BOX SCORE
MOORHEAD, Minn. - In the inaugural meeting between the two schools, No. 11 Augustana scored 40 unanswered points and rallied from a 17-7 deficit to defeat Minnesota State Moorhead 47-17 Saturday afternoon in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football in Moorhead, Minn. The Vikings improve to 8-0, matching the best start to a season in the program's history and tying a season record for wins in a season.
The Vikings also improve to 7-0 in NSIC play; MSUM falls to 2-6 (2-5 NSIC).
MSUM scored the game's first 10 points and held a 17-7 advantage midway through the second quarter, but Augustana got two touchdowns apiece from
Joe Clark and
Tyler Schulte, a safety, a
Drew Behren's field goal, and a
Curt Truhe touchdown to close the contest.
Clark recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game, carrying the ball 17 times for 102 yards and two scores.
Josh Hanson completed 14 of 26 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore threw four interceptions--double what he had thrown the entire season entering the game.
Sam Holsen caught four passes for 131 yards, one of those receptions spanning 82 yards for a touchdown. Schulte's two touchdowns came on a three catch, 32 yard performance.
Austin Luecke finished with a team-high nine tackles. For the first time this season, the Vikings failed to post a sack.
The Dragons' 10-0 early lead was the result of a 24-yard field goal from Wes Kramer and a 3-yard touchdown run by Eboni Lucious-West.
The Vikings eventually answered in the second quarter when Hanson found Holsen for an 82-yard touchdown. Holsen saved an underthrown ball by snagging the tip from a Dragon defender and covering the remaining ground for the score. It was Holsen's first touchdown of the season.
MSUM, though, answered on the next Augustana offensive series. Tyler Hewsen picked off Hanson at the Viking 40-yard line and found paydirt with 10 minutes left before the half.
A Behrens 26-yard field goal on the ensuing possession moved the Vikings with sevenpoints. Behrens finished the game 1 of 1 on field goals 4 of 4 on point afters.
Augustana finally caught a break via its defense on the subsequent Dragon offensive series, pinning MSUM at its own 24-yard line before a bad snap on a punt resulted in a safety.
The Vikings quickly turned that into another seven points, using Clark for 29 of their 50-yard drive that was capped by a 2-yard touchdown plunge by the senior running back.
Augustana added another touchdown before the half, covering 75 yards in just more than a minute before Hanson found Schulte from 12 yards out to give the Vikings a 26-17 halftime lead.
Augustana used the third quarter to tack on another 14 points--these coming on a 5-yard run from Clark and an 18-yard Hanson-to-Schulte connection.
Devon Alber and Truhe put the finishing touches on the Viking victory late in the game. Alber intercepted his first career pass and set up a 34-yard drive for Augustana that Truhe capped with a 4-yard run--his first career touchdown.
Despite the slow start, Augustana still managed to rack up 459 yards of total offense.
For the fifth time this season, the Viking defense held their opponent to less than 100 yards on the ground as the Dragons managed just 20 yards rushing.
Augustana also posted eight wins in 1936, 1937, 1942, 1988, 1989, 2008 and 2009.
The Vikings will look for their school-record ninth win next Saturday when they host Minnesota State at Kirkeby-Over Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
