#21 Bethel Royals (10-2) vs. #11 Wartburg Knights (10-1)
Date/Time	Saturday, Dec. 7 | Noon CT
Location	Waverly, Iowa (Walston-Hoover Stadium)
Live Stream	ESPN+ ($)
Tickets	Adult $10 • Seniors/Students/Children (5-18) $7 • Admission is free for children under 5 years of age • Gates Open at 10:30 a.m. • No passes accepted
Live Stats	go-knights.net/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 hits the road for the first time in the postseason traveling to No. 11 Wartburg. Kickoff in Waverly is set for noon and the winner of Saturday's matchup will take on the winner of No. 3 Saint John's and No. 6 Susquehanna in the quarterfinals.

SERIES HISTORY

Series: Bethel leads 5-4
Last meeting: Bethel loss 16-2 (9/9/2023) in Arden Hills, Minn.

• Saturday's matchup will be the 10th all-time meeting between the two squads and the first in Waverly since 2014. The two teams last met in the 2023 regular season where Wartburg won 16-2 in Arden Hills. They've met four times in the postseason, where BU holds a 3-1 edge, and the most recent postseason meet up came in 2018.

ROYAL NOTES

• Bethel (10-2) defeated Lake Forest last week 48-21 to be winners of four of their last six NCAA Playoff games. Wartburg (10-1) defeated UW-Platteville at home, 19-14, after receiving a first-round bye. The Knights are now 10-1 in their last 11 home playoff games. 
• The Royals are appearing in their fourth consecutive NCAA Playoffs and making their 13th overall appearance. BU holds a 15-12 record in postseason play. The Royals are 8-11 all-time in road playoff games. 
• Saturday's matchup features a pair of top-10 rushing defenses with Bethel leading the nation at 25.0 yards per game and Wartburg sixth at 52.1 yards per game. 
• With a pair of rushing touchdowns on Saturday, Aaron Ellingson brought his season total to 18, now ranking second in a single season. He is two shy of tying Jaran Roste (2018) and Mike Johnson (2001) for the single-season record. 
• Bethel is one of two schools in DIII with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. Joey Kidder is eighth nationally with 1,270 while Micah Niewald is 11th with 1,132. In the postseason Niewald has the third most receiving yards with 199 and Kidder is fourth with 198. 
• With 3.5 sacks against Coe, Caden DeWall became the Royal single-season sacks leader with 19 on the year. He surpassed Jon Foss' 16 from 2002. DeWall was also named to the MIAC Mike Stam Lineman of the Year. 
• Cooper Drews holds four single-season records in his first season with the Royals. His 3,353 passing yards, 315 completions, 425 attempts and 40 passing TDs have all topped the charts. His passing yards surpassed Erik Peterson's 3,034 from 2013.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
56 – Bethel has a single-season record and nation-leading 56 sacks.
 
33 – The Royals have a nation-leading 33 turnovers gained. 14 have come via a fumble recovery and 19 by interception.
 
299 – Move those chains! BU has a nation-best 299 first downs.


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