ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Another outstanding defensive effort and a nearly perfect first half on offense yielded a 35-0 win at Elmhurst Saturday for Coach Steve Bell's Augustana outfit. With the victory in their CCIW opener, the Vikings are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2008. They'll face a stiff challenge this week as they welcome Illinois Wesleyan to Lindberg Stadium as part of Family Weekend festivities. The Titans (1-1, 1-0) come in off an impressive 24-14 win over 12th-ranked Wheaton on Saturday. Kickoff for the Augustana-IWU contest on Saturday, September 22 is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. This will also be the Knowlton Classic as the first home game of every season is always designated.
 
Two takeaways deep in its own territory and a goal line stand highlighted the defense's effort at Elmhurst. The Vikings recorded their first shutout since a 28-0 win at Carthage in 2013. Through two games, Augustana is allowing 317.5 total yards per contest, including just 66.0 per game and 2.3 per carry on the ground. Opponents have completed 48.8 percent of their passes. The Vikings have picked off five passes and recovered four fumbles—more takeaways than the defense posted in all of 2017.
 
Junior linebacker Luke Sawicki (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) was in on 11 tackles at Elmhurst and has a team-high 18 through two games. He also has team highs in solo stops (12) and tackles for loss (4½). Junior end Daniel Tjaden (Assumption HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) leads the team with two sacks and sophomore safety John Kappel (Wheeling HS, Wheeling, Ill.) has two of Augustana's nine takeaways, with a fumble recovery and an interception.
 
The Vikings have shown excellent balance offensively. Of their 450.5 total yards per game, 201.0 have come on the ground and 249.5 through the air. Augustana has also not committed a turnover through the season's first two contests.
 
Senior quarterback Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) has completed 68.3 percent of his passing attempts (41 of 60) for 499 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He has moved past Brad Wendell and Tommy King into sixth place (2,536) on the Vikings career passing yardage list. His favorite target has been sophomore Max Uranich (La Salle-Peru HS, La Salle, Ill.), who has team highs of 11 catches and 180 yards. An additional five players have snared at least four passes and Fuller's four touchdown throws have gone to four different receivers.
 
Senior Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) has a team-best 216 yards and two touchdowns on 45 rushing attempts (4.8 yards per carry). Sophomore Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) and junior Bobby Jarosz (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) have supplemented the ground game. Jacobs has 96 yards on 11 carries, an 8.7-yard average and Jarosz has 78 yards and two touchdowns on 15 totes, good for 5.2 yards per carry.
 
This week's opponent, Coach Norm Eash's Illinois Wesleyan squad, started the season ranked 21st in the nation by D3football.com. The Titans dropped their season opener 34-31 to Wisconsin-La Crosse, but bounced back with a 24-14 win over 12th-ranked Wheaton on Saturday. They'll be on the road for the first time this weekend.
 
An outstanding IWU defense, which limited Wheaton to just 188 total yards, is led by returning first team All-CCIW honorees tackle Eric Dubose and safety Trevor Staley. In addition, cornerback Trevor Koepke was a second team all-conference selection a year ago. Linebacker Mike Connolly is the Titans' leading tackler through two games with 14, while Dubose already has five tackles for loss and three sacks.
 
Junior quarterback Brandon Bauer leads the IWU offense. A second team All-CCIW pick in 2017, he's completed 57 of 83 passes (68.7 percent) for 623 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Also a threat with his legs, Bauer has rushed for a pair of scores. Jack Healy, a 6' 5", 220-pound wide receiver, was first team All-CCIW last year and has nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Bryce Dooley (18-161-0) and Zach Walsh (15-217-1) have been Bauer's most frequent targets thus far in 2018.
 
Morgan Alexander, a second team All-CCIW pick last year, is the Titans' leading rusher with 120 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries.
 
 
09/15/18—AUGUSTANA 35, ELMHURST 0
 
Vikings open CCIW play with 35-0 win at Elmhurst
 
ELMHURST, Ill. – Augustana's offense scored on its first four possessions of the game and its defense stopped Elmhurst three times deep in its own territory Saturday as the Vikings defeated the Bluejays 35-0 at Langhorst Field. The CCIW-opening win gave Augustana its first 2-0 start since the 2008 season. Coach Steve Bell's bunch will take a 2-0 overall mark and a 1-0 league record into its home opener against Illinois Wesleyan at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 22.
 
