Box Score
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Senior Eric Chandler (Cary-Grove HS, Cary, Ill.) and freshman Brandon Price (Providence Catholic HS, Plainfield, Ill.) each found the end zone twice Saturday as Augustana defeated Loras 35-10 at the Rock Bowl. The Vikings improve to 2-1 heading into their CCIW opener at Wheaton on October 5. The Duhawks fall to 1-2 on the year.
 
Augustana wasted no time jumping on top. After the defense forced a Loras three-and-out on the game's first possession, the offense took less than two and a half minutes to go 56 yards for a touchdown. Torre Harrell (Bloomington HS, Bloomington, Ill.) rushed for 32 yards on the Vikings' first play from scrimmage and Chandler, seeing his first action since the third quarter of the season-opener, capped the seven-play march with a one-yard scoring run.
 
Augustana added another touchdown in the first quarter, going 59 yards in eight plays to go up 14-0. Sophomore quarterback Sam Frasco (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Frake (Central HS, Clifton, Ill.) called back, but bounced right back to hook up with Price for a 25-yard scoring strike on the next play. Price also rushed four times for 45 yards on the drive.
 
Chandler went in from six yards out early in the second quarter, capping an 11-play, 54-yard march and Conner Murray's (Conifer HS, Morrison, Colo.) point after made it 21-0 Vikings. Freshman Connor Griffin (Mount Carmel HS, Chicago, Ill.) picked off a Dylan Jones pass on the first play of Loras' next possession and it took Augustana just four plays to go 33 yards and reach the end zone again. Price was again the main man, busting off a 22-yard run before going in from the two to make it 28-0 with 9:18 left in the half.
 
Louie Oswald's 31-yard field goal for the Duhawks with 30 seconds left made the score 28-3 at the break.
 
Frasco keyed the Vikings' next touchdown drive on the first possession of the second half. He hit senior Nick Krantz (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) for 28 yards on the first play and carried twice for 25 yards including an 11-yard scoring run to cap an eight play, 78-yard drive. It was Augustana's fifth touchdown in its first six possessions of the game and gave the Vikings a 35-3 lead.
 
The hosts scored the game's final points on the last play of the third quarter. Chris Walker scooped up an Augustana fumble and took it 22 yards to the end zone. Oswald's PAT accounted for the final of 35-10.
 
Price led a balanced Viking ground game with 66 yards on 13 carries. Frasco carried eight times for 51 yards and completed five of 10 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Krantz caught two passes for 34 yards.
 
The Vikings defense, led by eight tackles from senior linebacker Erik Westerberg (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.), did a tremendous job against Loras running back Nate Carrier. Carrier came into the game with almost 300 rushing yards in two previous contests, but was held to 11 yards on 17 carries by Augustana. The Duhawks finished with just 50 rushing yards and 120 total yards in the game and seven different Vikings each recorded a sack.
 
Six of Westerberg's stops were solo tackles and four came behind the line of scrimmage. Freshman linebacker Michael Daniels (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) added six total tackles. In addition to Griffin's interception, Luke Kowalczyk (La Salle-Peru HS, Peru, Ill.) also picked off a Duhawk pass.
 
Coach Rob Cushman's Vikings will be idle the week of September 28 before opening CCIW play at Wheaton on Saturday, October 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m .