ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Macalester College football team ran into a tough opponent in 16th-ranked Bethel University, losing 63-10 in a MIAC Skyline matchup Saturday afternoon at Royal Stadium. The Scots are now 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the MIAC Skyline Division, while the Royals improve to 6-1, 3-0 Skyline.

Bethel opened the scoring with a touchdown in the first quarter and another early in the second quarter to lead 14-0. On its next possession, Macalester drove to the Bethel 16-yard line, where senior kicker Jon Neve (Minnetrista, Minn./Mound Westonka) kicked a 33-yard field goal to put the Scots on the board, 14-3. Bethel responded with another touchdown for a 21-3 lead.

The Scots put together another long drive that included four passes from junior quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) to senior receiver Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood). With the ball at the Royals' 1-yard line, Macalester went for it on fourth-and-goal but failed to score. With two minutes on the clock before halftime, Bethel moved the ball into Macalester territory, eventually scoring on a 32-yard pass as time expired for a 28-3 halftime lead.

The Royals owned the second half, forcing six Macalester punts and an interception while building a 63-3 lead. Late in the fourth quarter, senior defensive back Pierce Lundt (Santa Barbara, Calif./Cate School) intercepted a pass at the Bethel 28-yard line. First year running back Josh Bulski (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) ran for 14 yards, then Nadeau hit sophomore tight end Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) with a 14-yard touchdown pass.

The Royals gained 387 yards on the ground and 651 yards of total offense compared to 238 for the Scots. Nadeau was 20-of-38 for 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Desso caught seven passes for 97 yards. The Scots' defense was led by sophomore linebacker Noah Bresson (Homosassa, Fla./Crystal River) with 12 tackles and senior linebacker Brady Thompson (New Brighton, Minn./De La Salle) with nine tackles. For Bethel, Bryce Kunkle rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown, while Jaran Roste threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

Macalester wraps up its MIAC Skyline schedule next Saturday against Hamline. The game, which will be the first MIAC football game featuring two Black head coaches, begins at 7:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.