Box Score
MINNEAPOLIS - Bethel defeated Augsburg 44-35 at the Metrodome, setting up a battle for first place against conference rivals St. John's next Saturday at Royal Stadium.
Brandon Carr (Sr., Fergus Falls, MN) intercepted a Jordan Berg pass deep in Bethel territory in the 4th quarter to take away an Auggie scoring opportunity, thus allowing the offense to score and put the game out of reach. Jared Bangs (Sr., Fergus Falls, MN) did just that when he rushed for a 6-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.
Augsburg had their chance to tighten the score when Nate Holm (Jr., Gillette, WY) was penalized for pass interference with less than a minute remaining. The penalty put Augsburg on the Bethel 2-yard line, but the Royal defense prevailed, forcing Augsburg to turn the ball over on downs, thus maintaining the 9-point lead for a win.
Quarterback Ben Wetzell (Sr., Wells, MN) was 12 for 21 passing for 131 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Even more impressive was the fact that he amassed 181 yards on 22 carries, including a 48-yard run late in the 4th quarter that set up the Bangs touchdown.
Logan Flannery (Fr., Lakeville, MN) also had a big game on the ground, racking up 119 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. Aaron Bernstetter (Jr., Holdingford, MN) led Bethel receivers with 5 catches for 49 yards, inlcuding a 30-yard touchdown to start Bethel's scoring.
The defense knew they would have their hands full with Berg and Auggie wide receiver Royce Winford. Berg passed the ball more than 60 times for the third game in a row, completing 35 of his 69 passes for 360 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, he was sacked four times and intercepted at a critical moment in the game. Winford, who was recently named to D3football.com's Team of the Week for his performance against Gustavus, was on the receiving end of 9 of Berg's passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
The Royal defense limited Augsburg to just 2 net yards rushing in the game. Kurt Erickson (So., Fairmont, MN) led Bethel defenders with 10 tackles, five solo and five assists. In addition to Carr's game changing interception, he also had eight tackles and a pass breakup, while Aaron Mills (Sr., Traverse City, MI) had seven tackles, including 2.5 sacks.
Bethel improves to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in MIAC play with the win, while Augsburg falls to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the conference.
The Bethel/St. John's game will start at 1 p.m. next Saturday with the gates opening at 10:30 a.m. Please check the website regularly for updates and news concerning parking and shuttle bus arrangements.
