NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College football team hung with No. 11/13-ranked Bethel University for the first 40 minutes before the Royals pulled away for a 38-17 victory in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Royal Stadium.

A two-yard touchdown run by senior Jordan Embry early in the third quarter got St. Olaf (4-4, 3-3 MIAC) on the board in a 10-7 game, but Bethel (7-1, 6-0 MIAC) scored 28 of the game's final 38 points over the final 19:42 of the game to remain unbeaten in conference play. The Royals got 242 of their 428 yards of offense on the ground and held the Oles to 2-for-12 on third down in the win.

Embry fell just shy of his fifth 100-yard game of the season for St. Olaf after carrying the ball 24 times for 95 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Evan Hammonds grabbed the first touchdown of his collegiate career and finished with four receptions for a team-high 78 yards in the loss. Sophomore Theo Doran was 19-for-32 for 199 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Junior Luke Stanga led the Oles' defense with 10 tackles (five solo), including one tackle for a loss, and recovered a fumble. Sophomore Tate Sauerwein recorded seven tackles (five solo) and a sack, while first year Alijah Cruel had six tackles and forced a fumble.

After a scoreless first quarter, Bethel put 10 points on the board in the second quarter to take a 10-0 lead at the half, scoring on a one-yard run by Bryce Kunkle five minutes into the quarter and a 39-yard field goal by Hugo Cifuentes in the final 30 seconds.

St. Olaf got on the board early in the third quarter thanks to a six-play, 60-yard drive that culminated in Embry's two-yard scoring run with 11:17 to go in the quarter. The touchdown was Embry's seventh of the season and his fifth in MIAC play, which is tied for the second-highest total of any rusher in the conference. The big play on the drive was a 38-yard pass from Doran to Hammonds to get the Oles to the Bethel five-yard line.

The Royals stretched their lead back to 10 on a one-yard run by quarterback Jaran Roste with 4:42 to go in the third and took the 10-point lead into the fourth. Just five seconds into the final quarter, Bethel got a nine-yard run from David Geebli to extend its lead to 24-7, but the Oles answered with a 14-play, 60-yard drive that ended in a 32-yard field goal by junior Collin Swan to get back within two scores.

Roste broke loose for a 58-yard score a little over two minutes after Swan's seventh made field goal of the season to give the hosts a three-touchdown advantage. Doran connected with Hammonds for a seven-yard score with 4:23 to go for St. Olaf's final points of the game before Geebli got his second rushing touchdown of the game – a 37-yard burst – less than a minute later.

The Oles play their final two games of the season at home, starting with a Saturday, Nov. 5 matchup with Gustavus Adolphus College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Klein Field at Manitou.