Cats Host Night Hawks Saturday - Military Appreciation Day-Game Notes
The Matchup
The No. 6 Bethel Wildcats play host to the Thomas University Night Hawks Saturday at Wildcat Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m.
It will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Bethel is 3-0 while the Night Hawks are 0-1.
Bethel leads the country in scoring, averaging 63.0 points per outing.
It will be the 492nd game in program history with Bethel's record at 197-286 -8.
The Cat Walk and gates open at 11:15 a.m.
It will be Military Appreciation Day. Veterans and current serving military personnel will be admitted free to the game.
Soldiers of the 129th Division Sustainment Support Battalion from Fort Campbell will be saluted and honored at halftime. Carroll County residents will also be admitted free with a valid driver's license.
Former Wildcat, Dustin Finch who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice in his service will also be honored in a brief pre-game ceremony.
Game Coverage:
Live video: https://www.bethelathletics.com/watch
Listen: https://www.thefarmradio.com/farm-sports-and-events
Live stats: https://bethel.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2023-24/boxscores/20230923_z2m7.xml
Tickets: https://bethelathletics.com/tickets
Last Meeting:
It will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Last Game:
Bethel:
The seventh ranked Wildcats beat a good Bluefield Ram squad 61-14 Saturday in Wildcat Stadium. The Rams arrived in McKenzie receiving votes in the latest Top 25 Poll.
Bethel, like last week, jumped out to an early lead scoring twenty points in the first period. Two touchdown passes from Joaquin Collazo III to J.D. Dixon accounted for Bethel's first two scores. Collazo added a seven-yard run for the other score in the period.
Collazo and Dixon teamed up again in the second stanza on a five-yard score. Andrew Welch knocked in a season high 27-yard field goal to give the Cats a 30-0 margin. Dixon finished with eight catches on the day. Collazo, who was 27-of- 33 in the game hit tight end Tyrell Partee on a six-yard pass with 32 seconds left in the half to close out the scoring.
Mitchell Faulkner had two short touchdown runs in the third. The Cats led 51-0.
Leading 51-0 going into the fourth, the Cats had a 23-yard field goal from Welch and an electrifying seventy-five yard run from Dakota Braswell to close out the scoring. Braswell had a team high 90 yards rushing.
Along with his accuracy and four touchdowns, Collazo passed for 372 yards.
Jaylen Taylor had a team high nine receptions. He had a career high 120 yards in receiving yards.
The Wildcats had 199 rushing yards and 379 yards in passing for 578 total yards in offense. Bethel entered the game averaging 64.0 points per game which leads the nation.
As good as the offense was, the Cat defense was brilliant as well. The Wildcats held the Rams to minus six yards rushing in the game. The Cats had three interceptions in the game. Demetrice Gilbert picked off two Ram passes while Darian Burns had the other pick. Bethel has eight interceptions this season.
Bethel had five sacks and six tackles for losses in the game. C. J Bradley, Gilbert, and Burns led the Wildcats with five tackles each. The Rams were just 2-of-11 in third down conversions.
Bethel's special teams played well, giving the Cats good field position throughout the game.
It was the fifth meeting between the two programs. The Cats are 5-0 versus the Rams.
Bethel improved to 3-0 while Bluefield dropped to 2-1.
It was Bethel's 15th straight regular season win.
Thomas:
Traveling on the road for the first time, the Night Hawks dropped a close contest to the Point Skyhawks 20-17 in Valley, Alabama two weeks ago. While the Night Hawks won most of the statistical battle, Thomas could not prevail in the most important category, the score. The Night Hawks had the ball at the end of the 4th quarter, with an opportunity to tie the score, or take the lead, but a turnover with 00:28 remaining in the game ended all hopes of a come-from-behind victory.
Point is the only common opponent between the two teams, Bethel beat the Hawks 51-13 to open the season.
Head Coaches
Michael Jasper is in his fifth year as head coach of the Wildcats. Coach Jasper also serves as Associate Athletic Director of Internal Operations.
Before becoming the head coach, Jasper served as 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.
The Wildcats are coming off an 11-1 season. Jasper picked up his first conference coach of the year honor after guiding Bethel to its sixth overall title. The undefeated regular season was the first in program history. Bethel was ranked No. 4 in the national poll. Coach Jasper was named NAIA Region 1 Coach of the Year.
Coach Jasper's career record is 28-15 overall and 17- 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 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 bachelors degree in university studies. Mike and his wife Allison, along with their children Davis Reid, Millie Claire and Samuel David reside in McKenzie.
Their rescue dog is named Caine.
Coach Orlando Mitjans Jr. was hired as Thomas University's first-ever Football Head Coach on January 25, 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience. In addition to head coaching responsibilities, Mitjans also serves as the defensive backs coach.
Mitjans comes to TU from The Citadel where he served as the secondary coach for six years. Under the Brooklyn, N.Y. native, the Bulldog corners registered 17 pass break-ups and a pair of interceptions. One of the top proteges under Mitjans was cornerback Dee Delaney, who went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. During his All-American season in 2016, Delaney recorded six interceptions and added eight pass break-ups. The six interceptions were 10th nationally and the third-most in Citadel history. He twice picked off two passes in a game, including interceptions on back-to-back plays in the second round of the FCS playoffs. In 2016, the Bulldogs ranked seventh in FCS in pass defense and eighth in total defense, improving by more than 50 yards from the previous season.
