GAME OF THE WEEK
Bethel and St. John's meet Saturday for MIAC title, automatic D-III playoff berth
St. John's defeated Bethel, 31-25, in September and the rematch will happen Saturday in St. Paul.
November 11, 2021 at 4:34PM
St. John's at Bethel, 1 p.m., Saturday: The winner of this game will be the MIAC's automatic qualifier for the Division III playoffs. The Johnnies (9-0) are ranked No. 5, and Bethel (8-1) is No. 13. St. John's defeated Bethel 31-25 on Sept. 25 in Collegeville.
WEEK 11 STORY LINES
- Four NSIC teams were ranked in the final Division II Super Region Four rankings — Augustana (No. 3), Bemidji State (No. 4), Minn.-Duluth (No. 7) and Sioux Falls (No. 8). Seven teams from each of four regions will make up the 28-team D-II playoff field. The pairings will be announced Sunday afternoon.
- St. John's was ranked No. 2 and Bethel was ranked No. 5 in the D-III Region VI rankings released Wednesday. Wisconsin Whitewater was No. 1. Linfield (No. 3) and Wis.-La Crosse (No. 4) round out the top five. Gustavus was ranked No. 7.
- Greenville, Martin Luther and Minnesota Morris could finish in a three-way tie for first place in the UMAC. On Saturday, Minnesota Morris (4-1 in the UMAC) plays at Greenville (5-0), while Martin Luther (4-1) plays host to Northwestern (2-2).
- This will be the first "Championship Weekend" in the MIAC, which went to a division format this season. In addition to St. John's and Bethel, which finished first in their divisions, the second- through fifth-place finishers will play each other, with Skyline Division teams playing host.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Andrew Abegglen, K, Gustavus Adolphus: The junior from Mound is second in Div. III with 12 field goals. Last Saturday, he converted three field goals — including a career-long 42-yarder — in the Gusties' victory over St. Olaf.
Rex Desso, WR, Macalester: The senior from Evergreen, Colo., has caught an MIAC-best 84 passes (a school record) this season. Last Saturday, he had a school single-game record 18 receptions in the Scots' 28-14 victory over St. Scholastica.
BY THE NUMBERS
38 Touchdown passes (a school record and second nationally in D-II) by Bemidji State's Brandon Alt.
140 Career receptions for St. John's receiver Ravi Alston. Alston is tied for sixth on the school's career receptions list.
490 Offensive yards per game (which leads the MIAC) by St. John's. Bethel is third in the MIAC with 438.6 yards per game.
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.
