WHEATON, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings football team dropped a one-possession battle to the No. 10 ranked Wheaton Thunder on Saturday, falling on the road by a score of 41-34.

After a long opening kickoff return set up an opening-drive touchdown score from the Thunder, the Vikings quickly responded with points after a 70-yard return from Breyden Smith set them up deep in Wheaton territory. Sidney Maroon connected on a 21-yard field to cut the Thunder lead in half at 6-3. 

A defensive stop gave the Vikings the ball back and they quickly found themselves back in the Wheaton red zone after Tyler Rivelli's 72 yard run to begin the drive. Augie reached the end zone for the first time two plays later as Rivelli dove in from a yard out. The Vikings led 10-6 after 15 minutes of action.

Wheaton regained the lead after capping off a late first-quarter driver with a touchdown just nine seconds into the second quarter. The two teams traded empty possessions before another Maroon field goal, this time from 26 yards out, evened the score at 13-13. The field goal was the result of a 12-play, 55-yard drive that ate up almost six minutes of clock. Wheaton responded with a touchdown to go up by seven and nearly added onto their lead late in the half, but a last second field goal attempt was no good and the score remained 20-13 after one half of action.

Augie came out of the break active through the air with three straight pass attempts. A penalty from the Thunder extended the Vikings' march down the field, eventually ending in three straight runs from Rivelli. The final attempt on the drive was good for a score from two yards out to even the game back up at 20 points apiece. Each defense stepped up over the span of the next 13 minutes until the Thunder broke the tie with a score with five seconds left in the frame, taking a 27-20 lead into the final quarter.

The Vikings ran all over the Thunder to begin the fourth, using a eight-play drive that saw six rushes and a game-tying touchdown run from 14 yards out from Mike DiGioia. With the game evened at 27, Wheaton strung together back-to-back touchdown-scoring drives to put the game out of reach for the time being. A late touchdown pass from Cole Bhardwaj to Nolin Hulett gave Augie a small window, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Thunder to end the game at its 41-34 final.

Wheaton out-gained Augustana 537-446, but the Vikings held a big advantage on the ground, out-rushing the Thunder by over 100 yards. Rivelli led the ground attack with 169 yards and two touchdowns, followed by DiGioia's 78. Bhardwaj finished with 198 yards through the air, while Nate Henry was the top pass catcher with four receptions for 82 yards. 

On defense, Darren Oregon was the team leader in tackles with 11, followed by eight apiece from Johnny Breeden and Ronde Worrels. Chase Tatum added two tackles for loss and a sack, while Dakota Straight contributed six tackles and a fumble recovery from the secondary.

With the loss, Augustana drops to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in the CCIW. The team will return home for their next game on Saturday, September 30 when they host the Carroll Pioneers at 1 p.m.