Posted: Nov 18, 2012

Comeback Cats Stun No. 1 Georgetown

Georgetown, Ky. -The Bethel Wildcats stunned the NAIA football world Saturday beating the No. 1 ranked and No. 1 seeded Georgetown Tigers 45-44 in Georgetown, Kentucky. It was another remarkable comeback for the Wildcats as they pushed their record to 9-3 but more importantly stayed alive to move on to the second round of the NAIA Championship Series next week.

There were many heroes for the Wildcats but none any bigger than Jahron Reynolds who returned a kick-off on his birthday for 92-yards and a touchdown with just 13 seconds left in the contest. This came just 13 seconds after the Tigers had scored on a Logan Osborne three -yard touchdown carry to give his team a 44-39 lead.

The Tigers led 7-0 after a Zach Sowder 12-yard run with 10:25 left in the first quarter. Bethel answered with a Wil Masoud 69-yard touchdown pass to Justin Brandy 39 seconds later. A touchdown run and then a touchdown pass by Tiger quarterback Neal Pawsat to Chris Gohman gave Georgetown a 21-6 lead. Bethel came right back on a 57-yard touchdown run from Cordarious Mann to cut the deficit to 21-13. The final score of the first half came on a 32-yard field goal by Tiger kicker Alex Kreimer and Georgetown led at the break 24-13.

Pawsat teamed up with receiver Adam Schmitz for an 11-yard TD to up the lead to 31-13 with 10:25 left in the third quarter. Bethel responded with a 26 point unanswered barrage behind Travis Smith who rushed for two scores. A 38-yard scamper and a two-yard run cut the lead to 31-26. The Cats took their first lead when Stony Burns forced a fumble and scooted in with a 25-yard run which gave Bethel their first lead at 32-31. A two-point conversion try by Mann was no good and the Cat lead stayed at one. On the next series the Wildcat defense forced Georgetown to attempt a punt from their own 37 yard line. A high snap over punter Cody Parker's head sailed back inside the ten yard line and after a wild scramble the ball was recovered by Bethel's Cole Delano for a Wildcat score. The PAT by Robby Phillips gave Bethel a 39-31 lead. The Tigers bounced right back with a three-yard TD run by Osborne to cut the Bethel lead to 39-37 with 5:51 left. A two-point conversion pass was intercepted by Bethel's Chase Graham and the Cats maintained the lead. Unable to move the ball Bethel was forced to punt. Georgetown went right back down the field and appeared to be in position to retake the lead. Bethel's Prennis Thompson picked off a Pawsat pass but after a lateral the Cats gave the ball back to the Tigers setting up the Osborne short run to give GC the lead at 44-39. The rest will be folklore in Bethel football history as Reynolds bolted the 92-yards to give Bethel the win. It was the first time ever Bethel has beaten a No. 1 ranked team. Georgetown ended their season 10-1.

GC outgained Bethel in total yards 500-364 but six Tiger turnovers negated the difference in yardage. Bethel's Mann rushed for a game high 102 yards. Bethel's Adam Funk led the defense with 13 total tackles and was awarded the Defensive Player of the Game Award. Reynolds was named Offensive Player of the Game. Bethel's Jacob Fussell was awarded the Champion of Character Award.

Bethel Coach Chris Elliott said his team beat a great squad but no one should be surprised about his team's ability and effort. "This squad is so resilient. They believe no matter what the circumstances they can win. They have great chemistry and just keep playing with confidence and effort. We had a great week of practice and although not many gave us a chance to win, we always believed we could come up here and win. There were so many big plays but none any bigger than Jahron's electrifying run. We will enjoy our trip home tonight and then start getting ready tomorrow for our next opponent."

For the second year in-a-row, six of eight hosts were on the winning end in the first round of the 2012 NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS). The eight winners advance to quarterfinal action on Nov. 24. Quarterfinal pairings will be announced mid-morning Sunday on www.naia.org.

2012 NAIA Football Championship Series Notes
•A combined 524 points were scored in the eight first round games, which is the highest first round total since the NAIA went to one division in 1997.
• Defending national champion Saint Xavier (Ill.) is the only team remaining in the field with a national title.
• With the first round victory, Saint Xavier has reached four-straight FCS quarterfinals, while Marian (Ind.) and Saint Francis (Ind.) are second with three-consecutive trips.
• Bethel's (Tenn.) 45-44 victory over Georgetown (Ky.) marks the first time the top-ranked team in the final NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll has fallen in the first round of the FCS, dating back to 1999.
• Seven teams have made at least 10 FCS appearances (including this year): Georgetown (18), Missouri Valley (10), Saint Francis (Ind.) (13), St. Ambrose (Iowa) (12), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (10), Baker (Kan.) (12) and Northwestern (Iowa) (16).
• There are nine repeat programs from the 2011 FCS First Round.
• Saint Francis extends its 2012 FCS qualifier-best first round win streak to 11 games with a 22-17 win over Baker (Kan.). The Cougars last first round loss came in 2001 against Campbellsville (Ky.), 42-21
• Six-time NAIA national champion and FCS regular Carroll (Mont.) failed to make the field of 16 for the first time since the 1999 season. The Fighting Saints had appeared in eight of the last 10 title games. Dickinson State (N.D.), who has 15 playoff appearances, is the squad with the second-most appearances to miss the cut this season.
• St. Ambrose's 12 appearances are the most amongst the field for a team that has never appeared in the title game. The Fighting Bees have never advanced past the quarterfinals.
• There are no playoff newcomers in the field this year. William Penn (Iowa) has the fewest appearances amongst the group with one prior to this season. The Statesmen remain winless in two trips after the loss to Saint Xavier.
• William Penn (Iowa) made its first trip to the FCS First Round for the first time since 1975 - the longest drought amongst the qualifiers.
• Georgetown, Saint Xavier, Saint Francis, Baker and Northwestern are this year's qualifiers with at least 10 wins all-time in the FCS.
• The Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division (MSFAE) and the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) land the most squads in the 16-team field. The MSFAE is represented by Saint Xavier, Marian and Saint Francis. Competing out of the HAAC is Missouri Valley, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and Baker (Kan.).
• Two unbeaten teams remain in the FCS -Missouri Valley (11-0) and Morningside (Iowa) (11-0).