ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana jumped on top 10-0 against 19th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan this past Saturday, but couldn't hold off the Titans, eventually falling 41-24 in the Knowlton Kickoff Classic at Lindberg Stadium. The Vikings suffered their first loss in three outings this season and are now 1-1 in the CCIW. They'll look to bounce back on Saturday, September 29 when they travel to Decatur, Illinois to face Millikin. Kickoff at Lindsay Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Through three games, Augustana is averaging 28.3 points and 407.0 yards per game with excellent balance. Senior quarterback
Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) has led a passing attack that's produced an average of 230.7 yards per contest. He's completed 55 of 82 attempts (67.1 percent) for 680 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. Sophomore
Max Uranich (La Salle-Peru HS, La Salle, Ill.), with 12 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown, leads Augustana in receptions, receiving yards and yards per catch (16.1). Senior tight end
Justin Pope (Whale Branch HS, Beaufort, S.C.) has nine grabs for 130 yards and one score and junior
Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) has a team-best two touchdown catches among his eight receptions for 129 yards.
The ground game has averaged 176.3 yards per game and 4.6 per carry. Senior
Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) leads the way with 277 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries. Junior
Bobby Jarosz (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) (20-131-3) and sophomore
Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) (16-121-0) have been productive as well, averaging 6.6 and 7.6 yards per carry, respectively.
Linebackers
Luke Sawicki (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) and
Cassin Wolfe (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) have been the leading tacklers for a Viking defense that has held opponents to 106.3 rushing yards per game and forced 11 turnovers. Sawicki leads in solo (16), assisted (nine) and total tackles (25), as well as tackles for loss (5½). Wolfe, who had a season-high 13 stops against IWU, has 21 on the season—14 solo with seven assisted.
Millikin brings identical 2-1 overall and 1-1 CCIW marks as Augustana into Saturday's contest. After wins over Hope (25-21) and North Park (48-27), the Big Blue are coming off a 63-6 setback at the hands of 21st-ranked Wheaton this past Saturday.
Coach Dan Gritti's offense is paced by quarterback Nicco Stepina, receivers Jordan Smith and Gerald Perry and running back Jazontae Howard. Stepina, a second team All-CCIW selection last year, is 56 of 104 (53.8 percent) through the air for 756 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions. He's also rushed for 76 yards and two scores. Smith—first team All-CCIW in 2017—has 15 receptions for 301 yards and two touchdowns and Perry—second team all-conference a year ago—has 12 catches for 184 yards and two scores. Howard has rushed for 397 yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries, an average of 8.1 yards per attempt.
Linebacker Kyle Ramos is Millikin's leading tackler with 21 solo, 12 assisted and 33 total stops. Defensive end Qunitaz Wright has a team-best 5½ tackles for loss and linebacker Matt Brown a team-high four sacks. The Big Blue have allowed 139.7 yards per game and 3.1 per carry on the ground and 251.3 passing yards per contest on 73.1 percent completions.
09/22/18—ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 41, AUGUSTANA 24
Vikings drop home opener 41-24 to IWU
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana was unable to build on a promising start Saturday, falling 41-24 to 19th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan at Lindberg Stadium in the 2018 Knowlton Kickoff Classic. The Vikings dropped to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in the CCIW, while the Titans improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the league.
The hosts got off to a great start. Sophomore
Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) brought the opening kickoff out to the Augustana 37-yard line and it took just three plays for the Vikings to reach the IWU four-yard line.
Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) sandwiched completions of 16 yards to
Max Uranich (La Salle-Peru HS, La Salle, Ill.) and 26 yards to
Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) around a 17-yard Pitra rush. The Titan defense stiffened, however, and Augustana settled for a 21-yard
Ryan Ganson (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) field goal to go up 3-0.
Illinois Wesleyan's first possession yielded more points for the Vikings. After the Titans were called for holding and
Xavier Holley (Bettendorf HS, Davenport, Iowa) sacked Brandon Bauer for a nine-yard loss, IWU faced third-and-22 from its own 11. Under heavy pressure, Bauer threw over the middle, where junior
Luke Sawicki (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) picked off the throw and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. Ganson's PAT made it 10-0 Augustana with 9:43 left in the first quarter.
After the teams traded punts, the Titans drove 72 yards in eight plays, eventually getting on the board with a seven-yard Bauer-to-Jack Healy scoring strike. That started a string of 35 unanswered points for the visitors. A pair of Quinton Walters interceptions set up Illinois Wesleyan's next two scoring drives. The first was capped with a two-yard Bauer-to-Anthony Ryan touchdown pass and the second ended with Bauer taking it in from three yards out. Patrick Tata converted both PAT's and IWU led 21-10 with 4:14 left in the half.
The Titans added the final score of the half with 1:41 left. On the first play after a Viking punt, Healy took a short pass from Bauer, eluded one defender and outran the Augustana defense down the left sideline for a 64-yard touchdown. The point after attempt was botched and Illinois Wesleyan took a 27-10 lead to the locker room.
IWU took the second-half kickoff and found the end zone for the fifth straight possession. The Titans drove 75 yards in 11 plays, with Bauer taking it in from a yard out.
The Vikings cut the deficit to 34-17 on a 27-yard
Bobby Jarosz (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) touchdown run with 3:33 left in the third quarter and each team added a touchdown in the final period. Bauer and Healy hooked up for their third scoring pass of the night, this one from two yards out with 11:52 to play. Augustana answered with the game's final touchdown at the 9:17 mark. Fuller hit a diving
Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) on a post pattern from 34 yards out. Ganson's extra point accounted for the final.
Fuller finished 14 of 22 for 181 yards and a touchdown, while throwing his first two interceptions of the season. Pitra (13 carries, 61 yards and Jarosz (5-53) led the ground game and Jennings and Pitra each caught four passes for 62 and 49 yards, respectively.
Senior linebacker
Cassin Wolfe (BettendorfHS, Bettendorf, Iowa) led the defense with 13 tackles and an interception. Sophomore
John Kappel (Wheeling HS, Wheeling, Ill.) added 10 stops
Illinois Wesleyan put up 507 yards of total offense. Bauer completed 24 of 35 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for an additional two scores. Healy caught 12 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns and Morgan Alexander led the Titan ground game with 118 yards on 24 carries.
Coach
Steve Bell's club will look to get back on the winning track on Saturday, September 29, when it travels to Decatur, Illinois to take on Millikin. Kickoff at Lindsay Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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 |
L, 24-41 |
| 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 |
| North Central |
2-0 |
3-0 |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
2-0 |
2-1 |
| AUGUSTANA |
1-1 |
2-1 |
| Carroll |
1-1 |
2-1 |
| Millikin |
1-1 |
2-1 |
| Washington U. |
1-1 |
2-1 |
| Wheaton |
1-1 |
2-1 |
| Carthage |
1-1 |
1-2 |
| Elmhurst |
0-2 |
1-2 |
| North Park |
0-2 |
1-2 |
Washington U. 51, Carthage 31
Washington U. at North Park, 1:00 pm
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 8-22 during Bell's first three seasons. He is a 1992 graduate of Bemidji State University with a degree in physical education.
