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ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Coming into Saturday's tilt against Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel was outscoring opponents 134-42 in the first half, but BU took a different approach in this week's MIAC affair. Leading just 13-10 at the midway mark; the Royals (7-0, 5-0 MIAC) used a 28-7 margin in the second half to defeat the Golden Gusties (4-3, 2-3 MIAC) on their home soil, 41-17.
 
BU's stout defense came up big throughout the majority of the game—stopping GAC three times in goal-line situations. The Gusties actually scored a touchdown on their first drive, but an illegal formation penalty negated the points. Meanwhile, Gustavus's second drive came down to 3rd-and-goal from the Bethel 4-yard-line, and it was Matt Mehlhorn, who intercepted Mitch Hendricks in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown to put the Royals ahead 13-3. Mehlhorn's "pick-six" was the longest interception returned for a touchdown in BU history—topping Brian Pierce's 95-yard return for a touchdown versus Carleton in 2001.
 


Matt Mehlhorn's memorable day wasn't done, however, as he was a key cog in stopping Gustavus for the third time inside the Bethel 10-yard-line. The Gusties, who were trailing 10-20 with 5:24 left in the third quarter, attempted a 22-yard field goal, but it Mehlhorn who was able to come off the edge to block Thomas Schleusener's kick.
 
Mehlhorn wasn't the only member of the Royals' defense that had a career day. Linebacker Landon Mathis also showed the home crowd some flair, as he intercepted the Gusties' Mitch Hendricks twice in the second half and totaled 10 tackles, including three solo. Mathis's two picks both led to touchdowns for Bethel's offense.  

 

Following Mathis's first interception, which was Gustavus's first drive of the second half, Erik Peterson went 4-for-4, including two completions to Mitch Hallstrom. Hallstrom came up with a big grab on 3rd-and-5 from the GAC 41-yard line, and then again on a touchdown catch while facing 3rd-and-goal from the 5-yard line.

Hallstrom and the Royals showcased some trickery on their next possession, when Hallstrom caught a bubble screen from Peterson and then launched the ball to Jay Hilbrands, who raced down the sidelines for a 66-yard touchdown. Hallstrom's throwing TD padded his already-spectacular stat sheet, as the Eden Prairie, Minn., native finished with eight catches, 135 yards, and two receiving scores. His counterpart, Hilbrands, caught three passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.

 

Bethel quarterback Erik Peterson continued his efficient aerial attack—completing 17-of-25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 35-yard touchdown to Hallstrom on the opening possession of the game.
 
Brandon Marquardt finished the game with 77 yards on 15 carries via the ground, which led the Bethel rushing attack that ended with 164 yards on 33 carries (5.0 yards per carry).
 
The Royals' defense held Gustavus running back, Jeffrey Dubose, to 83 yards on 23 carries (3.9 yards per carry), which was nearly 60 yards shy of his season average. Coming into Saturday, Dubose was averaging 140.8 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. Additionally, Bethel intercepted Mitch Hendricks three times, opposed to just one BU turnover. The Royals are now plus-13 on the season in takeaway margin.
 
Bethel will travel to St. Paul next Saturday to take on Hamline University at Klas Field. The Royals defeated the Pipers 56-21 at Royal Stadium one year ago.