Bethel: 5 things to know about UMHB Football’s Week 1 opponent

Above photo courtesy of Bethel Football on X (@BU_FootballTN)

BELTON — Welcome to game week, Crusader fans. After a long offseason that followed an incredible playoff run to the national quarterfinals, UMHB Football finds itself back at Week 1 for yet another season filled with expectation, excitement, and an ample number of storylines. 

For the first time since 2022, The Cru’s season opener will be played under the lights of Crusader Stadium, as UMHB begins its 10-game regular season slate. Saturday night’s 6 p.m. duel in Belton is a rematch of last year’s Week 1 contest, as Bethel University (TN) makes the trip west. A highly-regarded NAIA program that went 7-3 last season, the Wildcats received votes in the NAIA’s 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll last Monday. 

As we will do each Monday morning, we’ve put together a list of five things to know about The Cru’s upcoming opponent, kicking off game week with a comprehensive preview piece. We will then post our weekly feature from UMHB head coach Larry Harmon’s press conference on Tuesday morning, providing quality coverage of The Cru as the week progresses. 

So, what should you know about the first of UMHB’s two NAIA opponents in the 2025 campaign? Glad you asked. Here’s a look at the Bethel Wildcats. 

Editor’s note: The personnel notes in this piece come from Bethel’s preseason preview, published last week on bethelathletics.com. Be sure to check it out for more information on the Wildcats. 

A new head coach, but a familiar face, leading Bethel into 2025

The program’s leadership has changed since UMHB and Bethel last met on the gridiron. Head coach Mike Jasper made the jump to the Division I ranks following the Wildcats’ 2024 season, taking the head coaching job at Stetson University. The former NFL draft pick was 44-20 in six seasons at Bethel. 

It didn’t take long for the Bethel administration to find the program’s next head coach, hiring from within as defensive coordinator Chris Springer assumed the role of head coach. Springer, who has been at Bethel since 2017, will be a first-time head coach, though his experience with the program speaks for itself. His defenses have been incredibly consistent and amongst the best in the NAIA over the last several years, ranking in the Top 10 nationally in takeaways in three of the last four seasons, and in the Top 3 in scoring defense each of the last two seasons. 

“This team is ready,” said Springer in Bethel’s preseason preview. “We’re building something special in McKenzie—on and off the field. We’ve got a talented roster, a hungry locker room, and a staff that knows how to win. Every day is about getting better, staying connected, and competing with toughness and pride. Our fans should expect a team that plays fast, plays physical, and plays for each other.”

This will be the seventh instance in the Larry Harmon era in which UMHB has faced a first-year head coach, with five of the previous six being conference opponents (Texas Lutheran, Sul Ross State in 2022, Austin College, ETBU, Howard Payne in 2023). UMHB also faced UW-Whitewater head coach Jace Rindahl in his first year leading the Warhawks in 2023. 

A new-look offense for the Wildcats

When UMHB went to Bethel for its season opener last September, The Cru matched up with a Bethel offense that primarily focused on running the ball and putting together extended drives. It worked fairly well too, as the Wildcats averaged 342.3 yards/game (No. 3 in Mid-South Conference), including 204.1 rush yards/game, the 17th-most amongst all NAIA programs. But it didn’t put points on the board in the way those yardage numbers would suggest, as Bethel scored more than 20 points in just five of its 10 games, and averaged 26.8 points/game. 

But there’s reason to think that will change in 2025, starting with the Wildcats’ trip to Belton. Springer’s first season as head coach will also feature a brand-new offensive coaching staff in offensive coordinator Drew Chance, wide receivers coach/special teams coordinator Mike Salerno, offensive line coach Riley Reid, and running backs coach Adam Frey. 

The reason for the optimism? The quartet was largely responsible for leading one of the top offenses in Division III a season ago. 

When Chance announced he was leaving Illinois College for Bethel in mid-February, it certainly turned heads, both in D-III and in NAIA. In two seasons with the Blueboys, he established himself as one of the top rising offensive minds in the country, earning FootballScoop’s 2024 D-III Offensive Coordinator of the Year award as he transformed his alma mater’s scoring attack. Under the guidance of Chance, Salerno, Reid, and Frey, IC ranked in the Top 2 nationally in passing yards per game both seasons, and ranked in the Top 10 in scoring offense. 

IC put points on the board at an astronomical rate last fall, leading all NCAA programs (FBS, FCS, D2, D3) in scoring with 55.4 points per game. Their 79 touchdowns ranked eighth in D-III, and were the most of any non-playoff team. The Blueboys were also No. 4 in fourth down conversion percentage (successful of 75% of fourth-down attempts), No. 7 in team passing efficiency (180.22), and No. 12 in first down offense (285 total, 28.5/game). 

