Posted: Sep 13, 2024

Cats vs. Thomas -Game Preview

COLUMBUS, Ga. - The No. 7 Bethel Wildcats travel to Thomas University Saturday.

Kick-off in Columbus, Georgia is slated for 11 a.m. CT. It will be the first road game of the season for the Wildcats.

Bethel beat Mary Hardin-Baylor 20-10 Saturday at Walter Butler Stadium to move to 2-0 on the year.

The Night Hawks are 0-1 after losing their season opener 35-17 to Bluefield.

The Match-Up:

It will be just the second meeting between the two programs. Bethel beat the Night Hawks 48-14 last season in McKenzie.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 17- 0 lead. Joaquin Collazo III and J. D. Dixon teamed up for a 37 -yard pass to give the Cats a 7-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage. Demetrice Gilbert returned a punt for 59 yards for a score and Bethel lead 14-0 lead after Andrew Welch's point after. Welch hit a field goal upping the Bethel margin to 17-0.

Those scores would be a precursor to what would follow. Collazo would throw four more touchdowns in the game. Dixon would catch two more giving him three on the day. Jaylen Taylor caught a pass for a score as well. Martize Smith had a rushing touchdown. Smith led the Wildcats with 64 rushing yards.

Collazo was 17-of- 21 in passing for 231 yards.

Bethel rushed for 235 yards and passed for 270 and finished with 505 total yards. The Cat defense held TU to 110 yards on the ground and 93 in the air.

Bethel's defense was led by Jerwin Young, Jamel Goulbourne and Brody Franks who had five tackles each. Javonte Carter, Tim Hamilton, and Christian Cantrell had four total stops each. Franks, Goulbourne, Young, Hamilton and Cantrell had sacks in the win. Ten Wildcats had tackles for losses in the game.

Last Week: (Bethel)

The Wildcats prevailed in a hard-fought battle that saw the Cats use a stout defensive effort, special team play along with several key offensive plays to win 20-10 over Mary Hardin-Baylor.

The game featured four Wildcat interceptions, and a 70-yard fumble return for a score.

Trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, Bethel's Jacious Clark scooped up a Crusader fumble and raced down the field 70 yards for a score. The Wildcats took a 10-3 lead at the 2:57 mark of the quarter on a 26-yard field goal. The teams went to their locker with the Cats leading by that score.

The Cru tied the game in the third quarter.

The fourth stanza saw Oziel Hernandez nail a 43-yard field goal to give the Cats a 13-10 margin. With just six minutes left to play, Jordan Cason rushed 26-yards for a score and Bethel took a 20-10 lead. Cason finished with a game high 121 yards on the ground.

Bethel's ground attack proved to be a key to the victory with a 224-146 advantage.

UMHB had a 332-285 margin in total yards and a 19-13 advantage in first downs.

Jazzir Merricks, Clark, Dee Hines and Markel Crawford picked off Crusader passes. Brody Franks led the Wildcats with 13 total tackles.

Bethel moved to 58-45 all-time in Walter Butler Stadium which opened in 2006. The Wildcats are 147-185 in overall play in the modern-day era.

Last Week: (Thomas)

The Hawks trailed 21-10 at the half. Bluefield outscored Thomas 14-17 in the second half to win 35-17.

Coaches:

Coach Michael Jasper (39-17) is in his sixth year as head coach of the Wildcats. Coach Jasper also serves as associate athletic director of internal operations, a role he has held since 2022.

Before becoming head coach, Jasper served as assistant head coach and worked with the defensive line. Prior to that he held the titles of offensive line coach and run game coordinator and oversaw the strength and conditioning program.

The Wildcats are coming off consecutive 11-win seasons. Jasper was named Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 2022 after guiding Bethel to a conference title, the program's first 11-0 regular season and a No. 4 ranking in the NAIA national poll. He was named NAIA Region 1 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association in 2022. Under Jasper's direction, Bethel has qualified for the NAIA playoffs twice (2022 and 2023).

Before joining the Bethel staff, Jasper served as offensive and defensive line assistant at Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo, N.Y. He spent three years in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.

Coach Jasper played for the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2005 and 2006 and was a starter on their 2006 Ohio Valley Conference championship team. After redshirting at Middle Tennessee State University, Jasper joined the Bethel Wildcats and was an offensive and defensive lineman from 2008 to 2010. He was the first-ever Wildcat drafted to the NFL in 2011 with his selection by the Buffalo Bills.

He graduated from Bethel with a bachelor's degree in university studies. Mike and his wife Allison, along with their children Davis Reid, Millie Claire and Samuel David reside in McKenzie. Their rescue dog is named Caine.

Orlando Mitjans Jr. was hired as Thomas University's first-ever Football Head Coach on January 25, 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience. In addition to head coaching responsibilities, Mitjans also serves as the defensive backs coach.

Did You Know:

Jacious Clark was named the MSC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts versus UMHB.

The Wildcats jumped up one spot to No. 7 in this week's NAIA Football GoRout Top 25 Poll.

The Cats are off next week and then travel to Bluefield on the 28th. Bethel returns home on October 5^th to face the University of the Cumberlands. With another off week, the Wildcats play only one home game in the month of October.

Homecoming is November 2^nd as the Wildcats host Campbellsville.

For more on the Wildcats check out the 2024 Media Guide at:

https://www.calameo.com/bethel-university/read/0033163750d3030c93eff

Stats:

https://tunighthawks.com/sidearmstats/ftbl/summary

Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/@thomasuniversityathletics/streams

Bethel University athletics extends a special thanks to its Golden Sponsors this year:

Nicky Joe Stafford Real Estate

West Tennessee Public Utility District

Smith and Smith Optometry

Trevathan's Electrical Services