ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College football team suffered a 64-10 defeat at the hands of No. 6/7-ranked Bethel University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Royal Stadium.

Bethel (6-0, 5-0 MIAC) scored touchdowns on seven of its 10 offensive possessions and led 44-0 at halftime on its way to remaining unbeaten with the win over St. Olaf (2-4, 1-4 MIAC), which was dealt its fourth consecutive loss after a 2-0 start to the season. This week, the Royals were ranked No. 6 in the D3football.com Top 25 and No. 7 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25.

Despite being outgained by a 550-212 margin, St. Olaf possessed the ball for 38:45, compared to 21:15 for Bethel, in the loss. Facing a defense that ranked third nationally in third-down defense by holding opponents to a conversion rate of 18.8 percent, the Oles were 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) on third down but could not slow down a Royals' offense that averaged 9.6 yards per play in the game.

Cooper Drews was 15-for-19 for 349 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in nearly three quarters of action for Bethel. Albert Rundell was Drews' favorite target, hauling in 11 receptions for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Drews was also one of four Royals to rush for a touchdown on the day.

Sophomore Landon Dillon plunged into the end zone on a one-yard run with 4:47 remaining in the game for his first collegiate touchdown and the lone touchdown of the game for St. Olaf. Sophomore Ethan Hess – the reigning MIAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week – improved to 9-for-11 on field goals this season with a 32-yarder late in the third quarter for the Oles' first points of the game after Bethel scored the first 57 points.

St. Olaf will return home to face the College of St. Scholastica in a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 25.