BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - October action continues for Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football teams on Saturday with four more league contests on the schedule.
Saint John's (5-1, 4-1) is set to host Carleton (5-1, 5-0) in the most consequential matchup of the weekend. A win on Saturday would keep either the Johnnies or Knights in firm contention for a spot in the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs, while a loss could prove devastating to their postseason dreams.
Undefeated Bethel (6-0, 5-0) also has its sights set on an NCAA berth. The Royals will host Macalester (2-4, 1-4) on Saturday, while their opponents last weekend, St. Olaf (2-4, 1-4), will welcome St. Scholastica (2-4, 1-4), and Hamline (1-5, 0-5) squares off with Gustavus (2-4, 2-3). Each of those kickoffs is set for 1:00 p.m.
The weekend's action will officially begin at noon when Augsburg (3-3, 3-2) hosts Concordia (4-2, 3-2) in Minneapolis.
STAT PACK
The latest MIAC Football Stat Pack as of Thursday, October 23, can be viewed here.
IN THE POLLS
Bethel moved up one spot to No. 5 in this week's D3football.com Top 25 Poll, while Saint John's slid from No. 10 to No. 11. The two teams are ranked No. 6 and No. 11, respectively, in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll this week.
The latest NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings were posted on Monday, October 20. Bethel is the top MIAC program on the list at No. 7, while Saint John's is No. 20, and Carleton is No. 36. The NPI will be used to select the 13 at-large bids to the 40-team NCAA Division III Playoffs after the 27 automatic qualifiers have been determined on November 15.
The next D3football.com Poll is slated to be released on Sunday, October 26, while the AFCA Poll and NPI rankings are expected on Monday, October 27.
NATIONAL NOTABLES
St. Olaf sophomore kicker Ethan Hess (Marshall, Minn. / Marshall) was one of 38 kickers nationwide - and six from NCAA Division III - named to the Fred Mitchell Award Midseason Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top placekicker at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) levels for excellence on the football field and community service.
Augsburg junior linebacker RJ Chakolis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Hopkins) registered 12.0 solo tackles against Macalester on 10/18, tied for the seventh-most in any NCAA Division III game this season.
Bethel junior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) has 776 receiving yards this season, the third-most in NCAA Division III. His average of 129.3 receiving yards per game also ranks third in D-III. His 8.33 receptions per game average is eighth in Division III. His 246 receiving yards against St. Olaf on 10/18 are the fifth-most in any D-III game this season.
Bethel junior wide receiver Tyler Terry (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) caught 15 passes against Northwestern-St. Paul on 9/13, tied for the second-most in any NCAA Division III game this season.
Bethel junior defensive end Phil Conant (Saint Francis, Minn. / Saint Francis) has 15.0 tackles for loss this season, tied for the second-most in D-III. Conant's 4.0 sacks against Hamline on 9/27 are tied for the third-most in a single game by any Division III player this season, while his 7.0 tackles for loss in the game are tied for the most by a defender at any level of NCAA Football this season.
Bethel senior cornerback Devin Williams (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) is averaging 15.8 yards per punt return in 2025, the tenth-highest average in NCAA Division III.
Bethel sophomore kicker Zach Bengtson (Becker, Minn. / Becker) is one of seven Division III kickers with a perfect field goal percentage (6-for-6) 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) leads all levels of NCAA football with an average of 31.7 completions per game this season. Curtis has completed 73.6 percent of his throws this season (190-for-258), the sixth-best completion percentage in Division III. His 2,253 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes both represent the third-most in Division III this season. His average of 375.5 passing yards per game ranks second in the country, and his 391.0 average yards of total offense per game ranks third. Curtis completed 39 passes against St. Scholastica (10/11) and 38 passes against Gustavus (10/4), good for the third- and fourth-most completions in any Division III game this season. Curtis passed for six touchdowns against Macalester (9/20) and Hamline (10/18), tied for the sixth-most in any D-III game this season.
Carleton senior wide receiver Tyler Dimond (North Grafton, Mass. / Grafton) ranks eighth in D-III with an average of 165.4 all-purpose yards per game this season. Dimond ranks second in Division III with an average of 136.0 receiving yards per game.
Carleton senior tight end Rye Storrs (Portland, Ore. / Franklin) leads all NCAA tight ends with an average of 7.5 receptions per game this season.
Gustavus sophomore quarterback Dylan Blount (St. Clair, Minn. / St. Clair) threw six touchdown passes against St. Scholastica on 10/18, tied for the sixth-most in any D-III game this season.
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 the second-best completion percentage in Division III this season at 77.9 percent (106-for-136). His passing efficiency rating of 191.3 ranks fourth in D-III this year. He is averaging 10.1 yards per attempt this season, the ninth-best average in Division III.
Saint John's senior tight end Joey Gendreau (Shorewood, Minn. / Minnetonka) caught four touchdown passes against Macalester on 10/11, tied for the second-most in any college football game this season. Gendreau leads all NCAA tight ends in receiving yards (620), receiving yards per game (103.3), and receiving touchdowns (7). He ranks second among all NCAA tight ends with 6.83 receptions per game.
St. Olaf sophomore kicker Ethan Hess (Marshall, Minn. / Marshall) is averaging 1.5 field goals per game this season, tied for the sixth-highest average in Division III.
