ROCK ISLAND — The Augustana Vikings football team is set to host the Millikin Big Blue on Saturday, Oct. 10, during homecoming weekend.
The Vikings enter the game 2-3 on the season and 1-2 in conference play after falling to the No. 1 North Central Cardinals last weekend. Augustana fell behind early as North Central built a 28-0 halftime lead after scoring on three consecutive possessions. The Vikings' defense shut out the Cardinals in the third quarter, while the offense put together several drives but was unable to score, including a fourth-down stop inside the 10-yard line. North Central added its final touchdown early in the fourth quarter before Augustana capped the afternoon with an 80-yard, nine-play drive, as Justin Miller connected with Zamari Robinson for a 12-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining.
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. Defensively, Nick Golden paced Augustana with 11 total tackles, including a tackle for loss, while Braden Houchin added 10 tackles.
Millikin sits at 2-3 on the season and 1-2 in the conference and returns to action after a 31-28 loss against Carroll last Saturday. Carroll built a 21-7 halftime lead, scoring on a 65-yard pass, a rushing touchdown and a blocked punt return. Millikin responded with three consecutive touchdowns in the second half to take a 28-21 lead, highlighted by two rushing scores from AJ Lee. Carroll regained the lead with a field goal and late touchdown, and Millikin's potential game-tying 27-yard field goal attempt went wide left as the Big Blue fell 31-28. Sylas Gomez completed 20 of 29 passing attempts of 177 yards and one touchdown. AJ Lee led Millikin rushers with 116 yards on 16 carries, along with a touchdown. Amir Nixon hauled in seven passes for a team-high 77 yards and a touchdown. Keith Thompson totaled a team-leading seven tackles in the loss, and Millikin gained interceptions from Jaymeson Connell and Tejuan Smith.
Augie holds a 49-36-1 all-time series record over Millikin with their last meeting resulting in a 33-6 victory a season ago. Ludlum had 53 yards on nine attempts, while Ethan Vrabec received four passes for 58 yards. TJ Klein sacked the Millikin quarterback twice for a total of 19 yards. Jacob Tyrcha collected 132 yards on his four punt attempts.
Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and we will honor the 1976 football team during halftime.
