Wildcats to Tangle with Bears Saturday
Game Notes
The Matchup
The Bethel Wildcats, fresh off their upset of another Top 10 team returns to the road Saturday traveling to Pikeville, Kentucky to battle the UPIKE Bears. Kick-off is slated for 12:30 p.m. CST
The Cats (4-2, 1-1) beat No. 8 Georgetown while UPIKE (2-3, 0-2) lost to Campbellsville 31-28.
It will be the 8th meeting between the two programs with the Bears holding a 4-3 advantage in the series. The Bears won 35-19 in the shortened season this past spring in McKenzie.
Bethel was picked to finish fourth in the MSC Blue Grass Division Preseason Poll. UPIKE was picked fifth in the division.
It will be the 473rd game in program history with Bethel's record at 181 -283 -8.
Live video:
https://upikebears.com/sports/2020/10/14/upike-sports-network.aspx
Live stats:
https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2021-22/boxscores/20211016_7x9r.xml
Last Week:
(Bethel)
The Wildcats outlasted the Georgetown Tigers Saturday afternoon in Wildcat Stadium in McKenzie. With the thriller going down to the wire, the Cats eked out a 25-24 victory over the visitors from the Commonwealth.
Bethel took the lead in the first quarter on a spectacular catch by Dieuly Aristilde. He leaped to catch a Nolan Chowbay pass at the 8:54 mark. Luis Morales nailed the point after to give the Cats a 7-0 lead. With 48 seconds left in the quarter, GC's Brandon Burgess tied the game with a 17-yard run. Those plays would be the only scores of the first half.
Georgetown scored a touchdown on its first series out of the break and added a safety to score nine unanswered. The Cats appeared to be in trouble with 39 seconds in the third. A safety gave the Tigers a 16-7 margin.
Another Chowbay pass to Aristilde early in the fourth put Bethel on the board again to make 16-14 Tigers. With 9:18 left, Morales nailed a 30-yard field goal to give Bethel a 17-16 lead. Georgetown came back with a Burgess six yard run to retake the lead at 22-17. Burgess then hit Jake Johnson on the two-point conversion and the Tigers led 24-17. The Wildcats rallied with a 68-yard drive which was capped off by a De'Ontay three-yard run. Bethel trailed 24-23. Without hesitation, Coach Mike Jasper sent the troops out to go for two. This time it was James Dixon with a remarkable reception to give the Cats a thrilling 25-24 win.
With less than a minute left, Georgetown tried to get something going, but Jerwin Young squashed that with a batted down pass on fourth down. BU took the knee to finish it off and for the second time this season upset a Top 10 team at home.
Chowbay was 13-of-32 in the air for 325 yards. Tate was Bethel's leading rusher with 74 yards on 21 carries. The 4th leading rusher in Bethel history now has 2,900 career rushing yards. Aristilde caught six passes for 136 yards.
Burgess highlighted the Tiger attack with his three rushing touchdowns.
Jakobe Griffin, Bethel's leading tackler on the season led the Cats with seven total tackles. Fellow linebacker, Brody Franks followed with six total stops. Vonte Bates contributed with six tackles. Brandon Moore had an interception in the big win.
Coach Jasper expressed how proud he is of his young men. "I am so proud of this program. Before every game we set our intentions with a war cry and this game was the epitome of our chant. Those guys fought and fought, stood tall, proud, and then fought some more. We must find a way to protect the ball better and execute at a higher level, but a win is a win. Hats off to my staff as well. Those guys are phenomenal educators and mentors to our young men and deserve the utmost respect. Our program deserves respect, and we are willing to go out and take it."
(UPIKE)
In what was the closest game the Bears have played this season, UPIKE football fell by a field goal to Campbellsville on the road Saturday afternoon. The Tigers scored the game's final touchdown in the last minutes of the third and held on in the fourth to win 31-28.
The loss drops the Bears to 2-2 on the season while the Tigers improve to 1-3.
The rushing advantage belonged strongly to the Bears who compiled 281 yards on the ground, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. The offensive line made the difference, creating space for the Bear's talented backfield who scored three touchdowns.
Piloting the rushing effort was junior back Alex Sanders who went for a career high 175 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders long of 81 yards resulted in a touchdown less than two minutes into the first quarter. Ivan Vaughn had a career performance as well, churning out 106 yards and a touchdown.
UPIKE led in total offense with 452 yards on 64 plays. 171 yards came through the air completing 10 of 18 attempts. Lee Kirkland recovered from a tough outing against Georgetown, not throwing any interceptions. Kirkland's touchdown throw came in the opening minute of the second quarter on a 49 yarder to Ben Henson.
