<ite a statistically dominating first half, Carleton’s upset bid came up short against #5 Bethel University in its conference opener. After nearly doubling up the Royals in yards in the first half, 160 to 85, the Knights were unable to maintain their momentum, and fell to 0-2 so far in the season.
The Knights drew first blood with 2:33 left in the 1st quarter, when QB Mike Hartwell ‘13 hooked up with Chase Gottschalk ‘14 on a 21 yard touchdown pass, capping a seven minute, 79-yard drive. The Royals struck back early in the second quarter, however, when Josh Aakre punched the ball in from Carleton’s three-yard line to level the score at 7-7.
The Knights were given a golden opportunity to take a lead into the intermission when Bethel fumbled a punt at its own 13-yard line. Though Carleton recovered, a few plays later, Hartwell was picked off in the endzone, killing both the drive and the Knights’ momentum. Thus the Knights went into halftime with the score tied 7-7.
Bethel took control early in the second half and never looked back. The Royals quickly drove 57 yards down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, earning a lead that they never relinquished.
Bethel’s lead remained at 14-7 until the beginning of the 4th quarter, when, thanks to a muffed punt by Carleton, Bethel took the ball at Carleton’s 14. They scored moments later on a 1 yard run by Aakre, pushing their lead to 20-7. The bright spot of the day for Carleton come on the ensuing PAT, when the Knights blocked, recovered, and returned the kick into the endzone for two points.
Even the blocked kick couldn’t jumpstart Carleton’s offense in the second half though, as the Knights gained only 66 total yards. Thanks mostly to the success of Bethel’s ground attack, Carleton possessed the ball for only 10 minutes in the second half. The Royals finished with 244 yards rushing, with three Bethel players gaining more than 70 yards on the ground. Bethel added a clean-up TD in the final minutes of the 4th quarter, effectively ending the possibility of a Knights comeback.
Hartwell finished with 142 yards, one TD, and one INT on 9 of 25 passing. Gottschalk led the team in receiving with 4 catches for 64 yards and a TD.
Looking ahead, Carleton hopes to learn from its mistakes and rebound against Hamline University in its homecoming game back at Laird Stadium. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. on September 24th.