Two keys to Augustana's offense this season figure to be junior quarterback Sam Frasco (L) and
sophomore running back Brandon Price (R).ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Coach
Rob Cushman's Augustana football team is set to open the 2014 season this Saturday, taking on the College of Mount St. Joseph at Schueler Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. eastern time (5:00 central). The two teams met for the first time ever last season in the inaugural Knowlton Kickoff Classic. That game, won by the Vikings 20-10, marked the opening of the Austin E. Knowlton Outdoor Athletics Complex on the campus of Augustana.
Cushman's program returns 30 letter winners and 11 starters from last year's 5-5 outfit, although some of those will be starting at new positions. Senior
Greg Ferguson (Plainfield South HS, Plainfield, Ill.) moves from a starting offensive guard spot to nose tackle in first-year defensive coordinator Zach Shay's 3-4 alignment. Senior
Anthony Roome (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.), the other starting guard last year, moves to center, replacing Academic All-American
Eric Dratnol.
Junior quarterback
Sam Frasco (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) spearheads the Viking offense. He completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 919 yards and rushed for 740 yards (92.5 per game and 6.7 per carry) last year in slightly more than seven games. A shoulder injury early in Augustana's eighth game ended his season. Sophomore
Brandon Price (Providence Catholic HS, Plainfield, Ill.) takes over for graduated
Eric Chandler at running back. Price ran for 228 yards (4.4 per carry) and two touchdowns in a reserve role last season and also had three of his four pass receptions go for touchdowns. Wide out
Kyle Frake (Central HS, Clifton, Ill.) (15 receptions, 118 yards, two touchdowns) and slot
Sean Fitzgerald (Providence Catholic HS, Manhattan, Ill.) (14-191-1) are the top returning receivers. The other slot position will be manned by
Antonio Owens (Naperville North HS, Chicago, Ill.), who returns after a year away. He caught 19 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns in 2012 and averaged 6.5 yards per carry on 17 rush attempts. Senior tackle
Jon Losen (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) is another returning starter.
One of Shay's main goals on defense will be finding a replacement for two-time All-American middle linebacker
Erik Westerberg. Sophomores Mike Daniels
(Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.), who tied for second on the team with 45 tackles last year, and
Jack Asquini (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.), who had a big game (10 tackles and an interception) filling in for an injured Westerberg against Elmhurst, will fill the inside linebacker spots. Second team All-CCIW defensive end
Sean McIntyre (Genoa-Kingston HS, Genoa, Ill.) returns as well and seniors
Bo Goshorn (Romeoville HS, Romeoville, Ill.) (45 tackles),
Ben Fornek (Batavia HS, Batavia, Ill.) (37 tackles, five interceptions) and
Tim Maroder (Burlington Central HS, Elgin, Ill.) (42 tackles) lead a veteran secondary.
Freshman
Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) will handle the placekicking chores with senior
Conner Murray (Conifer HS, Morrison, Colo.) (38.1 average in 2013) doing the punting.
Coach Rod Huber's Mount St. Joseph team finished 6-4 overall last year and 6-2 and in third place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Lions were picked for second in this year's HCAC preseason coaches' poll.
MSJ returns three first team All-HCAC performers from a year ago. Senior wide receiver Leonard Riston caught 58 passes for 765 yards and four touchdowns in 2013. 6' 3", 305-pound center Brandon Allen was also a first team all-conference selection, as was kicker Shane Allen, who converted 11 of 13 field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards.
Second team all-league selections returning for Huber include 6' 8", 230-pound wide receiver John Peters (32-529-8), 6', 220-pound linebacker Brent McCleerey (team-high 60 tackles, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries) and 6' 2", 240-pound linebacker Konnor Blevins (43 tackles, 9.5 for loss).
Sophomore running back Denzell Norvell and junior cornerback Marvin Draper were also recognized as "Players to Watch" this year in the HCAC. Freshman Greg Simpson gets the starting nod at quarterback for the Lions.
2014 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS| DATE | OPPONENT | SITE | SCORE/TIME |
| September 6 | Mount St. Joseph | Cincinnati, Ohio | 5:00 pm |
| September 13 | Hope | Holland, Michigan | 12:30 pm |
| September 20 | Loras | HOME | 6:00 pm |
| 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, Wisonsin | 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 |
| AUGUSTANA | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Carthage | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Elmhurst | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Illinois Wesleyan | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Millikin | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| North Central | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| North Park | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Wheaton | 0-0 | 0-0 |
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.
