Game Day Notes
ARDEN Hills, Minn. - After a 27-13 victory over Concordia College the Royals have momentum on their side as Bethel looks to continue pursuing an at-large bid in the NCAA Division IIII tournament. With a 6-2 (4-2 MIAC) record Bethel remains in the national sportlight, being ranked No. 23 in the AFCA Coaches and D3football.com poll. Thanks to strength of schedule and prominance of program, BU is the only team in the polls with more than one loss.
This week Bethel welcomes the Hamline University Pipers to Royal Stadium. These two teams have met 47 times and in those matchups the Royals have won 20 games. However, in the last 15 competitions BU has bested the Pipers each time, including a 52-0 route in 2010.
The name of Saturday's game will be the running game. Coming into the ninth week of the season Bethel leads all MIAC opponents in rushing yards, totaling 2,106 yards on 379 carries. The Royals are averaging 263.2 yards per game, which is 40 yards greater than the closest competitor. On the flipside, Hamline has only rushed for 628 yards on 311 carries, and is nearly 40 yards per game below the second-to-last rushing offense. Known for their ability to run the ball, BU currently boasts three of the top ten rushers in the MIAC when comparing yards per game. Thanks to last weeks 24-carry, 165-yard day Jesse Phenow (So., Richfield, Minn.) is fourth among all MIAC rushers with 83.8 yards per game. Brandon Marquart (Fr., Champlin, Minn.) rests in sixth place with 76.4 yards per game, while Josh Aakre (Sr., Dawson, Minn.) is in seventh with 71.0 yards per game.
BU may want to stick to the run game Saturday because Hamline's pass defense is best in the MIAC. The Pipers have only allowed 154.0 yards per game, giving up an average of just 6.6 yards per completion. Teams have exposed HU's run defense, however, as Hamline has given up 22 rushing touchdowns alongside 228 yards per game on the ground.
The Royals will continue to exhibit its defensive prowess this week, led by senior linebacker Billy Morgan (Sr., Rosemount, Minn.) who is second among all MIAC defensemen with 10.8 tackles per game. Morgan, who was recently selected as the MIAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week for his 12-tackle performance against the Cobbers last week, leads Bethel with 86 tackles. Linebacker Seth Mathis (So., Anoka, Minn.) is among several other contributers to the second-best defense in the league, averaging 7.5 tackles per game.
After preparing for two potential playoff-like teams in back-to-back weeks Head Coach Steve Johnson noted, "It doesn't matter who we play. What matters is that we have the right heart and mindset in preparation. We continue to believe that if we win, we have a shot [to make the playoffs]. Every Saturday these men have to showcase the same character and strength, demonstrating that they have the desire to win. We hope that those same principles reverberate in their everyday life as well."