The Bears continued to showcase their offensive depth with nine receivers with a catch on the stat sheet. Bralin Barton had his best play of the season and led the receivers with a catch for 73 yards. Redshirt freshman Henson recorded his second touchdown of the season as well.
Christopher Dublin was explosive on defense, finishing with a season high 13 tackles, six of which were solo. Dublin made a pair of tackles-for-loss and a sack in the contest as well. Cameron Miller managed three solo and six assisted tackles for his best game of the season.
One of the deciding factors in the game was time of possession which Campbellsville took the advantage by 13 minutes. The teams headed into the fourth quarter separated by a field goal, with both teams forcing a three and out on the opening possessions. After the Bears got the ball with 10:28 to play and marched to the Tiger's 36-yard line, the Tiger's defense forced a turnover on downs. The final drive of the game was a five-and-a-half-minute endeavor for the Tigers who effectively controlled clock, not allowing the Bears to take possession.
Head Coaches:
Bethel's Michael Jasper is in his third year as head coach of the Wildcats. He is 15-14 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.
UPIKE'S Corey Fipps is in his first season as UPIKE football's head coach. Fipps arrived at UPIKE after four seasons as Head Football Coach at Kentucky Christian University (KCU) where he led the growth of the Knights that included two of the best seasons in program history. While at KCU, Fipps also served as the Director of Athletics while holding positions in admissions and enrollment.
Fipps led the Knights to the highest single season winning percentage (75%) in program history in 2020, wrapping up at 6-2. The Knights boasted a top-ten rushing offense nationwide at the end of the season, a testament to the program's progress in the hands of Fipps. In 2019 the Knights broke over fifty school records and produced a 1,000-yard rusher, a pair of 1,000-yard receivers, and the program's first win over MSC rival Georgetown.
Fipps has carved a path through many levels of college football, beginning with his alma mater, NCAA Division II Harding University, where he played offensive tackle. While at Harding, Fipps obtained both bachelor's and master's degrees in education and kinesiology, respectively.
Fipps has served as the offensive coordinator at NCAA Division II Missouri Southern State University, NAIA Montana Tech, Sacramento City College, as well as at Faulkner University, where he piloted an offense that ranked first in the country with 520 yards total offense per game in 2011, concluding with a win over rival Union College 95-89.
Fipps resides in Pikeville with his wife, Dr. Jennifer Fipps, and three daughters, Kensley, Caroline, and Emery.
THE CATS FACE FORMER HEAD COACH:
Chris Elliott begins his first season as UPIKE football's defensive coordinator in 2021.
Elliott is a veteran defensive guru who coached alongside head coach Corey Fipps at Kentucky Christian for the 2020 season. A native of Altoona, PA, Elliott comes to UPIKE with a lengthy resume that includes experience at five universities beginning with Saint Francis (PA) where he served as a graduate assistant in 2000. After a season with the Red Flash, Elliott headed back to his hometown, taking an assistant coaching gig at Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic HS where he stayed for three seasons.
Elliott began his collegiate coaching career at Bethel University in 2004 and served as an assistant coach for eight seasons, aiding the Wildcats in four NAIA playoff runs. Ahead of the 2012 season, Elliott took the head coaching position with Bethel, a position he held through the 2017 campaign. After Bethel, he spent a season as the defensive coordinator at Cumberland University before he was named the Defensive Coordinator at Ave Maria where he stayed with the Gyrenes through 2019.
Elliott headed to KCU, teaming up with Coach Fipps as the Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs coach for the 2020 season.
Elliott is a graduate of St. Francis (PA) where he received a Bachelor's degree in Accounting in 1997, he also earned a Master's degree in Education from Bethel University in 2005.
Elliott is married to Lindsay Elliott and the couple have three daughters, Emma, Erin and Eden.
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!!!!!!
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.
Five MSC teams are ranked in the NAIA Coaches' Poll this week. Lindsey Wilson is No. 1 while Keiser is No.6. Reinhard moved up a spot to No. 11. Georgetown dropped to No. 13. Faulkner came in at No. 17. Bethel and Cumberlands received votes and are ranked 26th and 27th respectively.
With his 74 yards rushing Saturday, De'Ontay Tate has 2, 900 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.
Devious Christmon has four interceptions on the season. He is tied for 3rd all-time in Bethel history with 11 picks. 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.
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 remains on the road with a game in Lebanon next week facing Cumberland University at 1:30 p.m. CST