MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg University football team opened its 2024 campaign with a 24-14 nonconference loss to NAIA program Valley City State University on Friday evening at Edor Nelson Field.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Valley City State (N.D.) 24, Augsburg 14
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 0-1 overall, Valley City State 1-1 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies fell behind 10-0 after one quarter, before getting on the scoreboard on their first drive of the second quarter, as Will Smith (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./North HS) scored his third career touchdown on a three-yard rush, capping a 12-play, 68-yard, 6:52 drive.
• Holding Valley City State to a three-and-out on its subsequent drive, the Auggies drove to the VCSU one-yard line, where a fourth-down rushing attempt was stuffed.
• The Vikings took a 17-7 advantage late in the third quarter on a 56-yard interception return by James Dahn, and Auggie starting quarterback Ryan Harvey (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) suffered an injury on the return, knocking him out of the game. Marcus Freeman (JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center HS), a transfer from South Carolina State, relieved Harvey at quarterback and led the Auggies on a six-play, 60-yard drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Wilson (JR, Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS) with 15 seconds left in the third quarter, cutting the VCSU advantage to 17-14.
• Valley City State used a 13-play, 63-yard, 7:52 drive to add an insurance score in the fourth quarter, taking a 24-14 lead. The Auggies drove to the VCSU 9-yard line with 1:00 left, but the Vikings intercepted a pass in the end zone to cap the game.
• Augsburg outgained Valley City State by a 341-to-244 margin, with 188 passing yards and 153 rushing yards. 
• Harvey completed 10-of-15 passes for 99 yards, and Freeman completed 7-of-11 passes for 89 yards. Wilson caught seven passes for 90 yards, while Tyrique Givance (SR, Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) caught six passes for 58 yards. Smith rushed 22 times for 98 yards, with Lamar Webb Jr. (JR, Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS) rushed seven times for 44 yards.
• Defensively, Rio Starr (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) led the Auggies with seven tackles (one solo). Hamsa Kahin (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn./Edina HS) had six tackles (four solo), including 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Jax Bokman (JR, Faribault, Minn./Bethlehem Academy HS) had six tackles (one solo), and Griffin Thom (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS) had five tackles (one solo< with="" 1.5="" tackles="" for-loss="" and="" a="">

FOR THE FOES
• Noah Chambers completed 15-of-19 passes for 157 yards and a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jake Deutsch. Deutsch caught seven passes for 100 yards. Laggarius Marshell rushed 10 times for 46 yards and a 14-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
• Aiden Russell had 10 tackles (seven solo), while Sal Soto had nine tackles (seven solo). TaQuez Chatman had five tackles, with 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks, and Malachi Torres had the game-sealing interception.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg will take a week off before returning for a road nonconference game at Martin Luther College on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. in New Ulm, Minn.