ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Cooper Drews plays quarterback. He’s always played quarterback – as far back as second grade, through his career at Princeton High School and all the way up until present day. 

And so, as the Bethel University Royals matched up against the St. John’s University Johnnies Saturday, there Drews was – under center. 

A year ago, that sentence would have meant Drews was wearing the red and white uniforms of St. John’s. This year, however, the six-foot-five-inch sophomore took snaps from center Jaeger Ash in navy blue pants and jerseys. 

“It’s been my whole life,” Drews said. “I enjoy the freedom of it. You get to create what’s going on.” 

Bethel recruited Drews out of Princeton. So did St. John’s, which Drews eventually settled on.

The initial decision to attend St. John’s for his freshman year proved disappointing. He took zero snaps as fifth-year quarterback Aaron Syverson threw 45 touchdowns in 10 games for the Johnnies. 

Last July, Drews announced his decision to transfer – partly because Syverson announced he’d be coming back for a sixth collegiate season, but partly for other reasons. 

“[Football] kind of started to be a chore,” Drews said.  “I started to not really enjoy it a whole lot. I kind of felt like a number there…I didn’t really feel like I was important or needed there.” 

As these feelings worked their way into his personal life, Drews knew he needed a change. So he came to Bethel, still intending to play football, although snaps were no guarantee. 

Drews said the starting quarterback job was “a four-way race” from the beginning of Bethel’s training camp, which began August 15. Drews, fellow transfer Jadon Hanzal from Mary University in North Dakota and sophomores Albert Rundell and Ryan Bengston fought for the prestigious QB1 role. 

Finally, head coach Mike McElroy and offensive coordinator Colin Duling sat down with Drews and told him he was starting. From that moment, Saturday’s matchup became more significant than just two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference powerhouses facing off for their conference openers. 

“I’ve been there, and I know those guys, so I definitely want to beat them,” Drews said before the game. “And I would say there’s somewhat of a revenge thing…just wanting to compete and show what you’re worth, especially after leaving there.”

Bethel came into the game undefeated and with its offense rolling, thanks in large part to nine total touchdowns from Drews through two games. 

Drews enjoyed playing in a reinvigorated offense, where Duling encourages an uptick in tempo, while also spreading the field. This caters largely to Drews’ strengths as a quarterback. 

“I think I’ve always kind of done a good job with spreading the ball around and getting it out quick and on time,” Drews said. 

He’s not too shy to take it himself, either. Drews ran for two touchdowns in Bethel’s 51-30 win over the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. 

With the stage set for Saturday’s game, excitement filled the air at Royal Stadium. Early on, the game looked as if it would live up to the hype. 

St. John’s scored on the first drive of the game, marching right through Bethel’s defense for a 12-play, six-and-a-half minute drive to put them up 7-0 early. 

Drews and the Royals answered right back on the ensuing drive. After a six-yard completion to receiver Joey Kidder on Bethel’s first play from scrimmage, junior safety Matt Jung jogged onto the field. 

Wait, a safety running a play on offense? 

Jung lined up wide left, in front of senior receiver Micah Niewald. Drews clapped, the ball came to him and Jung took off running. 

“Is that Matt Jung?” the announcer on the MIAC livestream asked. 

Yes, it was Matt Jung. Drews launched a pass deep to the wide-open Jung for a 69-yard touchdown. 

“[The Johnnies] like to play pretty deep and not let you run by them,” Duling – who called the play – said. “We knew Matt Jung was our fastest player, and so we thought we could get him on the field for one offensive play.” 

7-7 was the closest the game came to victory for the Royals, however. St. John’s scored two more touchdowns before the first quarter ended – the second of which came after Drews threw his first career interception. 

Miscues were the theme of the day for Drews and the Royals’ offense. By the time the scoreboard showed a 45-20 Bethel loss, the Royals had amassed seven penalties for 62 yards. Many of them came at crucial moments for Bethel’s offense, stalling important drives. 

The Royals received the ball to start the second half, down 28-13. Score on this drive, and it’s a one-score game. On second and 15, following a sack, Bethel’s right tackle, sophomore Roman Janes, committed an unsportsmanlike penalty, resulting in a 15-yard loss. With an incompletion on second down, Bethel faced 3rd and 30, gained nine yards and punted. 

Other penalties flustered the offense, evident as Drews forced an ill-advised pass on fourth down in the second quarter for his second interception. 

“We really didn’t execute very well,” Duling said. “I mean, just a lot of mental mistakes, I think Bethel beat Bethel a lot on offense today.” 

Both Drews and Duling described the team as “lethargic” during the week’s practices. Beating the fifth-ranked team in the country is a difficult task after an unproductive week of training. 

After two relatively-easy wins for Bethel, Saturday’s loss was a necessary wake-up call for what it will take to succeed this season, especially for Drews, who finished the game with four interceptions.

“You hate to say that a loss is ever necessary because you’d love to just continue [to win],” Duling said. “When you lose the game, those mistakes are magnified… Do I think we’ll get better from this? Absolutely.” 

The Royals will need to get better quickly as the season doesn’t get much easier. Next week’s matchup at Gustavus Adolphus College is a re-match of last season’s MIAC Championship. 

Despite the disappointing “revenge game” loss, Drews insists the Royals’ goals remain the same. 

“We’ll soak this into the weekend here, learn from it,” Drews said. “And then it’s onto Gustavus next week.”