Augustana University Athletics

Box Score

The Augustana defense forced three fourth-quarter turnovers to help the Vikings knock off Minnesota-Duluth 26-23 Saturday afternoon at Howard Wood Field.

With the win, Augustana (4-5, 1-4 NCC) snaps an 11-game North Central Conference losing streak dating back to the 2003 season. Augie's last league win was a 34-27 triumph at Minnesota State-Mankato on November 1, 2003.

With the score tied 23-23 after three quarters, the Viking defense flexed its muscle, stopping all three UMD fourth-quarter drives with turnovers. Dustin Rice stopped the first drive with his first interception of the season. He picked off Ted Schlafke at the Augie 22 and returned the ball to the UMD 45.

That interception set up the game-winning drive for Augustana. The Vikings drove to the Bulldog 2-yard line, but had to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Ryan Grossman. That made the score 26-23 with 9:40 to play.

Minnesota-Duluth (6-3, 2-2 NCC) had two chances to tie or take the lead, but both times Nick Ovenden made big plays. With the Bulldogs facing a 2nd-and-goal at the Viking 7, Ovenden sacked Schlafke at the Augie 13. The hit forced Schlafke to fumble the ball and Ovenden recovered the ball at teh Viking 25.

Following a Viking punt, UMD took over at their own 10 with 1:28 to play. But on the third play of the drive, Ovenden intercepted Schlafke at the UMD 39 with 1:10 to play. It was Ovenden's first career interception. The Vikings were then able to run out the clock and seal the victory.

The game didn't start as promising for Augustana. After stopping UMD on the opening drive of the game, Bulldog punter Luke Radke pinned Augie inside its own 1. On third down, Augustana was flagged for holding in the end zone resulting in a safety, giving UMD a 2-0 lead with 9:44 left in the first quarter.

Following a free kick that went out of bounds, the Bulldogs began the ensuing drive at the 50. UMD scored 11 plays later when Schlafke connected with Greg Aker for an 11-yard score, giving the visitors a 9-0 lead.

But Augustana responded. On its next drive, Augie drove 65 yards in 4 plays. Ryan Corcoran, starting his first game since the 2003 season, went the final 21 yards for the score, narrowing the deficit to 9-7 with 3:49 left in the quarter.

Augustana then reached into its bag of tricks as kicker Jason Donnelly recovered an onside kick, setting the Vikings up at their own 45. The Vikings then drove 55 yards in 10 plays, capped by Tommy Flyger's 3-yard scoring run, giving the hosts a 14-9 lead with 13 seconds left in the quarter.

The Vikings stretched their lead in the second quarter when Flyger capped a 6-play, 62-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge. The PAT failed, leaving Augustana with a 20-9 lead.

Minnesota-Duluth answered shortly before halftime. Bolstered by a 10-yard run on a fake punt, UMD's drove 75 yards in 15 plays for a TD. Joe Russell scored from 4 yards out with 30 seconds left in the half to make the score 20-16 at intermission.

Grossman's 22-yard field goal with 2:49 left in the third quarter gave Augie a 23-16 lead, but Schlafke hooked up with Tony Doherty on a 29-yard scoring pass with 2:11 left in the quarter to tie the game at 23-23.

Minnesota-Duluth held the edge in total yardage, outgaining Augustana by a 383-302 count. The Bulldogs also had an advantage in time of possession, controlling the ball for 33:41 compared to Augustana's 26:19.

However, the turnover battle was won by Augustana. While forcing UMD into three key turnovers, the Vikings did not commit a turnover.

Flyger directed an efficient Viking attack. He completed 14 of 29 passes for 117 yards. He also rushed for 94 yards, matching his career high. Corcoran added 81 yards on the ground. Ryan Rothenberger had a team-high 34 yards receiving while Tommy Ellingworth had 32.

Schlafke passed for 280 yards for UMD, completing 29 of 41 passes with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions. He added 43 yards rushing, while Russell had 44 yards. Vinny Flury had 78 yards receiving, while Ross Schumacher had 73.

Defensively, three Vikings reached double digits in tackles. Clint Bresee had a career-high 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Rice also had 12 tackles to go along with 3 tackles for loss, a sack, a pass break up and an interception. Ovenden finished with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception.

The Vikings will play their final home game of the season next Saturday, October 29, when they play host to Minnesota State for a noon contest at Howard Wood Field.