No. 22 Wildcats Host No. 1 Lindsey Wilson
Game Notes
Pink Out Day
The Matchup
The No. 22 Bethel Wildcats are back home this Saturday hosting the defending NAIA National Champion and No. 1 ranked Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders. Kick-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Pink Out Day.
Pink Out will consist of pink accents for players, cheerleaders, and band. A halftime presentation by current Ms. Bethel Jayne-Shaye Bailey will take place on the field. The Bethel Cheer squad will take donations during halftime.
The Cats (6-2, 3-1) won 43-24 at Cumberland University Saturday. The Blue Raiders (7-0, 4-0) won 31-0 at Pikeville Saturday.
Bethel was picked to finish fourth in the MSC Blue Grass Division Preseason Poll. LWC was picked to win the division.
It will be the 475th game in program history with Bethel's record at 183 -283 -8.
Series:
It will be the 8th meeting between the two with the Blue Raiders holding a 5-2 advantage in the series. LWC won back in the spring abbreviated season 49-7 in Columbia.
The Blue Raiders have won two in a row in the series. Bethel is 0-3 in McKenzie versus LWC and 2-2 in Columbia versus the Raiders.
Live Stats:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/sports/fball/2021-22/boxscores/20211030_mbmh.xml
Video:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/WildcatStreaming
Tickets:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/bethel-box-office
Radio:
https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WEIO
For Complete Game Notes visit:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/fball/2021-22/2021_Football_Game_Notes_vs._Lindsey_Wilson.pdf
Last Week:
(Bethel)
The No. 24 Wildcats and Cumberland University Phoenix met in another key MSC Bluegrass Division match-up Saturday in Lebanon. It was the 33rd meeting between the two programs. Both teams entered the game with two game winning streaks. In the end, Bethel played spoiler in CU's Homecoming with a 43-24 victory. The Wildcats cut into the 20-12-1 advantage the Phoenix holds in the series.
The Cats moved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the league. Cumberland dropped to 3-4 and 2-2.
After forcing the Phoenix to punt on their first possession the Wildcats moved down the field and scored on a Luis Morale 24-yard field goal.
The Wildcat defense stopped the Phoenix inside their own 40-yard line on the next series and forced a CU punt. Nolan Chowbay topped off an impressive 14 play 73-yard drive by hitting James Dixon on a 13-yard pass with 1:27 left in the first. The Morales point after was no good.
The Phoenix got on the board at the 10:27 mark of the second on a Dylan Carpenter two-yard scamper. Hunter Mathis hit the PAT to make it 9-7.
Less than two minutes later, Chowbay struck again on a 19-yard touchdown toss to De'Ontay Tate. The two-point conversion failed but the Cats upped their lead to 15-7.
Vonte Bates picked off his second pass of the year to stymie another CU drive. The Wildcats took advantage of the turnover and added to their lead as Chowbay hit Dixon again. The 58-yard scoring pass gave the Cats a 22-7 margin at the half.
With 6:28 left in the third, Chowbay and Dixon made it the hat trick, teaming up on an eight-yard scoring play to make it 29-7. Morales hit the point after.
Less than a minute into the fourth, CU's Brandon Edmondson rushed in from the one-yard line and CU cut Bethel's margin to 29-14.
The Phoenix would not go quietly as they scored again on a Mathis 25-yard field goal. With 10:15 left in the game, Bethel's lead was trimmed to 29-17.
It was an opportune time for Bethel to get their 1st kick-off return for a score on the year. Brandon Moore returned the ensuing kick for 88 yards and after the Morales point after, the Cats took a 36-17 lead.
Four minutes later, CU's Edmondson rushed in on a one-yard play to keep the Phoenix in the game at 36-24. The score finished a 10 play 72-yard drive.
Less than a minute later the Cats answered on a Tate 36-yard touchdown. The Cats led 43-24.
Bethel had a 206 -176 advantage in passing yards. CU outrushed the Cats, 173-141. Tate rushed for 122 yards on 20 carries. He now has 3, 213 career rushing yards which is 4th all-time in program history. Chowbay finished 10-of-25 for the 206 yards and four touchdowns. Dixon caught five passes for 125 yards.
Along with Bates, Mike Malone had an interception. Brody Franks let the Wildcat defense with 15 total tackles. Jakobe Griffin followed with 14 total stops. Bates had 12 total tackles. The Wildcats had 11 TFL's.
Coach Michael Jasper expressed how proud he was of his squad. "I am really proud of how our guys showed up and got after it today. Nokes-Lasater is not an easy place to get a win and it will be nice to come home with a victory. We have a few guys banged up and a big week of preparation ahead of us, but we will enjoy this tonight."
(LWC)
Since the rebirth of the Lindsey Wilson football program in 2010, the Blue Raiders and head coach Chris Oliver have pushed through a multitude of milestones.
With Saturday's 31-0 win over Pikeville (Ky.), the Blue Raiders hit the 100-win plateau in just their 12th season as a program. The Blue Raiders currently hold a 100-33 overall record including a 52-17 record in Mid-South Conference play.
