ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Augustana Vikings football team survived a late rally from the visiting Rhodes Lynx on Saturday, holding on by a score of 34-28 to kick off their season with a win.
 
It did not take long for the Vikings to find themselves on the scoreboard as Cole Bhardwaj found Bobby Inserra just three plays in for a 54-yard strike. Inserra took a short pass on the right side of the field and took it the rest of the way for the game's first points.
 
After a couple of traded empty possessions, Rhodes reached the end zone with just over three minutes showing in the first quarter to tie the game at seven points apiece. The Vikings put together a quick drive down the field to close out the quarter, connecting on a 20-yard field goal to give Augie a 10-7 advantage after 15 minutes of play.
 
Following a defensive stop to begin the second quarter, the Vikings found themselves with excellent field position, using it to their advantage to convert a quick six-play, 35-yard drive into a touchdown on Bhardwaj's second touchdown toss, this time to Jack Schmitz from nine yards out.
 
An interception from Vincent D'Orzaio halted the ensuing Rhodes drive and later in the quarter the Vikings added another score through the air, this time a 37-yard pass and catch from Bhardwaj to Ian Gorken. Rhodes answered with a lengthy drive down the field, getting a second chance in the red zone following a fourth down pass interference committed by Augie. On the next play, a forced fumble from Frank Giamarusti with under 30 seconds in the half was picked up and returned 86 yards for a touchdown by Johnny Breeden, giving the Vikings a 31-7 halftime lead.
 
Augustana out-gained Rhodes by just 10 yards in the first half (220-210), but had two more yards per play than the Lynx. Bhardwaj put up 192 yards through the air to go with his three touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes.
 
A time-consuming drive that took nearly seven minutes to open the second half resulted in a touchdown for the Lynx to make it a 31-14 game. Rhodes went 79 yards on 13 plays to complete the possession. Neither team went on to score any more points in the third and Augie took their 31-14 advantage into the final quarter.
 
The Vikings added a field goal from Sidney Maroon, his second of the day, to push their margin back out to 20 points at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but the Lynx responded with a 75-yard drive, capped off with a 21-yard touchdown scamper to pull within two possessions at 34-21 with 5:24 remaining.

Rhodes went on to force a punt from Augie in their own end zone and connected on a score through the air on the following possession from 33 yards out to make it a one-score game at 34-28 in favor of the Vikings. Augie picked up one first down on a long run from Mike DiGioia, but Rhodes stopped them on the next set of downs to force a punt and get the ball back with 1:29 showing. The Lynx were unable to get a first down and the Vikings kneeled the game out to escape with the six-point victory.
 
The Lynx out-gained the Vikings 408-355 and had 16 more plays on offense. Rhodes also had the ball for seven more minutes than Augie. 
 
Bhardwaj finished his afternoon 18-35 through the air with 248 yards and three scores. DiGioia had 63 yards on the ground for Augie on 12 carries, while Inserra was the team's top pass-catcher with 99 yards on six grabs. Josh Timm secured a game-high nine tackles, followed by Michael Hudson with eight and Nick Harper with seven. Chase Tatum added a sack for the Viking defense.
 
With the win, Augustana begins their 2022 campaign with a 1-0 record. The team will have a bye next weekend before their next contest on September 17 when they visit the Elmhurst Bluejays. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.