QC COLLEGE FOOTBALL: In Hawkeye fashion, Augie scrapes out road win
DECATUR, Ill. – With not much offense, the Augustana College football team took a page or two from the University of Iowa playbook on Saturday.
Relying on a staunch defense and a huge special teams play late in the game, the Vikings trekked to Frank M. Lindsay Field and battled for a hard-fought 24-20 victory over the hosting Millikin Big Blue.
Junior Breyden Smith returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown with 4:22 left in regulation that proved to be the difference in the contest and saved the Vikings, who moved to 2-1 on the season and evened their CCIW mark at 1-1 heading into next Saturday's homecoming contest against North Park at 1 p.m.
"It was huge," said Augie coach Steve Bell of Smith's return. "We needed a spark in some form or fashion because of the way our offense is playing. Uncharacteristic stuff in the first half and into the second half."
Smith, a dangerous speedster who booked his first punt return touchdown of his career, did exactly what the Vikings needed.
"He made the first man miss and that's the critical piece of the puzzle," said Bell of the return that started on the right hash and worked down the left sideline. "Once he got past the first guy, the rest of our guys did a nice job of getting a hat on a hat and giving him an opportunity."
After Smith's return, the Vikings could have iced the game there on Darren Oregon's interception that gave Augie the ball at the MU 42 with 4:07 left.
But Augie, who finished with 246 yards offense in 55 snaps, couldn't run out the clock and turned the ball over on downs at the Millikin 30 with 1:40 left to play.
After Millikin moved the chains once, Magnus Wells came up with a huge fourth-down sack of Big Blue QB Aidan Lombardo with 20 seconds left that finished off the victory.
"We were very fortunate that our defense showed up at the end," said Bell. "And that we have a very good punt returner."
As it turned out, the Vikings used a big special teams play early to get off to a good start. Josh Lim blocked Millikin's first punt attempt of the game and set up the Vikings at the MU 22 for their first offensive possession.
Three plays and a Big Blue penalty later, Mike DiGioia found paydirt from 4-yards out with 11:22 still on the first quarter clock.
That was about it for the first-half Viking highlights as the Big Blue dominated play and kept the Viking defense on the field for much of the first 30 minutes in building a 13-10 halftime lead.
DiGioia, who finished with 100 yards rushing on 22 carries, capped Augie's first drive of the second half with a 20-yard jaunt to six. Joren Clem's PAT boot gave the Vikings a 17-13 lead that held until early in the fourth.
Another turning point – albeit a negative one – gave Millikin the lead with 9:11 left in regulation.
The Vikings defense had just held Millikin on downs at the Viking 1-yard line on a huge stop by senior Hugh Keany, but Augie gave them the score anyway when DiGioia fumbled on first down and the ball was recovered in the end zone by the Big Blue, who took a 20-17 lead.
Millikin, which had been outscored 90-21 this season in two games and was coming off a 44-0 loss at North Park, finished the game with 291 yards offense in 73 snaps and maintained the ball for 11 minutes more than the Vikings.
"Credit to their QB and coaching staff," said Bell. "That's the best I have seen them play in years."
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