DUBUQUE, Iowa—The Bethel University football team began the 2016 campaign with an offensive shootout at the University of Dubuque Saturday afternoon, but BU was unable to go toe-to-toe with the defending Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) champions for the entire 60 minutes of play. Despite a 46-35 lead with 2:31 left in the third, the Royals (0-1, 0-0 MIAC) dropped their season opener by a final score of 53-70.


 
Trailing 7-0 after the first 5:27 of play, Bethel quickly debuted their newly-renovated, high-octane offense that featured a six-play, 64-yard drive and a 5-play, 76-yard drive—both ending in scores—that put the Royals ahead 14-7 with 1:15 remaining in the first quarter.  Bridgeport Tusler capped off BU's opening drive with a 24-yard touchdown, while Bryce Marquardt hauled in a 46-yard catch from Andrew Dzurik for the Royal's second TD.
 
The Spartans responded with a pair of touchdowns to regain the 21-14 advantage, but Bethel evened things up with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in Tusler's second rushing touchdown of the day—this time from two yards out. Following a Dubuque score, Tusler then rushed to the end zone for his third score of the half just before the second quarter ended.
 
With the score all square at 28-28, Bethel looked ready to put the Spartans in the rear view mirror following the intermission break. Bridgeport Tusler sprinted 15 yards for his fourth touchdown of the game and after a defensive stop for the Royals, Andrew Dzurik delivered a bomb to Bryce Marquardt for a 63-yard touchdown. Two missed point-after-attempts gave BU a 40-28 advantage.
 
The Spartans narrowed the gap to 40-35, but Tusler continued his dominance on the ground, as he capped off a 13-play, 65-yard drive with a six-yard rushing touchdown—his fifth of the day—that put BU ahead 46-35.
 
An 11-point lead was quickly trimmed to three with a Dubuque touchdown and two-point conversion. The Spartan defense then stopped Bethel on fourth down after an 11-play, 56-yard drive and their offense immediately put UD ahead of the Royals for good with an 81-yard strike 11 seconds into the fourth quarter.
 
Trailing 49-46, Bethel was stopped on 4th-and-1 at their own 36 and Dubuque capitalized with a six-play scoring drive that gave the Spartans a 10-point cushion.
 
The Royals continued their offensive prowess, however, driving deep into Spartan territory, but once again BU was stopped on fourth down at the Dubuque 11-yard line. UD added another touchdown before Dzurik found Marquardt for another long touchdown—this time for 68 yards—but the Spartans put a cap on the scoring with a 40-yard carry that gave Dubuque it's 70-53 victory.
 
Both teams accumulated 734 yards of total offense throughout the day. The Royals achieved that number on 99 plays, opposed to the Spartans, who needed just 77. Bethel amassed 291 yards rushing and five touchdowns on the ground and 443 yards and three TDs through the air.
 
Andrew Dzurik completed 32-of-48 passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target of the day, Bryce Marquardt, hauled in nine passes for 219 yards and all three passing TDs. Bridgeport Tusler caught six passes for 75 yards and Drew Neuville recorded six receptions for 47 yards.
 
Gunnar Bloom led the Royals on the ground with 115 yards on 16 attempts (7.2 yards/carry), while Bridgeport Tusler rushed 17 times for 101 yards and five touchdowns.
 
Allen Wollenberg led the team in tackles with 10 total, while Brendan Whalen posted nine (including a half-tackle for loss). Sophomore outside linebacker Dawson Brown finished with five tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one QB hurry, and two breakups.
 
Bethel welcomes Carthage College for their home opener next Saturday, September 10. Kickoff between the Royals and Red Men is scheduled for 1 p.m.