Football 9/24/05 -- St. Thomas 53, Augsburg 17

BOXSCORE

ST. PAUL, Minn. (9/24/05) -- Junior running back Jimmy Mullen rushed for 118 yards, including touchdown runs of 8, 7 and 1 yards, to lead the host University of St. Thomas (1-2 overall, 1-1 MIAC) in Saturday's 53-17 win over Augsburg College (0-3, 0-1) in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football action at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.

In posting their first win of the season, the Tommies scored 31 unanswered points in a 16-minute stretch of the first half and led 31-10 at halftime. UST outgained Augsburg in total offense, 464-284 yards.

Tommie junior quarterback Ryan Jansen completed 9-of-14 for 157 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushed three times for 24 yards. Senior Joel Korte caught a 17-yard scoring pass and Don Jaeger caught a 4-yard touchdown strike. Freshman Jake Casey rushed 19 times for 80 yards and had a 2-yard scoring run. UST junior P.J. Theisen caught two passes for 46 yards and went over 1,000 receiving yards on his three-year career. Freshman Eric Taylor booted a 25-yard field goal and converted 6-of-6 PAT tries.

The Tommies capitalized with touchdown drives immediately after three of the Auggies' four turnovers. UST senior Tom Fritze had an interception and was in on 14 tackles. Junior Mike Rouse added two sacks, junior Eric Saucier recovered a fumble at the Auggie 20, and sophomores Pat Sommerstad and Mike Odom added interceptions.

Freshman Shawn Dunbar (Fr., Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS) rushed 16 times for 82 yards for the Auggies. Junior quarterback Keith Hagen (Jr., Northfield, Minn.), in his first career start, completed 14-of-26 passes for 187 yards, including a 15-yard scoring pass to Ricky Schreier (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS). That capped an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive that put the Auggies ahead 7-0 seven minutes into the game.

Andrew Neumann (Jr., Somerset, Wis.) caught three passes for 51 yards and Schreier had three receptions for 50 yards. Defensively, Mike Matson (Jr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) was in on 14 tackles and Darrell Young (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Henry HS) had an interception. Senior Nick Schlieman (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) averaged 42.3 yards on three punts and converted a 35-yard field goal. He also missed field-goal tries from 40 and 53 yards.

St. Thomas has won 32 of the last 36 games vs. Augsburg, including the last 17 in O'Shaughnessy Stadium.

The Tommies play next Saturday (10/1) at St. Olaf, while Augsburg returns home to Edor Nelson Field to play Carleton. Both games start at 1 p.m.

Augsburg at St. Thomas Game Notes

THE GAME: The Augsburg College Auggies (0-2 overall, 0-0 MIAC) travel to face the University of St. Thomas Tommies (0-2 overall, 0-1 MIAC) in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game on Saturday, September 24 at 1 p.m., at O'Shaughnessy Stadium (capacity 5,000) in St. Paul, Minn.

COACHES: Augsburg head coach Frank Haege (Wisconsin-Stout '92) is in his first season and has an 0-2 record. St. Thomas head coach Don Roney (St. Thomas '84) is in his eighth season and has a 42-29 career record.

WEBCAST/BROADCAST: All Augsburg football games are webcast live online, through an arrangement with Stretch Internet. Returning for his eighth season of broadcasting Auggie football is Tom Witschen, who will be joined by Devon Krueger. To listen online, go to http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/liveaudio/. There is no over-the-air radio coverage of Augsburg football.

SERIES: This is the 62nd meeting between Augsburg and St. Thomas, a series the Tommies lead 50-9-2. St. Thomas is 31-3 against the Auggies since the 1971 season, with Augsburg's lone victories in that span coming in 1992 (37-7 at Augsburg), 1995 (28-7 at Augsburg) and 2003 (17-14 at Augsburg). Augsburg's first-ever meeting with St. Thomas was in Augsburg's third season of football, 1928 (a game tied 6-6), and the teams have met every year since 1952.

LAST WEEK: Augsburg fell to 0-2 on the season with a 64-25 loss to North Central (Ill.) at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field last Saturday, while St. Thomas fell to 0-2 with a 31-20 MIAC loss at Concordia-Moorhead last Saturday.

