ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings football team was defeated in an overtime thriller Saturday night from inside Lindberg Stadium, falling to the visiting Millikin Big Blue by a score of 27-21.

It was a defensive showing to begin the contest as Millikin forced an Augie fumble on the first offensive play of the game. The Vikings responded with a quick three-and-out and the two teams saw a few drives stall quickly in the opening quarter. The Big Blue managed to get on the board first within the first 15 minutes of play, taking a one-yard rush into the end zone with just four minutes showing on the clock. The Big Blue led 7-0 after one.

Continuing a drive from late in the first, the Vikings struck quickly just minutes into the second period, using a Tyler Rivelli four-yard rush to equalize the game at seven points apiece. Augustana took the lead on their next drive on a 3rd and long touchdown toss from Thomas Hall to Craig Shelton. The two teams saw an evenly-played game in the first half, with Millikin posting just six yards of total offense more than Augustana. The Vikings held a one-touchdown advantage at intermission.

The Big Blue began the second half with a quick, nine-play drive that resulted in a touchdown score in less than five minutes. The point-after attempt saw a botched snap that led to a mishandle on the hold, resulting in a missed kick off the crossbar. Augie answered with a six-play scoring drive that ended with a 17-yard hookup from Hall to Bobby Inserra. The extra-point gave the Vikings an eight-point lead at 21-13 that they took into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter started with a scoring-threat from Millikin, bringing the ball all the way down to the Vikings 17-yard line before Nick Harper picked off his second pass of the night to give Augie the ball back. A three-and-out for the Vikings offense ensued and the Big Blue got the ball back in their possession with ten minutes left in the game. The visitors then put together a 19-play drive that at one point presented them with a fourth-and-goal from inside the Augustana five-yard line. A pass over the middle was deemed to have pass interference from the defense on the play, giving Millikin a fresh set of downs from the two. On third down, the Big Blue ran it in and proceeded to successfully convert the two-point conversion to knot the game at 21-21.

Augustana received the ball back with 1:21 remaining and quickly drove down the field, thanks to a 49-yard pass from Hall to Casey Erickson that brought the ball down to the six-yard line. The Vikings ran the clock down to three seconds to attempt a 22-yard field goal attempt, but the game-winner was blocked to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, the Vikings came up empty in the first possession, missing on a long field goal try. Millikin's first two plays on their ensuing possession were limited to short gains, but on third down a 24-yard pass completion in the end zone gave the Big Blue the 27-21 victory.

Overall, Millikin out-gained Augustana 395-276 in the contest, but also saw 23 more plays on offense. Each team saw an average of 5.1 yards per play, with the Vikings holding a slight edge in passing at 210 yards to the Big Blue's 202. Hall finished the night 15-25 through the air with the two scores. Erickson had a team-high 65 yards catching the ball.

On defense, Josh Timm posted a game-best ten tackles. He also added one for loss. Harper was next in line with nine to go with his two interceptions. Neither team allowed a sack.

With the loss, Augustana drops to 1-1 on the year and 0-1 in CCIW play. The team will be back in action on Saturday, September 25th when they travel to No. 4 ranked North Central. Start time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Naperville, Ill.