Jaylen Boyd etched his name into the record book, breaking the 3,000-yard plateau in career rushing yards. He finished the game with 95 rushing yards for 5.3 yards per carry. The Lindsey Wilson defense was once again the focal point of the game, recording their third consecutive shutout. The 12 consecutive scoreless quarters are the most ever by a Blue Raider defense.
Lindsey Wilson took a 14-0 lead into halftime following a sluggish start from the Blue Raider offense over the first two quarters. The Blue Raiders scored on their first possession of the game, in just two plays when Cameron Dukes found a wide-open Jaleel Warren in the back of the endzone from 25-yards out.
The Blue Raiders received great field possession on their next three drive starting at the UPIKE 43, LWC 48, and the UPIKE 49 but failed to take advantage of the great starting field position. Lindsey Wilson increased their lead to 14-0 on an 11 play, 70-yard drive that spanned from the first to the second quarter. Kobe Belcher capped off the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown.
The Blue Raider defense forced the Bears into six straight three-and-outs to open the game as the Bears picked up their first, first down in the late stages of the second quarter. In total, LWC pressured the UPIKE offense into eight three-play drives for the game.
Dukes and company tacked on two touchdowns in the third quarter to pull ahead 28-0 late in the action. Dukes finished off a 12 play, 74-yard drive with a two-yard rushing effort at 9:51 as Darius Clark scored from six-yard out with 4:26 remaining in the third. Clark capped off a 10 play, 53-yard drive as he lowered his shoulder for the score.
Ian Sauter added a late field goal in the quarter for Lindsey Wilson's final points of the contest. He finished the day 4-for-4 on PAT's and 1-for-1 on field goals. He kicked off six times for 385-yards and three touchbacks while adding one punt for 39-yards.
Lindsey Wilson's defense held the Bears to 0-of-12 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down while only allowing six first downs and just 53 yards of total offense. The 53 yards allowed set a new program low by an LWC defense in a game.
Jo Fluker finished with a team-high seven tackles as he added one fumble recovery. Luke Bowman also recorded a fumble recovery in the game.
The Blue Raider offense ran 91 plays for 485-yards of total offense including 234 through the air and 251 on the ground. Dukes finished the game 22-of-36 for 195-yards and a touchdown toss as he added 30 rushing yards and another score. Logan Neufeld had a game-high 51-yards receiving.
Lindsey Wilson racked up 31 first downs and was 11-of-18 on third downs while struggling to convert on fourth down, finishing 0-of-5 on the afternoon.
Head Coaches:
Bethel's Michael Jasper is in his third year as head coach of the Wildcats. He is 17-14 in his career with the Cats. Before becoming the head coach Jasper served as the Assistant Head Coach and worked with the defensive line. Prior to that he held the titles of Offensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator, as well as overseeing the strength and conditioning program.
Jasper is the 12th head coach in Bethel football history.
The Wildcats were 3-4 last year and finished 3-2 in the MSC.
Before joining the Bethel staff, Jasper served as Offensive and Defensive Line Assistant at Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo, New York.
Mike spent three years in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and the Carolina Panthers.
Coach Jasper played for the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2005 and was a starter on their 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Championship team. After redshirting at Middle Tennessee State University, Coach Jasper joined the Bethel University Wildcats as an Offensive and Defensive Lineman from 2008-2010 and was the first ever Wildcat drafted to the NFL in 2011 being selected by the Buffalo Bills.
He graduated from Bethel University with a Bachelor's Degree in University Studies. He and his wife Allison along with their daughter Davis Reid reside in McKenzie, Tennessee. Their rescue dog is named Caine.
LWC'S Chris Oliver is in his 12th season as head football coach at Lindsey Wilson College in 2021.
Oliver owns a 100-33 career record after starting the Lindsey Wilson football program from scratch beginning with the 2010 season. LWC leads all schools in the Mid-South Conference and all schools in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, at any college level, with 85 wins over the last eight seasons. Lindsey Wilson entered the 2021 season having been ranked in the last 94 national polls, the fourth-longest streak in the NAIA.
In 2020, Oliver led the Blue Raiders to the program's first NAIA Football Championship Series National Championship with a 45-13 win over Northwestern (Iowa). He was named the AFCA-NAIA Coach of the Year as well as the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division Coach of the Year. The Blue Raiders finished the season with a perfect 11-0 record including a 7-0 MSC Bluegrass Division mark. The winning record marks the eighth straight winning season for LWC.
Oliver has led the Blue Raiders to six NAIA Football Championship Series appearances (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020), including reaching the quarterfinals three times, the semifinals once and the NAIA National Championship game once. He has been named AFCA-NAIA Coach of the Year once, Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year four times, and American Football Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year six times.
Oliver graduated from Ohio State in 2003 and later completed his master's degree from Ohio Dominican in 2007. He and his wife, Wendy, have two children, Samantha, and Patrick.
Did You Know?
The 2021 Football Media Guide is now available on the Bethel Athletic page. Keep up with the Cats this season with the on-line version at bethelathletics.com. Go to Inside Athletics and click on media guides.
Find out all you need to know about this year's team and their opponents. Bio's Records, Stats, and current rankings are all available. Get all the information about YOUR Wildcats!!!!!!
