Behind a dominant second half, the Pacific football team powered past Willamette 35-14 Saturday afternoon at Hanson Stadium.

Trailing 11-7 at halftime, the Boxers leaned on their All-American running back, Brody Bantolina. The senior jump started the Pacific offense with a 44-yard touchdown run to give the Boxers a 14-11 lead with 11:25 remaining in the third quarter.

After Keaton Smith connected with Stephen Shinberg for a 53-yard score, Bantolina broke free for another 44-yard touchdown run to stretch Pacific's lead to 28-11 with 9:40 remaining in the game.

Lucas Voss added a 21-yard touchdown run with 3:38 left to play as the Boxers outscored Willamette 28-3 in the second half.

Bantolina finished with a season-high 205 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Smith completed 11 of 18 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

Nehemiah Faleulu recorded 11 tackles to lead Pacific's defense. The Boxers forced two turnovers. Rayne Passi recovered a fumble and Quincy Springs had an interception. 

In rainy and wet conditions, both offenses relied heavily on the run game. Pacific carried the ball 40 times for 254 yards, while Willamette finished with 210 yards on 48 rushes. 

With the win, the Boxers improved to 1-3 in the Northwest Conference and 2-5 overall.

Next: Pacific plays at Puget Sound on Saturday, Nov. 1 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 Instagram and Twitter.

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