Undefeated Cats Close Out Regular Season on Road
LEBANON, Tenn. – The undefeated No. 4 Bethel Wildcat football team will attempt to rewrite the record book when the travel to Lebanon to meet the Cumberland University Phoenix Saturday. Kick-off for the regular season finale is slated for 1:30 p.m.
The Wildcats, if they win will be the first team in modern day program history to win 11 games in a season and be undefeated at that mark. The 2028 squad was 10-0 during the regular season.
Bethel is 10 -0 overall and 7-0 in league play. The Cats are 6-0 in home action and 4-0 on the road on the season.
The Phoenix sport a 3-6 and 1-6 record. CU is 3-2 at home on the year.
The Wildcats and Cumberland will meet for the 34th time. It is the most appearances against another opponent in Wildcat history. CU leads the series 20-12-1. Bethel won last year 43-24. The two programs first met back in 1921.
The game will be the 488th game in program history. Bethel is 194-285-8 all-time
Live video:
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cu/
https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/boxscores/20221112_6031.xml
Tickets & Fan Attendance:
https://www.gocumberlandathletics.com/tickets/
Gates open at 11:30 a.m.
Last Week:
(Bethel)
The Wildcats scored 28 points in the first quarter and coasted to a 59-6 victory over the visiting Faulkner Eagles Saturday afternoon. It was Senior Day for 19 Wildcats who were honored in pregame ceremonies. It was also Military/First Responders Appreciation Day.
With the win, Bethel clinched the Mid-South Conference title.
Bethel won the coin toss which proved to be big. The Cats elected to defer and kicked off with winds gusting over 35 miles per hour at times. Forcing Faulkner to drive into the elements, the Bethel defense forced two early punts and a fumble which enabled the Cats to get early field position.
Joaquin Collazo and Darius Prather teamed up for a 30-yard pass to give the Cats the early lead. The pass was a result of Bethel taking over at the Faulkner thirty after the Cat defense forced an Eagle punt into the wind. A few minutes later Collazo hit JD Dixon on a one-yard pass and after a point after by Austin Abbott, Bethel led 14-0. Four minutes later, the two reversed roles as Dixon took a handoff and found Collazo on a 12-yard scoring toss. On the final play of the first quarter, Collazo found Avont Burrus open on a short pattern. Burrus showed great balance and was able to shake off several would-be tacklers and go 62 yards for another score.
Bethel led 28-3 at the half.
Bethel went ahead 31-3 on a third quarter 39- field goal by Abbott. Dakota Braswell rushed for a 72-yard touchdown run at the 8:27 mark of the third. After a Faulkner field goal, the score was 38-6 at the end of three,
Four seconds into the final frame, Collazo passed to Braswell for a three-yard score to make it 45-6. Braswell and Stavonski Wilkes added touchdown runs to cap off the scoring as Bethel moved to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the league. The Eagles left West Tennessee at 4-6 and 3-4.
Collazo's four touchdowns passes gave him 25 on the year. That ties him with Brent Dearmon for third most in a season by a Wildcat.
Braswell led the Wildcats in rushing with 94 on 14 carries. Burrus had five receptions for 122 yards.
Markel Crawford led Bethel with eight total tackles. Jakobe Griffin had seven, while Vonte Bates had six total stops. Demetrice Gilbert and DJ James had interceptions in the win.
(CU)
Cumberland football fought hard on the road but ultimately fell 44-30 on the road against Faulkner University.
Both teams took turns going on 9-0 runs in the first half of action in Montgomery. Cumberland jumped on the board first when JJ Johnson took a toss play into the endzone for a one-yard touchdown run giving the Phoenix a 7-0 lead. Cumberland's big play in the first drive came on a 27-yard reception by Jaylen Taylor to get the offense rolling leading to the opening drive score.
The Phoenix extended their lead when Faulkner lined up for a punt in their own end zone. The Eagles snap sailed over the back of the endzone for a safety, resulting in a 9-0 Phoenix lead with 1:47 left in the first quarter.
The second quarter started in favor of the Phoenix when Jalen Bown forced a strip sack fumble to give the Phoenix possession with 11:03 left in the half.
Unfortunately the Phoenix could not convert on the short field position. The Eagles took over and put themselves on the board halfway through the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown pass to Jaiveyon Tucker. Faulkner missed their PAT attempt to keep Cumberland's lead at 9-6.
Later in the half, the Eagles were producing another strong drive before Jonathan Garner recorded his first sack of the season to force a fourth down and a Faulkner field goal attempt. Caden Davis helped tie the game at 9-9 for the Eagles by drilling the 33-yard field goal right before the half.
