#RV Bethel Royals (6-2, 5-1 MIAC, 3-0 Skyline) vs. Concordia Cobbers (5-3, 4-2 MIAC, 3-0 Skyline)
Date/Time	Saturday, Nov. 4 | 1 p.m. CT
Location	Arden Hills, Minn. (Royal Stadium) | Campus Map
Tickets	Adults $10 • Children $5 • Admission is free for children under 5 years of age
Live Stream	MIAC Sports Network
Live Stats	athletics.bethel.edu/sidearmstats/football/summary
Bethel	Game Notes | Game Porgram
Concordia	GoCobbers.com
Social Media	Twitter | Football Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

KICKOFF COVERAGE

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. –  A spot in the MIAC Championship game is on line Saturday in Arden Hills when Bethel welcomes Concordia to Royal Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff between the unbeaten in Skyline Division play. The Royals (6-2, 5-1 MIAC, 3-0 Skyline) are coming off a dominant 40-0 win at Carleton and are in search of reaching their third straight MIAC Champ game. The Cobbers (5-3, 4-2 MIAC, 3-0 Skyline) extended their winning streak to three with a 30-10 win at Augsburg.

SERIES HISTORY

Series:  BU trails 20-24
Last: Bethel won 45-7 (Oct. 15, 2022) in Arden Hills

• It will be the 45th all-time meeting between the Royals and Cobbers on the gridiron, going back to the 1978 season. Bethel holds a four-game winning streak in the series outscoring Concordia 138-36 during that stretch. The last time Concordia beat BU in Arden Hills was during the 2016 season in a defensive battle 21-13. BU is 7-3 in the last 10 matchups. 

COACHES CORNER

GAMEDAY HAPPENINGS

GRAB YOUR BU GEAR!
Visit the Bethel athletics marketing table on the concourse to pick up your 2023 game schedule poster. You can also purchase authentic Bethel gear and retro jerseys all for under $10 each! In addition purchase your WHITEOUT game day t-shirt. Gear sales will be cash only.

CELEBRATING COACH J!
Join us after the game inside the Sports and Recreation Center for an informal celebration for head coach Steve Johnson. Cookies and warm beverages will be served. 

ROYAL NOTES

• The defense pitched a shutout for the second time this season blanking the Knights and holding them to a season-low 124 yards. They also held a passing offense that averaged 321.4 yards to a minimal 90 yards. All three of BU's interceptions came in the second quarter marking 15 on the year.
• Defensive back Matt Jung was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Week as well as the D3football.com Team of the Week. Jung recorded six tackles and had two interceptions, including a pick-six at Carleton. The defensive touchdown came in the second quarter jumping a pass and returning it 38 yards to the endzone. He is Bethel's second MIAC defensive weekly honor after Caden DeWall earned it following the Augsburg game.
• Senior quarterback George Bolt continues to heat up as the temperature goes down. Bolt threw for a career-high 282 yards against the Knights and matched a career-high two passing touchdowns. He also added his seventh rushing touchdown of the season. 
• Micah Niewald had his second 100-plus yard receiving game of the season with 104 yards on five catches at Carleton. Earlier in the season he had 160 yards on nine receptions. It was the seventh of his career.

 
BY THE NUMBERS
42.6 – During the current five game winning streak, Bethel is averaging 42.6 points while holding its opponents to 11.2
 
250 – career wins for head coach Steve Johnson who is in his 35th season and is the all-time wins leader among DIII active coaches. He is 29th all-time among all NCAA Divisions.
 
15 – The Royals defense have been "ball hawks" with 15 interceptions this year ranking sixth nationally.
 
MAKE WAY FOR ELLINGSON
• For the second time this season, Aaron Ellingson recorded a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. Against the Knights, it started with a 51-yard rushing touchdown, the longest of his career, as the offensive line opened up a hole right up the middle. Later in the second quarter, Bolt hit Ellingson in the flat around the Royals' 20-yard line before Ellingson raced 80-yards down the Carleton sideline.
• He's the third Royal in the last three season to have both a rushing and catching touchdown in a game. He was the first since October 23, 2021 when he had one of each against Gustavus Adolphus.
• His 561 rushing yards ranks second in the MIAC while his 5.5 yards per carry leads the MIAC.
 
