Pacific Index

Can the Offense and Defense Get on the Same Page?

There is an old adage in the sport of American football: offense wins games, defense wins championships. 

It is a fun saying to repeat, but the reality is that successful ball clubs fire both the offense and defense on all cylinders.

Last Saturday, the Pacific football team fell to the Chapman Panthers 43-23 on a blistering evening in Southern California. There were bright spots in a game that was more competitive than the final score suggested, but some of the same issues the Boxer’s had last year reared their ugly heads.

The 2023 Pacific Boxers had both the offense and defense firing; unfortunately, just never at the same time. During the 2-7 campaign, the Boxer offense averaged 28 points per game and the defense allowed 27.6 points per game (ppg). In most cases, a positive point differential means a winning record, but the 2023 Boxers were not most cases. 

The defense started off the year great, giving up only 15.5 points a contest over the first four games. Offensively was a different story. Over that same span, offense only managed 16 ppg. 

Then, the strengths see-sawed: After a 1-3 start, the defense suffered a rash of injuries and the offense made schematic changes. Over the final five games the defense relented 35.8 ppg, but the  offense rebounded to score 37.6 ppg; doubling their earlier stat.

A couple bounces of the ball here or there, and that 2-7 season is drastically different. In the season opener for the 2024 season, it was the same story. It was a 21-17 game at halftime in favor of the Chapman Panthers. Pacific was right in the fight. The offense had found success behind two long Brody Bantolina touchdowns, while the defense struggled, giving up three passing touchdowns. 

After halftime, the defense came out of the tunnel with a fire lit under them, forcing two fumbles, one of them a strip by Zion Booker that he took back the other way for an 85-yard touchdown. 

But now, the Boxer offense could not get anything going in the second half, turning the ball over three times. 

It is only one game, and if both sides of the football find their stride at the same time, this team can be a real threat in the Northwest Conference.