BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The 2025 college football season rolls on for Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) teams with five more league contests scheduled for Saturday, highlighted by a rivalry matchup between a pair of Top-12 teams.
 
No. 11/12 Bethel will host No. 4 Saint John's at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Johnnies or Royals have won the MIAC football title in each of the last six complete seasons, while the perennial powerhouses have combined for ten NCAA Playoff berths since 2018.
 
Week 5 action will officially kick off at noon on Saturday when Augsburg welcomes St. Olaf to Minneapolis, followed by 1:00 p.m. start times for Carleton at Gustavus, St. Scholastica at Concordia, and Saint John's at Bethel.
 
The final game of the weekend will feature Snelling Avenue rivals Hamline and Macalester matching up at 7:00 p.m. on the Scots' home turf with The Paint Bucket on the line.

STAT PACK
The latest MIAC Football Stat Pack as of Thursday, October 2, can be viewed here.

IN THE POLLS
Saint John's is ranked No. 4 while Bethel is No. 12 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 Poll, released on September 21. The Johnnies are No. 4 and the Royals are No. 11 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll this week.

The next D3football.com Poll is slated to be released on Sunday, October 5, while the AFCA Poll is expected on Monday, October 6.

NATIONAL NOTABLES
The National Football Foundation highlighted former Saint John's University wide receiver Blake Elliott in advance of his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in December.
 
Carleton senior wide receiver Tyler Dimond (North Grafton, Mass. / Grafton) and Saint John's senior tight end Joey Gendreau (Shorewood, Minn. / Minnetonka) were named to D3football.com's Team of the Week for their performances in Week 4 of the 2025 season. Dimond had seven catches for 181 yards and a touchdown in Carleton's 35-28 win over St. Olaf that allowed the Knights to reclaim the Goat Trophy. Gendreau led the Johnnies with 10 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown in SJU's 63-0 win against Augsburg for his third consecutive 100-yard performance.
 
Bethel junior wide receiver Tyler Terry (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) caught 15 passes against Northwestern-St. Paul on 9/13, tied for the most in any NCAA Division III game this season. 
 
Bethel junior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) is averaging 9.0 receptions per game this season, good for the seventh-best average in D-III.
 
Bethel junior defensive end Phil Conant (Saint Francis, Minn. / Saint Francis) has 4.0 sacks this fall, tied for the ninth-most in D-III. All 4.0 sacks came against Hamline on 9/27, tied for the third-most sacks in a single game by any Division III player this season. His average of 3.17 tackles for loss per game is the second-best clip in Division III, while his 9.5 tackles for loss on the year are tied for the fifth-most in Division III. His 7.0 tackles for loss against Hamline on 9/27 are the most by a defender at any level of NCAA Football this season.
 
Bethel senior cornerback Devin Williams (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) is averaging 16.6 yards per punt return in 2025, the sixth-highest average in NCAA Division III.
 
Bethel sophomore kicker Zach Bengtson (Becker, Minn. / Becker) is one of 15 Division III kickers with a perfect field goal percentage (5-for-5) in 2025.
 
Bethel junior punter Eli Nowacki (Blaine, Minn. / Centennial) uncorked an 80-yard kick against Hamline on 9/27, tied for the fourth-longest punt at any level of NCAA Football this year. Nowacki's average of 57.3 yards per punt (3-172) against the Pipers is the best average by a Division III punter in a single game this season.
 
Carleton senior quarterback Jack Curtis (Charlotte, N.C. / Ardrey Kell) is tied for third in NCAA Division III with an average of 28.0 completions per contest this season. He is averaging 358.7 passing yards per game this season, the fifth-highest clip in D-III. His 371.3 yards of total offense per game rank sixth in Division III. Curtis passed for six touchdowns against Macalester on 9/20, tied for the fourth-most in any D-III game this season. His 478 passing yards against the Scots are the tenth-most in Division III this fall.
 
Carleton senior wide receiver Tyler Dimond (North Grafton, Mass. / Grafton) is averaging 142.3 receiving yards per game this season, seventh-best in NCAA Division III.
 
Gustavus senior punter Owen Forsythe (Shakopee, Minn. / Shakopee) punted 11 times against Bethel on 9/20, tied for the fourth-most in any D-III game this season.
 
Saint John's junior quarterback Trey Feeney (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) has completed 75.0 percent of his throws (42-for-56) this season, tied for the fourth-highest completion percentage in Division III. His efficiency rating of 199.0 ranks sixth in D-III. Feeney is averaging 10.6 yards per attempt this fall, good for the tenth-best clip in Division III.
 
Saint John's senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn. / Mounds View) caught three touchdown passes against Hamline on 9/20, tied for the ninth-most in any Division III game this season.
 
Saint John's senior tight end Joey Gendreau (Shorewood, Minn. / Minnetonka) ranks fourth in NCAA Division III with an average of 145.7 receiving yards per game this season. No other tight end at any level of NCAA Football is averaging more than 80.0 receiving yards per game this fall. Gendreau is averaging 9.0 receptions per game, tied for the seventh-best clip in D-III. That mark also leads all tight ends at any level of NCAA Football.
 
St. Olaf senior running back Gus Gartzke (Mankato, Minn. / East) carried the ball 32 times against Concordia on 9/20, tied for the tenth-most in any D-III game this season.
 