Faulkner wasted no time in the second half when Tucker hauled in his second touchdown reception to put the Eagles up 16-9. The Eagles continued to extend their lead as they scored again on a two-yard touchdown run by Devon Murry to go up 23-9 on the Phoenix.
Cumberland finally started to shift the momentum when a punt by Matthew Pewitt deflected off of an Eagles defender, resulting in a fumble recovery by Ismail Abdul-Qawee at the Eagles' 16-yard line. The Phoenix found themselves at the two yard line after a face mask and unsportsmanlike penalty. JJ Johnson capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run for his second touchdown of the game to cut their deficit to 23-16.
The Eagles would score 14 straight points on a 35-yard touchdown run and Jaiveyon Tucker's third touchdown catch of the game to go up 37-16 over the Phoenix.
Cumberland answered quickly with their own touchdown reception when Luke Holloway found Joe Johnson for a 17-yard catch to cut the Eagles' lead down to 37-23.
Drexlan Allen recorded his second touchdown run of the day to put Faulkner back in front by three scores. Once again the Phoenix answered quickly when Jaylen Taylor ran in his first rushing touchdown of the season on a 27-yard run. The Phoenix brought the game to 44-30 but the offense was contained the rest of the way as they fell 44-30.
Head Coaches:
Michael Jasper is in his fourth year as the Head Coach of the Wildcats. 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 and oversaw the strength and conditioning program.
In 2021, the Wildcats were 7-4 overall, 4-3 in the Mid-South Conference and 2-1 against opponents ranked in the top eight in the country. Coach Jasper's career record is 25-14 overall and 16 -12 in conference play.
Before joining the Bethel staff, Jasper served as Offensive and Defensive Line Assistant at Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo, N.Y.
Mike spent three years in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and 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 and was as an offensive and defensive lineman from 2008-2010. He was the first-ever Wildcat drafted to the NFL in 2011 with his selection 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 children Davis Reid, Millie Claire and Samuel David reside in McKenzie. Their rescue dog is named Caine.
Jasper is the 12th head coach in Bethel football history.
Tim Mathis is the sixth head coach since Cumberland restarted the football program in 1990. Mathis is in his fifth season as the Phoenix Head Coach.
Mathis is 21 -29 in his first four seasons at Cumberland.
Did You Know?
The No.4 ranking is the best the program has been ranked since 2018. It is the second best in program history. The Cats were ranked No. 3 in November 2018.
The 2022 Football Media Guide is available now on the Bethel Athletic page. Keep up with the Cats this season with the on-line version at https://en.calameo.com/bethel-university/read/003316375f35c839aee6f
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!!!!!!
Seventeen different states are represented on the Bethel squad.
Collazo Does it Again:
Joaquin Collazo III, was the Mid-South Conference Football Offensive Player of the Week, last week.
MSC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Joaquin Collazo III – Bethel (Tenn.) – Jr. – Quarterback – Melbourne, Fla.
- Collazo threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats' 59-6 victory over Faulkner (Ala.).
- He completed 17 of his 32 passes with a long of 62
- Collazo also caught a 12-yard touchdown.
- He earns weekly honors for the fourth time this season and in his career.
2022 Bethel University Football Staff
Head Coach - Michael Jasper (4th season)
Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator - Chris Springer (5th season)
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator - Jay Bright (2nd season)
Offensive Assistant - Montgomery Allison (1st season)
Defensive Line Coach - Troy Brewer (1st season)
Senior Defensive Analyst - Terrell Jackson (2nd season)
Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Linebackers Coach - Dustin Kincaid (3rd season)
Assistant Offensive Line Coach - Austin Kisrow (1st season)
Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach - Cody McCallister (4th season)
Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach - Greg Meyer (1st season)
Half Backs/Tight Ends Coach - Bret Peterson (2nd season)
Assistant Special Teams/Assistant Wide Receivers Coach - Hunter Scott (1st season)
Running Backs Coach - Jake Sisk (1st season)
Assistant Defensive Line Coach - Jamel Warren (1st season)
Next Week:
2022-23 Football Selection Show
The show will premiere on the NAIA YouTube Channel and the link will be posted on the
NAIA Twitter and Facebook page at the appointed time.
November 13, 2022
6:00 p.m. CST
Golden Boosters and sponsors for Bethel Athletics this year are:
West Tennessee Public Utilities
Smith & Smith Optometry
Copies Unlimited
Steven Morton & State Farm Insurance
Trevathan's Electrical Services
Maddox Insurance LLC
Block City Pizza
Carroll Bank & Trust
Nicky Jo Stafford Real Estate