Football 11/2/07 -- Bethel 44, Augsburg 35

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (11/2/07) -- Quarterback Ben Wetzell (Sr., Wells, Minn./United South Central HS) rushed for 177 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, while completing 12-of-21 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, as his Bethel University football team claimed a 44-35 victory over host Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game Friday night at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Augsburg quarterback Jordan Berg (Jr., Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS) reached the 60-pass plateau for the third straight game, completing 35-of-69 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns, two to Mike Nourie (So., Nicollet, Minn.) and two to Royce Winford (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS).

In the process, Berg broke three single-season passing records, becoming the first Augsburg quarterback ever to throw for 3,000 or more yards in a single season. He now has 3,030 yards, breaking the old mark of 2,951, set in 1997 by Derrin Lamker. Berg also set new single-season school records for passing attempts (466, the old record was 413 by Lamker in 1997) and pass completions (268, the old record was 247 by Lamker in 1997). Berg had already set a single-season mark for passing touchdowns earlier this season; he now has 30 on the season.

The victory keeps Bethel unbeaten in MIAC play at 8-1 overall, 7-0 in MIAC play, setting up a showdown game next Saturday (11/10) at 1 p.m. against unbeaten St. John's (9-0 overall, 7-0 MIAC) in Arden Hills, Minn. Augsburg is now 4-5 overall, 2-5 in MIAC play, and closes its season at Hamline (2-6 overall, 0-6 MIAC) next Saturday at 1 p.m. in St. Paul.

The game was a close one throughout. Bethel led 28-14 at halftime, but Augsburg cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter at 37-35, after second-half touchdown passes to Winford (8 yards) and two to Nourie (12 and 4 yards).

After Nourie's second touchdown catch of the day cut the lead to 37-35, Bethel drove 55 yards to the Augsburg 4-yard line, but a fourth-down rush was stopped at the 2-yard line by Garrett Adamson (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) and Adam Mead (Fr., St. Francis, Minn.).

Augsburg then drove the length of the field to set up a possible go-ahead score, but a Berg pass was intercepted by Bethel's Brandon Carr (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.) at the Bethel 4-yard line with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter. Bethel then drove 96 yards in five plays for the game-clinching score, a six-yard rush by Jared Bangs (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.) with 1:59 left.

Logan Flannery (Fr., Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) rushed 24 times for 119 yards for the Royals, while Bangs rushed 10 times for 59 yards. Kyle Lee (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) caught three passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, while Aaron Bernstetter (Jr., Holdingford, Minn.) caught five passes for 49 yards and a score.

For Augsburg, Nourie caught 10 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and Muneer Al-Hameed (Fr., Woodbury, Minn./Minneapolis Washburn HS) caught eight passes for 104 yards.

Winford, the leading receiver in both receptions and receiving yardage in Division III football, saw his streak of 100-yard receiving games halted at four, but still caught nine passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Winford went over the 2,000-yard mark for career receiving yardage in Friday's game. He now has 2,031 career receiving yards on 148 catches and 22 touchdowns.

This season, Winford stands second in school history in single-season receptions (95, record is 112 by Scott Hvistendahl in 1998), third in single-season receiving touchdowns (14, the record is 15 by Hvistendahl in both 1998 and 1997) and third in single-season receiving yardage (1,291, the record is 1,860, set by Hvistendahl in 1998).

Defensively, Augsburg's Sean Kelly (Jr., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) led all tacklers with 18 tackles (seven solo), while Donovan Bates (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) had 14 tackles and a sack, Garrett Adamson (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) had 13 tackles (five solo), and Alex Glasenapp (So., Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Mead had 11 tackles apiece.

Kurt Erickson (So., Fairmont, Minn.) led Bethel with 10 tackles (five solo), while Carr had eight tackles (three solo), an interception and a pass breakup, and Aaron Mills (Sr., Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) and Jamie Wagner (Sr., Nicollet, Minn.) had seven tackles apiece, with Mills contributing a game-high 2.5 sacks.