GAME STATISTICS

MINNEAPOLIS (9/13/08) -- Running back #Jason Potts# (SR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) rushed up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown on Augsburg College's second play of the second overtime, giving the Auggies a 30-24 victory over visiting Wartburg College in a nonconference football game on Saturday night at Edor Nelson Field.

For the second straight year, Augsburg (2-0 overall) handed Wartburg (1-1 overall) a loss when the Knights were nationally ranked. The Knights entered Saturday's game ranked No. 20 in the latest D3Football.com Division III national poll; last season, the Auggies claimed a 14-13 win at Wartburg when the Knights were ranked No. 10 nationally.

Trailing 17-10 with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter, the Auggies used a 14-play, 69-yard drive to tie the game and force overtime, as on fourth down-and-goal from the Wartburg 2-yard line, quarterback #Jordan Berg *# (SR, Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS) threw a touchdown pass to receiver #Royce Winford *# (SR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS).

Winford, a rare two-way player in college football, then intercepted a pass on Wartburg's ensuing drive, but the Auggies were stopped on downs at the Wartburg 35-yard line with 58 seconds left. The Knights then drove the ball to the Augsburg 30, but a Spencer Herzberg (SR, Iowa Falls, Iowa) 47-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation was blocked by #John Leibfried# (JR, Shakopee, Minn.) and #Alex Glasenapp# (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS), setting up overtime.

Augsburg's first drive of overtime was capped by a 15-yard scoring pass from Berg to Winford, but the Knights answered with a one-yard scoring rush by quarterback Nick Yordi (JR, Solon, Iowa), forcing the second overtime. The Wartburg drive included 23 rushing yards on six carries by Tim Jones (JR, St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood HS). On Wartburg's second drive, Herzberg missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt wide left, setting the stage for Potts' game-winning rush when the Auggies took over possession.

Berg completed 34-of-57 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns for the Auggies, marking the fifth time in his last seven career starts that he has thrown 56 or more passes in a game. Winford caught eight passes for 87 yards and two scores, and #Muneer Al-Hameed# (SO, Woodbury, Minn./Minneapolis Washburn HS) caught a career-high 14 passes for 95 yards. Potts had 46 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards for the Auggies, while #David Tilton# (SO, Anoka, Minn.) rushed 10 times for 42 yards.

The Auggies jumped on the board early, scoring the first 10 points of the game in the first quarter. A 12-play, 61-yard drive -- all passes by Berg -- was capped by a 27-yard field goal by #Jack Christopherson# (SO, Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS). on Augsburg's next drive, a 12-play, 77-yard drive ended with an Al-Hameed four-yard scoring reception from Berg. Wartburg then tied the game at 10-10 at halftime, as Herzberg hit a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter, and Yordi completed a five-yard scoring pass to Justin Vetter (Sr, Nashua, Iowa/Nashua-Plainfield HS) with 28-second left in the first half.

Yordi completed 27-of-43 passes for 217 yards for the Knights, with Vetter catching five passes for 79 yards. Alex Boom (JR, Manchester, Iowa/West Delaware HS) rushed 11 times for 63 yards, and Jones had 14 carries for 36 yards.

Defensively, #Adam Mead# (SO, St. Francis, Minn.) led the Auggies with 11 tackles (five solo), while #Donovan Bates# (SR, White Bear Lake, Minn.) had nine tackles (seven solo), and #Sean Kelly# (SR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) and #Adam Ebert# (SR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) had eight tackles apiece. Glasenapp had a sack for the Auggies.

For the Knights, Jason Lansing (SR, West Union, Iowa/North Fayette HS) had a team-high nine tackles with three pass break-ups, while Kyle Goodchild (Sr, Van Horne, Iowa/Benton Community HS) had eight tackles (three solo) and Josh Faaborg (SR, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson HS) had seven tackles (five solo).

Augsburg is idle next weekend and opens Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m., with its Homecoming game against St. Olaf at Edor Nelson Field. Wartburg opens Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday (9/20) at 1 p.m. with a game at Central.