KICKOFF COVERAGE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - It will be a top 25 showdown in week four as the No. 19 Bethel University football team opens up MIAC play at No. 8 Saint John's Saturday afternoon. The Royals (1-1) are coming off a 24-0 road victory at Wisconsin-Eau Claire to close non-conference play while the Johnnies (1-1) come in off a bye week having split their non-conference matchups against top 10 ranked opponents. The cross divisional matchup kicks off at 1 p.m. in Collegeville.
FAN TRAVEL ADVISORY
Interstate 94 between the Saint Benedict/St. Joseph and Saint John's exits (160 and 156, respectively) is undergoing major repairs that are impacting both eastbound and westbound traffic. This road construction project is near completion and may impact your travel to and from Saint John's. More information about this road project can be found at https://dot.state.mn.us/d3/i94/collegeville/index.html.
SERIES HISTORY
Series: BU trails 10-35
Last: Bethel loss 28-10 (Nov. 12, 2022) in Collegeville (MIAC Championships Game)
• Saturday will be the 46th all-time meeting between the MIAC foes and sixth matchup since the 2019 season. In last year's regular season meeting the then No. 20 Royals snapped their eight-game losing skid to the Johnnies winning 28-24 in the program's highest ranked win as SJU was ranked No. 2. SJU flipped the script taking the MIAC Championship game in Collegeville in November 28-10.
COACHES CORNER
ROYAL NOTES
• Going back to last season, Saturday will be Bethel's sixth game against a D3football.com ranked opponent in seven games. Four of those matchups have come against a foe that ranked inside the top five. In total, BU played five ranked opponents in 2022 going 3-2.
• In the polls, the Royals enter the weekend ranked No. 19 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 polls. Ranked 46 weeks in a row, it's the second-longest in program history behind a 57-week stretch that took place from week six in 2010 to week 10 in 2014. In the first AFCA poll of the season BU came in at No. 18.
• In his first collegiate start, redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Call went 24-of-34 through the air for 334 yards and two touchdowns. A 76-yard reception from Call to Joey Kidder in the second quarter was the longest by a Bethel QB since Sept. 23, 2017 when Bryce Marquardt had a 96-yard TD pass to Jake Marsh versus St. Olaf.
• For the second straight week the Royals defense tallied three interceptions bringing the season total to six. Junior Nate Farm tallied his seventh career interception picking off the UWEC QB in the endzone and returning it for 48 yards. Junior Isaac Call tallied his third career interception while redshirt freshman transfer Matt Jung got his first career interception.
BY THE NUMBERS
6 – interceptions for the Royals in two games ranking 10th nationally. It's the most INTs through the first two games of the season for BU since 2004.
245 – career wins for head coach Steve Johnson who enters his 35th season as the all-time wins leader among DIII active coaches.
25 – career touchdowns for Joey Kidder ranking second all-time in program history. He is four away from tying the program record.
SHOUT OUT FOR THE SHUTOUT
• The Bethel defense blanked the Blugolds last week recording the Royals first shutout since October 26, 2019 when the Royals earned a 31-0 win at Concordia.
• Bethel's defense has recorded nine shutouts in the last 10 seasons, dating back to 2013, with four of those coming in 2018.
KEEPING UP WITH KIDDER
• Junior wide receiver Joey Kidder sits fourth all-time in Bethel history with 2,320 receiving yards. He is 392 yards away from tying Bryce Marquardt for third all-time at 2,712 yards.
• With 25 career touchdowns he is tied for second all-time with Jeremy Belisle (1996-99). He is four away from tying Bryce Marquardt's (2013-17) program-record 29.
• Kidder's 76-yard touchdown reception last Saturday was the longest of his career and longest pass caught since Sept. 23, 2017 for the Royals. He now has six catches in his career that went for 50-plus yards.
• With a pair of touchdowns at Eau Claire, Kidder now has eight career multi-touchdown games highlighted by a career high three in the Royals' second round playoff game last season at Linfield.
• The 175-yard performance in week three was Kidder's eighth 100-plus yard receiving game and second most yards in a game for his career. His career-high 196 came last year at home against Concordia-Moorhead.
PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR
• Bethel's special teams has been able to break its way through the line with a pair of blocked kicks that is tied for 18th nationally.
• In the opener against Wartburg, junior Jacob Holmen blocked the Knights first PAT of the game as junior Nate Farm recovered it at the goal line returning it 100 yards for the two-point conversion.
• At UWEC, sophomore Devin Williams has his second career blocked punt getting a hand on the Blugolds first punt of the game forcing it to only travel 20 yards.
STOPPING THE RUN GAME
• Bethel's defense ranks 17th nationally in rushing defense at 52.5 yards per game.
• The defense allowed only four net yards against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the fewest in a game since holding Carleton to -18 yards on October 5, 2019.
• Over the last four seasons (2023-19) Bethel has held an opponent under 100 rushing yards in 19 of the last 36 games.
MIAC OPENERS
• Since 2000, the Royals are 16-6 in MIAC openers and have won seven of the last 10. One of those wins was against the Johnnies last year at home 28-24. It will be the 13th time since the 2000 season BU is on the road to start conference play.
• Saturday will mark the third straight season that the Royals and Johnnies open up conference play against each other.
LAST TIME THEY MET
• A top-10 matchup, No. 5 Saint John's defeated the No. 9th-ranked Royals 28-10 in the 2022 MIAC Championships game. In front of a crowd of 7,582 the Royals were shutout in the second half limited to scoring from a 29-yard field goal and a 68-yard TD reception by Micah Niewald.
• Turnovers hurt the Royals throwing five interceptions while Saint John's had just one. SJU outgained BU 397-347 with both teams being held under 100 yards rushing with SJU holding a 74-49 edge.
SCOUTING THE JOHNNIES
• Saint John's enters off a bye week following a pair of tough non-conference matchups. SJU started the year with a 34-31 comeback overtime win against No. 4 Trinity (Texas) before falling to No. 8 Wisconsin-Whitewater on the road 56-28.
• Senior quarterback Aaron Syverson had four touchdown passes for the second straight week. He is 51 of 78 in two games for a total of 542 yards. His top receiver is Marselio Mendez who has 11 catches for 99 yards and three touchdowns.
• The defense is allowing 475.5 yards of offense this year with two interceptions and four sacks. SJU is plus 2 in the turnover margin.
>>> READ BETHEL'S COMPLETE GAME NOTES BY CLICKING HERE.