St. Olaf senior cornerback Tony Avila-Tovalin (St. Paul, Minn. / Minnehaha Academy) has a pair of fumble recoveries this season, tied for the fourth-most in NCAA Division III.
 
St. Scholastica sophomore running back Jevon Williams (Willmar, Minn. / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) leads all divisions of NCAA Football with an average of 236.0 all-purpose yards per game this season. His 167.0 rushing yards per game rank sixth in NCAA Division III this season. Williams' 322 all-purpose yards against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6 are tied for the fourth-most in any D-III game this season, while his 300 all-purpose yards against Augsburg are the seventh-most. His four rushing scores against Wisconsin Lutheran are tied for the second-most in any NCAA Football game this year.
 
St. Scholastica senior linebacker Austin Mundt (Deer River, Minn. / Deer River) recorded 13 solo tackles against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the second-most by any defender in a Division III game this season.
 
St. Scholastica senior cornerback Ian Strusz (Albertville, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville) came away with three interceptions against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the most in any NCAA Football game this season.
 
St. Scholastica senior punter Jacob Andrews (Owatonna, Minn. / Medford) averaged 53.5 yards per punt (2-107) against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the sixth-best single-game average in D-III this season.

AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg senior wide receiver Tyrone Wilson (Ellendale, Minn. / New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva) caught eight passes for 52 yards in the Auggies' loss to Saint John's on 9/27. Wilson has hauled in 19 balls for 251 yards over the last two games after being held to just one six-yard reception in the season opener against Valley City State on 9/4.
 
Bethel first-year running back Taye Manns (Duluth, Minn. / Denfield) carried the ball 13 times for 155 and scored three touchdowns in the Royals' 62-12 victory over Hamline on 9/27. The first-year running back averaged 11.9 yards per carry in the win.
 
Carleton senior wide receiver Tyler Dimond (North Grafton, Mass. / Grafton) caught seven balls for 181 yards and a touchdown in the Knights' 35-28 win over crosstown rival St. Olaf on 9/27. Dimond averaged 25.9 yards per reception with five catches over 20 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown that gave Carleton a lead it would not relinquish. Dimond did all of his damage in the first two quarters before missing the second half due to an injury.
 
Concordia senior safety Jacob Pipho (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) came up with a trio of pivotal defensive plays for the Cobbers in a 14-13 victory over Gustavus on 9/27. In addition to leading the team with 7.0 solo tackles, Pipho intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, and blocked a punt in the win. His blocked punt gave Concordia the ball at the Gustavus 23-yard line and led to the Cobbers' game-winning touchdown. His interception came in the middle of the fourth quarter with the Cobbers holding on to the lead, while his forced fumble stopped a Gustie drive in Concordia territory. 
 
Gustavus junior defensive end Max Olson (Trimont, Minn. / Martin County West) narrowly missed out on a second consecutive double-digit tackle game, collecting nine takedowns - six solo - in the Gusties' 14-13 loss to Concordia on 9/27. Olson also got his hand on a Concordia field goal attempt, blocking the kick to maintain a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter.
 
Hamline senior wide receiver Dawson Schaffer (Kindred, N.D. / Kindred) recorded his third 200-yard receiving day in a Piper uniform, going for 210 yards on 10 catches, including a 75-yard touchdown, in a loss to Bethel on 9/27. Schaffer has surpassed 100 yards receiving in a game 12 times in his collegiate career, having done so eight times at Hamline (2024-25) and reaching the century mark on four occasions at Concordia (2021-23).
 
Macalester first-year defensive end Matt Hernandez (Phoenix, Ariz. / Brophy College Preparatory) collected the first sack of his collegiate career in the Scots' overtime loss to St. Scholastica on 9/27. Hernandez recorded two of his career-high five tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including a two-yard sack in the first overtime period that resulted in a turnover on downs.
 
Saint John's senior defensive end Zach Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn. / Centennial) collected two sacks in the Johnnies' 63-0 win over Augsburg on 9/27. He has tallied at least one sack in every game this season.
 
St. Olaf senior wide receiver Will Skemp (La Crosse, Wis. / Aquinas) caught eight passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the Oles' one-score loss to Carleton on 9/27. Skemp logged touchdown grabs of 32 and 42 yards in the game. After being held to just 23 yards in the season opener against Northwestern-St. Paul, having never logged more than 94 receiving yards in a single game before this season, Skemp registered a career-best 157 receiving yards against Concordia on 9/20 and tallied the first two-touchdown day of his career against the crosstown rival Knights on 9/27.
 
St. Scholastica senior kicker Jacob Andrews (Owatonna, Minn. / Medford) connected on field goals of 39 and 42 yards for kicking the game-winning 35-yarder in the second overtime of the Saints' 37-34 win over Macalester on 9/27. Andrews added four points on PAT tries and averaged 55.0 yards per kickoff in the win.

IN HIS WORDS
Carleton senior quarterback Jack Curtis (Charlotte, N.C. / Ardrey Kell) stunned the Division III football world last week when the back-to-back MIAC Offensive Player of the Week revealed he had been diagnosed with late-stage 2 "unfavorable" Hodgkin's lymphoma over the summer. While the Knights' career leader in passing yardage has been throwing touchdown passes on Saturdays this season, he has also been enduring chemotherapy every other Monday. On Wednesday, Curtis opened up about his battle with cancer, penning his own update in Howard Sinker's Sports Take Substack.

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