MANKATO, Minn. – Augustana University football trailed No. 1 Minnesota State 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter but the Mavericks (6-0, 2-0 NSIC) forced a fumble in Viking territory and scored shortly after before going on to a 35-27 victory in front of a record crowd of 7,187 at Blakeselee Stadium.
The Vikings (4-2, 1-1 NSIC South) drove 76 yards on 11 plays and scored on a four-yard touchdown catch by
Charlie Hayes that brought Augustana within one at 21-20 with one minute left in the third quarter. The Viking defense would then force the Mavericks to go three-and-out giving the offense the ball with a chance to take the lead.
After a 59-yard punt by Alden Haffar,
Trey Heid tried to escape the pocket and had the ball stripped from his hand and the Mavericks took over at the Viking four-yard line. One play later,
Nick Pieruccini plunged into the end zone to put MSU in front 28-20 giving the Mavericks an eight-point lead with 13:51 to play.
Augustana would punt on its next possession and the Mavericks wore down the clock going 80 yards on 15 plays before Connor Thomas plunged into the end zone on a six-yard score that put his team in front 35-20 with 4:11 remaining in the game after a nearly eight minute drive.
Two possessions later, Heid hit
Matt Heller with a 49-yard touchdown pass and the Vikings were within eight points at 35-27 with 2:32 remaining in the game.
Lucas Wainman drilled a picture-perfect onside kick attempt but the Vikings were unable to recover as the Mavericks would hang on for the 35-27 victory.
Augustana held a strong rushing team quiet for most of the game as the Mavericks rushed for 224 yards in the contest, after only picking up 75 yards on the ground in the first half. MSU passed for 223 yards in the game, led by Ty Dennis who had six catches for 153 yards and two scores.
Heid finished the game 20 of 28 passing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Heller hauled in eight passes for a career-high 144 yards and a score.
Charlie Hayes added 55 yards and a touchdown on four catches while
CJ Ham rushed 11 times for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Ham has now rushed for a career-high eight touchdowns in 2015 for the Vikings.
Brandon Mohr led the Viking defense with 12 tackles in the game, including eight solo stops. Mohr aso had a forced fumble.
Chad Curry added 10 tackles and
Jamal Samaha pitched in with a career-high eight, and a sack. Samaha now has a team-high six sacks on the season, bringing him within three of the single-season individual record.
Minnesota State jumped out to a 21-3 with 7:48 remaining in the first half on a 17-yard touchdown catch by Dennis. The Vikings would not go down quietly though in the first half as they drove 71 yards on 10 plays and made the score 21-10 on a four-yard touchdown run by Ham with 3:24 left in the half.
The Vikings would then force the Mavericks to go three-and-out on their next possession giving the offense the ball at the 41-yard line with 1:19 remaining in the half.
Heid led the Vikings into MSU territory, completing passes of 18 yards and 14 yards to Heller and Hayes, with the 14-yard connection to Hayes picking up a first down at the MSU 19-yard line with four seconds to play. Augustana would call a timeout and Wainman drilled a 36-yard field goal making the score 21-13 heading into the half.
Both teams punted on their first possessions of the second half before the Viking defense stopped Minnesota State on fourth-down and one from the Viking 24-yard line where Augustana would start its scoring drive that brought them within one at 21-20. The Vikings went 76 yards on 11 plays before the Mavericks were able to pull away late.
Augustana returns home next Saturday to host Wayne State in the annual Viking Days game. The Vikings and Wildcats will kick-off at 1 p.m. at Kirkeby-Over Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17.
--- GoAugie.com ---
