MINNEAPOLIS — The Augsburg University football team claimed a 27-17 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Macalester College on Saturday at Edor Nelson Field in the Auggies' Homecoming contest. Augsburg finished with 259 passing yards and 113 rushing yards, while its defense intercepted two passes and recorded eight tackles for loss.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Augsburg 27, Macalester 17
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 2-4 overall (2-3 MIAC), Macalester 3-3 overall (2-3 MIAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Passing for 259 yards on 17-of-34 attempts in the victory, Auggie quarterback
Caden Rodkewich reached a pair of milestones, now with 3,225 career passing yards and 1,016 passing yards for the season.
The Auggies' defense kept the first quarter within one score after an early turnover, forcing the Scots to settle for Andrew Wetherill's 30-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 6:28 left. Earlier, Rodkewich hit
Ben Davis for 25 yards on the Auggies' first snap and
Carter Johnson added an 8-yard run, but Johnson's fumble was recovered by the Scots at the Auggies 48. The Scots converted a third-and-19 on the ensuing drive, yet Augsburg limited the damage with
Daniel Fitzgerald-Rosa recording a 6-yard tackle for loss and a red-zone pass breakup, while
Foster Mulvehill also broke up a throw near the goal line. After the Auggies went three-and-out, the defense forced a Scots punt, and the offense closed the quarter moving from its 26 to its 46 behind Rodkewich completions to Davis and
Iggie Cooper.
The Auggies moved in front in the second quarter when
RJ Chakolis blocked a Scots punt and
Mustafa Shaban recovered it in the end zone at 11:17, with
Kevin Kargozar's extra point making it 7-3. The defense followed with more pressure, as
Avery Oseth intercepted Jack Scully after a hurry by
Anselmo Marquez-Reagan Jr. and
JT Thomas, setting Augsburg University up at the Scots 35. Rodkewich hit
Amir Allah for 26 yards on the next drive, and
CJ Ritchie finished it by taking a direct snap for a 3-yard touchdown run with 8:18 left, his first career rushing touchdown, for a 14-3 Auggies lead. Augsburg added another stop when Chakolis and
Rashad Sherwood combined for a third-down tackle for loss, but the Scots later drove 71 yards and scored on Scully's 1-yard run with 1:00 left. The Auggies reached the Scots 31 in the final minute before a 48-yard field goal was blocked as the quarter ended with Augsburg ahead 14-10.
The Auggies produced the only points of the third quarter, answering the Scots' opening punt with a 10-play, 67-yard drive that ended with Kargozar's 29-yard field goal, his first in an Auggie uniform, at 6:39 and a 17-10 lead. Rodkewich kept that series moving with a 25-yard third-down completion to Ritchie from the Auggies 20, and later hit Ritchie for 19 yards before Kargozar converted from 29 yards. Augsburg's defense quickly gave the offense another short field, with Chakolis and
Kaveon Bohanon combining for a tackle for loss and Thomas intercepting a pass at the Scots 43, but the ensuing drive ended on downs at the 2 after reaching the 1. The defense forced another punt from deep in Scots territory, and
Carter Johnson rushed for 8 and 3 yards on the Auggies' final two snaps as the quarter ended with Augsburg University ahead 17-10 at the Scots 36.
The Auggies opened the fourth quarter with Rodkewich's 36-yard touchdown pass to
Ben Davis, and Kargozar's extra point made it 24-10. After the Scots moved into Augsburg territory,
Kevin Toe and Fitzgerald-Rosa combined on a fourth-down sack at the Auggies 45 to give the ball back on downs. Augsburg followed with an 11-play, 43-yard drive that included third-down completions to Davis and Allah and a 14-yard
Carter Johnson run, before Kargozar made a 22-yard field goal for a 27-10 lead with 7:34 left. Kargozar connected on his first two field goals of the season. The Scots later scored to make it 27-17, but the Auggies took over at the Scots 48 after the onside kickoff and Johnson's 7-yard run on third-and-1 helped set up the closing kneel-downs in an Auggie win.
AUGSBURG TOP PERFORMERS
•
Caden Rodkewich: Completed 17 of 34 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown
•
Ben Davis: 5 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown
•
CJ Ritchie: 5 receptions for 83 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
•
Carter Johnson: 92 rushing yards on 21 carries
•
Daniel Fitzgerald-Rosa: 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
•
RJ Chakolis: 8 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 blocked punt
MACALESTER TOP PERFORMERS
• Dylan Jeppe: 14 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
• Zack Troeger: 12 tackles
• Paxton Boyd: 5 receptions for 81 yards
• David Frechette: 58 rushing yards on 13 carries, 3 receptions for 41 yards
• Jack Scully: Completed 12 of 24 passes for 112 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
UP NEXT
The Auggies visit Concordia College-Moorhead in MIAC play at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Jake Christiansen Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.
