ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana dropped a 28-10 decision to 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan this past Saturday at Lindberg Stadium. Now 1-5-overall and 1-3 in the CCIW, the Vikings host Millikin for Homecoming on Saturday, October 14.
Freshman quarterback
Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) got his first start against Illinois Wesleyan. He's Augustana's second-leading rusher this season with 290 yards and four touchdowns on 69 carries. Through the air, he's 15 of 32 for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Junior running back
Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) leads the Vikings in rushing with 438 yards and five touchdowns on 106 carries.
Senior
Riley Donald (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) and sophomore
Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) are Augustana's leading receivers. Donald has 17 catches for 165 yards and Jennings 16 receptions for 270 yards and two touchdowns. An additional three Vikings have double-digit receptions as well, led by Pitra's 14 for 110 yards.
Sophomore safety
Devin Haxby (Geneseo HS, Colona, Ill.) leads Augustana with 36 solo tackles and 49 total stops. Junior linebacker
Cassin Wolfe (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) is next with 43 total tackles. Freshman safety
John Kappel (Wheeling HS, Wheeling, Ill.) has led the Vikings in tackles each of the last two weeks and is now tied for third on the team with 36. Sophomore
Sam Francis (Oak park & River Forest HS, River Forest, Ill.) also has 36 stops. Senior lineman
Grant Burke (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) has a team-high six tackles for loss and sophomore end
Daniel Tjaden (Assumption HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) leads with three sacks.
For the second straight week, Augustana will be hosting a team coming off an emotional victory over nationally-ranked Wheaton. Millikin handed the 13th-ranked Thunder a 35-31 setback this past Saturday in Decatur, Illinois. Coach Dan Gritti's Big Blue improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the CCIW.
Quarterback Nicco Stepina guides a Millikin offense that averages 38.0 points per game. He's completed 104 of 183 passes (56.8%) for 1,452 yards and 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He's also the Big Blue's leading rusher with 165 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries. Millikin uses a stable of running backs. George Jimerson, Deonte Robinson and Jazonte Howard have combined for 435 yards and five touchdowns on 86 carries (5.1 yards per attempt).
Wide receiver Jordan Smith has been Stepina's top target with 22 catches for 423 yards (19.2 per catch) and six touchdowns. Wideout Gerald Perry is averaging 24.8 yards on 12 catches, four of which have gone for touchdowns.
Defensive back Daniel Jackson and linebacker Matthew Brown are the leading tacklers for a Big Blue defense that gives up just 108.4 yards per game on the ground and 2.9 yards per carry. Jackson has 42 stops and a team-high two interceptions and Brown has recorded 41 tackles. Defensive end Quintaz Wright has team highs of 7½ tackles for loss and three sacks.
10/07/17—ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 28, AUGUSTANA 10
Vikings fall 28-10 to 12th-ranked IWU
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Morgan Alexander rushed for 142 yards and scored two touchdowns Saturday as 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan defeated Augustana 28-10 at Lindberg Stadium. The Vikings fell to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the CCIW, while the Titans improved to 5-1 on the year and 3-1 in the league.
For the third straight game, Augustana scored a touchdown on its first possession. The Vikings took the opening kickoff and went 65 yards in 10 plays for the score. Senior
Austin Chausse (Nokomis HS, Nokomis, Ill.) carried it in from the one on third and goal and classmate
Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) added the point after. Freshman quarterback
Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) rushed six times for 38 yards on the march.
IWU answered right back with a 14-play, 77-yard touchdown drive. The key play was a 16-yard Bauer-to-Zach Walsh completion on third-and-11 that got the Titans to the Augustana three-yard line. Three plays later, Brandon Bauer connected with Dennis Bresingham for a one-yard touchdown pass and Patrick Tata's kick tied it at 7-7.
The Vikings' next possession stalled at the Augustana 48-yard line. On fourth-and-eight, freshman punter
Alex Bryan (Wethersfield HS, Kewanee, Ill.) was able to corral a high snap from center, but couldn't get his kick away and was dragged down at the Viking 37. With a short field, it took Wesleyan just four plays to reach the end zone. Alexander took it in from 18 yards out and Tata's point after gave the Titans a 14-7 lead with 11:43 left in the second quarter.
