ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Washington University took advantage of four Augustana turnovers Saturday and scored 31 unanswered second-half points on its way to a 38-24 win over the Vikings at Lindberg Stadium. The hosts fell to 3-5 overall and 2-5 in the CCIW, while the Bears improved to 6-2 on the season and 5-2 in the conference.

 

Neither team faced much resistance in driving for a touchdown on its first possession. Using a series of short passes and runs-after-catch, Washington marched 65 yards in eight plays for the go-ahead score, a six-yard pass from Johnny Davidson to Nick Cione. Charles Coccia's point after made it 7-0. Augustana answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Running back Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo , Ill.) went 18 yards with a Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) screen pass and Fuller finished off the march by hitting Max Uranich (La Salle-Peru HS, La Salle, Ill.) with a 17-yard scoring strike. Ryan Ganson's (Geneseo HS, Geneseo , Ill.) extra point tied it with 8:16 left in the first quarter.
 
The Viking defense recovered and gave up just one first down on each of the Bears' next two possessions and the first quarter ended 7-7. It looked as though Augustana was driving for the go-ahead score, but Bear linebacker Jake Coon intercepted Fuller on the first play of the second period, ending the threat. Washington went three-and-out, however, and the hosts got that go-ahead touchdown on their next series when Bobby Jarosz (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) broke a couple of tackles and raced 48 yards to the west end zone. Ganson's kick made it 14-7 Vikings at 11:36 of the second quarter.
 
Augustana missed a golden opportunity to extend the lead on its next possession. After Washington's Joe Rogan punched a 48-yard field goal attempt wide right, the Vikings took over at their own 31-yard line. Fuller hit Justin Pope (Whale Branch HS, Beaufort, S.C.) for consecutive completions of 17 and 19 yards to reach the Bear 16, but on third-and-nine from the 15, J.T. Streepy picked off Fuller in the end zone.
 
On the ensuing series, Augustana's Austin Nice (Normal Community HS, Bloomington, Ill.) sacked Davidson, separating him from the ball. Xavier Holley (Bettendorf HS, Davenport, Iowa) recovered at the Viking 35 with 1:55 left in the half and the Vikings drove to the Bear 24 before stalling. Ganson's 41-yard field goal sent the teams to the halftime break with the hosts on top 17-7.
 
The second half was all Washington University. Justin DiCarlo intercepted Fuller on the opening possession and the Bears drove 55 yards in five plays, with Davidson hitting Matt Goldberg for an 11-yard touchdown to finish it off. Coccia's kick cut the deficit to 17-14.
 
After an Augustana three-and-out, the visitors drove 53 yards to get a game-tying 23-yard field goal from Coccia. Coon intercepted Fuller in Viking territory on the next series and on the first play, Davidson hit Cione for 21 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. Coccia's extra point gave Washington a 24-17 lead midway through the third. Davidson and Cione hooked up again on a 27-yard scoring strike later in the period and the Bears took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Emmanuel Engermann's one-yard burst extended the advantage to 38-17 midway through the fourth, before Pitra finished off the day's scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 2:19 to play.
 
Fuller set a school record with 31 completions in 47 attempts. He totaled 288 passing yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted four times. Tom Dolis (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) was Augustana's leading receiver with eight catches for 81 yards and Jarosz led the way on the ground with 72 yards on 10 carries. Zach Stewart (Crown Point HS, Crown Point, Ind.) had 10 solo and 13 total tackles before leaving with an injury late in the game. John Kappel (Wheeling HS, Wheeling, Ill.) and Luke Phelan (Joliet Catholic HS, Shorewood, Ill.) each added 10 stops and Nice and Sam Francis (Oak Park & River Forest HS, River Forest, Ill.) each had a pair of sacks.
 
Davidson completed 38 of 49 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Coon had a game-high 16 tackles in addition to his two interceptions.
 
Coach Steve Bell's club hits the road for Waukesha, Wisconsin and a game versus Carroll on Saturday, November 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.