Cats Keep Rolling with Win at Georgetown
GEORGETOWN, Ky. – The No. 13 Bethel Wildcats traveled to No. 8 Georgetown Saturday to face the Tigers in a key MSC showdown.
The Tigers took the opening kick-off and marched 69 yards on 12 plays and took the lead at the 10:24 mark. Drew Hartz threw a 13-yard touchdown to Darius Neal. The point after by Chris Cline gave Georgetown the 7-0 lead.
The Wildcats scored at the 13:29 mark of the second. Taylor Yancey threw a five- yard scoring pass to Quashawn Ford. The play capped off a nine play 56- yard drive. The point after was blocked.
The game turned into a defensive battle the remainder of the half. The Cats outgained the Tigers in total yards, 168-96 but trailed 7-6 at the break.
Bothe teams struggled in third down efficiency in the half. Bethel was just 2-of-8 while GC was just 2-of-9 in third down attempts.
The Wildcats pulled off a trick play in the third when punter Caleb Hall on a fourth and ten from his own 43- yard line passed to Darius Prather for a first down. The 22-yard pass kept the drive alive but a 22-yard field goal attempt by Austin Abbott was blocked.
The Cats would not be denied however as they would take the lead a series later. With 8:41 left in the third, Yancey finished off a 51 -yard drive with a one- yard rush. The Cats converted on the two- point try as Joaquin Collazo passed to Colby Johnson to give Bethel a 14-7 advantage.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 21-7 with 3:09 left in the third. On a defected 12-yard pass into the end zone, J D Dixon leaped high to give the Cats a 20-6 margin. Abbott's PAT gave Bethel a two-touchdown lead.
Bethel's defense dominated the third quarter holding Georgetown to just three total yards in offense.
Bethel moved the margin to 24-7 with 13:32 left in the game when Abbott knocked through a 22-yard field goal.
The Tigers scored with 9:13 remaining when Neal rushed in from five yards out. Cline's extra point made it 24-14.
The Cats would go on to win 24-14.
Bethel outgained the Tigers 418-194. The Cats had 277 yards passing and 141 in rushing.
Collazo was 19-of-33 in the air for 250 yards. Terrance Roberts had a career high 121 yards on 32 carries. Dixon had six receptions for 90 yards.
Calen Warren led the Cats on defense with seven total tackles. Vonte Bates followed with five total stops. Brandon Moore, Devious Christmon and Warren had interceptions in the game. Christmon's pick was his 13th career interception which ties him for second most in program history.
With the win, Bethel moved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the league. The Tigers fell to 4-1 and 2-1.
Coach Michael Jasper thought his team was focused to begin the game. "This team and staff never cease to amaze me. We came out focused but just could not execute but that did not stop them from staying dialed in and chipping away. Georgetown is such a quality program. Coach Cronin built this place and now Coach Oliver has it rolling. It's like Bear Bryant and Nick Saban so it feels good to get this one here in the Commonwealth."
The Wildcats return home to host the University of the Cumberlands Saturday. It will be the only night game of the regular season with kick-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
Live stats:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/fball/2022-23/boxscores/20221008_5o6r.xml
Live video:
https://bethelathletics.com/watch
Listen:
Game Coverage: Catch the action on WEIO, 100.9 and at https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WEIO
Tickets:
Tickets & Fan Attendance:
Ticket/fan policy - all are welcome.
Purchase tickets in advance at: https://bethelathletics.com/bethel-box-office
Tickets can also be purchased digitally at the gate. It will be a cashless gate.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m.