Those numbers alone give you an idea of the kind of high-octane offense the IC quartet has brought with them to McKenzie, and that considered, it should provide for an intriguing matchup on Saturday against a UMHB defense that recorded the third-most interceptions in D-III in 2024.

Bethel returns five offensive starters from its 2024 team, including standout running back Jordan Cason. The junior totaled 622 yards on 89 carries and had six touchdowns last season, including a season-best 121 yards against UMHB. Receiver Alonzo Russell (11 receptions, 105 yds), and tight end Jacob Bowles (5 receptions, 49 yards) are also expected to be key pieces within the offense. 

A former Gagliardi Trophy finalist is expected to start under center 

The offensive coaching staff isn’t the only addition from Illinois College heading into 2025. IC starting quarterback Destin Chance also transferred into the program during the offseason, as the Auburn, Illinois product is in his final season of eligibility coming off a 2024 campaign in which he garnered All-Region recognition from D3football.com and was one of five finalists for the prestigious Gagliardi Trophy, which is often referred to as D-III’s Heisman Trophy, and rewards both athletic and academic excellence. He was also the 2023 Midwest Conference Offensive Skill Player of the Year.

Chance, who is the younger brother of Bethel OC Drew Chance, threw for 3,593 yards and 50 touchdowns at IC last fall, leading the nation in total yards per game, total touchdowns, passing yards per game, and touchdown passes. That included nine games of 300+ passing yards, including a 620-yard performance against Beloit in his final game in an IC uniform.

For his career at IC, Chance threw for 9,474 yards, 116 touchdowns, and averaged 315.8 passing yards/game between 2023-2024, rewriting both the program and Midwest Conference record books. He played in 22 career games over four seasons in Jacksonville, going 17-4 as a starter between 2023 and 2024. Chance’s stellar junior season (4,036 pass yds, 48 TDs, 60.8% completion percentage) played a crucial role in IC claiming the 2023 Midwest Conference title and sending the Blueboys to the NCAA playoffs for the second time in program history.

Bringing in Chance is a tremendous upgrade for Bethel, who used two quarterbacks last season and averaged only 138.2 passing yards/game. His comfort playing in OC Drew Chance’s offensive system should help the Wildcats thrive early on, and he will likely be one of, if not the, most experienced quarterbacks in the Mid-South Conference in 2025. The expectations for Chance will be certainly high, and with a pair of veteran starters on the offensive line returning, he should be positioned well for a strong year. 

Plenty of experience up front for the Bethel Defense

Springer was at the helm of the Bethel defense last season, and UMHB saw firsthand how tough the Wildcats were on that side of the ball. Their superior performances continued as the fall progressed, with Bethel finishing 2024 as the sixth-best defense in the NAIA in points allowed (13.0 points/game), and fifth in yards allowed (264.8 yards/game). 

Now with Springer as head coach, there has been a change at defensive coordinator, as Kris Beauchamp was promoted from defensive line coach to the coordinator role. But there won’t be significant changes with the key contributors on the field, as several of Beauchamp’s top defensive linemen are back, along with a few notable linebackers. That includes junior DL TJ Hart (19 tackles, 1.5 sacks), junior DL Randall Foster (21 tackles, 2.0 TFL), and redshirt sophomore LB Tyson Hornbuckle (20 tackles, 3.5 TFL), all of whom stepped up at various points over the course of last season. 

The front seven was a force to be reckoned with in 2024, and it seems that will be the case yet again, with the depth the Wildcats have on both the line and at linebacker. In total, Bethel’s preseason preview notes that the Wildcats return six starters on defense. 

Bethel on the road

Over the last five seasons, Bethel has been a tough out in road games, both in and outside of conference play. Since 2020, the Wildcats have been .500 or better on the road in each season, with a 17-7 road record in that span. That includes a 9-1 stretch between 2022 and 2023, before Bethel went 2-2 away from McKenzie last fall. 

That track record is part of a larger story of a turnaround for the program, as the Wildcats have now posted four consecutive winning seasons after recording just two in the four years prior to that. 

It is important to note that much of Bethel’s travel in recent years has been to neighboring states, even within its non-conference schedule. The last time the Wildcats played a regular season game outside of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, or Kentucky was Sept. 11, 2021, when they visited St. Andrews (NC) in a 42-22 win. Saturday’s contest marks Bethel’s second trip to the Lone Star State in the last six years, as they opened their 2019 campaign in Beaumont at D1 Lamar. The trip to Belton will be the program’s longest for a non-conference game within the last decade.