Minnesota College Football: Bethel, St. Thomas, Carleton look to extend early-season success

GAME OF THE WEEK

Concordia (Moorhead) at Bethel, 1 p.m. Saturday: The Cobbers (3-2) and the host Royals (4-1) are each 1-0 in the MIAC Skyline Division. The Cobbers are coming off a 36-7 victory over Macalester in Moorhead, while the Royals, ranked No. 11 in the D3football.com poll, have a three-game winning streak.

WEEK 7 STORY LINES

• St. Thomas, in its second season as a FCS program, received one vote in this week's AFCA FCS Top 25 poll. It's the first time the Tommies have received votes in the poll. The Tommies (4-1) defeated defending Pioneer League champion Davidson, 27-16, last week in St. Paul. The Tommies play host to Drake (0-6) on Saturday. Tap here for livestream information.

• Carleton (5-0) is the only unbeaten team in the MIAC. The Knights play host to St. Scholastica (2-3) on Saturday in Northfield.

• Crown defeated Martin Luther, 26-20, on Oct. 8 in New Ulm, Minn., to end a seven-game losing streak dating to last season. The victory was the Polars' first on the road since 2016. Freshman Diego Narezo, making his first collegiate start, completed 36 of 68 passes — both school records — for 342 yards and three touchdowns.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jack Strand, QB, MSU Moorhead: The freshman from Bloomer, Wis., is second in the NSIC with 248.8 passing yards per game. He was 38-for-50 for 383 yards last week against Minot State.

BY THE NUMBERS

5 Consecutive games St. Thomas has scored a touchdown on its first offensive possession.

19 Tackles — the second-most in program history — by Concordia (St. Paul) linebacker Andrew Egnarski. The junior had 13 solo stops.