BOX SCORE WAYNE, Neb. -- Playing under the lights of Memorial Stadium, the Augustana Football team used a dominant performance on both sides of the ball for a 27-21 win over Wayne State. Starting up front, the Vikings offensive line was in complete command, allowing Rudy Sinflorant to rush for a career-high 235 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore etched his name into Augustana history with his performance, as the 235 yards ranks 3rd all-time at Augustana for a single game. Not to be outdone, the defense was lights out, flexing their muscle to the tune of just 296 total yards for the Wildcats. It's the fewest yards the Vikings have allowed all year, and the lowest total since Oct. 28, 2017 (178 vs. Sioux Falls). Wayne State did have a chance to tie up the contest on the games second-to-last play, but the pass from quarterback Aaron Bleil was caught out of bounds. The win moves Augustana to 2-1 (2-1) overall and drops Wayne State to 1-2 (1-2). 

The Vikings, who came into Saturday's game leading the nation in passing offense, used a historic rushing attack to pick up their second win of the year. Sinflorant was simply brilliant, finding space all around the field and averaging over 8 yards per run. Equally important, the play of the offensive line was crucial. With Tom Green back in the lineup at left guard and fellow seniors Brett Kramer and Cody Rofshus next to him, the big men up front controlled the line of scrimmage all evening. After the win, Augustana head coach Jerry Olszewski was pleased with his team's performance. "These men fought hard today," Olszewski said. "I'm so proud of them for playing well, not giving in, and coming into Wayne and getting a win on the road in the NSIC, which is not easy.



Surprisingly, the evening started rather slow on the turf in Northeastern Nebraska. Wayne State has the first possession, and after driving down the field inside the 30, Cody Kujawa came up with a huge sack on third down. The Wildcats missed a 48-yard field goal, giving Augustana their first possession of the evening. Kyle Saddler drove the Vikings down the field, but the drive ultimately stalled, and Augustana used a pooch-punt for a touchback.  

The scoreboard remained quiet until early in the second quarter. Saddler dropped back, looked and threw left but the pass was deflected, bobbled and picked off by Odessa Clark. The junior returned it 36 yards to the house and Wayne State took a 7-0 lead. But Saddler and the Vikings marched right back downfield. The sophomore hit Nickel Meyers for a 20-yard game, and then it was time for a heavy dose of Rudy Sinflorant. The Sophmore had four straight rushes for a total of 30 yards, including a one-yard touchdown run, and the Vikings tied the game up at 7-7 with 8:18 left in the 1st half. 

From there, the Vikings defense continued to step-up. They suffocated the Wildcats in the first half, only allowing six 1st downs and four pass completions. They allowed the ball to get back to the Vikings high-powered offense, and they went right back to work. True freshman Braiden Peterson bounced off tacklers and got the Vikings into Wayne territory. After Saddler found Sean Engel for a big first down, and then the sophomore wideout drew a pass interference call in the end zone, it was Sinflorant slicing back into the end zone for a one-yard score. By half, the tailback and racked up a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the Vikings out gained the Wildcats 252 to 78 in the first half.  

Augustana started with the ball in the second-half and offensive coordinator James Schrenk dialed up more what was working. Sinflorant really started to get on a roll, picking up 22 yards on the second play of the half. Moments later, it was Saddler going play-action and hitting Chet Peerenboom for his first catch of the day, a 12-yard touchdown over the middle. Although the PAT was missed, Augustana dropped 20 unanswered points on Wayne and took complete control of the game. Saddler finished with 175 passing yards and one touchdown in the win. As a team, the Vikings finished with 459 yards on 89 plays, including 27 first downs. 

Not to be outdone, All-Conference cornerback Avram Tynes had one his best game of the year, locking down Wayne State's top wideout Nate Rodgers for the majority of the game. The All-NSIC wideout did finish with 100 yards, but most of those came late in the 4th quarter. Other defensive standouts included Kirby Hora, who led the Vikings with eight tackles, and Kujawa who had three tackles and one sack. After the Vikings got the ball back, Sinflorant continued to shine. By the end of the 3rd quarter, he had moved into the record books and moved past the 200-yard mark.

The fourth quarter started with Augustana inside the redzone, and with Sinflorant catching a breather, Petersen found the painted area from two-yards out. That made a 27-7 game with just over 14 minutes to play. However, Wayne State did not give up. The Wildcats scored on touchdowns from Marlon Warren and Nate Rodgers, and with 3:34 to go, had cut the deficit to 27-21. After the Vikings went three and out, it was up to the defense to get one more stop. With less than a minute to play, Wayne State and quarterback Aaron Bleil drove down the field and inside the 10-yard line. With 5 seconds left on 4th down, Bleil looked to Rodgers, but his catch was ruled out of bounds. The Vikings went into victory formation, locking up their second road win of the year. 

The Vikings will now return back to Sioux Falls next weekend for a matchup with cross-town rival University of Sioux Falls. Kickoff in the Key To The City game is set for 1 p.m. from Kirkeby-Over Stadium. Fans interested in tickets can click here.