#21 Bethel Royals (11-2) vs. #6 Susquehanna River Hawks (11-1)
Date/Time	Saturday, Dec. 14 | 11 a.m. CST/Noon EST
Location	Selinsgrove, Pa. (Amos Alonzo Stagg Field)
Live Stream	ESPN+ ($)
Tickets	BUY ONLINE  Adult $8 • Students/Children (ages 2-10) $4 • Gates Open at 10:30 a.m. • No passes accepted
Live Stats	suriverhawks.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Bethel	Game Notes
NCAA	NCAA Bracket
Social Media	Twitter | Football Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

KICKOFF COVERAGE

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – No. 21-ranked Bethel football heads east for the quarterfinals, traveling to No. 6 Susquehanna. Kickoff in Selinsgrove, Pa. is set for noon eastern, 11 a.m. Central. The winner of Saturday's matchup will take on the winner of No. 1 North Central and No. 20 Springfield in the semifinals. BU is in search of its first semifinal appearance since 2010.

SERIES HISTORY

Series: First all-time meeting

ROYAL NOTES

• Bethel (11-2) defeated No. 11 Wartburg on the road last week 24-14 to be the winners of five of their last seven NCAA Playoff games. Susquehanna (11-1) defeated top seeded and No. 3 Saint John's, 41-38, on a game-winning 37-yard field goal.
• The Royals are appearing in their fourth consecutive NCAA Playoffs and making their 13th overall appearance. BU holds a 16-12 record in postseason play. The Royals are 9-11 all-time in road playoff games and was one of five teams to win on the road last week.
• Saturday's matchup features the nation's best-rushing defense in Bethel (30.0 ypg) going up against the seventh-best rushing offense in the River Hawks (203.0 ypg). 
• Matt Jung added D3football.com Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year to his already impressive resume.  Adding a 59-yard pick-six last weekend at Wartburg, it was Jung's fourth of the year tying a Division III single-season record. 
• Bethel is one of two schools in DIII with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. Joey Kidder is sixth nationally with 1,308 while Micah Niewald is 10th with 1,231 yards. In the postseason, Niewald has the second-most yards in the field with 298. Kidder is fifth with 236.
• Aaron Ellingson brings in 18 rushing touchdowns to Saturday's game. He is two shy of tying Jaran Roste (2018) and Mike Johnson (2001) for the single-season record. 
• Cooper Drews holds four single-season records in his first season with the Royals. His 3,574 passing yards, 338 completions, 459 attempts and 42 passing TDs have all topped the charts. His passing yards surpassed Erik Peterson's 3,034 from 2013. He ranks fourth nationally in completion percentage with a 73.6 mark. 
• The Royals and River Hawks meeting on the gridiron for the first time in each of the program's history. It's also the first time Bethel matches up against an opponent from the Landmark Conference.

BY THE NUMBERS
36 – Micah Niewald has 36 receptions in the postseason and is eight away from tying the NCAA DIII Championship record held by Wayne Ruby Jr. from 2023.
 
6 – Matt Jung has returned 6 interceptions for a touchdown in his career. That mark ties the Division III record which is also held by Louis Berry of Mount Unions (2015-18).
 
57 – Bethel's defense has a nation-leading 57 sacks.



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