NORTHFIELD, Minn. – In his 35th season at the helm of the Bethel University football program, head coach Steve Johnson captured his 250th career win with the Royals 40-0 defeat of Carleton Saturday afternoon in Northfield.
Johnson's sits all alone at 29th all time among all NCAA divisions and 12th in Division III with a 250-110-1 (.694) mark.
Bethel (6-2, 5-1 MIAC) fired on all cylinders led by the defense that captured its second shutout of the season and held Carleton (6-2, 4-2 MIAC) to 124 yards of offense. BU held the Knights to 34 yards on the ground and capture all three of its interceptions in the first half.
The Royals offense amassed 489 yards of offense on 75 plays. George Bolt and Alex Call combined for 326 yards through the air with 163 yards on the ground.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Half
• Bethel's defense didn't take long to get going forcing a three-and-out on the Knights opening drive and forcing punts on Carleton's next two drives.
• The offense was forced to punt on its opening drive before entering the red zone on its second drive. 12 plays later BU got down to Carleton's 11-yard line where they settled for a 28-yard field goal from Hugo Cifuentes to get on the board with 2:53 left in the first.
• BU's defense wasn't on the field long with another three-and-out where the Knights didn't gain a single yard in three plays.
• It took Bethel three plays to expand its lead to 10-0 as the offensive line gave Aaron Ellingson a hole up the middle running it in from 51-yards out, the longest rush of his career, as time expired in the opening quarter.
• The offense was right back on the field a play later as Matt Jung tallied his first INT of the day picking off one of the top-10 passing QBs in the nation in Carleton's Jack Curtis.
• A 35-yard catch by Micah Niewald set the Royals up at the Carleton seven-yard line where Bolt rushed it in from one yard out three plays later making it 17-0 with the PAT.
• Ellingson added one more offensive score before the break as Bolt found him in the flat near Bethel's own 20-yard line. Ellingson raced down the Carleton sideline for the 80-yard score.
• Jung played the role of "ball hawk" again with just over three minutes before the break. His 38-yard pick six put the Royals on top 31-0.
2nd Half
• Receiving to open up the second, BU punted it away with Carleton returning the same favor on a three-and-out.
• The Royals marched 85 yards on their second drive as Micah Niewald got his third touchdown of the year, this one from 53-yards out on a screen play. He eluded one Carleton defender at midfield before racing to the pylon on the Knights' sideline.
• In the second half, Carleton ran only three plays in Bethel territory getting no closer than the BU 43-yard line. The Knights were 1-of-6 on third down in the final 20 minutes.
• Cifuentes added the Royals final score nailing a 31-yard field goal late in the fourth.
TOP PERFORMERS
Offense
• George Bolt – 17-of-26 for a career-high 282 yards, 2 passing TD, 11 carries for 12 yards, 1 Rushing TD
• Micah Niewald – 5 catches for 104 yards, 1 TD
• Aaron Ellingson – 12 carries for 86 yards, 1 rushing TD, 3 receptions for 95 yards, 1 receiving TD
Defense
• Matt Jung – 6 tackles, 2 INTs, TD
GAME NOTES
• Bethel won the toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Carleton elected to receive.
• Bethel won the time of possession battle for the seventh time this season by a wide margin, 38:12-21:48 margin.
• It's the fifth week BU's defense held an opponent under 100-yards rushing and sixth time this year.
• The shutout win is the second of the year for Bethel and 10th time in the last 10 years dating back to the 2013 season.
• Micah Niewald is now all alone at fifth all-time with 2,268 receiving yards.
• Matt Jung now has five interceptions on the year.
UP NEXT
The Royals return home for a showdown of Skyline Division unbeatens, welcoming Concordia to Arden Hills. The winner of next Saturday's matchup lands a spot in the MIAC Championship game. Kickoff at Royal Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
This story was provided by Austin Lagesse, Bethel University Director of Athletic Communications