KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings football team will travel to the campus of the Carthage Firebirds on Saturday, Nov. 8, for the final road matchup of the regular season. 

The Vikings enter this weekend's contest with an overall record of 6-2 and 5-2 in conference action after storming past the Illinois Wesleyan Titans by a score of 42-21 this past week. Augustana came out firing in their opening drive, with Ben Ludlum highlighting the drive with a total of 51 yards. Jimmy Makuh completed three passes on the drive, including a 15-yard connection to Sean Schlanser to move inside the red zone. Makuh found Schlanser once again for a 25-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings the early lead. The Augustana defense responded with a quick possession, forcing a punt from Illinois Wesleyan's own 43 and holding the Titans scoreless after the first 15 minutes of action. 

In the second, Illinois Wesleyan capped its drive with a 5-yard rushing touchdown to even the game at seven apiece. The Vikings responded immediately with another high-tempo drive starting at their own 30-yard line. Ludlum powered through runs of eight and 12 yards, while adding a six-yard reception. Makuh then connected with Schlanser for 12 yards, and Josh Lim rushed for six before Makuh found Miller over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown strike. The Augie defense stood tall in the final minutes of the half, forcing four straight incompletions, including a fourth-down stop with 2:16 remaining. Augustana mounted a momentum-stealing 97-yard drive with completions to Ethan Vrabec, Schlanser, Mikey Brosnan, and Adam Gallagher. After finding Miller to convert a key 3rd-and-four, Makuh picked up a 17-yard scramble to the 10-yard line. Makuh found Miller once again across the middle for a seven-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left, extending the lead to 21-7 at halftime.

Returning to the field, Illinois Wesleyan trimmed the lead to 21-14 after a 44-yard touchdown with 9:37 on the clock. On offense, Ludlum moved the chains to midfield with 24 rushing yards. A moment later, Makuh found Gallagher for 38 yards down the left sideline, putting the Vikings in the red zone. On 3rd-and-4, Makuh connected with Miller on a quick route for seven yards and the touchdown, pushing the lead 28-14. In the Titans' next drive, Toby Splitt intercepted their pass to mark the first takeaway of the game. In Illinois Wesleyan's next drive, Travis Kenzevich would break up a big play by the Titans before Ronde Worrels sacked the visiting team's quarterback for a loss of 11 yards. The Augie defense remained strong, keeping the score at 28-14 entering the final quarter of the game. 

In the fourth quarter, Illinois Wesleyan scored quickly to create a 28-21 score. In the Titans' next offensive drive, Kenzevich tallied another pass breakup on 4th-and-5 to put the ball in the Vikings' hands with 8:12 left to play. Ludlum broke free for a 19-yard burst on the first play of the drive to set up Makuh, who found Schlanser for his second touchdown of 14 yards. On the Titan's possession, Nate Simon jumped a deep pass and came up with an interception for the Vikings at the IWU 42 and returned it to the five-yard line. Three plays later, Ludlum powered in from two yards to stretch the advantage to 42-21. Cole Schroeder secured an interception of his own to slam the door shut on the Titans to drain out the final minutes to seal the 42-21 victory. 

Makuh delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, finishing 19-of-28 for 259 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. He spread the ball efficiently, with Miller emerging as his top target, hauling in five catches for 59 yards and three touchdowns, while Ludlum anchored the rushing attack with 25 carries for 259 yards. On defense, Splitt anchored the unit with nine tackles and an interception, while Hunt added five stops.

Carthage returns to action after a 14-10 loss to North Park this past weekend to sit at 3-5 on the season and 2-5 in conference action. After a scoreless opening 15 minutes of action, the Firebirds struck first early in the second quarter after a 29-yard field goal. Their opponents followed with a 59-yard touchdown to move ahead 7-3 before Carthage regained the lead on an 11-yard touchdown to make a 10-7 score. After another scoreless quarter, North Park capped a 92-yard possession to overtake the game 14-10 with two minutes remaining. The Firebirds' last drive of the game ended with a fourth-down sack to seal the victory for the visitors. Carthage outgained North Park 307-194 in total offense and controlled the ball for more than 34 minutes. Easton Heafner went 22-for-39 through the air for 193 yards and a touchdown, while Gavie Betts caught eight passes for 60 yards, and Mark Hunter led the rushing attack with 61 yards on eight carries. Defensively, Ramon Campos posted five tackles and an interception, while Briton Stanton led the team with six. 

Augie holds a 69-19-4 all-time series record over Carthage, with the Vikings collecting a 31-21 victory a season ago at home. Lim rushed seven attempts for a gain of 39 yards, while Breyden Smith had seven receptions for 67 yards. 

Kick off is scheduled for 12 p.m.