NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Bryce Kunkle ran for four touchdowns to propel No. 14/15-ranked Bethel University to a 35-14 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) victory over the St. Olaf College football team on the Oles' Senior Day on Saturday at Klein Field at Manitou.
Kunkle scored all three of the game's touchdowns in the opening half and quarterback Jaran Roste ran for a score of his own early in the third quarter to help Bethel (7-1, 5-1 MIAC) build a 28-0 lead. St. Olaf (4-4, 3-3 MIAC) made the game interesting by scoring the next two touchdowns on a three-yard run by junior Jordan Embry and a 100-yard interception return by first year Tate Sauerwein to make it a two-score game early in the fourth quarter.
After Sauerwein's pick-six, the Royals responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Kunkle's fourth rushing touchdown of the game to put the game out of reach. Kunkle carried the ball 16 times for 73 yards in the win.
Roste was 21-for-29 for 307 yards and ran the ball 11 times for 58 yards and a score for Bethel, connecting with Micah Niewald six times for 107 yards. Bethel average 7.2 yards per play on its way to compiling 476 yards of offense in the game.
Embry fell just four yards shy of his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season for St. Olaf, carrying the ball 23 times for 96 yards while scoring his eighth rushing touchdown of the fall. First year Christian Graske returned to the field with 11 carries for 73 yards but St. Olaf could not get the passing game going, completing 6-of-18 passes in the game.
The Oles had a chance to open the scoring after taking over at the Bethel 30-yard line when Kunkle coughed up the ball on the second play of the Royals' second possession. The Bethel defense held, however, forcing a 44-yard field goal attempt that was thrown off by a high snap.
The Royals proceeded to march down the field and open the scoring on a seven-yard run by Kunkle with 6:58 to go in the opening quarter. Kunkle added scores of two and three yards inside the final four minutes of the first and second quarters to help Bethel to a 21-0 halftime lead.
St. Olaf again had an opportunity to put points on the board to start the third quarter when first year Evan Hammonds forced a fumble on the opening kickoff to set the Oles up at the Bethel 19-yard line, but the possession ended with a missed a 24-yard field goal.
On the next possession, Roste capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard sneak to give the visitors a 28-0 lead with 9:28 to go in the third quarter. Later in the third, the St. Olaf defense made a play as sophomore Ben Kettelhut deflected a Roste pass into the arms of classmate Mark Thrower for Thrower's first-career interception.
After the turnover, the Oles needed just four plays to go 81 yards to get on the board. The big play of the drive was a 50-yard pass from first year Theo Doran to junior Payton Schott to move the ball to the Bethel three-yard line and Embry stretched the ball over the line on the next play to make it a 28-7 game.
The Royals moved the ball down to the St. Olaf four-yard line on their next drive before Sauerwein jumped an out route at the goal line for an interception and ran it back up the sideline for a 100-yard touchdown, which is the longest interception return in recorded program history. The play got the Oles with two scores, 28-14, with still 12:51 to go.
Bethel responded to the miscue with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring march that culminated in Kunkle's fourth rushing touchdown of the game from five yards out.
Senior Nick Sabatino had a team-high nine tackles for St. Olaf and added a fumble recovery, while classmate Brandon Foster had eight tackles and a fumble recovery of his own. Nate Farm recorded a game-high 12 tackles and two pass breakups for Bethel, which got nine tackles, two forced fumbles, and an interception from Matt Feldick.
Before the game, St. Olaf recognized its 10 graduating seniors and senior manager Neyland Ott, as well as their families, on the field. The class includes Lars Prestemon, Jordan Bartholomew, Gabe Alada, Isaac Coutier, Nick Sabatino, Brandon Foster, Ogi Madzarevic, Stephon Kindle, Carter Biehn, and Nikoloz Vasadze.
The Oles close out the regular season at Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.
St. Olaf falls to No. 14/15 Bethel on Senior Day
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211030_oq2q.xml
2021
Bethel
35
St. Olaf
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 15 Bethel (7-1) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| St. Olaf (4-4) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Oct 30, 2021