Wartburg, ranked No. 15 in the d3football.com poll, took control in the second half to rally for a 31-14 victory over No. 7 Bethel on Saturday in Waverly, Iowa.
Bethel's defense allowed the Knights just a field goal despite their three trips to the red zone and 155 yards of total offense in the first half. The Royals also finished the game with a plus-four turnover margin, after intercepting Wartburg quarterback Logan Schrader twice and stripping two fumbles.
But Wartburg (2-0), which trailed 7-3 at halftime, scored 21 consecutive points to take a 24-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. Wartburg held BU to just 32 yards in the third quarter, which allowed the Knights to go ahead 17-7 with 15 minutes left to play. Wartburg then added a touchdown in the first 1:11 of the fourth period.
The Royals pulled within 10, at 24-14, with 9 minutes, 23 seconds remaining, but the Knights restored their 17-point lead 2 minutes later on Schrader's 55-yard touchdown pass.
Erik Peterson passed for 175 yards, with touchdown passes to Brandon and Bryce Marquardt, for the Royals (0-1).
St. Thomas 46, Wis.-La Crosse 0: The No. 11-ranked Tommies (2-0) limited the visiting Eagles (1-1) to eight first downs and 133 total yards. UST racked up 519 total yards and helped set the tone with two TDs in the first six minutes. The offensive line allowed only one sack and blocked for 30 first downs and 302 rushing yards.
Quarterback Matt O'Connell, who threw a touchdown pass to Nick Waldvogel early in the game, left with a minor leg injury late in the first half. "[Matt] has been a little banged up; its never easy when someone gets hurt, so hopefully he can bounce back pretty quickly," Waldvogel said.
St. John's 31, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 7: Sam Sura rushed for a school-record 281 yards and scored two TDs in leading the Johnnies over the host Blugolds.
