No. 16 Bethel (5-2, 5-1 MIAC) vs. Concordia (Minn.) (6-1, 6-1 MIAC)
Date/Time	Saturday, October 31 at 1 p.m.
Location	Arden Hills, Minn. | Royal Stadium
Live Stream	Bethel Sports Network
Live Stats	https://athletics.bethel.edu/sidearmstats/football/summary
Bethel	Game Notes
Social Media	Twitter | Football Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

SERIES

Concordia leads the all-time series 24-23 dating back to 1978. The Royals have a seven-game win streak in their series with the Cobbers heading into Saturday's game. Concordia's last victory over the Royals was by a 31-7 decision on September 16, 2017 in Moorhead. 

COACHES

Bethel's Mike McElroy (3rd year at BU and as a head coach: 28-6) // Concordia's Terry Horan (25th year at CON and as a head coach: 163-88).

QUICK HITS

• The Royals, who are in the midst of a three-game win streak, are currently ranked No. 52 on the up-to-date NPI from October 24. The Cobbers hold a No. 42 rating on the most recent NPI.

• The Royals stayed at No. 17 from the Week 7 AFCA Coaches Poll, to the Week 8 Poll. BU dropped from No. 15 on the Week 7 D3football.com Coaches Poll, to No. 16 on the Week 8 Poll. The standings occur following BU's 47-3 victory over Macalester on October 24.

• Bethel has broke the single game points record twice in 2026. The first time was a 77-0 home victory over Hamline on September 26, and an 82-7 road win at St. Olaf on October 17.

• The Royals are now 27-2 in the month of October dating back to the 2019 season.

• Concordia won the first 12 games in the all-time series with Bethel, which included 15-of-16 games that started in 1978 and ended in 1993. On the other hand, Bethel has won the last seven games dating back to 2018.

• Bethel, who is third in the country with 50.7 points scored per game, has scored 40+ points in 5-of-7 games this season. This included record-setting performances in a 77-0 victory over Hamline on September 26, and an 82-7 win at St. Olaf on October 17.

• Bethel's 23 all-time victories over the Cobbers is the second-lowest among MIAC opponents outside of St. Scholastica, who joined the MIAC in 2021. This only trails their 11 all-time victories against Saint John's. 

ABOUT THE ROYALS

BU is in pursuit of their fourth-straight win. They are coming off a 47-3 road victory over Macalester on October 24, and a record-breaking 82-7 victory at St. Olaf on October 17.

Running back David Geebli paces the MIAC and ranks seventh in the country with 7.70 yards per carry. Geebli leads the MIAC with nine rushing touchdowns, 9.4 points per game, 662 rushing yards, 94.6 rushing yards per game, 11 total touchdowns, and 66 total points scored. Taye Manns comes in at No. 3 in the MIAC with 471 rushing yards and 67.3 rushing yards per game. Manns and Geebli spearhead a BU ground game that is sixth in NCAA Division III with 277.7 rushing yards per game.

Quarterback Cooper Drews has completed 152-of-242 (61.81%) passes for 1683 and 17 touchdowns over seven starts. His 1,683 passing yards and 21.71 completions per game is second in the MIAC, while his 17 touchdown passes, 19.7 points responsible for, and 137.8 passing efficiency is third in the conference.

Bethel's 548.3 yards of total offense per game ranks second in the country, while their 50.7 points per game is third nationally. The Royals offense have achieved 207 first downs, which leads the country.

Nick Colyer leads the MIAC with 0.43 interceptions per game. Jackson Braun, who is tied with Jake Borman for the team lead with 35 tackles, is fourth in the MIAC with 1.29 tackles for loss per game. Max Durgin is second on the team with 33 tackles, and is tied with Borman in fifth place among all MIAC players with 0.29 interceptions per game.

ABOUT THE COBBERS

Concordia is coming off a 35-12 victory over Augsburg at home on October 24. That result came on the heels of a close 33-23 loss to No. 2 Saint John's on October 17. They rank third in the country with a 43.6 rushing defense, seventh nationally in scoring defense with a 9.6 mark, eighth with 38.87 punting yards per game, ninth with a .250 third down conversion percentage defense, and ninth in team passing efficiency defense with a 94.44 mark.

Cobbers quarterback Nick Walter is third nationwide with a 75.2 (107-of-143) completion percentage, sixth in passing efficiency with an 188.4 mark, and eighth with 162 points responsible for. Walter also has 1307 passing yards, and 18 touchdown passes. Cornerback Ezy Brown's 1.71 passes defended per game leads the MIAC and ranks fifth in the country.