St. Scholastica sophomore running back Jevon Williams (Willmar, Minn. / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) ran for four touchdowns against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the fourth-most in any NCAA Football game this year.
St. Scholastica senior linebacker Austin Mundt (Deer River, Minn. / Deer River) leads NCAA Division III with an average of 8.6 solo tackles per game this season. His average of 13.8 total tackles per game is the second-highest clip in D-III. He recorded 13 solo tackles against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the third-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 tenth-best single-game average in D-III this season.
AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior linebacker RJ Chakolis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Hopkins) collected a season-high 17 tackles - 12 solo and 2.5 for a loss - with two sacks and a fumble recovery in the Auggies' 32-21 victory over Macalester on 10/18. With Augsburg trailing 14-6 after halftime, Chakolis blocked a punt on the opening drive of the third quarter and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to spark the Augsburg comeback.
Bethel junior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) hauled in a program-record 246 receiving yards in the Royals' 64-10 victory over St. Olaf on 10/18. Rundell caught 11 passes, including a pair of second-quarter touchdown grabs of 23 and 47 yards.
Carleton senior quarterback Jack Curtis (Charlotte, N.C. / Ardrey Kell) threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns in leading the Knights to a 63-14 victory over Hamline on 10/18. Curtis completed 29-of-39 passes for the fourth 400-yard game of his collegiate career as Carleton improved to 5-0 in MIAC play for the first time since 1992.
Concordia junior wide receiver Alejandro Sanchez (Breckenridge, Minn. / Breckenridge) registered a pair of lengthy receptions in the Cobbers' loss to Saint John's on 10/18. After hauling in a career-long 31-yard catch in the third quarter, Sanchez scored on a 20-yard pitch-and-catch to put Concordia on the scoreboard in the fourth.
Gustavus sophomore quarterback Dylan Blount (St. Clair, Minn. / St. Clair) completed 27-of-37 passes for 305 yards and six touchdowns in the Gusties' 45-6 win over St. Scholastica on 10/18. It was Blount's third straight game with 300-plus passing yards. The six touchdown passes tied Blount for the second-most in a single game in program history.
Hamline fifth-year wide receiver Dawson Schaffer (Kindred, N.D. / Kindred) caught three passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in the Pipers' loss to Carleton on 10/18. Schaffer tallied 22-yard receptions in the first and third quarters to move the chains, and added a seven-yard touchdown grab on the first play of the second quarter.
Macalester sophomore quarterback Jack Scully (Menlo Park, Calif. / Sacred Heart Prep) rushed for one touchdown and threw for another in the Scots' loss to Augsburg on 10/18. Scully recorded the first points of the game with a 20-yard scamper to the end zone in the first quarter and connected on a 49-yard scoring strike with 21 seconds left to play in the third. Both distances represented new career-longs. He finished the game with 193 yards of total offense.
Saint John's junior quarterback Trey Feeney (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) threw for 374 yards and four touchdowns in his first game as the Johnnies' full-time starter at Concordia on 10/18. Feeney completed 34-of-45 passes with one interception and a long of 46. His 34 completions were the most for a junior quarterback in SJU history and are tied for fourth-most ever by a Johnnie passer.
St. Olaf sophomore running back Landon Dillon (Minneapolis, Minn. / Blake) scored the first collegiate touchdown of his career in the Oles' loss to Bethel on 10/18. Dillon punched it in from one yard out to put St. Olaf on the board in the fourth quarter. His eight rushes and 41 rushing yards are new career-highs for the second-year player.
St. Scholastica sophomore safety Ashton Gross (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) recorded a 76-yard pick-six in the third quarter of the Saints' loss to Gustavus on 10/18. It was the first interception of his collegiate career and the Saints' second pick-six of the season.
UP NEXT
Week 8 | Saturday, October 23, 2025
12:00 PM | Concordia at Augsburg | Video | Stats |
1:00 PM | Gustavus at Hamline | Video | Stats |
1:00 PM | Macalester at Bethel | Video | Stats |
1:00 PM | Carleton at Saint John's | Video | Stats |
1:00 PM | St. Scholastica at St. Olaf | Video | Stats |
LEAGUE LEADERS
| 2025 MIAC Football Statistical Leaders |
| Overall |
MIAC |
| Passing Yards Per Game |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
357.5 |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
410.2 |
| Passing Touchdowns |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
21 |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
20 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game |
Jevon Williams, St. Scholastica |
118.0 |
Jevon Williams, St. Scholastica |
96.2 |
| Rushing Touchdowns |
Taye Manns, Bethel |
8 |
Taye Manns, Bethel |
7 |
| Receiving Yards Per Game |
Tyler Dimond, Carleton |
136.0 |
Tyler Dimond, Carleton |
156.8 |
| Receiving Touchdowns |
3 tied |
8 |
Tyrone Wilson, Augsburg |
8 |
| Tackles Per Game |
Austin Mundt, St. Scholastica |
13.8 |
Austin Mundt, St. Scholastica |
14.0 |
| Sacks |
Zach Frank, Saint John's |
6.5 |
Phil Conant, Bethel
Spencer Goetz, Carleton |
5.5 |
| Interceptions |
4 tied |
3 |
3 tied |
3 |