St. Paul, Minn. – Sophomore
Cooper Drews tied a single-game record six touchdown passes while fifth-year
Joey Kidder tied a single-game touchdown reception record with four snags in the endzone as the Bethel University football team shutout Hamline on the road Saturday afternoon, 70-0. It's Bethel's third shutout in four games.
The Royals out gained Hamline 584-to-71 while rushing for a season-high 270 yards and throwing 314. Bethel's defense held the Pipers to -30 rushing yards, thanks to four sacks for a total loss of 37 yards, and 101 yards through the air.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Half
• Bethel opened things up on defense and created a turnover on the Piper's opening play as
Nate Farm punched it loose from the Hamline receiver allowing
Taylor Glynn to fall on it.
• The Royals needed five plays to go 32 yards as
Joey Kidder caught a 7-yard pass from
Cooper Drews in the end zone.
• On Hamline's next drive, they muffed the snap while in the punt formation, having to fall on it on their own 10-yard line. Two rushes from
David Geebli of six yards and four yards quickly put BU up 14-0 with 9:59 to go in the first.
• Drews found Kidder in the endzone on Bethel's next two scores, doing so from 19 and 21 yards out as the Royals led 28-0 with 11:06 to go in the half.
•
Aaron Ellingson added another score capping off a six-play, 34-yard drive with a seven-yard rush into the end zone.
• Kidder added his fourth score of the half on a three-yard snag giving BU a 42-0 lead at the break.
• Bethel ran two more plays than Hamline in the first half while holding a 245-35 edge in total offense.
2nd Half
•
Micah Niewald notched both of Bethel's scores in the third quarter, opening up a 56-0 advantage. On BU's second drive of the third Niewald caught a quick pass from Drews running it in for a 14-yard score.
• The Royals' next drive would start from their own 10 but end with a 44-yard touchdown for Niewald after he ran down the Bethel sideline off a quick pass from Drews.
•
Ryan Bengtson entered at quarterback for the Royals in the fourth for 5-of-7 passing and a nice 25-yard rush off a scramble. That play set up
Ramero Trevino for a 35-yard touchdown run.
• The offense was back on the field three plays later, thanks to an interception from
Jackson Braun who returned it 33 yards. An illegal block in the back by BU set up the Royals at their own 40.
• A 52-yard pickup by
Edward Tabla set up
PrinceWarren Kinney for an eight-yard scamper for the game's final score.
• Bethel's defense forced five punts in the second half making it nine punts on the day for Hamline.
TOP PERFORMERS
Offense
•
Cooper Drews – 25-of-26, 271 yards, 6 TDs
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Micah Niewald – 13 catches, 155 yards, 2 TDs
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Joey Kidder – 9 caches, 89 yards, 4 TDs
Defense
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Jackson Braun – 3 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1 INT
•
Thomas Rush – 3 tackles, 1.0 sack, 2.0 tackle for loss
GAME NOTES
• Hamline won the toss and deferred their choice to the second half. Bethel received.
• For the seventh time this season Bethel held its opponent under its season rushing average as Hamline entered averaging 110.0 yards a game.
•
Micah Niewald now sits third all-time with 2,958 receiving yards. He is 43 yards away from tying Jeremy Belisle's 3,0001 yards which is second.
• Bethel now has 13 interceptions on the year, two of which have been returned for a touchdown.
• With four sacks, BU's season total moves to 28, which is the most in a season since 2019, when the Royals had 33 in 10 games.
•
Cooper Drews became the third Bethel quarterback with six touchdown passes in a game. The last QB to do so was Matt Lundeen in 1997 versus Carleton. Drews now has 24 TD passes on the year, which ties the single-season record accomplished by Matt Lundeen (1997) and Erik Peterson (2013).
UP NEXT
The Royals are back at Royal Stadium for the final home game of the regular season. Bethel hosts Carleton in a cross-divisional matchup on Saturday, Nov. 2 for senior day. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
