ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Throwing for 186 yards senior quarterback
Jaran Roste became the Bethel University football team's all-time passing leader with 8,193 yards. He surpassed Scott Kirchoff's (1999-03) 8,128 yards and led the No. 11/13 Royals to a 38-17 victory over St. Olaf on senior day.
The Royals (7-1, 6-0 MIAC) overcame a slow offensive start finishing with 428 yards of offense compared to St. Olaf's (4-4, 3-3 MIAC) 294 yards. BU's defense showed up leading the way in the first half before a big fourth quarter where the Royals put up 21 points from the ground allowing them to pull away from the Oles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Half
• Neither team could get it going as Bethel had the first opportunity to score but was unable to connect on a 26-yard field goal on its second drive.
• A scoreless first quarter saw a minimal five combined first downs with BU having the lone third-down conversion of the first 15 minutes.
• After forcing back-to-back punts of St. Olaf, BU broke through on the scoreboard with a 10-play, 44-yard drive over a four-minute span that ended with a
Bryce Kunkle one-yard touchdown rush.
• The defense got another stop allowing the Royals to take over on their own 45-yard line with 5:32 left in the half. 13 plays
Hugo Cifuentes lined up for a career-high 39-yard field goal that split the uprights.
• BU limited the Oles to 59 yards of first half offense.
2nd Half
• On its first play of the second half, St. Olaf's Jordan Embry, the latest MIAC Offensive Player of the Week had already picked up 15 yards before
Devin Williams forced a fumble which was recovered by Colin Curtis. BU couldn't do anything with it going three and out.
• On the ensuing drive St. Olaf used the deep ball with a 38-yard pass setting them up at the five-yard line. Two players later they rushed it in from two yards out.
• The Royals would fumble on the first play of their next drive before getting a three-and-out thanks to a four-yard loss by
Brayden Finkbeiner.
• BU went up 21-7 after Roste ran it in from one yard out on an 11-play 80-yard drive.
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David Geebli picked up his first rushing touchdown of the game five seconds into the fourth from nine yards out.
• A 32-yard field goal for the Oles moved the BU lead back to a pair of touchdowns.
• Roste took it right back into his hands dashing past the Oles for a 58-yard touchdown run.
• Another touchdown for the Oles made it 31-17 and set up an onside kick opportunity with 4:24 remaining. A well-executed kick that took the right number of bounces thankfully was scooped in the air from a flying
George Bolt of the BU hands team.
• The Royals took advantage of the short field position and only needed two plays for Geebli to run it in for his second touchdown of the day, this time from a career-best 37-yards out.
KEY PERFORMERS
Offense
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Jaran Roste – 16-of-25, 186 yards, 14 carries for 109 yards 2 TDs
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David Geebli – 5 carries for 65 yards, 2 TD
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Micah Niewald – 5 catches, 88 yards
Defense
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Jacob Holmen – career-high 11 tackles
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Matthew Feldick – 10 tackles
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Devin Williams 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble
GAME NOTES
• St. Olaf won the toss and defer its choice to the second half. Bethel is now 5-0 when losing the coin toss this season.
• Saturday's victory marked the ninth straight victory over the Oles while improving 31-16 all-time.
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Jaran Roste moved his career rushing touchdown mark up to 44 making his sixth all-time in the MIAC. He also moves into ninth all-time in the MIAC with 8,193 yards.
• With 109 net rushing yards, it was Roste's first 100-yard rushing game of the season and eight of his career.
• It's the sixth time BU put up 400-plus yards of offense in a game.
• It's the second straight game with five rushing touchdowns.
UP NEXT
The Royals close out the regular season on the road at Augsburg on Saturday, Nov. 5. Both teams enter 3-0 in MIAC Skyline Division play where the winner next week advances to the MIAC Championship game.
