Sometimes it’s crazy to think every football game starts out tied. 

With the score 0-0 and an entire hour of playing time ahead, each team feels things are fair enough to guarantee an equal chance of victory. 

This is not always the case.

The Augsburg University Auggies could have been offered a 50-point head start on the Bethel University Royals Saturday afternoon, and it still wouldn’t have been enough to give Augsburg a win. 

The Royals suffered a brutal 45-20 defeat versus St. John’s University Sept. 28, but a week after, put up 43 points in a shutout win at Gustavus Adolphus College. Then, the Royals pounded 59 points into the scoreboard in another shutout versus Macalester last weekend. 

Intent on achieving a 50-point-per-game average this season, Bethel had to one-up itself again this week, and it did. Offensive coordinator Colin Duling called 66 plays Saturday and each one contributed to a 73-point showing for the Royals. 

“I hope you see a group that plays really hard, that executes really well, and that enjoys playing together,” Duling said. “That’s kind of our mantra and what we want to be. I think we’re starting to see that now.” 

Much of Bethel’s offensive success throughout the season, but particularly Saturday, came via the run-pass option (RPO). While RPOs are littered throughout Division III football, Bethel has the playmakers to execute them to perfection. 

RPOs are designed first as run plays. But, when Royals’ quarterback Cooper Drews claps his hands together and the ball flies into them, he has the option to fake the handoff and throw instead. 

By giving Drews the choice of a handoff or throw, the opposing defense has to make a choice – commit to the run, or drop back in pass coverage. If Drews reads it right, he’ll do exactly what the defense isn’t committing to. For much of Saturday, that was throwing screen passes. 

“Today, [Augsburg] really wanted to defend the run, and so that’s why we were able to get some of those passes,” Duling said. 

Bethel receivers spent their Saturday afternoon catching short, lateral passes and churning them out for long gains. 

Senior receiver Micah Niewald was a particular beneficiary of these passes. His two touchdowns Saturday combined for 64 yards. 62 of those yards were gained after the catch. 

“There [were] only two guys out there,” Niewald said. “So as long as we blocked who we needed to, it was open space, and we just kind of took it.”

Senior tight end Ethan Sailer also took advantage of his sole catch. From the Augsburg 20-yard line, he ran a flat route, caught the ball near the sideline at the 19, and forced his way through defenders and blockers all the way to the end zone. 

While Duling calls each play, RPO or not, he says it’s up to the players to make them work. 

“For us, it’s all about execution,” Duling said. “There’s nothing crazy about play calling or anything like that. It’s like, ‘Hey, how can we execute at a really high level?’”

Additionally, when the Auggies did commit to the pass, Drews didn’t miss. He handed the ball off to fifth-year running back Aaron Ellingson just nine times, but Ellingson took four of those to the end zone. 

Perhaps no one executed throughout the blowout better than fifth-year receiver Joey Kidder. On eight catches, his 148 receiving yards lofted him into the 3,000-yard club of Bethel receivers. He is the only member. 

“Joey is an incredible player…he’s done a great job of just buying in,” Duling said. “To see him make some of those big plays, man… just really rewarding. I feel good for him.”

Kidder also caught a touchdown pass Saturday, yet another play set up by Bethel’s tricky RPOs. On the first play of the Royals’ third drive, Kidder set up for what looked like the screen route all Bethel receivers had run to that point. 

Drews turned to him, and reared back to throw but faked it. Kidder took off running down the sideline, his defender fooled. Drews placed the ball right into Kidder’s arms as he took it into the end zone for a 50-yard score – the longest of the day. 

Bethel’s final total of 73 points was aided by two defensive touchdowns – a Jackson Braun pick-six and a Caden DeWall scoop ‘n’ score. Nevertheless, the Royals executed all afternoon for their highest single-game point tally of the season.

The red-hot offense hits the road for the first time in two weeks to take on Hamline next Saturday, another MIAC Skyline division matchup. Bethel is now 14-0 against Skyline opponents since the MIAC created the two-division format in 2021, and enters the back stretch of its season.

If all goes according to plan, a 0-0 score will still be unfair to Bethel’s opponents.