Cats Host Patriots on Pink Out Day
MCKENZIE, Tenn. - The No. 5 Bethel Wildcats will host the University of the Cumberlands Saturday at Walter Butler Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. with the Catwalk scheduled for 11:15 a.m. It will be Pink-Out Day and National Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
All fans and students are encouraged to join the Wildcats and the Cheer team in wearing pink.
Gates open at 11:15 a.m.
The Matchup
The No. 5 Bethel Wildcats host the Patriot at 1 p.m. It will be the 14th meeting between the two programs with UC holding an 8-5 advantage in the series. Bethel won 30-10 last year and has won two in a row over the Pats. The Wildcats have taken three of the last four in the series. Bethel has won three of the four previous games played in McKenzie.
The Cats are 4-0 on the season while the Patriots are 3-1.
It will be the conference openers for both squads.
The teams have one common opponent. The Cats beat Bluefield 49-7. The Patriots beat Bluefield 31-9.
It will be the 335th game in modern day history for the Wildcats. Bethel is 149-185 all-time.
Game Coverage:
Live video:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWk3fNsRyRUvgB_HBblmEEQ
Live stats:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20241005_gl3o.xml
Tickets:
https://www.bethelathletics.com/tickets
Last Meeting
The then No. 6 Bethel Wildcats won their 17th straight regular season game with a 30-10 victory at the University of the Cumberlands last year. The Patriots entered the showdown ranked No. 19 in the nation.
Bethel's defense and the right leg of Andrew Welch were the biggest factors until Bethel broke the game open in the second half.
The Wildcats scored on their opening drive to take a 3-0 lead on a 22-yard field goal from Welch. The 49 -yard drive took just 3:16 seconds.
Bethel upped their lead to 6-0 on a 42- yard field goal by Welch with 46 seconds left in the first quarter. The kick capped off a nine play 68- yard drive.
The Wildcats moved out to a 13-0 margin on a one-yard touchdown run from Mitchell Faulkner. The score came with 5:34 left in the half. The score came after a seven play 73 -yard drive.
The No.19 Patriots kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired in the half and Bethel's lead was 13-3 at the break.
Bethel had a 249-114 advantage in total yards in the half.
The Wildcats moved ahead 16-3 with a 29-yard field goal from Welch with 4:39 left in the third stanza. The explosive Wildcat offense came to life late in the quarter. A three-play drive of 83 yards broke the game open as the Cats took a 23-3 lead with just 1:11 left. Joaquin Collazo III hit Jaylen Taylor on an 11-yard pass. The score was set up by two great receptions by Avont Burrus during a three play 83-yard drive.
Bethel scored again early in the fourth quarter. Collazo hit Taylor again for a touchdown which gave the Wildcats a 30-3 margin. The pass capped off a seven play 70-yard drive.
Cumberlands scored a touchdown with 9:58 left to make it 30-10.
Bethel outgained UC 439-278 in total yards. The Wildcats had 186 rushing yards and 253 in the air. Collazo was 12-of-26 for 253 yards. Martize Smith, former player for UC rushed for 152 yards on 28 carries. Taylor caught six passes for 101 yards.
Brian Hughes led Bethel with nine total tackles. Brody Franks and Kedrick Walker followed with six each. Darian Burns and Jaylon Beasley both had interceptions.
Last Game:
Bethel:
The No. 5 Bethel Wildcats remained unbeaten with a convincing 49-7 win at Bluefield last week.
It was the sixth meeting between the two programs. The Cats are 6-0 versus the Rams.
It was the 334th game in modern day history for the Wildcats. Bethel is 149-185 all-time.
The game was played with no power at the stadium due to recent storms and the aftermath of remnants of Hurricane Helene.
Highlights of the game:
15/25 60% completion
236 Yds Passing
3 TDs
1 rush for 24 yds in a 49-7 dominant performance.
CJ Campbell
5 carries 132 Yds.
Avg of 26.4 yds per carry
Set school record with 94 yd rushing TD!
14 tackles
3 TFLs
In dominating win over Bluefield.
100% PAT (7pts)
Coach Michael Jasper was pleased with his squad's effort and the results. "Adapt and overcome was the mindset this week. We are so proud of our entire program for how we took adversity head on. Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the weather and outages and can't be more grateful for the hospitality that was shown from everyone in this beautiful area. This team is special and continues to grow and mold into something great."
Last Game:
UC:
UC dominated the Bulldogs on homecoming to win the Battle for the Brass Lantern for the sixth consecutive time. The Patriots move to 3-1 after shutting out Union Commonwealth University 28-0, allowing just four rushing yards and 69 total yards of offense all night.
Head Coaches
Michael Jasper Coach Michael Jasper (41-17) is in his sixth year as head coach of Bethel football in 2024-25. 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 MBA, and also 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.
Coach Shan Housekeeper completed his second season last year as the Head Football Coach of the Patriots after being hired in January 2022 to be the sixth Patriots coach.
In his second season, Housekeeper led UC to a 6-4 record, including a ranked win over #14 Reinhardt 20-19. Cumberlands finished the year with 16 interceptions, which ranks 15th in the NAIA. UC was also top 15 in the NAIA in penalties. The Patriots had nine All-Conference selections, including Job Matossian (x2), Kendall Adams-Young, and Malik Thornton on the First Team.
In his first season at the helm, Housekeeper led the Patriots to a 5-5 record, including a 24-23 win over #11 Georgetown.
Prior to Cumberlands, Housekeeper spent 14 years on the coaching staff at Georgetown College.
Did You Know?
The Bethel University Sports Information Office announced the 2024 Football Media Guide is now available on the Bethel Athletic website.
For complete information on the team, coaches, schedule, and all you need about the Cats, visit:
https://www.calameo.com/bethel-university/read/0033163750d3030c93eff
GO CATS!!!
Golden Boosters and sponsors for Bethel Athletics this year are:
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
Carroll Bank and Trust
Anchor Transportation
Centennial Bank
Carroll County Lumber Company
Hometown Health Care
Joe Mahan Ford of Paris
Next Week:
The Cats go back on the road next week visiting Cumberland University in Lebanon. Kick-off versus the Phoenix is 1:30 p.m.