NEWBERG, Ore. – The Chapman University football team suffered its first loss of the season 38-28 at George Fox on Saturday. The Panthers fell behind early and couldn't recover against a high-powered George Fox offense.

The Bruins ended all four of their first half drives in the end zone for a 28-14 halftime lead. Chapman closed the gap in the second half but was unable to overcome the deficit.

Chapman's offense picked up in the second half as well, rushing for over 160 in the final two quarters. In total, Chapman ran for 216 yards behind a solid second half effort from Isaiah Woods. Behind a 52-yard TD run, Woods ran the ball six times for 81 yards. Nathaniel Espinoza kept the ball seven times for 49 yards. He also completed 15-of-27 passes for 136 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

George Fox needed just three plays to get on the board first. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Haiden Shaan found Leon Johnson III for a 67-yard touchdown pass for the 7-0 lead. Chapman responded with a methodical 73-yard drive that was capped by Tanner Mendoza punching it in from the goalline for his fourth TD of the year.

The Bruins scored the next two TDs and led the rest of the way. Shaan needed to complete just 13 passes to accumulate 325 yards. He completed four of those passes to Johnson III for 154 yards. The two connected for a 58-yard passes on third and 25 to keep a scoring drive alive.

The Panthers' defense, led by 15 tackles from Alexander Terriquez, stepped up with a big fourth down stop to end George Fox's first drive of the second half and limited the Bruins to just 10 points. However, the Bruins ended the game with 518 total yards.

After George Fox scored its on touchdown of the half, Woods sprinted down the sideline to score his 52-yard TD. Espinoza ran in Chapman's final touchdown to cap off a 13-play drive.

George Fox improved to 3-0 in the matchup of undefeated teams and Chapman fell to 2-1. Chapman returns home for its final non-conference game next week in the first of back-to-back home games. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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