After the teams traded punts, Augustana went on the move, eventually reaching the IWU 34-yard line. However, on a key third-and-two, Jordan Hassan sacked Jacobs for a five-yard loss, forcing the Vikings to punt. Wesleyan answered by going 80 yards in 13 plays for another touchdown. Alexander carried on five of the first six plays, gaining 26 yards, and covered the last 25 yards of the drive with two pass receptions. He took a swing pass from Bauer in from two yards out with 31 seconds left in the half. Tata added the kick and the Titans took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.
A fair catch interference call against IWU gave the Vikings the first scoring opportunity of the second half midway through the third quarter. After the Titan defense stiffened, Stytz lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt. His kick had plenty of leg but went wide right for his first miss in eight tries this year.
After forcing a punt on Wesleyan's next possession, Augustana went 60 yards in 12 plays, reaching the Titan 10 before the drive stalled. Stytz came on again and this time his kick from 27 yards was true to cut the deficit to 21-10 with 1:12 left in the third.
The Vikings reached IWU territory again with their next drive, but on fourth-and-four from the Titan 43, Chance Hilliard stopped Chausse a yard short of a first down and the Titans took over on downs.
The final touchdown of the afternoon came after a short Bryan punt into a stiff west wind. Taking over at the Augustana 36, it took the visitors four plays to reach the end zone. Bauer connected with Jack Healy for a 13-yard score in the left corner of the end zone and Tata's point after accounted for the final score.
On the day, Jacobs carried 22 times for 74 net yards and completed 10 of 21 passes for 77 yards. Junior
Ryan Hennessy (Oswego HS, Oswego, Ill.) had three catches for 30 yards. Freshman safety
John Kappel (Wheeling HS, Wheeling, Ill.) again led the Viking defense with 12 tackles.
Alexander finished with 142 rushing yards on 27 carries. Bauer completed 12 of 26 pass attempts for 137 yards and three scores. Hassan had a big day defensively, with 13 tackles, including three and a half for loss and two sacks.
Augustana is back at home next week, hosting Millikin for Homecoming on Saturday October 14. Kickoff at Lindberg Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
2016 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS
DATE |
OPPONENT |
|
SITE |
TIME/SCORE |
September 2 |
Cortland State |
|
Cortland, N.Y. |
L, 32-34 |
September 9 |
Central |
|
Pella, Iowa |
L, 22-33 |
September 16 |
Carroll |
|
Waukesha, Wis. |
L, 25-28 |
September 23 |
Carthage |
Family Weekend |
HOME |
L, 14-55 |
September 30 |
Elmhurst |
|
Elmhurst, Ill. |
W, 24-19 |
October 7 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
|
HOME |
L, 10-28 |
October 14 |
Millikin |
Homecoming |
HOME |
1:00 p.m. |
October 21 |
North Central |
|
Naperville, Ill. |
2:00 p.m. |
October 28 |
North Park |
Senior Day |
HOME |
1:00 p.m. |
November 4 |
Wheaton |
|
Wheaton, Ill. |
1:00 p.m. |
* - College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin game
2017 CCIW STANDINGS
School |
CCIW |
Overall |
North Central |
3-0 |
5-0 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
3-1 |
5-1 |
Carthage |
2-1 |
4-1 |
Millikin |
2-1 |
4-1 |
Wheaton |
2-2 |
4-2 |
Elmhurst |
2-2 |
2-4 |
Carroll |
1-2 |
1-4 |
Augustana |
1-3 |
1-5 |
North Park |
0-4 |
1-5 |
Millikin at Augustana, 1:00 p.m.
Elmhurst at Carthage, 1:00 p.m.
Carroll at Illinois Wesleyan, 1:00 p.m.
was introduced as the 19th head coach in the storied history of Augustana football on January 9, 2015. In 15 seasons as the head football coach at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, Bell fashioned a 112-44 (.718) overall record. During his tenure at Monmouth, his teams won four Midwest Conference championships (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011) and finished second six times. Augustana has gone 7-13 during Bell's first two seasons. He is a 1992 graduate of Bemidji State University with a degree in physical education.