Ninety-three football players run from one side of Royal Stadium to the other, most of them screaming. 

They’re not running from anything, rather they’re running towards something, metaphorically. 

Literally, the Bethel University Royals football team separates into position groups for individual drills. Cornerbacks, dressed in navy blue jerseys with white numbers like every other defensive player, practice footwork in the corner of the west end zone. Running backs, donning white jerseys with navy blue numbers practice handoffs on the sideline. 

Metaphorically, the Royals are running into a new season – a chance to build off last season’s success.

As the positions separate, they hustle over to their spots – hollering with excitement as a chorus of 93 young men. They get to play football this week. 

Saturday, Sept. 14, the Royals traverse the five-minute drive down Snelling Avenue to play the University of Northwestern Eagles for the first time since 1991. Saturday’s game kicks off a new season for the Royals after the program’s biggest change since 1989 – Mike McElroy takes the head coaching reins for Bethel after Steve Johnson’s 35-year tenure. McElroy coached under Johnson for seven years prior. 

The Royals also feature a new face at offensive coordinator in Colin Duling, and with him, a new offensive look, including a new man under center. 

With so much change over the offseason, what can fans expect from this team? Following an NCAA tournament appearance in Steve Johnson’s final season, will McElroy’s squad live up to the bar set for them? 

An energetic coaching staff: 

One of the biggest questions facing the team following Coach J’s retirement was that of the team’s legacy. How will McElroy build off Johnson’s legacy and begin shaping his own?

“We want to keep the base of what this place is — finding a bunch of tender-hearted, tough-suckers — and that won’t change,” McElroy said. 

However…

“I’m not Coach J, Coach J is not me,” McElroy said. “So the expression of how we interact, of how we do different things, that will change.” 

Veteran players have already begun feeling that impact. 

“Verbiage is different, just like the way the words he uses,” senior wide receiver Micah Niewald said. “One of ours is cultivation, which is new. But it’s really similar to what Coach J said, just about holding the rope and keep working at what you’re trying to be good at.”

McElroy, who turns 36 Friday, pointed out that he was once one of the youngest guys on the coaching staff. Now, he’s one of the oldest. Duling shared a similar sentiment, especially because of how closely he gets to work with his players. 

“For us, the nice part is we can really relate to the guys,” Duling said. 

Pair that with such a veteran group, and progress gets made quickly in camp. 

“I think it’s really fun to have a young coaching staff that is innovative, likes to change things up,” senior defensive lineman Kolin Baier said. 

If McElroy can “cultivate” an environment of leadership for younger players looking for playing time in the coming years, he can expect plenty of success during his tenure as head coach. 

A new look offense:

Despite the Royals’ 8-3 finish and MIAC championship last season, the offense at times was anemic, finishing eighth in the MIAC in yards per game on offense. 

Former offensive coordinator AJ Parnell left this past offseason to take the job as quarterbacks’ coach at Winona State University. To replace him McElroy hired Duling from Berry College.

Duling spent four seasons as offensive coordinator at Berry, creating an explosive spread offense that helped lead the Vikings to two Southern Athletic Association conference titles and two NCAA playoff appearances. In 2023 under Duling, Berry’s offense ranked third nationally in scoring and fifth in yards per game. 

The arrival of a new OC means a departure from the ground-and-pound rushing approach of last season; instead the Royals will look to gain yards through the air. With an up-tempo, fast paced offense that will look to stretch the field vertically.

“It’ll be really different from last year, we’re going to be much more spread,” Duling said. “You’ll definitely see us open it up and try and stretch the field vertically. Hopefully you’ll see a lot of big plays.” 

To run a more dynamic pass-first attack, the Royals will need to lean on their quarterbacks more than they did last year. Bethel averaged 184 yards through the air in 2023 with a revolving door at quarterback that saw George Bolt, Alex Call and even wide receiver Joey Kidder take snaps under center. 

