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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 9 Bethel scored three touchdowns in the final 6:35 of the game to break a 20-20 tie and defeat Saint John's 41-20 on Saturday, Oct. 8, in Collegeville.
The Royals (4-1, 2-1 MIAC) gained a 3-0 lead at 5:53 of the first quarter on a 23-yard field goal from Matt Wetherell.
The Johnnies answered with an 11-play, 68-yard scoring drive that ended on a 22-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Ben Krebsbach (Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) to senior wide receiver Brent Graboski (Woodbury, Minn.). The start behind center was the first for Krebsbach's collegiate career.
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Royals bounced back with an 80-yard drive. A 20-yard touchdown pass from Josh Aakre to Kyle Ulstad on fourth-and-two from the SJU 20 gave Bethel a 10-7 lead.
SJU (2-4, 1-3 MIAC) slugged back with a 12-play, 67-yard scoring drive, which ended on a two-yard plunge from junior running back Stephen Johnson (Mahtomedi, Minn.).
Wetherell added his second field goal of the game, this time from 32 yards out, to cut the Royals' deficit to 14-13 with 32 seconds left in the first half.
BU's Jesse Phenow scored from one yard out on the Royals' opening possession of the second half to give the visitors the lead at 20-14.
A pair of Bethel turnovers on the Royals' side of the 50 gave SJU prime opportunity to fight back from a 20-14 deficit, but had to settle for two field goals, 45 and 27 yards, from junior kicker Jimmie Mattson (Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial).
With the game tied at 20 all, SJU marched to the Bethel 33-yard line thanks to 47 yards on eight straight carries from Johnson. Krebsbach's pass on third-and-nine, however, went off senior wide receiver Sam Pederson's (La Crosse, Wis./Aquinas) hands and was intercepted by David Vavra. The momentum swing sparked Bethel to a 55-yard scoring drive, capped with a seven-yard pass from Aakre to Ulstad, their second touchdown connection on the day.
Following an SJU three-and-out, the Royals rolled 80 yards on nine plays and ended on a one-yard run from Phenow. He ended the day with a pair of touchdowns and 130 yards on 27 carries.
Vavra ended the scoring with an interception of sophomore quarterback Connor Bruns (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield), which he returned 35 yards for a touchdown two offensive plays later.
Johnson finished with 115 yards on 26 carries for SJU, which gained 185 yards on the ground against a stout Royal defense. The 100-yard rushing performance is the second of the season for Johnson and fourth of his collegiate career. Krebsbach ended the day seven of 16 passing for 84 yards. He also added 47 yards on nine carries. Senior linebacker Nick Zweber (Elko, Minn./New Prague) led SJU with 13 tackles (six solo), including one for a loss and a near-interception.
Aakre ran for 71 yards on 11 carries and threw for 149 yards with a pair of scores for Bethel.
The Royals converted 10 of their 15 third-down chances, while the Johnnies were four of 11. Bethel out-gained SJU 432-284, including a 283-185 advantage on the ground. BU entered the game ranked ninth in NCAA Division III in total defense (219.8 ypg.) and 13th in run defense (73.0 ypg.).
The Johnnies are idle next weekend before traveling to face Gustavus Adolphus for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday, Oct. 22, in St. Peter.
Notes: The Johnnies have four losses (three in the MIAC) for the first time since 1997…the last time SJU lost three straight games was 1983...the last time the Johnnies lost three consecutive home games in the same season was 1978.
