NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Visiting No. 15/17-ranked Bethel University scored touchdowns on 11 of its 13 possessions to defeat the St. Olaf College football team by an 82-7 margin in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou.
Bethel (4-2, 4-1 MIAC) piled up 743 yards and averaged 8.3 yards per play on an afternoon where the Royals led 55-0 at halftime. Junior
Landon Dillon broke free for a 57-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter for the lone points of the day for St. Olaf (1-5, 1-4 MIAC), which trailed 69-0 prior to Dillon's run. Bethel was ranked No. 15 by D3football.com and No. 17 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Bethel ran for 486 yards and averaged 9.7 yards per rush while getting eight rushing touchdowns from six rushers. David Geebli led Royals with 172 yards and two scores on 13 carries. Cooper Drews accounted for five total touchdowns, going 24-for-31 for 226 yards with three touchdowns and one interception passing and rushing seven times for 54 yards and two scores. Teagan Viebrock was Drews' favorite target, hauling in nine receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Dillon's 57-yard touchdown run accounted for over 25 percent of St. Olaf's 202 yards of offense in the loss. The Oles ran for 127 yards but were held to just 75 yards through the air and were 2-for-16 on third down, compared to 7-for-10 for Bethel.
Bethel scored touchdowns on each of its eight first-half possessions, including converting on a 38-yard run on a fake punt on a touchdown drive two minutes into the second quarter already with a 28-0 lead. The Royals capped the 55-point first half with a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining after calling a pair of timeouts to preserve time in the final 30 seconds.
With the Oles trailing 69-0 in the closing minutes of the third quarter, Dillon burst through a hole on the left side for the 57-yard touchdown on the longest run of his career. The run was Dillon's first touchdown of the season.
Bethel answered with another touchdown drive on the next possession after pulling Drews with the score at 69-7. The Royals slowed down their up-tempo offense in the fourth quarter, with the lone touchdown of the quarter coming with 2:34 to go.
Senior
Sawyer Chell's first interception of the season was the highlight defensively for the Oles, who got eight tackles apiece from sophomores
Ciaran Lee and
Parker Seaman.
St. Olaf will make the trip to Duluth to face the College of St. Scholastica in a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 24.
