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| Kamari Durmas returns his game-clinching interception as Bethel players react on the sidelines. Photo by Caleb Williams, d3photography.com | More photos from this game |
Bethel snapped an eight-game losing streak to St. John's, Mary Hardin-Baylor rolled past Hardin-Simmons while Heidelberg and Union both got knocked off in Saturday's action among D3football.com Top 25 teams.
Jaran Roste returned from his Week 1 injury with a big-play vengeance and the Bethel defense came up with two interceptions of Aaron Syverson in the fourth quarter as No. 20 Bethel defeated No. 2 St. John's, 28-24. The game, played in front of 7,314 fans ringing the field at Bethel, featured five second-half lead changes.
St. John's started the day with a 19-play, 70-yard drive that took 9:20 off the clock, as the Johnnies used a number of speed option and other running plays to take a 7-0 lead. But Bryce Kunkle ripped off a 45-yard touchdown run on the next drive to even the game at 7-7. St. John's kicked a short field goal with three seconds to go in the half to take a 10-7 lead into the break.
Roste has a huge second half for Bethel (2-1, 1-0 MIAC). The senior completed 13 of 18 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, and ran for 37 yards as well. That included a big throw to sophomore receiver Joey Kidder, who caught the ball at the 10 and evaded two tacklers on the way to the end zone for a 38-yard score. That gave Bethel a 14-10 lead a few minutes into the second half. St. John's answered with a 58-yard catch-and-run by Jimmy Buck. The teams traded touchdowns one more time before Roste hit Micah Niewald, who went 72 yards for the go-ahead score.
Thomas Wurdemann ended St. John's next drive with an interception at the Bethel 35. When Bethel converted on a fourth-and-15 down to the SJU 15 on the following drive, it seemed the game was in hand, but Cooper Yaggie forced a fumble from David Geebli at the extreme end of that fourth-down play and St. John's had one more shot. But with the rain beginning to fall, Kamari Dumas intercepted a Syverson pass and Bethel was able to run out the final 2:02.
Bethel fans react to Royals' interception with 2:02 to go. Still up 28-24 on SJU. #d3fb https://t.co/0Fad38tvkn pic.twitter.com/iom85qqYQX
— D3football.com (@d3football) September 24, 2022
Hardin-Simmons looked good early, going deep to Kevi Evans and going toe-to-toe with Mary Hardin-Baylor. And then the wheels fell off, spectacularly. The No. 6 Cowboys turned the ball over four times in the first half, with two of them being fumbles returned for touchdowns as the No. 5 Cru ran away with a 50-20 victory.
Evans caught his second touchdown pass, a 74-yarder, to take a 20-16 lead with 4:36 to play in the half. But the second quarter was far from over for UMHB.
K.J. Miller returned a Cowboy kickoff down to the HSU 3-yard line. Brandon Jordan capped the long return with a 4-yard touchdown grab from Kyle King. UMHB's defense scored the next 14 points with back-to-back fumble recoveries from Johnny Smith-Rider and Durand Hill. Smith-Rider forced a fumble at 3:30 left in the second and returned it 25 yards for the score before Tristan Green forced another HSU fumble at 2:56 with Durand Hill returning that one 33 yards for the score. Kenneth Cormier, Jr. punched in a pair of third quarter runs for two more touchdowns, sealing the 30-point win for the Cru.
On the next play from offense, the @HSUCowboys are stripped of possession leading to a scoop-and-score TD by Johnny Smith-Rider. @CruFootball has taken the first two-possession lead by either team at 29-20 (3:30 2nd). @D3FBHuddle #d3fb. pic.twitter.com/YDtY9RYk3v
— Frank Rossi (@FrankRossi) September 25, 2022
John Carroll coverted 14 of 20 on third down and outgained Heidelberg 317-105 en route to knocking off the No. 19 Student Princes 24-7, sending the JCU homecoming crowd home happy. Heidelberg got on the board early in the second quarter, as Montavious Yearby capped an eight-play drive with a 4-yard TD to tie the game at 7-7. But JCU answered with a 15-play drive of its own and Heidelberg only had one snap the rest of the day in John Carroll territory, on a drive that fizzled on fourth down at the 50. Joe Collins completed 20 of 27 passes for 176 yards and two TDs.
Down 24-7 at halftime, Utica outscored Union 24-0 in the second half and went on to win 31-24, handing the No. 25 Dutchmen their first loss of the season. Nate Palmer had two clutch plays for the Pioneers (4-0) down the stretch. Palmer caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Braeden Zenelovic with 11:44 left that set up the tying extra point, then ran back a 43-yard punt return for a touchdown as Utica got the ball back following the next Union series. Palmer finished with six catches for 92 yards and the tying score.
Trailing at halftime for its first deficit of the season, Albion rallied to win 28-20 at UW-Eau Claire. The Britons outscored the Blugolds 21-6 after halftime. Phillip Jones-Price ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Holding onto a 28-14 advantage with 6:37 to play, the Britons allowed one more Blugold touchdown but missed the extra point, leaving Eau Claire behind the eight-ball.
No. 14 Delaware Valley outgained Misericordia 466 to 62 and rolled over the Cougars, 41-0, ahead of next week's showdown for first place in the MAC with Stevenson. Mike Nobile had four stops for loss, including a strip-sack that led to a defensive touchdown. Jay White ran for 129 yards and two scores and the Aggies defense held Misericordia to 2 for 11 on third down. DelVal (4-0, 2-0 MAC) heads to Stevenson next week, which is undefeated after the Mustangs came from behind to beat Widener, 30-14.
Running down the other shutouts pitched by Top 25 teams: No. 3 Mount Union put up 38 second-quarter points to roll Muskingum 59-0, No. 21 Susquehanna blanked Dickinson 45-0 and No. 22 Wartburg toppled Dubuque 25-0. Honorable mention for near-shutouts by No. 1 North Central (76-6 against Elmhurst) and No. 17 Carnegie Mellon (35-6 against Thiel).