at 7-7.
The Bruins' moved the ball down to the Pacific 16-yard line on the next drive but
Zion Booker stepped in front of a receiver to snatch his second interception of the year, and returned it deep into George Fox territory.
Pacific fumbled after taking over on the visitors' 37-yard line and the teams went into the break all knotted up.
The Boxers got the ball to start the second half and managed an impressive drive, advancing to the George Fox 1-yard line, but another fumble gave possession back to the Bruins. GFU took advantage of the miscue and took the lead just a few minutes later.
In the dying minutes of the third quarter, Helt had his pass picked off by Kiegan Schaan. George Fox made the most of the good field position and doubled their lead when Chad Bletko scored from two-yards out.
Two more turnovers would stifle any chances for a Pacific comeback and George Fox picked up the victory in Saturday's tight contest.
What It Means
Pacific falls to 3-3 overall (2-2 NWC) and suffers its second straight conference defeat.
Up Next
The Boxers head to Portland, Ore. next Saturday at 1 p.m., looking to get back in the win column.
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.
#GoBoxers
