ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University plays host to the University of St. Thomas Saturday afternoon in what's scheduled to be the Royals' 2016 home finale. Bethel (3-4, 3-2 MIAC), who is 16-22-1 against UST in the previous 39 matchups, is looking to spoil the Tommies' (7-0, 5-0 MIAC) perfect season, as the Royals are the only conference team to defeat St. Thomas three times since 2010.
After starting 0-3 for just the second time in Coach Johnson's tenure, Bethel has responded with three wins in their last four contests. Included in those three wins was the Royals' 32-17 victory over Gustavus on October 15. Meanwhile, No. 4-ranked St. Thomas enters Saturday's matinee with an unbeaten record thanks to a 23-20 come-from-behind victory at Concordia on October 15 and 49 unanswered points in last Saturday's 71-20 win over Hamline.
The clash between Bethel and St. Thomas features the MIAC's No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense, as the Royals lead the league in yards per game (463.3) and the Tommies are holding opposing offenses to a conference-low 210.0 yards per game.
Kickoff between BU and UST is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early, as Bethel celebrates senior day.