St. John’s University transfer student Cooper Drews will get the starting nod to open the season after winning the job out of camp. The sophomore beat out a young quarterback full of fresh faces that included the likes of sophomore Albert Rundell and junior transfer Jadon Hanzal. 

“He’s come in and done an awesome job—really, all those quarterbacks have,” Duling said. “But he’ll be our quarterback… a new face on the program and only a sophomore.”

Drews will have plenty to work with on offense with a returning cast of characters that includes Niewald, a 2023 All-MIAC receiver and fifth-year receiver Kidder. 

Kidder and Niewald combined for over 1,000 receiving yards last season. With another year of experience and a more dynamic passing attack, the sky’s the limit for the veteran duo. 

However, the Royals’ deepest offensive position group may be their running backs. With junior David Geebli set to return from a season-ending ankle injury last fall along with 2023 standouts Aaron Ellingson and Riley Gritz, the Royals have a litany of options out of the backfield. 

A new offensive playbook and quarterback mixed with the return of upperclassmen at key position groups make the Royals a formidable offense on paper — one that fans should look forward to watching on Saturdays. 

“We should put up a lot of points, we’ll be fun to watch and super fast,” Niewald said. “We like to throw the ball around, run the ball, so it’ll be a balanced attack, but we’ll get after you and put up a lot of points.”

Same old defense: 

Unlike the offense, not much is changing for Bethel’s defense. 

With Mike McElroy retaining defensive play-calling duties from his defensive coordinator position the last seven seasons, the defense looks to be, at worst, on par with its stellar performance last season. 

McElroy said he’s returning “ten and a half” starters from last year doesn’t hurt either. While defensive back Drew Libbon graduated, junior defensive back Taylor Glynn comes back, having started several games for Bethel last year – hence the “half” starter McElroy referred to. 

McElroy intends to run the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” approach with so many starters returning. 

“I think you kind of tweak and change every year,” McElroy said. “But I would say the base of who we are isn’t going to change.” 

Nor should it. Bethel’s defense ranked first defensively in: 

• Points per game (14.7)
• Rushing yards per game (81.5)
• Passing yards per game (198.3)
• Total yards per game (279.9)
• Total interceptions (21)
• Red zone percentage (42.3)

They also finished second in total sacks (21) and forced fumbles (9). 

Six of McElroy’s players on the defensive front – linemen and linebackers – are seniors, and their leadership will go hand-in-hand with a young and electric secondary. 

2023 All-MIAC defensive back Matt Jung, Bethel’s 2023 leader in total tackles and interceptions, is only a junior. In June Jung competed in the International Federation of American Football U20 World Junior Championship, led the tournament in tackles and was named special teams MVP. 

Fellow 2023 All-MIAC cornerback Devin Williams, who led the team in pass break-ups last season is also just a junior. 

With the success of last season plus a year of experience to each starter’s resume, the Royals’ defense will be the strength of the team in 2024. 

Looking ahead: 

Now that the first week bye is out of the way, excitement is in the air. Players are ready to hit someone who isn’t their teammate, which they’ve been doing almost non-stop since arriving on campus August 16.While many teams get anxious with first week byes, McElroy emphasized how important this one was for a squad featuring so much novelty. 

“It’s been kind of a cool blessing to share just because I think we needed it,” McElroy said.

Northwestern’s defense was below average last season, giving up the third most touchdowns in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and the second most total points. This will give Bethel’s offense a chance to find its rhythm early in the season, which will be needed for its MIAC opening game against St. John’s University two weeks from Saturday. 

If Bethel can maintain a defensive performance like it did all last year, the offense has only to marginally improve if it wants to repeat as MIAC champs and make a deep NCAA playoff run. 

However, McElroy and his experienced squad are not looking that far forward. As they run excitedly into a new year with new faces, their eyes are set on the University of Northwestern Eagles, whom they face off against at 6 p.m. Saturday night.