Box Score
Arden Hills, Minn. - Despite the absence of their starting quarterback, Bethel's offense continued to run on all cylinders on a hot and muggy autumn day, defeating Gustavus 38-23 to stay undefeated in the MIAC. Dan Einerson (Sr., Alexandria, MN) started in the place of injured quarterback Ben Wetzell (Sr., Wells, MN), and was 16-for-26 for 214 yards passing, throwing two touchdown passes to Kyle Lee and rushing for one himself.
Fans in attendance were treated to barrage of scoring early in the game as Bethel and Gustavus scored a combined 28 points in the span of 6 and a half minutes after a costly penalty, an interception, and two fumble recoveries that were returned for touchdowns.
The scoring began when Bethel almost became the victim of a bizarre play for the second week in a row. Logan Flannery (Fr., Lakeville, MN) mishandled a pitch from Einerson, and when Gustavus chased it down, the ball got tipped back to a Gustie defender who ran it all the way back for an apparent touchdown. However, an illegal batting penalty - in favor of Bethel this week - brought the touchdown back, and moved Bethel half the distance to the goal line, giving them first down at the Gustavus 11-yard line. Flannery scored from 5-yards out two plays later, putting Bethel up 7-0 with the point after.
A Darin Schwarze (Jr., Stanwood, WA) interception led to Bethel's next touchdown just 3 minutes later when Einerson ran for a 2-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 with Nate Gutshall's (So., Urbandale, IA) second point after kick.
Gustavus got the ball back, but was only able to hold on to the ball for a total of 8 seconds, as cornerback Tim Cornish (So., Plymouth, MN) forced Gustie wide receiver Chad Arlt to fumble. Royal linebacker Lucas Blodgett (Sr., Ellsworth, WI) picked up the ball and ran it in 32 yards for a Bethel touchdown.
Bethel's 21-0 lead was short lived, however. Gustavus scored when JJ Atkins knocked the ball loose from Bethel receiver Aaron Bernstetter (Jr., Holdingford, MN) and Jake Bohnen ran it back 27 yards for a touchdown. The Gusties scored again three possessions later when running back Mitch Anderson rushed for a 4-yard touchdown, closing the gap to 21-13 at halftime.
Bethel got back on the board early in the 3rd quarter when Einerson hit receiver Kyle Lee (Jr., Burnsville, MN) for a 69-yard touchdown strike, extending Bethel's lead to 28-13 after the extra point.
The Gusties got the ball back and drove as far as the Bethel 5-yard line before having to settle for a John Ostertag field goal. Although Bethel's ensuing drive did not yield any points, a 53-yard Kevin Ness (So., Dassel, MN) punt pinned Gustavus back on their own 8-yard line. But that didn't matter, as quarterback Jordan Stolp marched the Gusties down the field 92 yards on 11 plays, hitting Arlt for a 27-yard touchdown pass to cap off the drive. Stolp was 24-for-49 for 285 yards passing on the day, making him the Gusties all-time passing yards leader.
With the score now 28-23, Bethel needed two possessions before getting a 23-yard field goal from Gutshall to extend their lead to eight points.
The Royals defense held their ground the remainder of the game, limiting the Gusties to just 41 more yards of net offense, thus allowing Bethel to get the ball back and score again. Einerson found Lee for his second touchdown of the game – this time from 5-yards out. Lee had six catches for 122 yards, but the drive was highlighted by a 42-yard Bernstetter reception, putting Bethel inside the Gustie 20-yard line. Bernstetter had eight catches for a total of 98 yards, and also completed a 27-yard pass to Lee in the first quarter.
Defensively, Steve Luebke (Sr., Johnston, IA) and Brandon Carr (Sr., Fergus Falls, MN) led the way for the Royals with 7 tackles apiece. Carr also had an interception late in the 4th quarter, ending a Gustie drive.
The win gives Bethel a 5-1 overall record and keeps them undefeated in the conference at 4-0. They will have next weekend off before traveling down to Northfield to take on St. Olaf on Saturday, October 20, at 1 p.m. Gustavus drops to 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the MIAC. They will play St. John's next weekend in St. Peter.
