MINNEAPOLIS — The Augsburg University football team was shut out by No. 5/5-ranked Saint John's University 72-0 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game on Saturday at Edor Nelson Field. The Auggies were held to five first downs, 95 passing yards and 13 rushing yards, while Saint John's finished with 569 yards of offense. The Auggies forced one interception and stopped one red-zone trip on downs, but Saint John's scored in all four quarters.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Saint John's 72, Augsburg 0
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-2 overall (1-1 MIAC), Saint John's 3-0 overall (2-0 MIAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Auggies fell behind immediately when the opening kickoff was returned 93 yards for a touchdown, and Saint John's later used two late short-field scores to finish the first quarter ahead 28-0. The Auggies' defense produced its best stand after
Avery Oseth's 51-yard punt backed Saint John's up to its 16, with
Anselmo Marquez-Reagan Jr. and
Jamir Horton breaking up passes before a fourth-down incompletion at the Auggie 8-yard line ended the drive at 10:35. The Auggies moved from their 8 to their 28 on the next possession, getting completions from
Caden Rodkewich to
CJ Ritchie and
Amir Allah and a 6-yard first-down run by
Carter Johnson, but the drive ended with a punt. Saint John's answered with a touchdown drive for a 14-0 lead, then added a blocked-punt return for a touchdown and another score after an interception, while the Auggies finished the quarter with one first down, 11 rushing yards and 17 passing yards.
The Auggies opened the second quarter with an interception at their own 40-yard line, and Saint John's converted the short field into a touchdown and a 35-0 score with 12:51 left. On the ensuing possession, the Auggies moved from their 22 to the Saint John's 30 behind
Carter Johnson's 11-yard run and Rodkewich's 32-yard completion to Ritchie on third-and-8, but the drive ended on downs. Ritchie led the Auggie receivers with five catches for 65 yards. Saint John's added touchdown drives to make it 42-0 at 5:24 and 49-0 at 1:18, while the Auggies' next series produced five yards before Kargozar's punt. The Auggies' final possession began with
Kobey Howze's 36-yard kickoff return to the Auggies' 48-yard line, and completions to
Ben Davis and Ritchie helped the Auggies reach the Saint John's 21 before Kargozar's 38-yard field-goal attempt was blocked with six seconds left.
The Auggies' late defensive stand kept the Johnnies out of the end zone, with
Joe Miller IV stopping a third-down rush at the Auggies' 3-yard line before
Tykelian Hyshaw-Moore and
RJ Chakolis combined on a fourth-down tackle at the 2 for a turnover on downs with 1:42 left. With a team-high eight tackles, Chakolis has now recorded eight or more tackles in three straight games. Earlier,
Rashad Sherwood intercepted a pass at the Auggies' 18-yard line and returned it 14 yards, but the ensuing possession ended on a sack-fumble at the Auggies' 27-yard line. Sherwood recorded his first interception of the season. Saint John's turned that short field into a 1-yard rushing touchdown and PAT for a 56-0 lead, and the Auggies later started at the Johnnies' 47-yard line after Howze's 22-yard return and a penalty but went three-and-out. The Auggies were held without a first down in the quarter and went 0-for-3 on third down, and after the late goal-line stop, a tackle for loss in the end zone produced a safety that made it 58-0 before the quarter ended.
The Auggies were held without a first down in the fourth quarter while Saint John's added two touchdowns and finished off a 72-0 result. Early in the quarter,
Adam Bamidele stopped Dylan Kirchner for a 3-yard loss in the red zone, but Reece Dawson followed with a 20-yard touchdown pass to E.J. Hosty at 11:20.
Iggie Cooper gave the Auggies field position with kickoff returns of 29 and 27 yards to the Auggies' 34-yard line, and
Nathan Hubbard Jr. opened the first drive with a 9-yard run, but both Auggies possessions ended in punts after sacks of
Ahmias Hart. After Maverick Harper's 7-yard touchdown run made it 72-0 with 6:52 left, the Auggies got a 9-yard completion from Hart to
Teshay Jubril before punting again, and
Daniel Fitzgerald-Rosa added a late tackle for loss before Saint John's ran out the clock.
AUGSBURG TOP PERFORMERS
•
CJ Ritchie: 5 receptions, 65 receiving yards
•
Rashad Sherwood: 7 tackles, 1 interception for 14 yards
•
RJ Chakolis: 8 tackles
•
Avery Oseth: 7 tackles
SAINT JOHN'S TOP PERFORMERS
• Trey Feeney: 24-for-34 passing for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns
• Tanner Davis: 5 receptions for 121 yards, 1 touchdown
• Reece Dawson: 5-for-5 passing for 117 yards and 1 touchdown
• Sam Nolan: 2 touchdown receptions
• Will Peroutka: 6 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble
UP NEXT
Up next, the Auggies travel to Northfield, Minn., to face St. Olaf College in MIAC play on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Klein Field at Manitou.
