Box Score

[VIDEOS]: Game Highlights | Derek Waldbillig | Marshall Klitzke | Luke Buttenhoff

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Bethel University made it three-straight on the gridiron Saturday with a 52-14 win in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opener against Carleton College. Freshman tailback Marshall Klitzke (Annandale, Minn.) had a career day in Brandon Marquardt's (So., Champlin, Minn.) absence, rushing for 168 yards on 15 carries alongside three touchdowns.

Fans at Royal Stadium embraced a surprisingly, yet welcoming sunny fall day as a backdrop of multicolored trees provided a perfect setting for Saturday afternoon's competition. BU fans also embraced a quick score by Bethel's offense that saw Erik Peterson (So., Orono, Minn.) hit Kyle Ulstad (Sr., Fargo, N.D.) on the third offensive play of the game. Ulstad floated across the middle of the field on a third-and-three, when Peterson delivered the pass that allowed the senior tight end to scamper for the 64-yard score.

Bethel's lead increased to 14 quickly when defensive end Luke Buttenhoff (Jr., Watertown, Minn.) stripped Carleton running back John Baker in the second offensive play for Carleton. Derek Waldbillig (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) then capped off an eight-play, 46-yard drive to put the Royals ahead 14-0.

The gap continued to grow between the two when Waldbillig scored from five yards out in the second quarter, finishing a four-play, 48-yard drive that was set up by a pass interference on the Knights.

With a 20-0 deficit Carleton scored on 66-yard pass completion with 9:46 left in the second quarter that cut into the BU lead, making the score 20-7. The Knights had momentum rolling with a strong defensive stop and a couple first downs on the ensuing offensive drive, yet an offensive pass interference inside the Bethel 20-yard-line and a personal foul caused a 56-yard swing that quickly stopped Carleton's positive drive.

The Royals' defense helped the home team regain possession of the ball and the offense thanked them with a 51-yard yard from Klitzke that put Bethel ahead 27-7 going into the half.

BU's scoring didn't end there, though, as Waldbillig dashed 46 yards up the middle on a third-and-one that resulted in a Bethel touchdown and a 33-7 lead. The Royals tacked on three more touchdowns in the quarter, including Klitzke's second and third score of the day – one for two yards and another for 63 yards – as well as a 67-yard pass and catch between Erik Peterson and wideout Jay Hilbrands (Sr., Clara City, Minn.), putting the game out of reach 52-7.
 
The Knights put together an eight-play, 75-yard drive in the middle of the fourth quarter to make the scoreboard read 52-14, but neither team scored throughout the remainder of the period.

Altogether, Bethel rushed for 249 yards on 33 carries, including Klitzke's 15 attempts and 168 yards. Derek Waldbilling rushed for three touchdowns and mulched up 57 yards on six carries. Peterson was dynamic through the air again, finishing the contest 15-of-22 with 254 yards passing, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Hilbrands and Ulstad both grabbed three catches for over 70 yards and a touchdown, while Mitch Hallstrom (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) caught five passes for 50 yards.

Seth Mathis (Jr., Anoka, Minn.) led the defense in Saturday's MIAC matchup with 12 tackles, a forced fumble, pass breakup, and quarterback hurry. Trent Duppenthaler (So., Sherwood, Ore.) ended the battle with eight tackles, a sack for a five-yard loss, one breakup, and hurry. Week one's MIAC defensive player of the week Brett Skoog (Sr., Long Lake, Minn.) also had a great effort, as the outside linebacker finished with seven tackles, which included 2.5 tackles for loss – 1.5 of which were quarterback sacks, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery. As a whole, Bethel's defense amassed six sacks for a loss of 62 yards and 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The Royals also stripped the Knights five times.

Next week BU travels to Minneapolis to take on Augsburg College for a 1 p.m. matinee on Edor Nelson Field. The Auggies travel to Hamline Saturday evening to test their undefeated record against the hosting Pipers.