ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Coming off an idle week, Coach Rob Cushman's Augustana football team jumps into the CCIW competition with a 1:00 p.m. contest this Saturday at 15th-ranked Wheaton. The Vikings sandwiched wins over Mount St. Joseph (20-10) and Loras (35-10) around a 38-13 loss to Central during the pre-conference portion of the schedule.
 
Senior linebacker Erik Westerberg (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Week this past Monday after making six solo tackles and assisting on two more in Augustana's 35-10 win at Loras on September 21. He and his Viking mates held All-IIAC running back Nate Carrier to just 11 yards on 17 carries and the Duhawks to just 120 total yards.
 
Westerberg leads Augustana in tackles with 27 total (19 solo and eight assists) through three games. His 5½ stops behind the line of scrimmage are also tops on the team. Freshman Michael Daniels (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.), with 17 and junior Bo Goshorn (Romeoville HS, Romeoville, Ill), with 14, are next in total tackles. Senior Sean Walker (Annawan HS, Annawan, Ill) and junior Ben Fornek (Batavia HS, Batavia, Ill.) have 12 each and senior Sean Mulholland (Clinton HS, Clinton, Ill.) has 11.
 
Fornek has a team-high three interceptions. Walker, the conference Defensive Player of the Week after the Vikings' season-opening win over Mount St. Joseph, leads with four pass breakups and Mulholland is tied with senior James Stratton (Sherrard HS, Sherrard, Ill.) for the sack lead with two each. As a team, the Vikings are giving up just 105.2 rushing yards per game (3.2 per carry) and an average of only 249.3 total yards per contest.
 
On offense, the Augustana running game is producing an average of 243.7 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry. Senior running back Eric Chandler (Cary-Grove HS, Cary, Ill.), despite missing a game and a half with a leg injury, leads the way with 197 yards on 27 carries (7.3 per carry) and a pair of touchdowns. freshman quarterback Sam Frasco (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) has carried 38 times for 139 yards and two scores and freshman running back Brandon Price (Providence Catholic HS, Plainfield, Ill.) 30 times for 116 yards and one touchdown. Senior Mike McLean (Willowbrook HS, Villa Park, Ill.) has 106 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries as well.
 
Frasco has completed 34 of 58 pass attempts (58.6 percent) for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He's been intercepted five times. Senior Nick Krantz (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) is the Vikings' leading receiver with 13 catches for 116 yards, followed by classmate Kyle Snow (Wheaton Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) (6-40) and sophomore Sean Fitzgerald (Providence Catholic HS, Manhattan, Ill.) (5-38).
 
A formidable Wheaton outfit awaits Augustana in its CCIW opener. Coach Mike Swider's Thunder, ranked 15th in the D3football.com Week 3 Top 25, has defeated Benedictine (48-27), Albion (66-0) and Luther (38-12) to start the 2013 season. Like the Vikings, Wheaton was idle this past week.
 
The Thunder is averaging 474.0 total yards per game and 50.7 points per game. Wheaton has shown excellent balance, with 228.0 yards per game (6.4 per carry) on the ground and 246.0 through the air. Senior quarterback Jordan Roberts, a 2012 All-CCIW first-teamer, has been Swider's biggest weapon. Roberts has not only completed 52 of 76 passes (68.4 percent) for 614 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, but has rushed for a team-high 270 yards and six touchdowns. He's averaging a whopping 9.3 yards per carry.
 
Senior running back Charlie Velling has rushed for 199 yards and four scores on 26 carries (7.7 per carry). The Thunder passing game has distributed the ball among several different receivers, led by Grayson Roberts, the younger brother of Jordan. He has nine catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Senior Matt Mitchell (eight catches for 68 yards) and Velling (8-64, 1 TD) are right behind.
 
The Wheaton defense, led by 6' 3", 319-pound tackle Brandon Dykstra, is allowing just 255.0 yards per game—128.7 on the ground and 126.3 through the air. Dykstra, a senior, was a first team All-CCIW selection in 2012.
 
Sophomore linebacker Logan McRae leads the Thunder with 17 tackles (12 solo, five assists) and is tied for the team lead with three for loss. Safety Jordan Dornbush (14) and linebackers Austin Brooks (13) and Jordan Higgins (10) are also in double figures in total stops. Junior defensive end Jared Todd has three sacks and senior corner Jackson Edwards has an interception and two pass breakups.
 
Special teamers Sam Cote (K) and Justin Swider (KR) are also returning first team All-CCIW performers.
 
 
2013 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS

DATE	OPPONENT	SITE	SCORE/TIME
September 7	Mount St. Joseph	HOME	W, 20-10
September 14	Central (Family Weekend)	HOME	L, 13-38
September 21	Loras	Dubuque, Iowa	W, 35-10
October 5	*Wheaton	Wheaton	1:00 p.m.
October 12	*Elmhurst (Homecoming)	HOME	1:00 p.m.
October 19	*Millikin	Decatur, Illinois	1:00 p.m.
October 26	*North Park	HOME	6:00 p.m.
November 2	*Carthage	Kenosha, Wisconsin	1:00 p.m.
November 9	*Illinois Wesleyan	HOME	1:00 p.m.
November 16	*North Central	Naperville, Ill.	1:00 p.m.

* - College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin game
 
 
2013 CCIW STANDINGS

School	CCIW	Overall
Wheaton	0-0	3-0
Illinois Wesleyan	0-0	3-0
North Central	0-0	3-0
AUGUSTANA	0-0	2-1
Carthage	0-0	1-2
Elmhurst	0-0	1-2
Millikin	0-0	1-2
North Park	0-0	0-3

           

LAST WEEK'S SCORES  
September 28
North Central 27, UW-Stevens Point 7
Olivet 14, North Park 10
Millikin 52, Aurora 49
Adrian 28, Carthage 14
Illinois Wesleyan 14, Hope 7 
   
THIS WEEK'S GAMES 
October 5
AUGUSTANA at Wheaton, 1:00 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan at Millikin, 1:00 p.m.
North Central at Elmhurst, 2:00 p.m.
Carthage at North Park, 2:00 p.m.