BROWNWOOD, Texas -- The George Fox football team continues to rewrite its record books on offense as they took down the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets at the Jackets' home stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10. As advertised, it was an absolute shootout as the teams went score for score in the second half of a 42-39 win for Fox. Haiden Schaan broke the school records for single-game passing touchdowns and total touchdowns scored, while his favorite target Leon Johnson III took over as the all-time leader in touchdown receptions at Fox.
How It Happened
The first quarter ended in a 7-7 stalemate after Fox answered an 18-second HPU scoring drive with a 72 yard touchdown drive of its own while killing four minutes of clock. Schaan found Johnson III on a 12-yard pitch and catch to tie the game midway through the first.
The second quarter tilted the game in Fox's favor for good as the Bruins outscored their hosts 14-3 to close the half. The Bruins started the quarter with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Schaan to Josh Hauenstein and added another just before halftime while limiting the Jackets to a field goal.
Fox set up for a long field goal and it came up short with only a few minutes to play, but the Bruins' defense had an answer for the Jackets.
A fumble a few plays later in the closing minutes gave Fox the ball back on the Jackets' 13-yard line and a few plays later, Johnson III and Schaan linked up once again for another Bruin touchdown to make it 21-10 at the break.
After the halftime intermission, HPU marched down the field on its opening possession and used a gutsy fourth-and-goal call to play catchup with a three-yard touchdown pass, making it 21-17 in favor of Fox. Neither team would score again in the third as penalty flags flew often and killed drives for both sides.
"We had way too many penalties and that kept us from playing to our full potential but that also means we can play even better going forward once we get that cleaned up and play with more discipline," coach Chris Casey said after the game.
The Bruins were able to get some momentum heading into the fourth quarter and they needed every ounce of it as the teams combined for six scores in the closing 15 minutes.
The tandem of Johnson III and Dillan Dobbinshelped move the chains repeatedly for Fox on their first drive of the fourth, and Schaan capped the drive with a short scamper for his second rushing score of the season to give Fox a 28-17 lead with 11 minutes left in the ball game.
A costly series of Bruin miscues gave the Jackets a short field soon afterward and HPU moved the ball well before scoring a short touchdown and hitting on their two-point attempt to make it 28-25 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Jackets turned around and gave Fox great field position on the next drive after trying to catch the Bruins off guard with a squib kick that didn't fool anyone, and a few plays later Dobbins took a slant route in stride from the Jackets' 40 to the house for a 35-25 lead with just over eight minutes left.
The Jackets' offense marched down the field and answered back with a scoring drive capped by a 12-yard scoring scramble from their QB to make it 35-32 with 5:10 left to play.
On the ensuing kickoff the Jackets were flagged for putting the ball out of bounds, so the Bruins started on their 35 and all it took was one snap for a 65-yard score by Johnson III up the right side to make it 42-32 and cement Johnson as the school leader with 15 career touchdown catches - and counting.
Two quick pre-snap penalties put the Jackets in a hole to start their next drive, but their two-minute offense was able to move the sticks effectively and HPU crossed the midline in less than a minute of game clock. Another penalty put the Jackets in the redzone and HPU scored again with a three-yard touchdown run off the right tackle to make it 42-39.
Fox sputtered on its next possession and had to punt, but the Bruins were able to flip the field with a clutch punt from Ethan Hoffman and snuffed the Jackets' final hopes with a pick by Andrews and a kneel-down to end the game with a three-point win.
Top Performances
Schaan set new career highs for passing yards (351), passing TDs (5), and did not turn the ball over through the air or on the ground, finishing the night with a QBR of 185.7 and a rushing score. His five scoring strikes are a new Bruin single-game record, and with his scoring scramble he also broke the school record for most touchdowns in a game with six. His 351 air yards on the night are the fourth-most in a single game for a Bruin quarterback.
Johnson was able to get behind the Jackets' defense repeatedly as they continued to choose single-coverage throughout the game for 154 yards and three scores on seven catches. In defense of the Jackets' coverage choices, the Bruins didn't give them many easy out - Dobbins was equally dangerous and made seven catches himself for 132 yards and a score. Logan Candanoza kept the Jackets honest and held the safeties' attention with 51 rushing yards on 12 carries.
On defense, Justin Montijo set career highs in total tackles (17) and solo tackles (14) while picking off a pass and returning that for 16 yards. His 17 tackles were only two shy of the Bruins' single-game record set by Charles Riga in 2016, and his interception puts his career total at ten - one shy of tying the Bruins' career record held by Caleb Harrel.
"[Justin Montijo] is a guy we do a lot with, very versatile, and one of the best in the D-III level on the west coast - he's smart, intense, tough, and a great athlete who totally believes in what we're doing and what we ask him to do," Casey said. "That makes us able to use him in a lot of different packages."
Andrews made the game-saving interception in the fourth, Wylie had 14 tackles and a sack, and Bryce Goetz made a mess in the trenches all night by plugging running lanes with six tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Coach's Thoughts
"We told our guys after the game how proud we are to go on the road twice, two plane trips, and get two wins," Casey said afterward. "The offense really was the main ingredient tonight, they kept us in this one. HPU is very explosive and has athletes running around all over [the field] so if you're going to win a lot of games in a season you have to be able to win 10-9 and 42-39. I'm extremely proud of our guys for their resilience and tenacity.
"The O-line gave us great protection, we don't get those throws and scores without them. Our receivers were great after the catch, and we were able to contain a very dangerous return group that has a lot of great athletes."
What It Means
For the first time in the revived program's history Fox is 2-0 to start the season and the Yellow Jackets fall to 1-1 on the year. Fox has won both matchups since football returned to campus in 2014.
What Happens Next
The Bruins will come back to Newberg with an earned wave of momentum as they prepare for their home opener against Chapman on Sept. 17 under the lights of Stoffer Stadium with a 7:00 pm kickoff.