MINNEAPOLIS -- Using a balanced attack that produced 469 yards of total offense, the Augsburg University football team opened the 2018 season with a 31-28 nonconference victory over Ripon College on Saturday afternoon at Edor Nelson Field.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 31, Ripon (Wis.) 28
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-0 overall, Ripon 0-1 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg threw for 265 yards and rushed for 204 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per-play on 70 offensive plays in the game. Quarterback Quinn Frisell (SR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) completed 14-of-25 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 11 times for 61 yards -- including a 44-yard touchdown run to open the scoring for the Auggies.
• Wide receiver Nick Heenie (SR, Victoria, Minn./Waconia HS) caught seven passes for 161 yards -- his ninth career 100-plus-yard receiving game -- with a 25-yard touchdown reception from Frisell in the second quarter. Making his collegiate debut, Nate Herber (FY, Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) caught five passes for 79 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
• Augsburg took a 28-14 advantage late in the second quarter, but the Red Hawks scored twice to tie the game at 28-28 with 13:52 left to play. After the teams exchanged possessions, Augsburg drove the ball 46 yards to the Ripon 12 on nine plays, and kicker Tyler Hanson (SR, Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) connected on a 29-yard field goal with 5:44 left, the eventual game-winning points.
• Augsburg's defense then held on for the victory. The Red Hawks got the ball into Augsburg territory, but a fumbled running back exchange was recovered by Augsburg's Matthew Kreye (JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Maple Grove HS) at the Augsburg 44-yard line with 1:50 left, enabling the Auggies to run out the clock and claim the win.
• Two transfer running backs making their Augsburg debuts had strong performances in the win. RaQuan Cunningan (SR, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS), a transfer from Concordia-St. Paul, rushed 12 times for 86 yards, including a 10-yard scoring run late in the first quarter. Keith Anthony (SR, New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper HS), a transfer from Laney (Calif.), rushed 17 times for 64 yards.
• Augsburg outgained Ripon by a 469-367 margin in the game. The Red Hawks rushed for 293 yards, while passing for 74.
• Derek Glynn (JR, Lonsdale, Minn./Faribault HS) recorded 10 tackles (seven solo), including a tackle for-loss, to lead the Auggies. Jermaine Borward (SR, St. Paul, Minn./Tartan HS) had seven tackles (three solo), including 2.5 tackles for-loss and a sack, to go along with a forced fumble and quarterback hurry. (Collin Feld (JR, Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo HS) and Camdin Carlson-Mathies (FY, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) had six tackles each. Kreye had five tackles (two solo) with a sack and two tackles for-loss.

FOR THE FOES
• Austin Bunders rushed nine times for 103 yards and two touchdowns for Ripon -- a 29-yarder in the first quarter and a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28-28.
• Quarterback Julian Patton rushed 19 times for 70 yards, while completing five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Austin Bunders caught two passes for 49 yards.
• Ethan Hoffman had 17 tackles (four solo) and two pass breakups. Dakota Jordan had nine tackles (five solo) with two tackles for-loss and a sack.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg travels to face Concordia-Wisconsin next Saturday (9/8) at 1 p.m. in Mequon, Wis.
• Ripon hosts Finlandia (Mich.) next Saturday at 1 p.m.