LEAVING A LEGACY
• Head coach Steve Johnson announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2023 season, his 35th at the helm of the BU program. With an all-time record of 250110-1 (.694) he is the active all-time wins leader in Division III and ranks 12th all-time in Division III football. His is 29th all-time among all NCAA Divisions. A complete bio of Johnson's career can be found on page 6 of the game notes.

SHOUTOUT FOR THE SHUTOUT
• The Bethel defense has posted a pair of shutouts this year blanking the Blugolds in week three and Carleton in week nine.
• The Royals shutout at Eau Claire was the first shutout since October 26, 2019 when the Royals earned a 31-0 win at Concordia.
• Bethel's defense has recorded 10 shutouts in the last 10 seasons, dating back to 2013, with four of those coming in 2018.
 
NOT SO SPOOKY OCTOBER
• Through the 2021 season the Royals boasted a perfect 14-0 record in games played during the month of October. Going back through the 2010 season the Royals are 43-11.
 
STRUTTING INTO THE ENDZONE
• The Royals have had 19 of their 23 rushing touchdowns come in the last four games. In those four games they combined for 1,003 rushing yards, out of the team's 1,841 total offense.
• At Macalester, BU had seven rushing touchdowns which was the most in a game since eight against Hamline on Nov. 2, 2019. The season-high 335 rushing yards against the Scots was the fourth most in a game going back through the 2018 season.

PROTECTING THE RED ZONE
• The Royals have the third-best red zone defense in the country, only behind national power-house Mount Union and Lake Forest, with its opponents scoring only 40 percent of the time when inside the 20.
• Bethel's foes have only scored on eight of the 20 red zone trips. Three passing TDs, two rushing TDs and three field goals.
• Over the last two weeks, neither Hamline or Carleton entered the redzone.
 
TURNOVER MARGIN DOMINANCE
• Bethel is +14 in the turnover margin department this season. The 1.75 average ranks 7th nationally.
• The defense has gained 23 turnovers this season, ranking 7th nationally. Eight have come via fumble recovery and 15 by interceptions.
• On the other side of the ball BU has lost five fumbles and thrown four interceptions.

WE'RE IN GOOD HANDS
• Junior wide receivers Joey Kidder and Micah Niewald find themselves as top-five all-time receivers in Bethel history sitting fourth and fifth respectively in career receiving yards.
• Kidder has 23 catches for 289 yards this season and two touchdowns. He has 2,407 career receiving yards, 305 from third all-time, and is tied for second all-time with 25 career touchdowns.
• Niewald leads the team with 599 yards on 41 catches with three touchdowns. He is fifth all-time with 2,304 yards and is 103 away from tying Kidder.

LAST TIME THEY MET
• The Royals ran away with a 45-7 victory at home against the Cobbers with 28 unanswered in the second half. BU amassed 564 yards of offense with 429 of that coming in the air. Concordia was held to 230 yards, 100 in the air and 130 on the ground.
• Joey Kidder had a standout game with a single-game record 16 catches for 196 yards with two TDs.
• Jaran Roste threw for three touchdowns on 34-of-39 passing for 423 yards.
• BU's defense forced four fumbles recovering three of them.
 
SCOUTING THE COBBERS
• Concordia enters on a three-game winning streak with wins over Hamline (58-14), Macalester (49-8) and Augsburg (30-10). The Cobbers average 435.6 yards a game and averaging 37.3 points a game, both rank fourth in the MIAC.
• Cooper Matter has thrown 22 touchdowns this year and is 151-of-243 through the air for 2,093 yards. His top receiver in Owen Miller has 44 catches for 589 yards with four touchdowns. Dawson Schaffer leads the team with 10 touchdowns on 35 catches.
• CC has the second best red zone defense in the conference, behind the Royals, at 65.4 percent. Their rushing defense is also just behind BU at allowing 83.4 yards a game.


>>> READ BETHEL'S COMPLETE GAME NOTES BY CLICKING HERE.