Posted: Oct 10, 2024

Cats Travel to Cumberland University for Showdown with the Phoenix

LEBANON, Tenn. - The No. 4 Bethel Wildcats hit the road Saturday for a game against Cumberland University in Lebanon. Action at Nokes-Lasater Field gets underway at 1:30 p.m.

Gates open at 11:30 a.m.

The Matchup

The No. 4 Wildcats are 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the Mid-South Conference. Cumberland is 4-1 and 0-1.

It will be the 28^th game between the two programs with Cumberland holding a 15-12 advantage in the series. Bethel has won the last three games played between the two programs. CU holds a 10-3 margin in games played in Lebanon.

The Wildcats are 2-0 in road action while the Phoenix sport a 2-0 home record.

The teams have no common opponents on the season.

It will be the 336^th game in modern day history for the Wildcats. Bethel is 150-185 all-time.

Game Coverage:

Live video:

https://gocumberlandathletics.com/watch/?Live=23&type=Live

Live stats:

https://gocumberlandathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

Tickets:

https://gocumberlandathletics.com/sports/2023/7/18/_133341896480479868.aspx

Last Meeting:

It was a day of comebacks at Wildcat Stadium when the teams met last year in McKenzie. Hundreds of alums were back for Homecoming and the Bethel football team rewarded them with a second half comeback of their own to beat Cumberland University 24-7.

Trailing 7-0 at the half, the Wildcats scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.

Cumberland took the lead late in the first quarter on a five- yard run by Treylon Sheppard. The 58-yard drive was capped off by the extra point from Jack Kanter.

Bethel got on the board at the 6:53 mark of the third quarter. Joaquin Collazo III hit Jaylen Taylor with a 22-yard touchdown pass. After an Andrew Welch point after the game was tied at seven all.

The Cats took the lead two seconds into the fourth quarter when Mitchell Faulkner finished a 69-yard drive with a two-yard run.

Collazo upped the Cat margin to 21-7 with a 23- yard touchdown pass to J.D. Dixon with 6:35 left in the game.

Welch put icing on the Homecoming Cake with less than a minute left with a 33-yard field goal to make it 24-7.

The Wildcats outgained the Phoenix 383-208 in total yards. The biggest difference was in passing yards with Bethel holding a 247-75 margin. Bethel's defense held CU to just 68 yards in total offense in the second half.

Collazo was 26-of-31 in passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Terrance Roberts led Bethel in rushing on 12 carries for 63 yards. Dixon caught nine passes for 85 yards. Taylor had six receptions for 64 yards. Roberts had four catches for 33 yards. Seven different Wildcats had two or more receptions in the win.

Bethel's defense was led by Xavier King with 10 total tackles. Brian Hughes followed with nine stops. Brody Franks contributed with eight total tackles. Darrien Lewis had two tackles for losses, a sack and seven tackles. Dee Hines had a big interception in the game.

t was Bethel's third straight win in the series.

Last Week:

Bethel:

The Wildcats played host to a very good University of the Cumberlands squad last week in Walter Butler Stadium in McKenzie.

The Wildcats trailed 3-0 after the first quarter. The Cats gained their footing to lead 7-3 in the second stanza, but the Patriots took a 10-7 lead going into the half. Bethel took charge in the third quarter and led 21-10 after three. The Cats would go on to win 28-17.

It was the conference opener for both teams. Bethel remained undefeated at 5-0 and 1-0 in the league. Cumberlands dropped to 3-2 and 0-1. It was Bethel's third straight win in the series which now finds the Patriots leading 8-6. The Cats have taken four of the last five.

Bethel was trailing 3-0 until Ben Nixon found Will Secker on a slant in pattern from 20 yards out to give the Cats a 6-0 margin. Oziel Hernandez nailed the point after making it 7-3. UC took a 10-7 lead and went to the half leading by that score.

Another Nixon to Secker completion at the 8:02 mark of the third quarter gave the Cats a 14-10 lead. With 1:28 left in the quarter, C J Campbell rushed in from 11 yards out and the Cats took command at 21-10. Kade Hewitt scrambled in from a yard out and Bethel led 28-10. A late UC score made it 28-17. The Wildcat offensive line won the battle at the point of attack consistently during the second half.

Bethel outgained the Kentucky visitors 433-229 in total yards. The Cats defense held the Pats to just 41 rushing yards in the game. The Wildcats finished with 229 yards on the ground. Campbell led Bethel with 85 yards on eight carries. Nixon had 69 yards on 11 attempts. Nixon was 13-of-22 in the air for 213 yards. Secker had four receptions for 70 yards while Avont Burrris had four catches for 67 yards.

Hernandez nailed four point after attempts making him 17-of-17 on the season.

Bethel's defense was superb controlling the second half for the most point. Darrien Lewis, who leads Bethel in tackles on the year led the Wildcats with eight tackles. He had three TFL's. Travarious Flood had six total tackles. T J Hart had several key plays including a key sack in the half. Jazzir Merricks picked off two Patriot passes, giving him a team high four interceptions on the season.

On special teams, Brayden Johnson had a marvelous punt pinning the Pats inside their own one-yard line. The punt would later lead to a short field and a 40-yard scoring drive by the Wildcats.

CU:

Last week, the Phoenix and the Campbellsville Tigers were locked in a battle deadlocked at 14-14, but the Tigers scored a touchdown in the fourth and then sealed the deal with a pick six to come away with a 27-14 win in the conference opener.

Head Coaches

Michael Jasper Coach Michael Jasper (42-17) 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 an 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.

Tim Mathis has been the head coach for the Phoenix since 2018. He is the sixth head coach since Cumberland restarted the football program in 1990. Mathis is in his seventh season as the Phoenix Head Coach.

Mathis is 27-36 at Cumberland. Last year the Phoenix went 5-5. Since Mathis has been at the helm, Cumberland has had one of the most prolific rushing games in the NAIA. This past season, CU finished 13th in the NAIA with 2,319 yards on the ground, an average of 231.9 rushing yards per game. The defense finished 33rd in the country in yards per game. Cumberland had five players earn All-Conference honors including the 2023 Mid-South Conference Freshman of the Year, Aaron Davis.

Did You Know?

The Bethel University Sports Information Office announced that 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

Bethel's Hernandez Named MSC Special Teams Player of the Week

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Campbellsville University's Jagger Gillis (Offensive), Dq Brown (Defensive), and Bethel University's Oziel Hernandez (Special Teams) are the Mid-South Conference Football Players of the Week, conference officials announced on Monday.

After going four for four Saturday, Hernandez has hit all seventeen of his point after attempts on the season.

MSC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Oziel Hernandez - Bethel (Tenn.) - Fr. - Kicker/Punter – Memphis, Tennessee

Hernandez went a perfect 4-4 in PAT's last week to help the Wildcats remain undefeated 5-0, defeating Cumberlands (Ky.) in their first conference game.
The redshirt Freshman has earned this honor for the first time this season, as Bethel's only athlete to earn Special Teams honors so far this season.

Hernandez has hit all seventeen of his point after attempts on the season.

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