SAINT PETER, Minn. — After surrendering 475 yards at home to a conference rival, the Bethel defense knew things needed to change. For a unit that returned 10 of 11 starters from a year ago, a feeling of self-satisfaction began to set in – going through the motions at practice, feeling they were good enough, not trying to get better.
Giving up 30 and 45 points to St. John’s University served as a wakeup call, which led to a renewed focus and energy in practice this week ahead of Bethel’s first real road test against the Gustavus Adolphus College Gusties.
“We might be good, but we also can’t be complacent,” sophomore defensive back Matt Jung said. “We need to get better every week, trust that we are good and be mentally locked in preparing for teams and not just think we are going to make plays and stop teams.”
The Royals defense and its new approach was tested early after the Royals’ offense stalled out on offense to begin the game. The Gusties got the ball at the 50-yard line and, on third and 12, junior defensive back Devin Williams set the tone, picking off a tipped Gusties pass over the middle.
“We dropped into quarters, and I’m just trying to stay on top of everything,” Williams said. “Having the big guys up front getting to the quarterback and Isaac [Call] underneath… to tip it and it just kind of falls in my lap.”
A 55-yard return on the interception put the Royals on the Gustie 27-yard line to begin the drive, and eight plays later, fifth-year running back Aaron Ellingon scampered into the end zone for a 7-0 Bethel lead.
On the following drive fifth-year defensive lineman Reese Pantilla and junior linebacker Taylor Glynn each came up with a sack to force a Gustie three-and-out. From there, Ellingson took a handoff 23 yards into the end zone for his second rushing score of the game.
The Royals defensive front continued to dial pressure all game long, flushing Sandven from the pocket and propelling Glynn to his second sack of the half. The Gustie run game that had averaged over 100 yards per game prior to Saturday’s matchup saw itself wholly bottled up by the Bethel defense.
The Bethel defense sacked Sandven seven times by the time it was all said and done, limiting the Gusties to just 65 total yards on offense. The Royals held the Gustie ground game in check, as well, allowing -24 rushing yards – the third time the Royals defense has held a team to negative rush yards this season.
On offense, the Royals pounded the ball on the ground with Aaron Ellingson and fellow running back David Geebli accounting for four of the team’s six touchdowns. One of those was a 54-yard run mid-way through the second quarter where Geebli rumbled his way into the end zone, followed by a successful two-point conversion attempt for a 22-0 lead.
On the Royals’ next drive, a one-handed touchdown grab from fifth-year wide receiver Joey Kidder, followed by another successful two-point conversion attempt put an exclamation point on a dominant 29-0 first half for the Royals.
With two minutes to go in the third quarter, Williams picked off another errant Sandven pass, his second interception of the game and the Royals’ third. For Williams, it was another case of being in the right place at the right time.
“I didn’t even realize the ball was coming to me until I heard, ‘ball, Dev, turn around!’ and the ball just kind of hit me in the chest,” Williams said. “And if I dropped it, I would have been more mad at myself than anything.”
A dominant performance like Saturday’s serves as a reset for the Royals’ defense, but recognizing what got it there is key to maintaining this level of play.
“[We need to continue]g the competitive juices throughout the week,” Williams said. “No matter who we’re playing, where we’re playing… just understand that’s what we have to do.”
Next week is homecoming week for the Royals against Macalester College – a much easier matchup on paper than the St. John’s and Gustavus games. However, the Royals will have to continue to stay hungry and avoid getting complacent even as they head into the “easy” portion of their schedule. Next week’s home game against the Scots will be their first test.
