NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings football team battled against top-ranked North Central Cardinals on Saturday, where the Vikings fell 35-7.
The Vikings held the Cardinals scoreless on their first two possessions, but North Central eventually broke through with an eight-minute opening drive, taking a 7-0 lead. The Cardinals extended their advantage early in the second quarter with a nine-yard touchdown and added two more touchdowns. to lead 28-0 entering the halftime break.
Despite the deficit, the Vikings continued to compete throughout the second half. Augustana's defense limited North Central to zero points in the third quarter, while the offense put together several sustained drives. Augie moved inside the Cardinals' 10-yard line on one third-quarter possession, but North Central's defense came up with a fourth-down stop to keep Augustana off the scoreboard.
The home team added its final touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Vikings answered with their strongest offensive drive of the afternoon in the closing minutes. Augustana marched 80 yards in just nine plays, with Justin Miller finding Zamari Robinson for a 12-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining. The score capped a determined fourth-quarter effort and put the Vikings on the board for the first time.
Ben Ludlum led the Vikings ground attack with 70 rushing yards on 17 carries, while David Finfer added 122 passing yards and 5 rushing yards. Finfer completed 10 of 15 passes and was joined by Miller, who completed both of his attempts for 30 yards and the late touchdown. Robinson led the Vikings' receiving corps with three catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Nick Golden paced Augustana with 11 total tackles, including a tackle for loss, while Braden Houchin added 10 tackles. The Vikings also received strong contributions from their special teams unit, as Jacob Tyrcha averaged 44.8 yards on four punts, including a 58-yard long and three punts placed inside the 20-yard line.
With the loss, Augie moves to 2-3 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. The Vikings will be back home on Oct. 10 to host Millikin for homecoming weekend.
