No. 15 Bethel (3-2, 3-1 MIAC) at St. Olaf (1-4, 1-3 MIAC)
Date/Time	Saturday, October 17 at 1 p.m.
Location	Northfield, Minn. | Klein Field at Manitou
Live Stream	St. Olaf Sports Network
Live Stats	https://athletics.stolaf.edu/sidearmstats/football/summary
Tickets	https://athletics.stolaf.edu/sports/2024/8/9/tickets.aspx
Bethel	Game Notes
Social Media	Twitter | Football Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

SERIES

BU leads the all-time series 32-16 heading into their 48th meeting with St. Olaf dating back to 1953. The Royals defeated the Oles 64-10 in their previous meeting on October 18, 2025 at Royal Stadium. BU is riding a 10-game win streak against St. Olaf, which began in 2013. The Oles' last victory over the Royals was by a 24-17 margin in Northfield on November 3, 2012.

COACHES

Bethel's Mike McElroy (3rd year at BU and as a head coach: 26-6) // St. Olaf's James Killian (10th year at STO and as a head coach: 40-45).

QUICK HITS

• The Royals will hit the road in back-to-back weeks for the only time in 2026 when they face St. Olaf on October 17 at 1 p.m., and Macalester on Saturday, October 24 at 7 p.m.

• The Royals stayed at No. 17 on the Week 6 AFCA Coaches Poll, and moved up one spot from No. 16 to No. 15 on the Week 6 D3football.com Coaches Poll following their 63-0 victory over Augsburg on October 10.

• Freshman defensive back Daniel Buntin was named October 12 MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Auggies. He finished the contest with four tackles, one TFL, one quarterback hurry, and one forced fumble. It was the Royals' first MIAC Athlete of the Week award of 2026.

• Bethel has won 27 of their last 30 games against St. Olaf. Their lone blemishes came in back-to-back seasons by scores of 24-17 on November 3, 2012, and 30-28 on October 1, 2011. Their other loss was by a 27-25 decision on September 17, 2005.

• The Royals are now 25-2 in the month of October dating back to the 2019 season.

• Bethel is looking for their first road victory of 2026, and their first since a 63-0 decision over St. Scholastica in the 2025 regular season finale on November 15, 2025.

• The Royals have scored 40+ points in seven of their previous 10 meetings against St. Olaf. Their highest point total was a 64-10 victory in last season's game on October 18, 2025, as well as a 64-7 win on September 23, 2017.

ABOUT THE ROYALS

BU is in pursuit of their first road victory of the 2026 season after dropping their first two away games by scores of 44-21 to No. 3 North Central (Ill.) on September 5, and 42-16 to No. 2 Saint John's on October 3. At least 30 points were scored by Bethel in each of their previous 10 games against St. Olaf.

Running back Taye Manns leads the MIAC and ranks 16th in the country with a whopping 7.09 yards per carry. Running back David Geebli's seven rushing touchdowns paces the MIAC and sits at No. 22 nationally. Geebli also sits atop the conference with 54 points scored and nine total touchdowns, which ranks 19th and 18th in NCAA Division III, respectively.

Quarterback Cooper Drews is second in the MIAC with 1,155 passing yards, while his 19.80 completions per game stands at second in the conference and 31st in NCAA Division III. His 263.4 yards of total offense also ranks second in the conference. Wide receiver Aiden Eckert is third among MIAC players with 412 receiving yards, and 6.20 receptions per game.

As a team, Bethel is sixth in NCAA Division III in total offense (499.8), seventh in first down offense (141), 10th in scoring offense (45.2), and 12th in team tackles for loss (8.6).

Max Durgin leads the Royals with 27 tackles, followed by 26 apiece from Jake Borman and Taylor Glynn. Jackson Braun has a team-leading four pass breakups along with 25 tackles, while Marcus Whiting paces the squad with four quarterback hurries to go with 19 tackles.

ABOUT THE OLES

The Oles currently sit atop the MIAC and rank 18th in the country with six fumbles recovered, which came from six different players. Their disciplined demeanor is reflected by their 4.20 penalties per game, which is the second-fewest the MIAC and 28th in Division III. Recovering one of those fumbles was Logan Bosch, who leads the team with 38 tackles.

Those numbers have carried the Oles as their offense ranks last in the MIAC in seven categories, highlighted by their 222.2 yards of total offense per game. St. Olaf's offense have completed just 52-of-142 (41.94 %) passes for 581 yards and one touchdown. Their defense is seventh in the MIAC with 386.4 yards allowed per game.