COLUMBIA, Ky. – The Bethel University Wildcats open a two-game road stretch Saturday, Nov. 7, when they face No. 9 Lindsey Wilson in Mid-South Conference football action. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT at Parnell Family Stadium. The game is Lindsey Wilson's Homecoming and final regular-season home contest.
Bethel enters at 2–6 overall and 0–3 in the MSC after a 51–7 loss to Campbellsville in its home finale. Lindsey Wilson is 7–2 overall and 2–1 in league play and has won two straight, including a 35–14 victory at Cumberland University last Saturday. The Blue Raiders moved up two spots to No. 9 in this week's NAIA National Selection Committee poll.
The Series
Saturday marks the 13th meeting in a series Lindsey Wilson leads 7–5. Bethel won the first meeting 42–17 in Columbia in 2012 and has won four of the six games hosted by Lindsey Wilson. The Wildcats took three straight from 2022 through 2024, including a 33–31 victory in four overtimes on their last trip to Columbia. The Blue Raiders broke that streak with a 33–14 win in McKenzie last season.
By the Numbers

Per-game average	Bethel	Lindsey Wilson
Points scored	15.0	42.6
Points allowed	32.6	15.0
Total offense	286.6	440.9
Rushing yards	102.9	214.2
Passing yards	183.8	226.7
Total yards allowed	395.0	255.8
Rushing yards allowed	197.4	99.4
Passing yards allowed	197.6	156.3

Wildcats to Watch
Quarterback Silas Teat has thrown for 1,045 yards and five touchdowns, including an 18-yard scoring pass to Clay Powell against Campbellsville. Micah Jones leads the receiving corps with 431 yards and four touchdowns. Kaleb Kenney ran for a team-high 61 yards on 10 carries last week, bringing his season total to 187 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Durrell Miller has 62 tackles and three interceptions. He made four stops against Campbellsville after recording 58 through the first seven games.
Blue Raiders to Watch
Running back Davontaye Saunders has rushed for 1,309 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Quarterback Tate Rice has passed for 1,794 yards and 22 touchdowns. His top target, Max Gainey, has 50 catches for 1,006 yards and 17 touchdowns and averages just over 20 yards per reception. Kelson McKinney leads the defense with 41 tackles and has two of the Blue Raiders' 14 interceptions.
Containing Saunders on early downs will be a priority for Bethel after Campbellsville rushed for 300 yards last week. On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats face a Lindsey Wilson defense that holds opponents below 100 rushing yards per game and allows them to convert only about one in four third downs.
The Head Coaches
Chris Springer is in his second season as Bethel's head coach and his 10th year on the Wildcats' staff. The former defensive coordinator and associate head coach went 4–5 in his first season and enters Saturday 6–11 at the helm. He was on staff for Bethel's unbeaten 2022 regular season and its run to the NAIA quarterfinals in 2023.
Phil Kleckler is in his fifth season as Lindsey Wilson's head coach. He joined the Blue Raiders in 2017 and spent five seasons as defensive coordinator, helping the program win the 2020 NAIA national championship before taking over as head coach in December 2021.
Bethel closes the regular season Nov. 14 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.
Follow the game · Watch and live stats via Lindsey Wilson's football schedule