MIAC OVERALL PER-GAME RANKINGS (2 GAMES): Total offense -- Augsburg 5th (371.0), St. Thomas 6th (362.0); Passing offense -- Augsburg 3rd (225.0), St. Thomas 2nd (229.5); Rushing offense -- Augsburg 7th (146.0), St. Thomas 8th (132.5); Scoring offense -- Augsburg 5th (25.5), St. Thomas 7th (20.5); Total defense -- Augsburg 9th (541.0), St. Thomas 8th (399.5); Passing defense -- Augsburg 9th (343.5), St. Thomas 2nd (140.5); Rushing defense -- Augsburg 7th (197.5), St. Thomas 9th (259.0); Scoring defense -- Augsburg 9th (46.5), St. Thomas 7th (27.5); Turnover margin -- Augsburg t-2nd (plus-1; 5 gained, 3 lost), St. Thomas 8th (even; 3 gained, 3 lost).

NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL STATISTICS: As a team, Augsburg is ranked 15th in team net punting (36.73 net yards per punt). For Augsburg individuals, Nick Schlieman (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) is ranked fifth nationally in punting (43.5 yards per punt). Ricky Schreier (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) is ranked 14th in receptions per game (8.0) and 28th in receiving yards per game (109.5). Taylor Kroger (Sr., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS) is ranked 22nd in solo tackles per game (7.5) and tied for 34th with teammates Jake Koelln (Sr., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) and Ross Peroutka (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) in forced fumbles per game (0.5).

For St. Thomas, Andrew Ubbelohde (Sr., Red Wing, Minn.) is tied for the national lead in solo tackles per game (10.0), is ranked second nationally in total tackles per game (16.5), 24th in tackles for loss per game (2.5) and tied for 34th in forced fumbles per game (0.5). Ben Kessler (Sr., Janesville, Wis./Craig HS) is ranked 28th in sacks per game (1.3).

LAST YEAR: Walter Dosh rushed for 82 yards on 20 carries and had a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter, as St. Thomas rallied for a 28-21 victory over host Augsburg on Sept. 25, 2004 at at Edor Nelson Field.

St. Thomas rallied from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to claim the victory. Augsburg led 14-7 at halftime, but several big special teams plays enabled St. Thomas to get back into the game. On St. Thomas' first drive of the third quarter, the Tommies used a fake punt run and took advantage of a fumbled punt return to get in position for a field goal, but a 25-yard attempt by Adam Valenta hit the crossbar. However, on the next drive, St. Thomas' Ben Kessler blocked an Augsburg punt, which Luke Rezac returned 18 yards for a touchdown.

A special teams play enabled Augsburg to re-take the lead, as Marcus LeVesseur returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to the St. Thomas 27-yard line. Six plays later, LeVesseur threw a 12-yard scoring pass to Ty Closson, giving the Auggies a 21-14 lead. On the second drive of the fourth quarter, St. Thomas' Peter Ridley scored on a 62-yard punt return, tying the game at 21-21.

Augsburg turned the ball over five times in the game, including two interceptions by the Tommies' Steve Groth on the Auggies' final two drives. Groth's first pickoff of a LeVesseur pass gave the Tommies the ball at their own 31-yard line with 3:33 left in the game. The Tommies drove the ball 69 yards in seven plays, setting up Dosh' 10-yard touchdown. Augsburg drove the ball to near midfield on its final drive, before Groth claimed his second pickoff on a bobbled pass at the Tommie 33-yard line with 1:13 remaining.

Augsburg took the early lead with scores on two of its first three drives of the game. A nine-play, 61-yard drive resulted in the Auggies' first score, a 20-yard pass from LeVesseur to Yarzue Slowon. On the Auggies' next drive, LeVesseur scampered 62 yards on an option run to the Tommie 2-yard line, and Steve Houser capped the drive with a two-yard plunge for the touchdown.

St. Thomas quarterback Ryan Jansen had a stretch of 11 straight completions in the first half, including a 46-yard touchdown pass to P.J. Theisen early in the second quarter. Jansen completed 21-of-34 passes for 258 yards, as St. Thomas outgained the Auggies by a 405-357 margin. Theisen caught five passes for 91 yards to lead the Tommies, while Joe Lepsche caught five passes for 47 yards. Dosh rushed 20 times for 82 yards, and Ridley rushed five times for 47 yards.

LeVesseur compiled 138 passing yards on 9-of-29 passing. He also had 198 all-purpose yards -- 135 rushing yards on 23 carries and his 63 yards on the kickoff return. Houser rushed for 63 yards on 17 carries, and Slowon produced 170 all-purpose yards -- catching three passes for 56 yards, returning five punts for four yards and four kickoffs for 110 yards.

