Boxers Rout Willamette, 59-14

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Hungry for its first win of the season, the Pacific University football team filled its appetite with a 59-14 win over host Willamette on Saturday night.

The Boxers (1-4, 1-1 NWC) averaged 7.6 yards per play en route to a 561 to a 383 advantage in total offense. Pacific running backs Josh Harris and Kash Taylor each scored a pair of touchdowns in the win. Harris went over 100 yards for the third time in five games, rushing for a game-high 106 yards on 15 carries to average 7.1 yards a carry. Taylor complemented his teammate, rushing the ball nine times for 73 yards and an average of 8.1 yards per carry.
 
The Bearcats (1-3, 0-2 NWC) were led by quarterback Matthew Castaneda, who tried to keep up with the offensive fireworks of the visitors, completing 15 of 34 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Willamette was limited to 36% on third down compared to 75% by the visitors.
 
Pacific's Ty Hargis took the opening kickoff back 84 yards and the one yard line – the longest since Bronson Barretto ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown on September 6, 2014 – to set the stage for the night. On the next play, the Boxers called on Harris, who ran it in from a yard for his first of two touchdowns.
 
The Boxers put points on the scoreboard on its first six drives – five of which were touchdowns. Not all the Pacific offense came on the ground as quarterback Kenyon Harris, who in his first collegiate start, completed 24 of 32 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Harris finished the night, running the ball four times for 34 yards and a touchdown. The other touchdown on the ground came as Ethan Kameshige scored his first touchdown as a Boxer in the fourth quarter.
 
Harris found nine-different receivers in the win, including Kobe Williams, who had seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Plus, Hargis had five catches for 67 yards and Joaquin Lopez caught the other touchdown pass for the Boxers, hauling in a 19-yard touchdown reception. Sophomore Charles Criscenti made six of eight point-after attempts for the Boxers.
 
Defensively, Kolby Nikolaisen and Chase Hofmann each had seven tackles as the Boxers racked up four tackles for loss.

The 59 points are the most by a Pacific team since they racked up 68 points against Lewis & Clark on November 2, 2013. The Pioneers will be the Boxers next opponent on Saturday, October 19 at 1 p.m. for the annual homecoming tilt.