"It was not our best performance," said head coach Jamie Cruce.

Bethany scored first in the game off a 20-yard field goal by junior Alex Fambrough. In a low-scoring first half, the Swedes entered the locker room with a 3-0 lead. Bethel tied the game in the third quarter with a field goal of their own.

It looked as if Bethany would open up the flood gates in the fourth as freshman Justin Dunbar crossed the goal line on a one-yard run before five minutes passed and senior quarterback Steven Baker connected with freshman wide receiver Brandon Martino for a 12-yard touchdown toss. After Fambrough converted one of two PATs, the Swedes were up 16-3.

Despite what was thought to be a comfortable lead, Bethany spun downhill, chalking up eight turnovers in the contest. "The multitude of turnovers resulted in our inability to finish the game," Cruce said.

As a result of three consecutive Swede fumbles, Bethel scored three unanswered touchdowns in the last ten minutes of the game to hand Bethany a 23-16 loss, their first of the season.

"I take 100 percent responsibility for the downfall," Cruce said. "The lack of focus falls on the head coach, and I take full responsibility."

Baker threw for 277 yards, completing 18 of 39 attempts, and four interceptions. Martino totaled 82 yards on six receptions, and sophomore Collin Parks also chalked up 82 yards off two receptions. On three catches, freshman James Johnson added 40 yards and junior Adam Garza contributed two receptions good for 35 yards. The hard-nosed Bethel defense held the Bethany ground game to minus three yards on the afternoon.

Junior Jeffrey Simplice and sophomore DeWayne Autry led the Swede defense with eight tackles each. Simplice totaled seven unassisted and one assisted while Autry added four unassisted and four assisted. Sophomores Kevin Goodie, Milton Collins, Michael Baker, and Quentin Hoskins all had six tackles each.

"In hind sight, with six minutes to go and being up by two scores, we need to have the ability to run the clock," Cruce said. "It is something we will improve on."

The Swedes are now 3-1 in the KCAC, putting them in third place, and 4-1 overall. They next face Southwestern College at Winfield on Saturday, October 17 at 1:30 p.m.

"I expect us to bounce back and have a good week of practice before we go on the road to Southwestern," said Cruce. "We will meet the challenge head on and move forward."