BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The penultimate week of the regular season has arrived for Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football teams.
The MIAC's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Football Playoffs could be decided on Saturday, as undefeated Bethel (8-0, 7-0) is set to welcome Carleton (6-2, 6-1) to Arden Hills with the MIAC regular season championship on the line.
The Royals can secure at least a share of the conference crown, as well as the AQ, with a win over the Knights. Bethel's 17-10 victory against Saint John's (7-1, 6-1) on 10/4 earned BU the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Johnnies, which would come into play if the two squads end up tied atop the regular season standings after next weekend's games.
However, if Carleton were to leave Royal Stadium with a win this Saturday, the potential exists for a three-team tie for the MIAC football championship. The MIAC recognizes co-champions when multiple teams finish the season with identical conference records, which would result in Bethel, Carleton, and Saint John's all being able to hoist some hardware after their regular-season finales on 11/15; however, only one team can receive the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Playoffs.
If the Royals, Knights, and Johnnies were all to finish the season with 8-1 records in conference play, the tie for the AQ would almost certainly be resolved on point differential in games between the tied teams. The Johnnies' 49-10 win over the Knights on 10/25 would make SJU's lead in the point differential tiebreaker practically insurmountable, likely granting SJU an automatic berth in the national tournament.
The postseason picture will clear up significantly after Saturday's contests. Four of the five MIAC games will kickoff at noon, including: Hamline (1-7, 0-7) at St. Olaf (3-5, 2-5), Concordia (5-3, 4-3) at Macalester (3-5, 2-5), Gustavus (3-5, 3-4) at Augsburg (3-5, 3-4), and St. Scholastica (3-5, 2-5) at Saint John's.
The Knights and Royals will kick off the weekend's most pivotal conference contest at 1:00 p.m.
STAT PACK
The latest MIAC Football Stat Pack as of Thursday, November 6, can be viewed here.
IN THE POLLS
Bethel remained at No. 4 in this week's D3football.com Top 25 Poll, while Saint John's climbed up one spot to No. 10. The two teams are ranked No. 6 and No. 9, respectively, in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll this week.
The latest NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings were posted on Monday, November 3. Bethel is the top MIAC program on the list at No. 7, while Saint John's is No. 16. 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 D3Playbook has projected the NPI cut line for football at-large candidates to be 29.
The next D3football.com Poll is slated to be released on Sunday, November 9, while the AFCA Poll and NPI rankings are expected on Monday, November 10.
NATIONAL NOTABLES
Macalester junior linebacker Jason Weaver (Roselle Park, N.J. / Pingry) was named to D3football.com's Team of the Week for his performance during Week 9 of the 2025 season. Weaver collected five tackles, all solo, an interception, and a strip-sack in the Scots' 27-6 victory vs. St. Olaf. His forced fumble on a fourth-quarter sack led to a Macalester touchdown, while his toe-tapping interception on the sideline with less than a minute remaining in the game ensured the Scots' defense would not allow a single point..
Augsburg senior wide receiver Tyrone Wilson (Ellendale, Minn. / New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva) is averaging 9.00 receptions per game this fall, good for the third-best clip in NCAA Division III. His 17 receptions against Concordia on 10/25 are tied for the most by any NCAA receiver this season.
Bethel junior quarterback Cooper Drews (Princeton, Minn. / Princeton) has thrown 25 touchdown passes this season, good for the ninth-most in D-III.
Bethel junior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) ranks second among all NCAA receivers with 1,065 receiving yards and an average of 133.1 receiving yards per game this season. His 8.88 receptions per game average is fourth 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 fourth-most in any NCAA Division III game this season.
Bethel junior defensive end Phil Conant (Saint Francis, Minn. / Saint Francis) has 17.0 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 sophomore kicker Zach Bengtson (Becker, Minn. / Becker) is one of four Division III kickers with a perfect field goal percentage (8-for-8) in 2025.
Bethel junior punter Eli Nowacki (Blaine, Minn. / Centennial) uncorked an 80-yard kick against Hamline on 9/27, tied for the fifth-longest punt in D-III 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 30.38 completions per game this season. Curtis ranks third in NCAA Division III with 2,754 total passing yards and an average of 344.3 passing yards per game this season. His completion percentage of 74.1 (243-for-328) ranks fourth in D-III. Curtis ranks sixth in Division III with 26 passing touchdowns on the year. He is also sixth in yards of total offense per game with an average of 348.4. Curtis completed 39 passes against St. Scholastica (10/11) and 38 passes against Gustavus (10/4), good for the fourth- and fifth-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 seventh-most in any D-III game this season.
Carleton senior tight end Rye Storrs (Portland, Ore. / Franklin) is tied for the lead among all NCAA tight ends with an average of 6.88 receptions per game this season.
Concordia junior punter Mitchell Druley (Norwood Young America, Minn. / Central) punted 11 times against Bethel on 11/1, tied for the sixth-most in any D-III 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 seventh-most in any D-III game this season.
Gustavus senior linebacker Bode Hogan (Broomfield, Colo. / Broomfield) has recovered three fumbles this season, tied for the third-most in NCAA Division III.
Gustavus senior punter Owen Forsythe (Shakopee, Minn. / Shakopee) punted 11 times against Bethel on 9/20, tied for the sixth-most in any D-III game this season.
Hamline first-year wide receiver Miquel Pittman (Palmetto, Fla. / Palmetto) returned eight kickoffs against Gustavus on 10/25, tied for the third-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 76.8 percent (169-for-220). His passing efficiency rating of 186.2 ranks ninth in D-III this year. Feeney tossed six touchdown passes against Carleton on 10/25, tied for the seventh-most in any D-III game this season.
Saint John's senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn. / Mounds View) ranks seventh in Division III with 12 receiving touchdowns on the year.
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 is tied for the lead among all NCAA tight ends with 6.88 receptions per game.
Saint John's senior defensive end Zach Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn. / Centennial) has 9.5 sacks this season, tied for the sixth-most in Division III.
St. Olaf sophomore kicker Ethan Hess (Marshall, Minn. / Marshall) ranks second in NCAA Division III with an average of 1.50 field goals per game this season.
St. Scholastica sophomore running back Jevon Williams (Willmar, Minn. / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) had 322 all-purpose yards against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the seventh-most in any D-III game this season. Williams ran for four touchdowns against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the fourth-most in any D-III game this year.
St. Scholastica senior linebacker Austin Mundt (Deer River, Minn. / Deer River) is averaging 6.86 solo tackles per game this season, the fifth-highest average in D-III. He recorded 13 solo tackles against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the fifth-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.
AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior linebacker Foster Mulvehill (New Brighton, Minn. / Irondale) recorded a nine-yard scoop-and-score in the Auggies' loss to Carleton on 11/1. Mulvehill recovered a fumble inside the Knights' ten-yard line and returned it for a touchdown with just over one minute remaining in the first quarter.
Bethel junior kicker Eli Nowacki (Blaine, Minn. / Centennial) connected on a 48-yard field goal in the Royals' road win over Concordia on 11/1. Nowacki's 48-yarder is the longest field goal made by a MIAC kicker since 2019.
Carleton junior wide receiver Jaxon Watson (Salem, Ore. / South Salem) found the end zone twice in the Knights' 48-17 win over Augsburg on 11/1. Watson finished with seven receptions, 111 yards receiving, and two touchdowns, with his scoring receptions coming on back-to-back drives in the second quarter.
Concordia junior wide receiver Ron Gallegos (Denver, Colo. / John F. Kennedy) caught four passes for 28 yards and had a 13-yard touchdown grab in the Cobbers' loss to Bethel on 11/1. Two of his last five receptions have accounted for Concordia scores.
Gustavus senior defensive Myshawn King (Houston, Texas / Benjamin O'Davis) recorded five tackles and a strip-sack in the Gusties' loss to Saint John's on 11/1. King has logged 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in his last three games.
Hamline first-year quarterback Zayden Stevens (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Vista Ridge) passed for a career-high 339 yards and scored the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career in the Pipers' loss to St. Scholastica on 11/1. Stevens went 24-for-37 with one touchdown pass and one interception in the game.
Macalester junior linebacker Jason Weaver (Roselle Park, N.J. / Pingry) collected 5.0 tackles, an interception, and a strip-sack in the Scots' 27-6 victory over St. Olaf on 11/1. His forced fumble on a fourth-quarter sack led to a Macalester touchdown, while his toe-tapping interception on the sideline with less than a minute remaining in the game ensured no points would be allowed by the Scots' defensive unit on the night.
Saint John's senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn. / Mounds View) caught 11 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in the Johnnies' 31-13 win at Gustavus on 11/1. The 128 yards are a season-high for the senior wideout, who now has 99-plus yards in each of his last five games. He has now eclipsed 100 receiving yards 14 times in his career, and moved into fourth in program history with 2,775 career receiving yards, and third with 210 career receptions.
St. Olaf sophomore linebacker Josh Kerber (Johnston, Iowa / Johnston) had a 10-yard interception return for a touchdown and two total tackles in the Oles' loss at Macalester on 11/1. His pick-six accounted for the Oles' lone points in the game.
St. Scholastica senior quarterback Donald West (St. Paul, Minn. / Woodbury) accounted for 364 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in the Saints' 49-18 victory over Hamline on 11/1. West completed a season-high 76.9 percent of his throws, going 20-for-26 with 306 yards and five scores through the air, in addition to logging 58 yards and another touchdown on the ground. His five passing touchdowns are a career-high.
UP NEXT
Week 10 | Saturday, November 8, 2025
12:00 PM | Hamline at St. Olaf | Video | Stats |
12:00 PM | Concordia at Macalester | Video | Stats |
12:00 PM | Gustavus at Augsburg | Video | Stats |
12:00 PM | St. Scholastica at Saint John's | Video | Stats |
1:00 PM | Carleton at Bethel | Video | Stats |
LEAGUE LEADERS
| 2025 MIAC Football Statistical Leaders |
| Overall |
MIAC |
| Passing Yards Per Game |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
344.3 |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
364.6 |
| Passing Touchdowns |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
26 |
Jack Curtis, Carleton |
25 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game |
Jevon Williams, St. Scholastica |
115.1 |
Jevon Williams, St. Scholastica |
96.5 |
| Rushing Touchdowns |
Taye Manns, Bethel |
11 |
Taye Manns, Bethel |
10 |
| Receiving Yards Per Game |
Albert Rundell, Bethel |
133.1 |
Albert Rundell, Bethel |
140.6 |
| Receiving Touchdowns |
Dylan Wheeler, Saint John's |
12 |
Dylan Wheeler, Saint John's |
11 |
| Tackles Per Game |
Austin Mundt, St. Scholastica |
11.1 |
Austin Mundt, St. Scholastica |
10.8 |
| Sacks |
Zach Frank, Saint John's |
9.5 |
Zach Frank, Saint John's |
8.0 |
| Interceptions |
Nick Colyer, Bethel |
4 |
Nick Colyer, Bethel |
4 |