Box Score
ALLIANCE, Ohio - Bethel's dream of playing in a national championship game came to an abrupt end as they were defeated by Mt. Union in the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs 62-14.
It wasn't until halfway through the fourth quarter that Bethel was able to get on the board. Quarterback Dan Einerson (Sr., Alexandria, Minn.) found tight end Nick Otto (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass to make the score 55-7 with the point after by Nate Gutshall (So., Urbandale, Iowa).
Jared Bangs (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.), scored a 26-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Einerson with less than a minute to play to help Bethel do what only two other teams have been able to do this season, and that's score more than 10 points against Mt. Union.
The Purple Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the third play of the game and proceeded to score on each of their next six possessions of the first half to put them up 41-0. Mt. Union tacked on three more touchdown's in the second half.
Quarterback and MIAC MVP Ben Wetzell (Sr., Wells, Minn.) started for the Royals, despite suffering a shoulder injury in last week's game against Central. However, Wetzell took a hard hit to his injured shoulder on a run play in the second quarter, forcing him to leave the game. Dan Einerson (Sr., Alexandria, Minn.) took the reins at quarterback and was 14-for-23 passing for 150 yards and two touchdowns on the day.
The Royals were able to accumulate 297 yards of total offense, compared to 493 for the Purple Raiders. Bethel ran the ball for 133 of those yards against a defense that had only given up an average of 15.8 yards per game rushing all season. Bethel also held the edge in time of possession 33:29 to 26:31.
Other highlights of the game for the Royals include Ryan Herm (Sr., Foley, Minn.) intercepting Mt. Union quarterback Greg Micheli, which was only the fifth interception he had thrown all season.
Kevin Anderle (Jr., Roseville, Minn.) recovered a fumble after a Kevin Ness (So., Dassel, Minn.) punt to give Bethel the ball on Mt. Union's 20-yard line, but the Royals were unable to score any points as a result.
Bethel was also able to convert on fourth down on a fake punt attempt when Einerson hit Brandon Carr (Sr., Fergus Falls) for an 18-yard pass reception. Unfortunately, the Royals were forced to punt three plays later.
Aaron Bernstetter (Jr., Holdingford, Minn.) led Bethel with 83 yards on 8 receptions, and 15 yards on 2 carries.
Flannery, who recently earned D3Football.com All-West Region Second Team Offense honors, ran the ball 19 times for 51 yards to lead the running attack.
The loss drops Bethel to 12-2 on the season and eliminates them from the NCAA Playoffs just one game short of the Stagg Bowl, which is the championship game for the Division III playoffs. Mt. Union will take their 37-game winning streak to Salem, Va., next weekend as they are the two-time defending national champions. They will face the UW-Whitewater Warhawks for the third year in a row for the championship.
