MINNEAPOLIS — The Augsburg University football team opened Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a 30-0 shutout win over the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday at Edor Nelson Field. The Auggie defense held the Saints to 80 total yards and four first downs, adding two sacks, an interception and a safety. The victory was Augsburg's first shutout win since a 62-0 home triumph over Martin Luther on Sept. 16, 2023, and the MIAC shutout was the first for Augsburg against a conference foe since a 19-0 home shutout of Carleton on Oct. 4, 2003.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Augsburg 30, St. Scholastica 0
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-1 overall (1-0 MIAC), St. Scholastica 0-2 overall (0-1 MIAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Auggies' most sustained push came late in the first quarter, when they drove from their 36-yard line to the Saints' 3-yard line before the quarter ended. Earlier, the defense limited the Saints' opening series after
Rashad Sherwood broke up a pass and
Avery Oseth made the third-down stop, forcing a punt that the Auggies kept after
Tykelian Hyshaw-Moore recovered his own muff. The Auggies' first possession moved behind a 7-yard third-down completion from
Caden Rodkewich to
CJ Ritchie and a 12-yard run by
Carter Johnson, but it ended on downs near midfield. After the Saints took over at the Auggies' 33,
Javin Johnson and
Mustafa Shaban combined for a fourth-down sack at 5:51 to get the ball back. The Auggies then converted a penalty-aided first down, a Ritchie third-down run, a 7-yard fourth-down keeper by Rodkewich and a 24-yard
Carter Johnson run before the quarter closed with the game still 0-0.
The Auggies turned a scoreless game into a 14-0 advantage in the second quarter, scoring twice while holding the Saints to 24 yards in the quarter.
Ben Davis finished the opening possession with a 1-yard touchdown run at 14:12, and
Kevin Kargozar's extra point made it 7-0 before the Auggies' defense forced a punt after Sherwood broke up a third-down pass. Rodkewich then moved the Auggies from midfield with a 25-yard completion to Davis,
Teshay Jubril converted fourth-and-1 at the Saints' 16, and Rodkewich found
Iggie Cooper for a 10-yard touchdown at 8:50. The Auggies later pinned the Saints at their 7-yard line with an Oseth punt and reached the Saints' 12 on their final scoring chance, but a missed 29-yard field goal left the score at 14-0 at halftime.
The Auggies added all nine points in the third quarter, using
RJ Chakolis' safety and a late touchdown pass from Rodkewich to Ritchie to move in front 23-0. Earlier, the Auggies' defense answered the Saints' first drive of the half with a
Tykelian Hyshaw-Moore breakup and a
JT Thomas sack, forcing a punt after the Saints had picked up one first down. Oseth later pinned the Saints at the 1-yard line, and Chakolis dropped Stephan Jackson in the end zone at 6:15 for the safety that made it 16-0. After
Anselmo Marquez-Reagan Jr. intercepted a pass at the Saints' 44 with 3:54 left, the Auggies converted a fourth-and-2 on Jubril's 4-yard run, reached the red zone on Rodkewich's 18-yard completion to Ritchie, and finished the drive with Rodkewich's 7-yard touchdown pass to Ritchie and Kargozar's extra point. The Auggies held the Saints to one first down in the quarter and took a 23-0 lead into the fourth.
The Auggies added the fourth quarter's only points on a seven-play, 34-yard drive, converting fourth-and-6 on Rodkewich's 13-yard pass to Cooper before Jubril scored from 8 yards and Kargozar's PAT made it 30-0. The Saints answered with a long kickoff return and started at the Auggies' 17, but the Auggies forced two incompletions, got a no-gain stop from Thomas and saw the drive end on a missed 34-yard field-goal attempt. The Auggies then controlled the ball for 7:30 on a 10-play, 49-yard possession, with
Carter Johnson breaking runs of 12 and 15 yards and Rodkewich moving the chains with a 6-yard rush before the drive ended on a fumble at the Saints' 31. The Auggies held the Saints scoreless the rest of the way, allowing one first down on the final possession before the game ended with the Auggies completing a 30-0 win.
AUGSBURG TOP PERFORMERS
•
Caden Rodkewich: Completed 19 of 31 passes for 141 yards, 2 touchdown passes, 27 rushing yards on 3 carries
•
Carter Johnson: 95 rushing yards on 19 carries, 3 receptions for 23 yards
•
Ben Davis: 6 receptions for 46 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
•
RJ Chakolis: 9 tackles, 1 safety
• Anselmo Marquez-Reagan Jr.: 2 tackles, 1 interception
ST. SCHOLASTICA TOP PERFORMERS
• Isaac Johnson: 11 tackles
• John Lassila: 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
• Samuel Haug: 7 tackles
• Connor Plumley: 7 tackles
• Stephan Jackson: 30 rushing yards on 7 carries
UP NEXT
The Auggies host Saint John's University in MIAC play at 12 noon on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis.
