ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana played its 2017 home opener this past Saturday at Lindberg Stadium. The Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Carthage, but fell by a score of 55-14. Now 0-4 on the year and 0-2 in the CCIW, they'll travel to Elmhurst on Saturday, September 30 for a conference matchup versus the Bluejays at 1:00 p.m.
The Augustana ground game has produced an average of 147.3 yards per game this year. Leading the way have been junior running back
Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.), with 327 yards and four touchdowns on 76 carries and freshman quarterback
Alek Jacobs (Rock island HS, Rock Island, Ill.), with 142 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries.
Junior
Luke Bleyer (Williamsville HS, Springfield, Ill.) has stepped into the starting role at quarterback following an injury to classmate
Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.). In two starts, Bleyer is 18 of 35 (51.4%) for 234 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Senior
Riley Donald (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) (17 catches, 165 yards) and sophomores
Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) (13-243-2 TD) and
Tom Dolis (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) (10-97-1) have been the Vikings' top receivers. Augustana averages 187.8 yards per game through the air.
Sophomore safety
Devin Haxby (Geneseo HS, Colona, Ill.) and junior linebacker
Cassin Wolfe (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) continue to lead the Vikings in tackles with 37 and 34, respectively. Senior defensive linemen Keith King, Jr.
(Richwoods HS, Peoria, Ill.) and
Grant Burke (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) lead with four tackles for loss each and sophomore defensive end
Daniel Tjaden (Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa) with three sacks.
Senior placekicker
Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) remains perfect on the season with six field goals and seven extra points without a miss. Freshman
Alex Bryan (Wethersfield HS, Wethersfield, Ill.) is averaging 42.2 yards per punt and has put five of 17 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Coach Ron Planz's Elmhurst squad will bring a 1-3 overall record and a CCIW mark of 1-1 into Saturday's game. The Bluejays opened CCIW play two weeks ago with a 23-20 win at North Park. They fell 40-15 to fourth-ranked Wheaton at home this past week. On the year, Elmhurst is averaging 274.2 total yards and 16.8 points per game, while allowing averages of 326.0 yards and 31.8 points per contest.
Junior quarterback Orlando Hernandez—a second team All-CCIW pick in 2016—is the Bluejays' leading rusher and passer. He's rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown on 52 carries. Through the air, he's 62 of 114 (54.4%) for 636 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. He'll be behind center Garrett Underwood, also a second team all-conference selection last year.
Tight end Matt Brachman has been Hernandez's favorite target with 19 catches for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Hasahn Austin has a dozen receptions for 132 yards and two scores.
Linebacker Brandon Dominski leads Planz's 3-4 defense in tackles with 32. An additional six Bluejays have recorded over 20 stops. Linebackers Tyler Hosman and Joe Nixon lead with 3½ tackles for loss each and defensive end Romain Richards with two sacks. Hosman also owns two of Elmhurst's six takeaways this season. Cornerback Tristan Bolas was a second team All-CCIW selection a year ago.
Return specialist Jawan Gaines was named first team All-CCIW in 2016.
09/23/17—CARTHAGE 55, AUGUSTANA 14
Vikings fall to Carthage in 2017 home opener
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – After falling behind 14-0 Saturday, Carthage responded with 55 unanswered points to defeat Augustana 55-14 at Lindberg Stadium in the Vikings' 2017 home opener. Augustana fell to 0-4 on the year and 0-2 in the CCIW, while the Red Men improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the league.
The Vikings took the opening kickoff and marched 76 yards in12 plays for the go-ahead touchdown. Junior quarterback
Luke Bleyer (Williamsville HS, Springfield, Ill.) completed four of five passes for 54 yards and rushed twice for an additional 18 yards. His final completion of the drive went 10 yards to sophomore
Tom Dolis (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) in the end zone. Senior
Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) added the point after and the hosts led 7-0 less than six minutes in.
The next seven possessions yielded just one first down as the teams took turns punting to each other. Early in the second quarter, Augustana recovered a Carthage fumble at the Red Men 26-yard line. After a delay of game penalty on the Vikings, Bleyer hit sophomore
Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) on a post pattern for 31 yards and a touchdown. Stytz's PAT made it 14-0 Augustana with 13:46 left in the half.
Shawntrel Garner's 40-yard return of the ensuing kickoff set the Red Men up in good field position and they responded with their first sustained drive of the game. Jamel Davis carried five times for 35 yards on the march, including the final four yards for the touchdown. Lance Unland's extra point attempt was wide and the Viking lead was 14-6.
The visitors cut the deficit to 14-13 when Amani Dennis picked off a Bleyer offering and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown and Unland added the point after. On the next possession, Dennis intercepted Bleyer again, setting Carthage up at the Augustana 20-yard line. Four carries later, Davis was in the end zone and Unland's kick made it 20-14 Red Men with 4:20 left in the half.
Carthage forced a Viking three-and-out on the next series and Tommy Bazarek brought an
Alex Bryan (Wethersfield HS, Kewanee, Ill.) punt back 57 yards to the Augustana one. It took three carries, but Davis got into the end zone for his third touchdown of the half with 16 seconds left before intermission. Unland's kick put the Red Men up 27-14 at the break.
Carthage extended the lead to 34-14 on its second possession of the second half. Quarterback Kyle Friberg hit Manny Jones from 17 yards out to cap a six-play, 61-yard drive. On the next series, Albert Rogalski returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown to make it 41-14 midway through the third quarter.
Early in the fourth, the visitors went 80 yards in eight plays, with change-of-pace quarterback Bobby Suchecki hitting James Cobbs from a yard out for a touchdown and a 48-14 lead. The final score of the night was set up by another interception deep in Viking territory. The Red Men needed to go just 10 yards on two Chady Bitre runs to reach the end zone. Unland's point after accounted for the final.
Davis finished the night with 177 yards and three scores on 20 carries. Freshman quarterback
Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) was Augustana's leading ground gainer with 77 yards on 14 carries.
Next Saturday, September 30, the Vikings are back in action at Elmhurst. Augustana will square off with the Bluejays at Langhorst Field at 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. |
1:00 p.m. |
October 7 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
|
HOME |
1:00 p.m. |
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 |
Wheaton |
2-0 |
4-0 |
North Central |
2-0 |
3-0 |
Carroll |
1-0 |
1-2 |
Carthage |
1-1 |
3-1 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
1-1 |
3-1 |
Elmhurst |
1-1 |
1-3 |
Millikin |
0-1 |
2-1 |
North Park |
0-2 |
1-3 |
Augustana |
0-2 |
0-4 |
Augustana at Elmhurst, 1:00 p.m.
Carroll at Carthage, 1:00 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan at Wheaton, 1:00 p.m.
North Central at Washington University, 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.