ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings football team was defeated at home on Saturday, falling to the undefeated and No. 24 ranked Washington-St. Louis Bears by a final of 49-28 inside Lindberg Stadium.

The game got off to a rough start for the Vikings, going three-and-out on offense with bad snap leading to advantageous field position for the Bears. Four plays following the miscue, Washington took a 7-0 lead on a touchdown through the air. The visitors eventually made it a 14-0 game on their next possession, competing a 55-yard completion for an early two-touchdown lead.

Augustana got on the board on their next drive, cutting the margin in half with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Cole Bhardwaj to Jordan Vesey. The Bears capitalized on another scoring drive on their third possession of the game, making it 21-7 after 15 minutes of action. 

Following a 91-yard kickoff return from Breyden Smith, the Vikings notched their second touchdown of the game on the first play of the second quarter as Bhardwaj connected with Bobby Inserra from 11 yards out to bring the game to 21-14. Wash U answered with another touchdown on their ensuring drive and the 28-14 score remained intact until less than a minute remaining in the half. With 33 second showing on the scoreboard, Bhardwaj and Inserra hooked up again through the air, this time from 25 yards out, to bring the Vikings within a touchdown heading into half. The last-minute scoring drive was set up due a Josh Timm interception around midfield.

After a defensive stop, the Vikings found the end zone on their first possession of the second half, evening the game at 28-28 on a 10-yard touchdown from Bhardwaj to Craig Shelton. The Bears countered with an eight-play, 59-yard scoring drive to claim a 35-28 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter went about five minutes without any points until the Bears extended their lead to 14 with a seven-yard touchdown run. Washington added one more around the six-minute mark to cushion their lead to three possessions and leave Rock Island with the 49-28 victory. The Bears out-gained the Vikings 450-366.

Bhardwaj finished his afternoon with 277 yards on 27-44 throwing to go with his four touchdowns. Tyler Rivelli was the team's top rusher, ending with 97 yards, while Inserra hauled in nine catches for 97 yards. 

Ronde Worrels led the defensive efforts for Augustana, racking up nine tackles, while Nick Harper was close behind with eight. Cole Romano had the lone sack for the Vikings.

With the loss, Augie drops to 3-3 overall and 2-3 in CCIW action. The team will be back on the road for their next contest on Saturday, October 22 when they travel to the Windy City to take on the North Park Vikings. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. from Chicago.