#24 Bethel Royals (1-0, 0-0 MIAC) vs. Wisconsin-Eau Clare Blugolds (1-1, 0-0 WIAC)
Date/Time	Saturday, Sept. 21 | 1:00 p.m. CT
Location	Arden Hills, Minn. (Royal Stadium) | Campus Map
Live Stream	MIAC Sports Network
Tickets	Buy Online | Adult $10 • Children $5 • Admission is free for children under 5 years of age • Gates Open at 11:30 p.m.
Live Stats	athletics.bethel.edu/sidearmstats/football/summary
Bethel	Game Notes
UW-Eau Claire	Blugolds.com
Social Media	Twitter | Football Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

KICKOFF COVERAGE

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 24th-ranked Bethel football team welcomes Wisconsin-Eau Claire to Royal Stadium for the 2024 home opener and annual WHITEOUT game. Kickoff at Royal Stadium is set for 1 p.m. The Royals enter week tow with a 1-0 record coming off a 49-3 season-opening victory at Northwestern. The Blugolds come in 1-1 after suffering a 43-41 loss to Coe last week at home.

SERIES HISTORY

Series: BU leads 3-1
Last: Bethel won 24-0 (Sept. 16, 2023) in Eau Claire

• Saturday's meeting is the back end of a home-and-home series between the two squads and is the fifth all-time. BU took last year's meeting 24-0 for their first shutout since 2019. It will be the first meeting in Arden Hills since BU hosted and won a second-round playoff game against the Blugolds 21-12.

ROYAL NOTES

• Bethel's defense looked in midseason form holding Northwester to -54 rushing yards last week. It's the fewest given up by Bethel since at least 2004 when game-by-game stat reports became available.
• Totaling 474 offensive yards last week, it marked the 12th time in the last 25 games the Royals offense amassed 400-plus yards. In those games, BU is now 11-1 since the 2022 season when eclipsing that mark.
• With a pair of first-quarter interceptions, sophomore Matt Jung was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for the fourth time in his career. Those INTs came on back-to-back UNW drives with the first coming on the Eagles first play of the game. 
• Sophomore transfer Cooper Drews made his Bethel debut at quarterback going 21-of-26 in the air for 205 yards with two touchdowns. His longest throw of the night was a 31-yard connection to Joey Kidder in the first quarter. 
• Fifth-year running back Aaron Ellingson matched a career-high three touchdowns against the Eagles. He carried it 12 times for 96 yards, averaging eight yards a carry.
• Bethel is back in the D3football.com Top 25 rankings after dropping out in week four last season. The Royals are ranked No. 24 in both the D3football.com and AFCA polls.

BY THE NUMBERS
84 – The Royals' defense gave up a total of 84 yards. It's the fewest surrendered since Nov. 2, 2019 when BU held Hamline to 39 yards.
 
27 – Joey Kidder grabbed his 27th career touchdown pass against UNW putting him two shy of tying the Royals' all-time record held by Bryce Marquardt (2013-17).  
 
0 – UNW did not convert a single third down on the Royals last week going 0-for-12.  

NEW YEAR, NEW RULES 
• Fans will notice a bit of a change this year in a few rules for Division III Football. The most noticeable to fans will be that the game clock will continue to run when a first down is gained in bounds.
• This year a Two-Minute Timeout, similar to the two-minute warning in the NFL, will be instituted in the second and fourth quarters. If the ball is live when the game clock reaches two minutes in the second and fourth quarters, the play will continue, and the Referee shall stop the clock when the ball is subsequently declared dead for a Two Minute Timeout.
• Expanded playoffs have come to Division III football with 40 teams reaching the postseason compared to last year's 32 teams. There will still be 28 automatic conference qualifiers, pool A teams, while the pool c teams, or at-large bids, have expanded from four to 12. 
 
STRONG SECONDARY
• The Royals started the 2023 season with seven interceptions in the first three games. Their six in the first two games was the most to start the season for BU since 2004.
• Finishing with 21 INTs in 2023, Bethel finished fifth nationally.
• Matt Jung led the team with seven INTs, the most by a Royal since 2007, finishing the season with the second most in Division III. 
• In the first game of the season, Jung captured both of BU's interceptions doing so on back-to-back UNW possessions and the first coming on the Eagles' first play of the game. 

MAKE WAY FOR ELLINGSON
• Aaron Ellingson enters as the Royals top running back after recording a rushing touchdown in five of the final six games.
• Twice Ellingson has recorded a three-rushing touchdown performance. The first came in the 2023 MIAC Championship game against Gustavus and the second came in the season opener at UNW where all three came in the first half.
• A career-high 224 yards for Ellingson against Gustavus in the MIAC Championship game in 2023 was the most by a Bethel running back since Marshall Klitzke had 228 yards on October 31, 2015. 
• Two times last season he recorded a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. He's the third Royal in the last three seasons to record both in a game.
• Last season Ellingson led the MIAC with a 5.63 yards per carry mark and was second with eight rushing touchdowns.
• Ellingson's 934 rushing yards last season was the most by a Bethel running back since Sam Gibas' 1,092 in 2018. 

KEEPING UP WITH KIDDER
• Graduate wide receiver Joey Kidder sits fourth all-time in Bethel history with 2,613 receiving yards. He is 99 yards away from tying Bryce Marquardt for third all-time at 2,712 yards.
• With 27 career touchdown receptions he is second away from tying Bryce Marquardt's (2013-17) program-record 29.
• Last season his 76-yard touchdown reception at UWEC was the longest of his career and the longest pass caught since Sept. 23, 2017, for the Royals.
• Kidder has eight career multi-touchdown games highlighted by a career-high three in the Royals' second-round playoff game at Linfield in 2022.
• With 105 reception yards at UNW in the season opener, it marked the 11th time in his career with 100-plus receiving yards. His career-high 196 yards came at Concordia on Oct. 15, 2022.  
 
A HISTORIC TRADITION
• Bethel football is playing in its 76th season, as the program began in 1947 under the direction of head coach Arch Skalbeck. The Royals have amassed a 369-337-7 record (.522) since the program's inception, which includes a 225-79 mark (.740) since 1994. BU has won six MIAC championships, appeared in 12 NCAA Playoffs and won two NCAA region titles.

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

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.

TACKLE CANCER
Saturday is the annual Tackle Cancer game where t-shirts and wristbands will be on sale in the concourse. All proceeds benefit the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund. 


CHICK-FIL-A IN THE HOUSE
Fans be sure to stop by the Chick-Fil-A tent on the concourse for a chance to win free Chick-Fil-A and be sure to sign up for the halftime challenge. Chicken sandwiches will also be for sale at the concession stand. Download the Chick-Fil-A one app and receive a free digital sandwich card if the Royals get a pick on Saturday! 

TROUT LAKE FAMILY DAY
Bethel welcomes Trout Lake to Royal Stadium for its annual family day. Visit the Trout Lake tent on the concourse to find out more about the camp experience. Be sure to stay in the stands at halftime for the second annual mascot race as Roy the Lion and Timmy the Trout go toe-to-toe.