ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Bethel University football team secured a 64-7 victory over St. Olaf College in Saturday's conference home opener. The Royals (1-3, 1-1 MIAC) tallied over 600 yards of offense, while holding the Oles (1-3, 0-2 MIAC) to exactly 100 yards of total offense. The win gives BU their 10th win over St. Olaf in the last 12 years.
 
Bethel opened the weekend matinee with 13 points in the opening quarter, followed by 31 in the second, 13 in the third, and seven more in the final 15 minutes.
 
Sam Gibas scored his first career TD on a four-yard scamper to the corner of the end zone that put the Royals ahead 6-0. Jake Marsh then hit Bryce Marquardt in stride on the very next possession for a 96-yard touchdown. The pass was just two yards short of tying BU's all-time record for longest pass.
 
 
Leading 13-0, Bethel added to their lead with a 16-yard pass and catch between Marsh and Drew Larsen. Larsen's TD was the first of his college career. Gibas scored again later in the second quarter on a 21-yard run carry and John Carlson ran a fake-PAT attempt in for a two-point conversion that put the Royals up 29-rip with 6:12 remaining in the half.
 
Bethel got the ball back two more times before the intermission break and crossed the goal line on both occasions. The first was a Gideon Erhabor dive, which rewarded the freshman with his first career touchdown, while the second was a 21-yard fade from Marsh to Larsen that put BU ahead 44-0 with 0:38 left on the clock.
 
 
The Royals scored 1:23 into the third quarter when Joel Koenecke hauled in a Jake Marsh pass on 3rd-and-6 and ran 59 more yards for the touchdown, which ended the day for most of BU's first-string players. Erhabor scored two more times in the contest to help Bethel claim the 57-point triumph.
 
Not only did BU hold the Oles to 100 yards of offense, but St. Olaf was limited to just nine first downs. St. Olaf finished 1-for-11 on third downs, 0-for-3 on fourth downs, and possessed the ball for just 24:13.
 
Ironically, nobody on Bethel's defense recorded more than four tackles throughout the game. Godfrey Mpetey led the Royals with four tackles, while Dawson Brown posted three wrap-ups, including a nine-yard sack. Justice Chaffee also recorded a five-yard sack for BU.
 
Jake Marsh, who played in his first collegiate game one year ago against St. Olaf, finished Saturday's tilt nearly perfect. The sophomore slinger went 14-of-16 for 323 yards, zero interceptions, and four touchdowns. Marsh's back-up Joey Lee also went 5-of-7 for 75 yards and one score.
 
Marsh and Lee collectively targeted nine different wide receivers. Among the nine was Bryce Marquardt, who caught four passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Joel Koenecke, who caught five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Mathias Durie composed three catches for 77 yards and Drew Larsen caught two passes for 37 yards and two scores.
 
10 different players recorded at least one carry throughout Saturday's game. Freshman Gideon Erhabor rushed 12 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns and Sam Gibas ran eight times for 47 yards and two scores.
 
Bethel will try to make it two straight wins next Saturday when they travel to Collegeville, Minn., to take on Saint John's University. The Royals and Johnnies are scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m. at Clemens Stadium.