Nebraska-Omaha converted three of Augustana’s five turnovers into three touchdowns as the Mavericks defeated the Vikings 44-20 Saturday afternoon at Howard Wood Field.
Nebraska-Omaha, which improved to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the NCC, got off to a fast start. The Mavericks, who moved into sole possession of first place in the league, took the opening kickoff 77 yards on 7 plays, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run by Jamar Day. Andy Severson’s PAT was good, making the score 7-0.
That’s when UNO’s defense shined. After the Mavericks pinned the Vikings at the Augie 2 on a punt, UNO’s Randy Stella forced
Eric Rice to fumble at the 2. Bobby Danenhauer recovered the ball, setting up a Day 2-yard scoring scamper on the very next play. Severson missed the PAT, leaving the score 13-0.
On Augustana’s next possession, senior quarterback
Ryan DeGraff was intercepted by Taiwo Onatolu who then weaved his way 52 yards for a touchdown, making the score 19-0 with 6:12 left in the first quarter.
Onatolu added another touchdown midway through the third quarter when he picked off DeGraff and returned it 34 yards. That score put the Mavericks ahead 44-0 with 6:48 left in the third quarter.
Augustana, which fell to 3-5 overall and 0-4 in the NCC, managed to score three times, all coming in the second half. The first score came when DeGraff hooked up with
Tom Ellingworth for a 13-yard touchdown pass to put the Vikings on the board at 44-7 with 2:49 left in the third quarter.
Sophomore quarterback
Tommy Flyger threw for two scores in the fourth period. The first was a 15-yard pass to
Mitch Weber, while the second was a 26-yard strike to
Dan Klumper, making the final score 44-20.
Despite the score, the Mavericks held only a slight edge in total offense. UNO racked up 354 total yards, compared to 320 for the Vikings. Jamar Day accounted for 226 of UNO’s 296 rushing yards. Day also rushed for three scores.
Flyger ended the game 10-for-23 for 163 yards and two TD’s. Flyger also led the Vikings in rushing with 36 yards on eight carries. DeGraff was 9-for-21 for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Augustana will next travel to play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday, October 23 at 1 p.m.
