Lakers Fall Short At No. 12 Bethel

McKENZIE, Tenn. – Roosevelt fell 44-7 to No. 12 Bethel in McKenzie, Tenn. after the Wildcats scored 31 unanswered points in the second half to put the game away.

The Lakers (4-3) had some chances early to put the pressure on the Wildcats with their first three drives all starting at their own 32-yard line or better. Roosevelt finally put together one of its patented time-consuming drives at the end of the first half, going 48 yards in 15 plays to eat up the final 7:48 of the half. However, the Wildcats blocked a field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown to make it 13-0 at halftime.

It took until the midway point of the third quarter for the Lakers to strike as Carson Budke connected with Keonta Nixon on a 10-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-7. Earlier on that drive, Budke found Jerrell Calhoun for a 23-yard catch and run to set up the Lakers inside the red zone for the second time on the day.

The Roosevelt defense rose to the occasion for much of the first three quarters while limiting Bethel to just 16 points. Every time the offense made a mistake in the early going, the defense was there to pick up the pieces and lift up their teammates. After a first-quarter fumble, the Lakers stopped the Wildcats on fourth down to force a turnover.

It was the same after a pair of interceptions with one leading to a punt and the second being cancelled out by a forced fumble. Corties Draper forced and recovered that fumble then intercepted a pass on Bethel's next drive to set up Roosevelt's long drive at the end of the first half. The senior linebacker also had a sack, two tackles-for-loss and seven overall tackles in the game.

Roosevelt then forced a punt on the Wildcats' first drive of the second half, which was set up by another Lakers giveaway. Overall, the Lakers held Bethel to just two yards per rushing attempt with 76 yards on 38 attempts. Much of that work was done by Jaylen Olokun, who was credited with 18 tackles, including two for a loss.

Roosevelt returns to conference play next Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais.