ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Augustana Vikings football team earned a statement win on Saturday on the road, knocking off the previously-undefeated and AFCA No. 25 ranked Washington-St. Louis Bears.

After a three-and-out for the Vikings offense, the Augie defense quickly gained momentum back as a sack and forced fumble from Tim Swaney on the Bears' second play of the game fell into the arms of Hugh Keany to give the Vikings a starting drive inside the WashU red zone. Five plays later, Augie struck first with a three-yard touchdown run from Tyler Rivelli to make it 7-0. 

Following a Bears field goal to trim the margin to 7-3, the Vikings strung together another scoring drive, this time going 75 yards on 11 plays and ending it with another Rivelli score on the ground to move the advantage to 14-3 after one quarter of action.

Another defensive stop from the Augie defense kicked off the second quarter, setting up another long, touchdown-scoring march down the field. Beginning at their own 23, the Vikings took nearly eight minutes off the clock with a 17-play, 77-yard drive that resulted in a Mike DiGioia plunge from a yard out. On the following WashU possession, Augustana snagged the ball right back on a tipped ball interception by Darren Oregon. The Vikings added their second touchdown of the quarter and fourth of the half moments later on a 26-yard pass from Cole Bhardwaj to Bobby Inserra. The Bears answered with a score right before the half to make it 28-10 Vikings at intermission.

The two teams traded empty possessions to begin the third, but the Bears continued to claw back into the game with another touchdown with under five minutes to go in the quarter. The 28-17 scored remained firm through the period, bringing the double-digit cushion for Augustana into the final frame. 

On the first Washington drive of the fourth quarter, the Vikings' defense forced another three-and-out, using two tackles for loss from Ronde Worrels and Chase Tatum to push the Bears backwards and force a punt. Inserra added onto the Augie lead on the very next play, taking the ensuing punt 45 yards into the end zone to push the lead out to 35-17. Johnny Breeden later halted a WashU drive in the red zone, picking off the Bears' pass attempt in the end zone with 3:34 remaining. After forcing a turnover on downs on the final Washington possession, the Vikings kneeled out the game to secure their first-ever win over the Bears.

Both teams played evenly on offense, with Augustana out-gaining WashU by just 15 yards at 327-312. Bhardwaj ended his afternoon with 17 completions on 27 attempts for 156 yards, while DiGioia led the ground attack with 95 yards. Inserra was the top pass catcher with 11 receptions and 91 yards. 

On defense, Tatum and Toby Splitt tallied eight tackles apiece, while six total Vikings grabbed at least one tackle for loss. Tatum and Swaney were among the five players to record a sack.

With the win, Augie moves to 5-1 on the season and 4-1 in the CCIW. The team will return home for their next game on October 21 when they host North Park.