A nearly flawless first half for the Vikings started with the defense forcing an Elmhurst three-and-out. After a short punt, they took over in enemy territory and went 48 yards in four plays for the game's first score. Junior Bobby Jarosz (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) carried twice for 36 yards and senior Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) connected with sophomore Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) for a 13-yard scoring strike to cap the drive. Senior Ryan Ganson (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) added the point after to make it 7-0.
 
The Bluejays drove to the Augustana 17 on their next possession, but sophomore Zach Stewart (Crown Point HS, Crown Point, Ind.) picked off an Orlando Hernandez pass at the two-yard line. It took just six plays for Fuller to lead the Vikings 87 yards for another touchdown. He completed all three of his passes, including a five-yarder to senior Justin Pope (Whale Branch HS, Beaufort, S.C.) for the score. Jacobs had a key 39-yard run as well. Ganson's PAT made it 14-0 with 1:53 left in the first quarter.
 
The visitors made it three-for-three on their next possession, driving 76 yards in 11 plays to go up 21-0. Fuller completed five straight passes, the last one to sophomore Max Uranich (La Salle-Peru HS, La Salle, Ill.) for a 10-yard touchdown.
 
Another defensive stop led to Augustana's fourth straight scoring possession. The Vikings went 80 yards in 10 plays with Jarosz doing the honors from a yard out. Key plays included a 19-yard Fuller-to-Uranich completion on 3rd-and-12, an 18-yard Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) run on third-and-six and a 35-yard Fuller-to-Pope strike on third-and-five that set up Jarosz's touchdown.
 
Elmhurst drove to the Augustana six with under a minute left in the half, but senior Austin Nice (Normal Community HS, Bloomington, Ill.) recovered a Hernandez fumble to end the threat and Bell's crew took a 28-0 lead to the locker room.
 
After missing a field goal midway through the third quarter, the Vikings added their final touchdown with 4:17 left in the period. Taking over at their own 48 after a Bluejay punt, they went 52 yards in seven plays. Jacobs had runs of eight and 16 yards before Pitra went 11 yards up the middle into the end zone. Ganson converted his fifth extra point of the day.
 
The defense preserved the shutout with a goal line stand early in the fourth quarter. After driving 63 yards, Elmhurst opened the period with a first-and-goal at the Augustana five. The Bluejays reached the one, but on third down junior linebacker Luke Sawicki (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) threw running back Brock Bethke for a one yard loss. A delay of game pushed the spot back to the seven and Hernandez's fourth-down scramble for the end zone came up a yard short, with junior Xavier Holley (Bettendorf HS, Davenport, Iowa) making the stop.
 
Bell went deep onto his bench the rest of the way and kept the ball on the ground, calling just one pass in the fourth quarter.
 
The Vikings' 514 yards of total offense was split nearly evenly on the ground (258) and through the air (256). Fuller finished the day 21 of 28 for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Jacobs (six carries for 77 yards), Jarosz (9-76, one touchdown) and Pitra (14-68-1) paced the rushing attack. Uranich had six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown and Pope caught four balls for 58 yards and a score.
 
Sawicki led the defense with 11 tackles (six solo, five assisted), 3½ of which went for negative yardage. The shutout was Augustana's first since a 28-0 win over Carthage in 2013.
 
 
2018 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS

DATE	OPPONENT		SITE	TIME/SCORE
September 1	Coe		Cedar Rapids, Iowa	W, 26-7
September 15	Elmhurst*		Elmhurst, Ill.	W, 35-0
September 22	Illinois Wesleyan*	Family Weekend	HOME	6:00 p.m.
September 29	Millikin*		Decatur, Ill.	6:30 p.m.
October 6	North Central*	Homecoming	HOME	1:00 p.m.
October 13	North Park*		Chicago, Ill.	1:00 p.m.
October 20	Wheaton*		HOME	1:00 p.m.
October 27	Washington-St. Louis*		HOME	1:00 p.m.
November 3	Carroll*		Waukesha, Wisc.	1:00 p.m.
November 10	Carthage*	Senior Day	HOME	1:00 p.m.

* - College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin game
 
 
2018 CCIW STANDINGS

School	CCIW	Overall
AUGUSTANA	1-0	2-0
Millikin	1-0	2-0
North Central	1-0	2-0
Carthage	1-0	1-1
Illinois Wesleyan	1-0	1-1
Carroll	0-1	1-1
Elmhurst	0-1	1-1
North Park	0-1	1-1
Washington U.	0-1	1-1
Wheaton	0-1	1-1