ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings football team continues road action on Saturday, Oct. 3 to battle against the No. 1 ranked North Central Cardinals.
Augustana currently sits at 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play, recently conquering the Elmhurst Bluejays by a score of 58-14. The Vikings jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead behind touchdowns from
Tyreke Fortney and
Ben Ludlum and a field goal from
Jacob Garbett. Elmhurst cut the deficit to 17-14 early in the second quarter, but the Vikings responded with two touchdowns to take a 31-14 halftime lead. Augie dominated after halftime, scoring three more touchdowns to extend its advantage to 51-14Â entering the fourth quarter.
Kaden McShaw capped the scoring with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, giving the Vikings a 58-14 victory.
CCIW Offensive Player of the Week, Ludlum powered the ground game with 231 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. David Finfer completed 12 of 17 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, while Fortney caught three passes for 93 yards and two scores. McShaw finished with six tackles, three pass breakups, and the 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, while Cole Schroeder also recorded six tackles.
North Central enters the weekend as the nation's top-ranked team and boasts a 3-0 overall record and 1-0 mark in CCIW action. The Cardinals are coming off their bye week, but previously defeated the North Park Vikings by a score of 45-10. North Park opened the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown pass, but North Central responded with two touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. The Cardinals added two more touchdowns before halftime to lead 28-10. Neither team scored in the third quarter. North Central added three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including two through the air and one rushing, to finish with a 45-10 victory. Jack Rummell posted a career-high of 189 receiving yards, all from Garrett Wilson, who threw a career-best of 345 yards. David Ballard III led on the ground with 61 yards on three carries and added 99 receiving yards. Matt Janiak paced the defense with 10 tackles, while Phillip Carlton Jr. with eight and a tackle for loss.Â
Augie holds a 55-39-1 all-time series record over the Cardinals, who are riding a 19-game winning streak over the Vikings. A season ago, North Central took the 76-14 victory over Augustana on the road. Jimmy Makuh completed 19-of-34 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown, while Keegan Otte paced the ground with 37 yards on seven carries, while Ludlum added 38 rushing yards. Defensively, Dino Hunt added six tackles, while McShaw contributed with a pass breakup and four tackles.Â
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
