Box Score
The Augustana football team was running on all cylinders as the Vikings rolled to a 49-0 victory over Minnesota, Crookston, in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
Augustana improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC with its fifth-straight win dating back to last season. It is the second time the Vikings have opened the season 3-0 since 2006.
Augustana's starting offense was nearly perfect, scoring 5 touchdowns in 7 drives behind the running of
Joe Clark and the passing of
Luke Butler. Clark, who rushed for 91 yards in the first half, put the Vikings on the scoreboard less than a minute into the game. He scampered 37 yards down the right sideline for his first rushing touchdown of the season with 14:09 left in the first quarter.
Two series later,
Tyler Schulte scored from 5 yards out to give the Vikings a 14-0 cushion with 4:50 left in the period.
Butler heated up in the second quarter. He connected with
Sam Holsen on a 43-yard touchdown and with
Joe Klumper on a 21-yard strike to put the Vikings in front 28-0 at halftime. Butler finished the half completing 12 of 15 passes for 175 yards and 2 scores.
Meanwhile, the Augustana defense did its job stuffing the Minnesota, Crookston offense. The Golden Eagles made it across midfield twice in the first half. UMC tried to get on the scoreboard right before intermission, but
Jesse Jones blocked Chris Secrest's 35-yard field goal attempt with 22 seconds left in the half.
Augustana finished the half with 273 total yards, while UMC had 108.
The Vikings' starting offense played just 1 series in the second half and they made it count. Taking over at their own 27, the Vikings marched 73 yards in 8 plays, capped by Clark's 7-yard touchdown run, making the score 35-0.
Later in the half, backup quarterback
Josh Hanson finished off a 5-play, 37-yard drive with a 22-yard run. The final score in the contest was a 67-yard pass from
Ryan Schuetz to
Alex Kjellsen with 1:53 left in the game. It was Schuetz's first career pass attempt and Kjellsen's first career reception.
The defensive reserves were equally impressive as the Vikings never allowed Minnesota, Crookston to cross midfield in the second half.
Augustana, which has now outscored Minnesota, Crookston, 189-7 in 4 games played, finished the afternoon with a well-balanced 536 total yards. The Vikings rushed for 230 yards, including a game-high 150 yards by Clark, and passed for 251 yards. Butler led the way by completing 13 of 16 passes for 183 yards and 2 TD's. Butler now has 9 touchdown passes this season, 1 shy of his 2008 season total.
Defensively,
Ryan Isaacson paced the Vikings. Making his first career start in place of the injured
Brandon McMichael, Isaacson recorded a career-high 9 tackles (5 solo, 4 assists), including 1 tackle for loss.
Augustana goes on the road next week, traveling to Duluth, Minn., to take on defending Division II national champion Minnesota Duluth. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
