Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Elmhurst's defense kept Augustana bottled up Saturday and its offense produced just enough to allow the Bluejays to hand the Vikings a 14-3 setback on Homecoming at Lindberg Stadium. Elmhurst improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the CCIW, while Augustana dropped to 2-3 on the year and 1-2 in the league.
 
The game was still scoreless with 10:44 to play in the second quarter when the Vikings took over at their own 40-yard line following a short Bluejay punt. On their first play, Brian Tucker intercepted a Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) pass near midfield and returned it to the Augustana 26.
 
After a false start put Elmhurst in first-and-15, quarterback Orlando Hernandez broke off runs of six and 14 yards and running back Daniel Bourgalt went the last 11 yards around right end for a touchdown. Blake Bailey's point after put the visitors up 7-0.
 
On Augustana's final drive of the first half, Fuller connected with Danny Lattner (Fenwick HS, Riverside, Ill.) for 35 yards on the first play to reach Bluejay territory. The Vikings got down to the 35 before consecutive sacks pushed them back to the 44. Following a timeout with 3.6 second left, Fuller rolled right and lofted a ball toward freshman Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) in the end zone. It was tipped and nearly snared by senior Andrew Garcia (West Leyden HS, Melrose Park, Ill.), but fell to the turf as the half ended.
 
On its second possession of the second half, Augustana put together its first sustained drive of the afternoon. A Fuller-to-Lattner completion for 43 yards was the big play as the Vikings moved from their own 20 to the Elmhurst 25. On four-and-three, the call went to junior placekicker Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) and his 42-yard field goal attempt slid inside the left upright with distance to spare, drawing Augustana to within 7-3.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, the defense stopped the Bluejays on downs deep in Viking territory and the offense went on another march. Fuller twice kept it alive with third-down completions of 17 yards to Riley Donald (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) and 11 yards to Garcia. However, on third-and-six from the Bluejay 45, his pass to sophomore Ryan Hennessy (Oswego HS, Oswego, Ill.) netted only four yards and Augustana chose to punt on fourth-and-two.
 
Taking over after a touchback, Elmhurst put together a backbreaking drive for its second touchdown. Hernandez hit Kaylon Miller for 31 yards to penetrate Viking territory and running back Ryan Weier followed with a 16-yard burst up the middle. Hernandez capped the drive, finding Justin Ward—who made a great catch in the left corner of the end zone—from 30 yards out. That gave the Bluejays a 13-3 lead with 8:28 to play. Bailey added the extra point.
 
Augustana failed to get past midfield on its final two possessions and Elmhurst ran out the final 47 second to ice the win.
 
Hernandez finished 14 of 23 through the air for 174 yards and a touchdown. He added 61 yards on 17 rushes. Miller caught five balls for 85 yards. The Bluejays compiled 148 yards on 42 rushing attempts and finished with 322 yards of total offense.
 
Sophomore Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) led the Vikings with 63 yards on 21 rushes, but Augustana finished with just 50 yards on 29 attempts as a team. Fuller completed 14 of 32 pass attempts for 217 yards. Hennessy, Pitra and sophomore Justin Pope (Whale Branch HS, Beaufort, S.C.) each had three receptions and Lattner's two catches went for a team-high 78 yards.
 
Senior linebacker Jack Asquini (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) was credited with 14 tackles, equaling a season high.
 
On Saturday, October 8, the Vikings travel to Bloomington, Illinois to take on Illinois Wesleyan at 1:00 p.m.