BOXSCORE MINNEAPOLIS -- Behind 313 passing yards and two touchdown passes by Ayrton Scott (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS), 162 receiving yards and two touchdown catches by Joey Sonnenfeld (SO, Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS) and 141 rushing yards and a score by Phil Putratz (JR, Mazeppa, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS), the Augsburg College football team scored a 34-16 win over Macalester College in a nonconference contest on Saturday afternoon at Edor Nelson Field.

With the win, Augsburg improves to 5-4 overall, clinching its third straight season with a .500-or-better finish -- just the fifth time in the 81 seasons of Augsburg football that the feat has been accomplished (previously in 1927-29, 1972-74, 1993-95 and 1997-99). Under ninth-year head coach Frank Haege, Augsburg now has a 36-33 record over the last seven seasons.

Augsburg jumped out to a 21-7 lead after one quarter and never trailed, scoring two more touchdowns in the second half to pull away from the Scots (3-6 overall). Augsburg produced 585 yards of total offense (313 passing, 272 rushing), while limiting Macalester to 314 yards of offense (187 passing, 127 rushing).

The Auggies struck quickly in the first quarter, as a four-play, 64-yard drive was capped by an 11-yard rushing touchdown by Putratz. The Scots quickly tied the game, though, as Konnor Fleming (JR, Charlotte, Vt./Champlain Valley Union HS) returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Augsburg 42-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Samson Bialostok (JR, North Woodmere, N.Y./Lawrence HS) rushed for a 40-yard touchdown to tie the game.

Augsburg claimed its next two touchdowns on drives following Macalester fumbles. The Scots got the ball down to the Augsburg 1-yard line, but Spencer Corey (SR, Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin-Woodville HS) forced and recovered a fumble. Eight plays and 99 yards later, the Auggies scored on a 35-yard rushing touchdown by Jerise Washington (JR, Roseville, Minn./Mounds View HS). 

The Auggies got the ball back after a fumble on a shotgun snap, recovered by Chris DeVet (JR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS). Four plays and 41 seconds later, Scott scored on a 16-yard rushing touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Scots cut the lead to 21-16 at halftime with two second-quarter scores. The Scots drove 75 yards in six plays, capped by a 35-yard, halfback-option touchdown pass from Daniel Ricci (SR, Menomonee Falls, Wis./Brookfield Academy HS) to C.J. Smith (SR, Ashland, Wis.). A sack and forced fumble by Alex Morrall (JR, Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe HS), recovered by Jesse Russell (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.), gave the Scots the ball at the Augsburg 32-yard line with 1:48 left in the first half. With a favorable wind at his back, Macalester kicker Auburn Jimenez (SR, East Los Angeles, Calif./St. John Bosco HS) kicked a 47-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in the half.

Augsburg used another long drive to produce a score in the third quarter, with a 12-play, 75-yard drive covering 4:10 ended by a three-yard touchdown pass from Scott to Sonnenfeld with 2:34 left in the third quarter. The duo hooked up again for Augsburg's final touchdown in the fourth quarter, on a 31-yard scoring pass with 9:38 left, capping a six-play, 50-yard drive.

Sonnenfeld now has an MIAC-best 12 receiving touchdowns this season. He also leads the MIAC's overall statistics in receiving yardage per-game, with a 106.6 average folliwing his 10-catch, 162-yard effort on Saturday. Scott is the MIAC's top passer, averaging a league-best 274.4 passing yards per game with a league-best 24 passing touchdowns. He also ranks fourth in the conference's overall statistics in rushing yardage per-game (71.4), after gaining 27 yards on 11 carries on Saturday. Scott completed 19-of-33 passing with two touchdowns against one interception on Saturday. 

Washington had a solid all-around day for the Auggies, gaining 83 yards on eight rushes and 63 yards on five receptions, for a 146-yard all-purpose yardage day. He was one of four Auggies to have 100-or-more all-purpose yards on Saturday; tight end Adam Carl (SR, Eagan, Minn.) caught three passes for 79 yards and had a 21-yard rush on an end-around for a 100-yard afternoon.

Bialostok completed 16-of-38 passes for 148 yards for the Scots, while also rushing 29 times for 117 yards and a score. Smith caught five passes for 59 yards, while John Johnson (SR, McKenzie, Tenn.) had five catches for 49 yards and Ben Hillmann (JR, Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer HS) had four catches for 59 yards.

Defensively, Augsburg's Felix Coleman (JR, Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson HS) and Michael Juberian (JR, Richfield, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's HS) had nine tackles each, with Juberian recording a sack for a 10-yard loss. Juberian leads the MIAC's overall statistics in both total tackles (130, 53 solo) and tackles per-game (14.4). Paye Tengben (SR, Fridley, Minn.) and DeVet had seven tackles each, with DeVet recording 1.5 sacks and 2.0 tackles for-loss in the game.

Jole Miller (JR, Missouri Valley, Iowa) led the Scots with 12 tackles (five solo) and an interception, while Glen Hartford (FY, North Andover, Mass.) had 11 tackles (six solo).

The two teams complete their seasons next Saturday (11/16) at 1 p.m., as Augsburg travels to face Carleton in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest, while Macalester hosts Hamline in nonconference play.