Defensively, St. Thomas was paced by Andy Ubbelohde, who had 12 tackles (five solo), including 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Dustin Peltier had 11 tackles (four solo), Mike Rouse had 10 tackles (three solo), and Kessler had nine tackles, including a sack. Groth had eight tackles (five solo). Augsburg's defense was led by Jordan Hastings, who had 13 tackles (four solo). John Golnitz and Andy Matzke had nine tackles apiece, and Joe Cullen had three tackles for loss, including two sacks.

AUGSBURG AIMS TO SNAP 16-GAME STREAK AT ST. THOMAS: Augsburg has lost its last 16 games in a row at St. Thomas' O'Shaughnessy Stadium, with the Auggies' last win at St. Thomas a 28-21 win on Sept. 25, 1970. The road losing streak at St. Thomas is Augsburg's longest against any MIAC opponent. Augsburg came its closest to breaking the streak in 1998, but lost 29-28 in two overtimes at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. Augsburg also lost at St. Thomas in 2001 (34-14) and 2002 (49-6).

Against other MIAC opponents, Augsburg has an 11-game losing streak at St. John's (last win, 1980), a seven-game losing streak at Bethel (last win, 1989), three-game losing streaks at Gustavus (last win, 1997) and Concordia-Moorhead (last win, 1994) and a two-game losing streak at St. Olaf (last win, 1998). Augsburg has a three-game winning streak at Carleton and a four-game winning streak at Hamline.

SCOUTING THE AUGGIES: Kam Kniss completed 22-of-32 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns, leading his North Central College (Ill.) squad to a single-game school-record 657 yards of total offense and a 64-25 win over Augsburg last Saturday at Edor Nelson Field. Kniss also rushed for 43 yards on nine carries and a touchdown, as North Central improved to 2-0 on the season. Augsburg, now 0-2 on the season, gave up its most points in a single game since a 67-7 loss to Gustavus on Oct. 6, 1984.

North Central scored the first 21 points of the game and poured out 405 yards of total offense in the first half, including 320 yards of passing by Kniss. The Cardinals led 27-13 at halftime, then continued to build on the lead in the second half, outscoring the Auggies 37-12 down the stretch.

North Central running back Steve Holden (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Dunbar HS) rushed for 98 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Tyke Spencer (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central HS) had five catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing). North Central had seven drives of 60 yards or more in the game, including five touchdown drives that were 79 yards or more.

Meanwhile, Augsburg put up 338 yards of total offense in the game. Ricky Schreier (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) caught four passes for 85 yards, while Andrew Neumann (Jr., Somerset, Wis.) caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Down 21-0, Augsburg scored twice in a 63-second span to make the game close in the final two minutes of the first half. Neumann scored on a 17-yard pass, and after getting the ball back, a 34-yard pass to Schreier set up a 16-yard completion to Josh Starr (So., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS), Starr's first collegiate touchdown.

But North Central capped the half on a four-play, 88-yard drive to score with 22 seconds left in the half. The teams traded touchdowns early in the third quarter, on a 14-yard rush by Kniss for the Cardinals and De Hanuman's (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) first career touchdown reception for Augsburg, and North Central expanded its lead on a five-yard scamper by Holden late in the first quarter.

Augsburg again cut into the lead early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown. But on the two-point attempt, the pass was intercepted and lateraled to Adam Pennington, who scored a rare two-point "defensive extra point" for North Central on a return to the end zone. The Cardinals then scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to close the scoring.

The Augsburg defense was led by Jordan Hastings (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), who had 11 tackles (five solo). Jim Gunderson (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) had eight tackles (two solo), and Taylor Kroger (Sr., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS) and Mike Matson (Jr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) had seven tackles each.

SCOUTING THE TOMMIES (from UST game notes -- click here): St. Thomas lost 31-20 at No. 17 Concordia-Moorhead last Saturday. The Cobbers outgained the Toms 417-345 yards. Each team had an interception and a lost fumble, although two of those turnovers came in the final 30 seconds. St. Thomas, which was shutout in the second half in its season opener, showed some offensive consistency with multi-play scoring drives of 76, 80 and 69 yards.

NEXT WEEK: Augsburg hosts Carleton in the annual Homecoming game next Saturday (10/1) at 1 p.m., at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis. St. Thomas plays at St. Olaf next Saturday (10/1) at 1 p.m. at Manitou Field in Northfield, Minn.