Bethel's James Dixon was named MSC Offensive Player of the Week earlier this week. Brandon Moore was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Earlier this season, Bethel's Vonte Bates was named the MSC Defensive Player of The Week for his efforts against Union. Nolan Chowbay was named MSC Offensive Player of the Week.
The Wildcats are in the Bluegrass Division with Georgetown, Campbellsville, Lindsey Wilson, Cumberlands (KY), Pikeville, Thomas More and Cumberland games being divisional affairs.
Seven Mid-South Conference Teams are mentioned in the seventh regular season NAIA Football First Down PlayBook Top 25 Poll, the NAIA announced on Monday.
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) sits atop the poll with 444 points and 18 of the 19 first-place votes. The Blue Raiders are 7-0 this season and 4-0 in Bluegrass Division play. Lindsey Wilson travels to Bethel (Tenn.) on Saturday.
Reinhardt (Ga.) moved up two spots to No. 8. The Eagles earned 320 points in the poll and are 6-2 this season and 3-0 in the Appalachian Division. Reinhardt travels to St. Andrews (N.C.) on Saturday.
Keiser (Fla.) moved up one spot to No. 12 after earning 250 points in the poll. The Seahawks are 5-2 and 2-1 in the Sun Division. Keiser travels to Warner (Fla.) on Saturday.
Faulkner (Ala.) fell five spots to No. 19. The Eagles garnered 131 points in the poll. Faulkner is 6-1 with a 3-1 record in the Appalachian Division. The Eagles travel to Webber International (Fla.) on Saturday.
Georgetown (Ky.) fell one spot to No. 21. The Tigers earned 114 points in the poll and are 5-2 this season and 2-2 in the Bluegrass Division. Georgetown travels to Campbellsville (Ky.) on Saturday.
Bethel (Tenn.) moved up two spots to No. 22. The Wildcats earned 74 points in the poll. Bethel is 6-2 with a 3-1 record in the Bluegrass Division and host Lindsey Wilson on Saturday.
St. Thomas (Fla.) improved two spots in the poll to No. 23. The Bobcats earned 80 points in the poll and are 8-0 overall and 4-0 in divisional play. St. Thomas is back in action on Friday when they host Southeastern (Fla.).
Northwestern (Iowa) sits in second with 426 points while Morningside (Iowa) is third with 411 points and the final first-place vote. Grand View (Iowa) and Baker (Kan.) round out the top 5 with 393 and 374 points, respectively.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
The next regular season poll is scheduled to come out on Monday, November 1.
With his 122 yards rushing Saturday, De'Ontay Tate has 3, 213 career rushing yards. He is 4th all-time in Bethel history. Adrain Smith is 1st with 5, 275, Terrance Bell is second with 3, 982 while Cordarious Mann is third with 3, 862.
After another earlier this season against UPIKE, Devious Christmon has five interceptions on the season. He is now 3rd all-time in Bethel history with 12 career interceptions. Hunter Pingston had 16. Joquel Skinner and Stoney Burns had 13 while Donald Lightfoot and Karrheem Darington finished their careers with 11.
Coach Michael Jasper spent three seasons in the NFL playing for the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.
Eleven different states are represented on the Bethel squad. Next to Tennessee, Alabama has the most players on the roster.
Homecoming will be celebrated this year on November 6. The week includes the 2021 Hall-of-Fame Induction ceremonies. The Cats will host Thomas More University. Kick-off is slated for 1:30 p.m.
The 41st class will honor three former great athletes, one contributor, and one team with induction into the hall on Saturday, November 6, at 9 a.m. The event will be held in the Vera Low Student Center. The 2020 class will also be honored that morning. With the combined classes, 104 individuals and six teams have now been enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
Tickets are $20. Registration is required.
Tickets:
https://bethelu.networkforgood.com/events/33950-hall-of-fame-and-alumni-awards-breakfast
Coach Jasper is in his third season as head coach. Several changes to the staff have been made with new personnel and duties.
2021 Bethel University Football Staff
Michael Jasper- Head Coach, Defensive Line
Chris Springer- Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, DB
Keith Williams-Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line
Dustin Kincaid-Linebackers, Director of Football Operations
Cody McCallister-Co-Special Teams Coordinator, Safeties
Justin Brown-Co-Special Teams Coordinator, Wide Receivers
Brett Guminsky- Tight Ends, Halfbacks, Video Coordinator
Jay Bright- Quarterbacks, Pass Game Coordinator
Terrell Jackson- Senior Defensive Analyst, Linebackers
Bobby Mitchell- Graduate Assistant, Running Backs
Bret Petersen-Graduate Assistant
Manny Belluccia- Graduate Assistant
John Pasley- Student Assistant, Defensive Backs
Devon Patrick- Student Assistant
Giante Hicks- Student Assistant
Sean Allison-Student Assistant
Riley Benavides-Student Assistant
Ian Harris-Student Assistant
Next Week:
Bethel returns home next week hosting Thomas More at 1:30 p.m. It will be Homecoming for the Wildcats. Gates open at noon.