Senior center Anthony Roome and his offensive linemates have helped Augustana
average 200 yards per game rushing.Senior safety
Tim Maroder (Burlington Central HS, Elgin, Ill.) intercepted his school-record fourth pass of the night on the game's final play Saturday, September 20 to seal Augustana's first win of the season, a 34-17 triumph over Loras at Lindberg Stadium. That was one of nine turnovers forced by the Viking defense in the second annual Knowlton Kickoff Classic. Junior quarterback
Sam Frasco (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) again paced the offense, with a career-high four touchdown passes, including a pair to senior wide out
Kyle Frake (Central HS, Clifton, Ill.). Now 1-2 on the year, Coach
Rob Cushman's team opens CCIW play on October 4 at Elmhurst.
Maroder's four picks, three of which came in the fourth quarter, bested the previous school record of three, set on 12 times by eight different players. All-Americans Mike Gray, Troy Westerman and Tom Anthony each had three interceptions on two occasions, as did Gary Goforth. Sophomore linebacker
Jack Asquini (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) accounted for a pair of takeaways as well, recovering two fumbles to go along with a game-high 15 tackles (11 solo). The Augustana defense weathered an amazing 110 Loras plays from scrimmage, including 74 pass attempts.
Through three contests, the Viking offense has produced averages of 28.7 points and 403.0 total yards per game. The ground game, led by Frasco's 217 yards and five touchdowns, averages 200.7 yards per game and 4.7 per carry. Through the air, Frasco has connected on 48 of 79 attempts (60.8%) for 586 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. Slot receivers
Sean Fitzgerald (Providence HS, Manhattan, Ill.) and
Antonio Owens (Naperville North HS, Chicago, Ill.) have been the most frequent targets, with 13 and 12 receptions, respectively. Fitzgerald's catches have gone for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Owens has 126 yards and two scores.
Defensively, Asquini has team highs of 28 tackles—including 21 solo stops—and two fumble recoveries. Maroder is next with 22 tackles (20 solo) and a team-leading four interceptions. Junior
Frank Kalble (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) has recorded a team-high six tackles for loss. Senior corner
Ben Fornek (Batavia HS, Batavia, Ill.) leads with four pass breakups.
Senior
Conner Murray (Conifer HS, Morrison, Colo.) was key against Loras, averaging 40.7 yards on 10 punts and recording touchbacks on three of his six kickoffs. He's averaging 38.2 yards per punt on the year.
This week's opponent, Elmhurst, is also 1-2 and was idle this past Saturday. The teams have a common opponent in Loras, which defeated the Bluejays 39-17 in the season opener in Dubuque, Iowa on September 6.
First-year Coach Rob Planz's offense revolves around junior running back Josh Williams. A second team All-CCIW selection last year, Williams rushed for a school-record 306 yards in a week two win at Olivet, earning conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. The brother of former Bluejay great Scottie Williams has 427 yards on 72 carries (5.9 per attempt) this season. Senior quarterback Joe Camiliere has rushed for five touchdowns and completed 48 of 97 passes (49.5%) for 529 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions. His top targets have been junior tight end Garrett Claxon (15 catches, 123 yards) and Williams (13-155, one touchdown). Elmhurst is averaging 22.3 points and 364.0 total yards through three games.
Defensively, the Bluejays are surrendering 31.7 points and 372.7 total yards per contest. Junior linebacker Trent Howard leads Elmhurst with 15 tackles.
2014 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS| DATE | OPPONENT | SITE | SCORE/TIME |
| September 6 | Mount St. Joseph | Cincinnati, Ohio | L, 25-58 |
| September 13 | Hope | Holland, Michigan | L, 27-37 |
| September 20 | Loras | HOME | W, 34-17 |
| October 4 | *Elmhurst | Elmhurst, Illinois | 1:00 pm |
| October 11 | *Wheaton (Homecoming) | HOME | 1:00 pm |
| October 18 | *Illinois Wesleyan | Bloomington, Illinois | 1:30 pm |
| October 25 | *Carthage | Kenosha, Wisconsin | 1:00 pm |
| November 1 | *North Park | HOME | 1:00 pm |
| November 8 | *North Central | Naperville, Illinois | 1:00 pm |
| November 15 | *Millikin | HOME | 1:00 p.m. |
* - College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin game
2014 CCIW STANDINGS| School | CCIW | Overall |
| Wheaton | 0-0 | 3-0 |
| Illinois Wesleyan | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| Millikin | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| North Central | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| AUGUSTANA | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Carthage | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Elmhurst | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| North Park | 0-0 | 0-3 |
is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Augustana football program. He has spent the 2008-10 seasons serving as the Viking defensive coordinator. His coaching career began at Cal State-Chico in 1979. His first head coaching position was at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon, where he spent five seasons before being named the first head coach at Feather River College in Quincy, California in 2002. He led the fledgling program to a 34-21 (.618) record in five seasons, reaching a post-season bowl game each year. He served as special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York in 2007, prior to coming to Augustana.