Coach Mitjans also has completed the NCAA Expert Coaching Academy and participated in NFL internships with the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams and the New York Jets In 2016, the Bulldogs ranked seventh in FCS in pass defense and eighth in total defense, improving by more than 50 yards from the previous season.
Did You Know?
- Sixteen different states are represented on the Bethel squad.
- Six Wildcats were named to the MSC Preseason Watch list. Joaquin Collazo III, J D Dixon, Cortez Eatmon, K J Hicks, Jaren Rainey and Jaylen Taylor were all honored.
- Coach Michael Jasper will be among those inducted into Bethel's Athletic Hall of Fame in October. The No. 8 Wildcats will meet Cumberland University on October 21. The ceremony will take place that weekend. Coach Jasper will be inducted as a result of his playing career at the school. He will be joined by:
Dave Jesse-Men's Basketball
Ariel Montague-Women's Track
Tom & Patty Kahlden- Contributors
More information on the event and each inductee and how tickets can be purchased will be released soon. Congratulations to the inductees and the athletic department and University looks forward to an October week and weekend to remember.
- The 2023 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://www.calameo.com/bethel-university/read/003316375ff645033edbb
- Fans can purchase a Gold Lot Season parking pass for 90.00. The Gold Lot is located directly behind the stadium entrance. Fans can also park in the Purple Lot for 50.00. The Purple Lot will be located directly north of the stadium. If spaces are still available after season passes are sold, they will be sold on a game-to-game basis at 10.00 each. Both lots will be staffed by Bethel security and lot attendants. There remains free parking on campus in front of Crisp Arena and areas north of the stadium and the reserved parking areas. To secure your parking pass in advance, visit the ticket and parking links on the main athletic page. https://bethelathletics.com/tickets
- Also, visit our website under tickets on how you can purchase a tailgate ticket for selected games and share a pre-game meal with family and friends.
https://bethelathletics.com/tickets
Bethel's Joaquin Collazo III was named the Mis-South Conference Offensive Player of the Week, earlier this week.
- Collazo completed 27 of his 33 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats' 61-14 win over Bluefield (Va.)
- He averaged 13.8 yards per completion and had a long of 36.
- Collazo's touchdowns totaled 29, 15, 6 and 5 yards.
- He also had three carries for 23 yards and a touchdown with a long of 21.
- Collazo earns weekly honors for the first time this season and fifth in his career.
- Bethel University Athletics and Worthy Road Studios, a leader in sports streaming, announced a partnership between the two for coverage of Bethel Athletic events beginning this year.
Under the newly announced partnership, Worthy Road Studios will stream all home football games and selected home basketball games.
The agreement will feature upgraded production. Features such as slow-motion instant replays and different camera angles will be included.
Worthy Road Studios also produces live broadcast of the Jackson Rockabilly Baseball team, Union University, Trenton Peabody, Jackson Christian, University School of Jackson and Trinity Christian Academy sporting events. The Ballgame Blitz, the best source for West Tennessee, is all produced by Worthy Road Studios.
Be sure to like and follow Worthy Road Studios, the Ballgame Blitz on Facebook and subscribe to Worthy Road Studios YOU TUBE Channel.
The Ballgame Blitz is also on Twitter, so you can follow the sports broadcasts there as well.
Bethel games will also be available with audio coverage again this year on WEIO, 100.9 and www.thefarmradio.com
Other games and sports will be carried on the Wildcat streaming service at: https://bethelathletics.com/watch
Of the 78 players on the Thomas roster: Six have prior military service 48 are current members of the National Guard Quarterback Chris Carter previously played collegiate football at Army. Defensive back A.J. Traylor previously played football at The Citadel. Athletic Director, Kurt Stringfellow, is a former Marine.
2023 Bethel University Football Staff
Michael Jasper - Head Coach
Chris Springer - Associate Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator
Jay Bright - Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator
Dustin Kincaid – Special Teams Coordinator/LB Coach/ DOFO
Terrell Jackson - Senior Defensive Analyst
Bret Peterson - Halfbacks/ Tight Ends
Troy Brewer - Defensive Line
M D Daniels- Pass Game Coordinator/ WR
Kyle Wallace- Defensive Backs
Jamel Warren- Linebacker Assistant
Bryce Missey-Running Backs
Davius Prather- Offensive Assistant/ WR
Cobey Johnson- Offensive Assistant/ QB
Kiel Parkhurst- Offensive Line Assistant
A.B. Holloway- Defensive Assistant
Caleb Hall- Special Teams Assistant
Carrie Staal- Marketing Content Director
Golden Boosters and sponsors for Bethel Athletics this year are:
West Tennessee Public Utilities
Smith & Smith Optometry
Steven Morton & State Farm Insurance
Trevathan's Electrical Services
Carroll Bank & Trust
Nicky Jo Stafford Real Estate
City Florist
Anchor Transportation
Centennial Bank
Next Week:
The Cats hit the road traveling to Williamsburg, Kentucky to meet the Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT.