Football 9/13/03 -- Wisconsin-Eau Claire 52, Augsburg 20

BOXSCORE

STORY FROM WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE SPORTS INFORMATION

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (9/13/03) -- The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire football team jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the first half and held off Augsburg College, en route to a 52-20 victory in front of more than 3,000 people here Saturday night in a nonconference football game at Carson Park.

The victory marked the third consecutive season opener the Blugolds have won. Eau Claire has also won four straight games against Augsburg, including outscoring the Auggies 126-47 in the last three meetings.

The Blugolds got off to a great start as they took the opening drive 61 yards on six plays to jump to an early lead. Matt Evensen (So., Junction City, Wis./Auburndale HS) set the tone for the Blugolds at the start as he returned the opening kick 34 yards to give Eau Claire excellent field position. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Nels Fredrickson (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) hooked up with Evensen for a 14-yard gain. The next play saw Brian Mitchell (So., Carol Stream, Ill.) run for 19 yards, and two plays later, he caught a pass from Fredrickson for 17 yards to bring the Blugolds to the Auggies 7-yard line. Two plays later, Mitchell ran the ball into the end zone for six points just 2:02 into the first quarter. Nick Diciaula (Sr.-Brookfield, Wis./Central HS) sent the extra point attempt through the uprights to make the score 7-0.

On the Blugolds' third possession, Eau Claire's ground attack continued as Mitchell took a handoff 25 yards for his second touchdown of the game to make the score 14-0. After an Augsburg punt, the Blugolds put together another solid drive, led by a 26-yard run by wide receiver Evensen to end the first quarter. Joe Gast (So., Waconia, Minn.) ran for a seven-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to extend the Blugold lead to 21-0.

After establishing a solid ground game, the Blugolds went to quarterback Jeremy Darnell (Jr., Owen, Wis./Owen-Withee HS), who opened up the passing offense as he hooked up with Erik Ferguson (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Dover-Eyota HS) for a 37-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive. Diciaula's kick was good and the Blugolds owned a 28-0 lead. Diciaula hit a 29-yard field goal on the Blugolds next possession to make the advantage 31-0.

Augsburg finally got on the board with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter, taking advantage of an Eau Claire holding penalty and running it into the end zone. Ben Paul (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Johnson HS) ran the ball in from one yard out, completing a 10-play, 80-yard drive. The Auggies attempt at a two-point conversion was no good and the score was 31-6. Augsburg forced the Blugolds to punt and again put the ball in the end zone on their next possession, on a 25-yard pass from Tony George (So., Blaine, Minn.) to Shawn Johnson (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) to gain the momentum heading into halftime. The two-point conversion was good, on a pass from George to Joe Starks (Jr., Roseville, Minn./Totino-Grace HS), and at the half the score was 31-14 Eau Claire.

The Auggies made it a game on the first possession of the second half as they scored a touchdown on their third straight possession to make the score 31-20. Nick Sanchez (Sr., Almond, Wis./Almond-Bancroft HS) completed a 16-play, 79-yard drive with a three-yard run. The drive, which took over half the third quarter (7:47) to complete, featured 13 rushes.

The Blugolds got back on track late in the third quarter when Fredrickson hooked up with Ferguson for a 35-yard touchdown reception set up by a 33-yard punt return from Derek Sikora (So., Neillsville, Wis.). Sikora put the nail in the coffin with 8:33 left in the game, when he intercepted an Augsburg pass and returned it 71 yards to give the Blugolds a 45-20 advantage. The Blugolds tacked on a late score to win 52-20.

Joe Gast finished the game as the Blugolds leading rusher, carrying the ball 17 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Brian Mitchell added six carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns.

Erik Ferguson caught five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns and Fredrickson finished the game 9-11 with 132 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Augsburg was paced by George, who threw for 200 yards on 22 completions in 43 attempts. Freshman tight end Andrew Neumann (Fr., Somerset, Wis.) caught eight passes for 88 yards, while Johnson caught four balls for 59 yards. Augsburg accumulated 136 rushing yards from eight ball carriers, led by Paul's 39 yards on 10 carries.

Austin Crow (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) anchored the Blugold defense with 12 tackles, four for loss, and one sack. Justin Greenwood (Jr., Park Falls, Wis.) also played a big role with seven tackles, three for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble.

Jordan Hastings (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) led the Auggie defense with 11 tackles (six solo). John Golnitz (Jr., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS) had eight tackles (five solo), including two for loss, and Joe Cullen (Jr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) had a sack.

Augsburg opens Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday (9/20) at 1 p.m., hosting St. Olaf at Edor Nelson Field. Eau Claire plays an MIAC opponent for the second week in a row, playing at St. John's next Saturday, also at 1 p.m.
Football 9/13/03 -- Augsburg at Wisconsin-Eau Claire Game Notes

WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE GAME NOTES

THE GAME: The Augsburg College Auggies (1-0 overall, 0-0 MIAC; 2-8 in 2002) travel to face the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds (0-0 overall, 0-0 WIAC; 8-2 in 2002) in a nonconference football game on Saturday, September 13 at 7 p.m., at Carson Park (capacity 6,500) in Eau Claire, Wis.

COACHES: Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg (Augsburg '62) is entering his 13th season and currently has a 56-66 career mark. Wisconsin-Eau Claire head coach Todd Hoffner (Valley City State '89) is in his fifth season and is 24-16 overall.

RADIO: Augsburg football is aired on KCCO-AM 950 in the Twin Cities. Returning for their sixth season of broacasting Auggie football are Tom Witschen on play-by-play, with Russ Bohaty on analysis. The game can also be heard online on Augsburg's athletic website, through an arrangement with SportsJuice.com. Point your browser to http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/liveaudio/ and click on the Live Audio link. Wisconsin-Eau Claire games are broadcast on WBIZ-AM 1400 in Eau Claire, with Mike Sullivan on the call. The WBIZ broadcast can also be heard online, by going to www.sportsradio1400.com and clicking on the Listen Live link.

SERIES: This is the 12th game in the all-time series between Augsburg and Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a series the Blugolds lead 6-4-1. The series was renewed in 2000, and the Blugolds have won the last three games in the series, 17-13 on Sept. 9, 2000 at Augsburg; 37-14 on Sept. 8, 2001 at Eau Claire; and 37-13 on Sept. 14, 2002 at Augsburg. Previously, the teams played each year in the second game of the regular season from 1966 to 1973: Sept. 17, 1966 at Augsburg, 7-7 tie; Sept. 16, 1967 at Eau Claire, 21-20 UWEC win; Sept. 14, 1968 at Augsburg, 39-12 Augsburg win; Sept. 13, 1969 at Eau Claire, 20-19 Augsburg win; Sept. 19, 1970 at Augsburg, 7-6 UWEC win; Sept. 18, 1971 at Augsburg, 33-8 UWEC win; Sept. 16, 1972 at Augsburg, 20-0 Augsburg win; Sept. 15, 1973 at Eau Claire, 21-17 Augsburg win.

LAST YEAR: Jeremy Darnell threw for 266 yards and one touchdown, leading Wisconsin-Eau Claire to a 37-13 victory over host Augsburg on Sept. 14, 2002 at Edor Nelson Field. The Blugolds compiled 471 yards of total offense, including 192 yards rushing. Five different Blugolds scored touchdowns, as the Blugolds put together 86 offensive plays, compared to 57 for 312 yards for Augsburg. Eau Claire also took advantage of three Augsburg turnovers.

Eau Claire led 24-0 at halftime, taking advantage of several big plays to score on four of its eight first-half possessions. After a fumble on an Augsburg punt return, Eau Claire scored on a Nick Diciaula 28-yard field goal. A 32-yard pass from Darnell to Brad Newton led to a 9-yard scoring rush by Darnell to end the first quarter. A 46-yard pass from Darnell to Matt Evensen led to the Blugolds' next touchdown, a two-yard pass to Newton. In the closing minute of the first half, a 41-yard pass from Darnell to Erik Ferguson led to a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Brian Mitchell. Augsburg scored both its touchdowns on long scoring plays from quarterback Dave Fransen to Mathew Shannon, a 61-yard completion in the third quarter and an 81-yard romp midway through the fourth. Eau Claire claimed second-half touchdowns on a 14-yard rush by Joe Gast and a 19-yard rush by Mike Hennessey.

Eleven different Blugolds rushed the football, led by Mitchell's 56 yards and Gast's 45. Ten different Blugolds caught passes, led by Jason Foemmel's 66 yards on five catches, Evensen's 56 yards on three catches and Newton's 52 yards on four catches. Augsburg's Fransen threw for 268 yards, the bulk coming on the two long touchdown passes to Shannon, who had 142 yards. T.J. Bramwell caught nine passes for 45 yards. Eau Claire's defense limited Augsburg to just 44 net rushing yards, 22 by Ben Paul. Brad Gawronski had 12 tackles (four solo) to lead the Blugold defense, with Justin Greenwood accumulating six tackles (three solo). Augsburg's defense was paced by Chad Scheitel, who had 13 tackles (seven solo), and Joe Cullen, who had 10 tackles (six solo) and one sack.

OSBERG HAS TIED SCHOOL'S ALL-TIME FOOTBALL VICTORY RECORD: Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg has been the architect of a rebirth of Augsburg College football since he was named head coach in 1991. Osberg enters his 13th season with the Auggies with a 56-66 career record, now tied with legendary head coach Edor Nelson for the most wins in school history. Nelson went 56-118-10 from 1947-69. He has the most MIAC wins (44-62-0) of any Augsburg coach, and his career overall winning percentage of .459 is second-best in school history. Bill Caris (1972-75) was 19-19, for the school's best winning percentage of .500. Osberg has the third-longest tenure among current MIAC football coaches, behind St. John's John Gagliardi (55th season, 51st at St. John's in 2003) and Bethel's Steve Johnson (15th season).

AUGSBURG PLAYING 600TH GAME IN SCHOOL HISTORY THIS WEEK: Augsburg is reaching a football milestone this week against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with the 600th game in school history. This is the 72nd season of Augsburg College football, and Augsburg has a 184-395-20 record (.324) through 599 games. Augsburg started its football program in 1926 and had teams until 1934; resumed football in 1939 and fielded teams until 1942; and resumed football in 1945 with teams every season since. Augsburg will be one of two MIAC teams approaching football milestones this season; Bethel will play its 500th game in school history in its seventh game of the season.

All-time football history among MIAC schools:
Augsburg -- 184-395-20 (599 games, first season 1926)
Bethel -- 203-283-8 (494 games, first season 1947)
Carleton -- 431-371-25 (827 games, first season 1883)
Concordia-Moorhead -- 427-243-39 (709 games, first season 1920)
Gustavus Adolphus -- 428-275-21 (724 games, first season 1902)
Hamline -- 467-416-28 (911 games, first season 1882)
Macalester -- 270-503-33 (806 games, first season 1887)
St. John's -- 494-213-24 (731 games, first season 1900)
St. Olaf -- 375-310-19 (704 games, first season 1919)
St. Thomas -- 484-306-34 (824 games, first season 1904)

AUGSBURG AGAINST THE WIAC: Saturday's meeting with Wisconsin-Eau Claire marks the fourth straight season that Augsburg has played the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school. Prior to the teams resuming the series in 2000, the last WIAC opponent for the Auggies was in 1992. On Sept. 12, 1992, Augsburg topped Wisconsin-Superior 31-3 at Augsburg. Ironically, Augsburg's win was the last football game in UW-Superior history; the school's administration dropped football a week later because of low participation numbers.

All-time against WIAC opponents, Augsburg is 17-29-3 dating back to 1941: Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 4-6-1; Wisconsin-La Crosse, 0-1-0; Wisconsin-River Falls, 10-17-2; Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1-2-0; Wisconsin-Stout, 0-2-0; Wisconsin-Superior, 2-1-0.

Schools in the MIAC and WIAC have rarely faced each other in recent years in the regular season. But, because of the change in the MIAC schedule due to Macalester's departure to an independent schedule, MIAC schools have scheduled four games against their foes from the WIAC this season. Wisconsin-Eau Claire is playing three games against MIAC foes (Augsburg on Sept. 13, St. John's on Sept. 20, Bethel on Oct. 4). Last season, WIAC schools won five of six meetings with MIAC schools. Since 1989, there have been 20 meetings of WIAC and MIAC schools in the regular season. In that time, the MIAC is 5-15 against the WIAC. Including playoff games, the MIAC is 9-19 against the WIAC. St. John's has seven of the MIAC's wins; Augsburg and St. Thomas have one each.

All-time MIAC vs. WIAC matchups since 1989:
Sept. 9, 1989 -- UW-Superior 27, Gustavus 14
Sept. 8, 1990 -- St. John's 35, UW-Superior 7
Sept. 8, 1990 -- UW-Platteville 24, Carleton 16
Nov. 17, 1990 (playoffs) -- St. Thomas 24, UW-Whitewater 23
Sept. 7, 1991 -- UW-Platteville 30, Carleton 22
Nov. 23, 1991 (playoffs) -- St. John's 29, UW-La Crosse 10
Sept. 12, 1992 -- Augsburg 31, UW-Superior 3
Sept. 12, 1992 -- UW-River Falls 38, St. Thomas 14
Sept. 11, 1993 -- UW-River Falls 34, St. Thomas 16
Nov. 27, 1993 (playoffs) -- St. John's 47, UW-La Crosse 25
Sept. 10, 1994 -- UW-River Falls 37, St. Thomas 21
Sept. 9, 1995 -- UW-River Falls 54, St. Thomas 28
Nov. 18, 1995 (playoffs) -- UW-La Crosse 45, Concordia-Moorhead 7
Nov. 30, 1996 (playoffs) -- UW-La Crosse 37, St. John's 30
Nov. 21, 1998 (playoffs) -- UW-Eau Claire 10, St. John's 7
Sept. 11, 1999 -- St. John's 40, UW-Eau Claire 28
Nov. 20, 1999 (playoffs) -- St. John's 23, UW-Stevens Point 10
Sept. 2, 2000 -- St. John's 49, UW-Eau Claire 14
Sept. 9, 2000 -- UW-Eau Claire 17, Augsburg 14
Sept. 1, 2001 -- UW-Eau Claire 25, St. John's 10
Sept. 8, 2001 -- UW-Eau Claire 37, Augsburg 14
Sept. 7, 2002 -- UW-Eau Claire 28, St. John's 21 (OT)
Sept. 14, 2002 -- UW-Eau Claire 37, Augsburg 13
Sept. 21, 2002 -- St. John's 42, UW-Whitewater 18
Sept. 28, 2002 -- UW-Stout 28, St. Thomas 7
Oct. 5, 2002 -- UW-Eau Claire 40, Bethel 0
Oct. 19, 2002 -- UW-Stout 27, Concordia-Moorhead 21
Sept. 13, 2003 -- Augsburg at UW-Eau Claire, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20, 2003 -- UW-Eau Claire at St. John's, 1 p.m.
Sept. 27, 2003 -- St. Thomas at UW-Stout, 1 pm.
Oct. 4, 2003 -- Bethel at UW-Eau Claire, 1 p.m.

SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON WITH TWO REGULAR-SEASON NONCONFERENCE GAMES: With Macalester having dropped its MIAC affiliation for football for a five-year span, Augsburg has to play two nonconference games in its 10-game regular-season schedule. After Carleton joined the MIAC in 1983 to give the conference 10 football schools, Augsburg played nine conference games from 1983 to 2001, with the exception of 1991, when a game against Gustavus was cancelled due to the infamous Halloween blizzard. Last year, Augsburg went 1-1 in nonconference games, topping Dakota State (S.D.) 44-14 and losing at Wisconsin-Eau Claire (37-13). Prior to last season, Augsburg's last regular-season schedule with two nonconference games was 1983, when Augsburg defeated Buena Vista (Iowa) 29-24 on Sept. 3 and lost to Bemidji State 23-7 at the Metrodome on Nov. 20. That season, Augsburg went 4-7, the only year that Augsburg has had an 11-game regular season. Augsburg played three nonconference games in its MIAC championship season of 1997 (10-2), with its regular season win at Valley City State (N.D., 24-20 on Sept. 6) and two games in the NCAA Division III national playoffs (34-22 win over Concordia-Moorhead at the Fargodome on Nov. 15 and 61-21 loss at Simpson (Iowa) on Nov. 22.).

SCHLIEMAN, SLOWON HONORED: Augsburg kicker/punter Nick Schlieman (So., Burnsville, Minn.) and wide receiver Yarzue Slowon (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) were honored for their performances in Augsburg's 20-19 win over Jamestown (N.D.) with the initial Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week designations, Schlieman for special teams and Slowon for offense.

In addition, Schlieman earned an additional honor, being named NCAA Division III Special Teams Co-National Player of the Week by Don Hansen's Football Gazette magazine, a weekly publication that covers small-college football. Schlieman was joined for Division III National Player of the Week honors on special teams by freshman placekicker Bill Miller of Delaware Valley (Pa.), who connected on four field goals and two extra points in his team's 26-12 win over William Paterson (N.J.) last Saturday.

Schlieman had an incredible day punting and kicking against the Jimmies. Schlieman had eight punts for 419 yards (a 52.4-yard average), including a school-record 74-yard punt on Augsburg's first drive of the first quarter. Schlieman's punts went for 74, 45, 29, 46, 59, 46, 68 and 52 yards. In addition, he saw his first collegiate action at placekicker, kicking two extra points, including the game-winner with 33 seconds left. He performed all kicking duties (punting, placekicking, kickoffs) for Augsburg for the first time in his college career on Saturday.

Schlieman was the lone freshman named to the All-MIAC first team last season, leading the conference in punting. He averaged 38.5 yards per punt last year, the best punting average for an Auggie in recent memory.

Slowon caught 13 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the final 61 seconds of play to key the incredible Auggie comeback, as Augsburg rallied from a 19-6 deficit in the final three minutes. Slowon caught an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, and after Augsburg recovered an onside kick, nabbed a 14-yard sideline pass and a 25-yard diving catch for the eventual game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. Slowon caught six passes for 97 yards in the Auggies' final two drives.

It's Slowon's third 100-yard receiving game of his two season career, and two yards off his personal-best of 147, set last season against Bethel. Slowon was one of a handful of conference athletes to earn All-MIAC honors in two sports last season, as he earned second-team All-MIAC honors in football and first-team All-MIAC honors in men's basketball as a point guard.

SCOUTING THE AUGGIES: Augsburg is coming off one of the most dramatic, come-from-behind victories in school history, as the Auggies rallied from a 19-6 deficit in the final three minutes, scoring two touchdowns in the final 61 seconds of play to produce a 20-19 win over Jamestown College (N.D.) last Saturday in Jamestown, N.D

Wide receiver Yarzue Slowon (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) scored two touchdowns from quarterback Tony George (So., Blaine, Minn.) in the final 1:01, including a diving, 25-yard score with 33 seconds to play, to give the Auggies the win. Trailing 19-6 with 4:58 remaining, Augsburg scored twice on its final two drives in the season-opener for both teams.

George connected with Slowon on an 11-yard scoring pass with 1:01 remaining. After Nick Schlieman (So., Burnsville, Minn.) connected on the extra point, Jamestown was whistled for a personal-foul, roughing-the-kicker penalty, placing the ball at midfield. Schlieman's onside kick was recovered by Augsburg's Zach Manship (So., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) at the Jamestown 39-yard line. On the first play, George found Slowon on a 14-yard possession catch, going out of bounds at the Jamestown 25. After two incomplete passes, George threw to Slowon again, as he caught the pass diving in the end zone with 33 seconds remaining. Schlieman's extra point produced the game-winning margin.

George, making his first collegiate start at quarterback, completed 18-of-34 passes with one interception for 208 yards, with Slowon catching 13 passes for 145 yards. Schlieman was another hero for Augsburg, as he boomed eight punts for an amazing 52.4-yard average. An All-MIAC punter last season as a freshman, Schlieman had a school-record 74-yard punt in the first half and punts of 58 and 68 yards.

The Auggies came back after being dominated in the first half by Jamestown, an NAIA school. The Jimmies had 16 first downs to Augsburg's three in the first half, had 43 offensive plays to Augsburg's 17 and controlled the ball for 22 minutes compared to eight for Augsburg. Jamestown led 10-0 at halftime. Augsburg was limited to just 32 rushing yards in the contest, 21 by Ben Paul (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Johnson HS) on six carries.

Augsburg's defense dominated the second half, limiting Jamestown to just five first downs in the second half and forcing four turnovers -- three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Brandon Fox (Sr., Springfield, Minn.) led the Auggies with 13 tackles (six solo), an interception and a half-sack. Joe Cullen (Jr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) had 1.5 sacks, and Craig Pike (Jr., Pine Island, Minn.) had one sack and two forced fumbles. Jim Gunderson (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) also had an interception.

Augsburg scored its first touchdown of the season from its defense, as Taylor Kroger (So., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS) scampered 25 yards on an interception return with 9:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the ensuing extra-point attempt resulted in points for Jamestown. The snap on the attempt went through the hands of the Augsburg holder, and Jamestown's Scott Geiszler recovered the ball and ran it 80-plus yards for a "defensive extra point," putting two points on the scoreboard for Jamestown for a 12-6 advantage.

On Jamestown's ensuing drive, quarterback Danny Wirtzberger (So., Havre, Mont.) ran 32 yards on a broken play from the option with 4:52 left to take a 19-6 lead. Augsburg's next drive was ended on a broken-up pass on fourth down, giving Jamestown the ball. However, the Jimmies gave up the ball on a fumble, giving the Auggies the ball at their own 39-yard line with 2:08 to play, setting the stage for the late-game heroics.

SCOUTING THE BLUGOLDS (from WIAC 2003 football preview): After posting the best two-year winning percentage (16-4, .800 winning percentage) in school history, this year's Wisconsin-Eau Claire squad has no intentions of slipping out of the upper echelon of the league. The Blugolds finished 8-2 overall a year ago, 5-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In a preseason poll of the league's sports information directors, the Blugolds were picked to finish sixth in the eight-team WIAC race, with Wisconsin-Stout picked to win the league crown.

Turning the switches of the Blugold offense for the 2003 campaign will be junior quarterback Nels Fredrickson, who completed 98-of-138 passes for 1,307 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago and finished third on the team with 272 rushing yards. The receiving arsenal should be bolstered with the return of senior Erik Ferguson and sophomore Matt Evensen. Ferguson made 32 receptions for 492 yards and five touchdowns last season, while Evensen looks to improve upon his freshman season when he caught 21 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns.

The rushing attack will return its top two contributors from last year in sophomores Joe Gast and Brian Mitchell. Gast led the squad with 150 attempts, 637 net yards and eight touchdowns, while Mitchell finished with 364 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The biggest question offensively lies on the offensive line, where the Blugolds will have to replace five starters. Junior Pete Monfre returns after suffering a knee injury in his only start a year ago, while sophomores Zach Hayes, Dan Karcz and Dave Scholz should factor into the mix on the offensive line in 2003.

Six starters return for a Blugold defense that ranked second in the WIAC in total defense (300.9 yards per game), rushing defense (102.9 yards per game) and scoring defense (19.5 points per game). Senior defensive lineman Austin Crow leads the returnees after finishing fourth in the league with six sacks a year ago to earn All-WIAC second-team honors. Junior noseguard Dave Maas also returns after starting the final six games of 2002. Sophomore linebacker Andrew Jones also started the final six contests last year and finished with 53 tackles. The secondary returns three starters from last season and will be led by All-WIAC second-team selection defensive back Mike LaBarbera, who recorded 38 tackles and one interception a year ago. He also was an all-league second-team pick as an all-purpose back last year. Senior Pat Cummings and sophomore Derek Sikora round out the returnees in the secondary for the Blugolds. Cummings is a two-year starter, while Sikora was second on the team with 66 tackles last year.

Senior kicker Nick Diciaula and senior punter Matt Brink return to the Blugold special teams. Diciaula was an All-WIAC second-team pick last season after connecting on 22-of-23 extra points and six-of-nine field goals, while Brink averaged 34.0 yards per punt in 2002.

AUGSBURG NUMBER CHANGES: Two Auggies will be wearing different numbers for this week. Defensive lineman Craig Pike (Jr., Pine Island, Minn.) will wear 48 instead of 37, and offensive lineman Matt Wong (So., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) will wear 70 instead of 71.

CLEARWATER BOWL AT WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE: It's the fourth annual Clearwater Bowl, the season-opening home game for Wisconsin-Eau Claire at Carson Park. The Blugolds are 2-1 in their previous Clearwater Bowl games, losing 49-14 to St. John's in 2000, beating Augsburg 37-14 in 2001 and beating St. John's 28-21 in overtime last season.

The Clearwater Bowl festivities feature a golf tournament (the Walker Open) at 12 noon at the Hickory Hills Golf Course, and a pre-game festival in the Carson Park Pavillion area from 4-7 p.m. Admission to the pre-game festival is free, featuring food, beverages, games and entertainment. Free t-shirts and magnet schedules will be given to the first 1,000 fans at the gate before the game. A postgame party will be held at the Barley Club at Pine Meadow Golf Course, starting at 10 p.m.

NEXT WEEK: Augsburg opens Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at home next Saturday, hosting St. Olaf College at 1 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field. Wisconsin-Eau Claire will have its second nonconference game against an MIAC opponent, when it plays next Saturday at 1 p.m. at St. John's, the game at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville, Minn.

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
LT -- 79-Nate Anderson (Sr., 6-4, 244), 75-Matt Siems (Fr., 6-3, 266)
LG -- 77-John Streefland (So, 6-1, 243), 62-Lowery Smith (So., 6-1, 251)
C -- 65-Adam Hoffmann (Jr., 6-1, 230), 55-Andy Estrem (So., 5-11, 235)
RG -- 70-Matt Wong (So., 6-1, 263), 69-Jon Dahlin (Sr., 6-2, 241)
RT -- 60-Andy Johnson (Jr., 6-5, 339), 66-Ryan Shea (So., 6-6, 309)
TE -- 80-Andrew Neumann (Fr., 6-4, 210), 46-Ty Closson (Jr., 6-2, 205)
WR -- 2-Yarzue Slowon (Jr., 6-1, 196), 22-Jamie Smith (Sr., 5-9, 166)
WR -- 19-Shawn Johnson (Jr., 6-2, 192), 5-Micah Young (Fr., 6-1, 162)
FB -- 27-Ben Paul (Sr., 6-2, 225), 33-Joe Starks (Jr., 5-9, 213)
HB -- 3-Pat Lofboom (Jr., 6-1, 197), 23-Steve Houser (So., 6-0, 188), 7-Nick Sanchez (Sr., 5-10, 191)
QB -- 12-Tony George (So., 6-2, 197), 17-Troy Deden (Fr., 6-0, 208), 11-Eric Bohnhoff (Fr., 6-5, 195)

WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DL/LE -- 22-Brett Cantillion (Sr., 5-11, 235), 73-Dan Lyrenmann (Jr., 6-1, 265)
DL/NG -- 51-Dave Maas (Jr., 5-11, 265), 77-Bob McNutt (Fr., 6-3, 250)
DL/RE -- 50-Brent Crank (Jr., 6-1, 235), 79-Peter Leadholm (So., 6-1, 245)
DL/Stud -- 93-Austin Crow (Sr., 6-3, 230), 39-Dan Rogney (Fr., 6-2, 200)
LB/Sam -- 26-Andrew Jones (So., 6-0, 220), 41-Anthony Pizzo (So., 5-11, 225)
LB/Will -- 4-Jared Roeker (So., 6-0, 215), 2-Mike Lansing (Jr., 6-1, 220)
LB/Quick -- 42-Justin Greenwood (Jr., 6-1, 210), 23-Johnny Klicka (So., 5-10, 195)
LCB -- 6-Mike LaBarbera (Sr., 5-10, 180), 49-Ryan Schulz (Fr., 5-10, 180)
FS -- 7-Pat Cummings (Sr., 6-3, 225), 18-Zach Paul (Fr., 6-1, 195)
Rover -- 1-Billy Diercks (Sr., 6-0, 180), 21-Brent Weber (Fr., 5-9, 175)
RCB -- 30-Derek Sikora (So., 5-8, 165), 19-Luke Plese (So., 5-9, 170)

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DE -- 47-Joe Cullen (Jr., 6-0, 211), 89-Tom Stefanacci (Sr., 6-0, 245)
DT -- 42-Jacob Koelln (So., 6-0, 241), 93-Ray McCoy (Jr., 5-9, 273)
DT -- 96-Sam Harmer (Sr., 6-2, 237), 99-Chike Ochiagha (Jr., 5-10, 267)
DE -- 48-Craig Pike (Jr., 6-2, 255), 89-Tom Stefanacci (Sr., 6-0, 245)
SLB -- 44-Mike Matson (So., 6-0, 182), 35-Jake Schmiesing (Sr., 6-2, 199)
MLB -- 29-Brandon Fox (Sr., 6-2, 225), 24-Ryan Moe (Fr., 6-0, 210), 8-Zach Manship (So., 6-1, 194)
WLB -- 41-John Golnitz (Jr., 6-3, 210), 26-Isiah Jones (Fr., 5-10, 215)
CB -- 21-Ross Peroutka (So., 6-0, 185), 10-Ricky Schreier (So., 5-7, 156)
SS -- 34-Jim Gunderson (Jr., 5-11, 198), 13-Danny Umhoefer (Fr., 5-10, 178)
FS -- 4-Jordan Hastings (So., 6-4, 189), 13-Danny Umhoefer (Fr., 5-10, 178)
CB -- 32-Taylor Kroger (So., 6-0, 198), 9-Major Williams (Jr., 6-0, 165)

WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
LT -- 76-Dan Karcz (Fr., 6-6, 255), 66-Dennis Peterson (Jr., 6-2, 280)
LG -- 65-Pete Monfre (Jr., 6-1, 275), 54-Drew Rekuski (Fr., 6-1, 255)
C -- 58-Devin Disrude (Jr., 6-0, 255), 64-Zach Hayes (So., 6-0, 255)
RG -- 62-Brett Etzel (Sr., 6-1, 260), 53-Eric Johnson (Sr., 6-1, 260)
RT -- 78-Brandon Basken (So., 6-2, 290), 70-Chad Larson (So., 6-3, 285)
TE -- 33-Don Kahl (Jr., 6-5, 235), 40-Garret Pankratz (So., 6-1, 220)
WR (Z) -- 17-Matt Evensen (So., 6-3, 195),8-Darin Krzyanowski (So., 6-0, 185)
WR (X) -- 9-Erik Ferguson (Sr., 6-0, 185), 83-Adam Sturgis (So., 6-0, 180), 5-Matt Brink (Sr., 6-0, 185)
FB -- 11-Mike Hennessey (So., 5-11, 220), 44-Pete Ottem (Jr., 5-10, 225)
TB -- 3-Brian Mitchell (So., 5-8, 190), 32-Joe Gast (So., 5-10, 200)
QB -- 16-Nels Fredrickson (Jr., 6-1, 200), 15-Jeremy Darnell (Jr., 6-2, 225)

AUGSBURG SPECIALISTS
K -- 1-Nick Schlieman (So., 6-4, 231), 41-John Golnitz (Jr., 6-3, 210)
P -- 1-Nick Schlieman (So., 6-4, 231), 41-John Golnitz (Jr., 6-3, 210)
LS -- 80-Andrew Neumann (Fr., 6-4, 210), 49-Jon Kozitza (Sr., 6-0, 197)
SS -- 80-Andrew Neumann (Fr., 6-4, 210), 49-Jon Kozitza (Sr., 6-0, 197)
H -- 11-Eric Bohnhoff (Fr., 6-5, 195), 17-Troy Deden (Fr., 6-0, 208)
KR -- 2-Yarzue Slowon (Jr., 6-1, 196), 10-Ricky Schreier (So., 5-7, 156)
PR -- 2-Yarzue Slowon (Jr., 6-1, 196), 22-Jamie Smith (Sr., 5-9, 166)

WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE SPECIALISTS
K -- 25-Nick Diciaula (Sr., 5-10, 170)
P -- 5-Matt Brink (Sr., 6-0, 185)