Augustana upsets UMD 28-24 in thrilling comeback victory

The Augustana Vikings football team claimed a 28-24 Viking Days victory over the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs after a nail biting fourth quarter on Saturday, Oct 5. With six games left in the season, the Vikings moved to an overall record of 3-2 and 3-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. 

Augustana has not beaten UMD since 2006, when they won 35-7. The Vikings had since fallen to UMD in the 11 games prior to this season’s matchup. 

The Bulldogs took an early lead in the first quarter after scoring a rushing touchdown and gaining 65 yards over three plays in 1 minute, 21 seconds. 

With 4 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first quarter, the Vikings were 4th and 6 at the UMD 20-yard line. Sophomore kicker Jake Pecina set up for a field goal attempt. A dropped snap allowed holder sophomore Sam Scholten to recover the ball and rush to the left 12 yards to claim a first down at the UMD 8-yard line. 

“Sam mishandled the snap, but quickly turned a mistake into an opportunity by making a smart football play,” head coach Jerry Olszewski said. “He executed a situation that we practiced called ‘Fire’ drill and turned it into a big play. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, and players make plays.”

The Vikings would get on the board a minute later as sophomore running back Max Grand rushed into the endzone. The Vikings ran the ball 75 yards over the course of 15 plays, taking 8 minutes, 10 seconds off the clock. 

Graduate student defensive back Isaiah Ryan broke up two passes in the second quarter within 15 seconds of each other, keeping the Bulldogs away from the red zone in the final minute of play. Ryan had six solo tackles and assisted in four tackles throughout the game. 

“It’s always great to come out with a win against a notoriously good conference opponent,” Ryan said. “The game had lots of ups and downs, but I’m happy everyone on our team stayed focused and worked hard for a full 60 minutes.”

The Vikings scored one more time in the second quarter with a 4-yard rush down the middle by senior running back Jarod Epperson. By halftime, the Vikings were up 14-10. 

UMD received the ball at the start of the third quarter and went on to score a rushing touchdown. Neither team was able to put up any more points on the board in the third. Going into the fourth quarter, the Vikings trailed the Bulldogs 17-14. 

The Vikings gained momentum in the fourth following an 11-yard touchdown pass from Gunnar Hensley, redshirt sophomore and starting quarterback, to junior wide receiver Isaiah Huber putting the Vikes up 21-17. 

Ten seconds later, the Bulldogs answered back with a 53-yard touchdown pass. The score was 24-21 with just over eight minutes left in regulation play. 

Augie took possession of the ball as the clock ticked down. Hensley sent the ball deep to senior wide receiver Jack Fisher who caught the ball at UMD’s 8-yard line, but unfortunately fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line following a force by UMD defensive back Jonathan Shrum. Olszewski challenged the ruling, but the referees declared the ruling on the field to be a fumble recovered by Shrum, and UMD took possession of the ball with less than five minutes remaining in the game. 

UMD’s drive started with 4:46 left on the clock, and the Vikings laid on the pressure. The defense held the Bulldogs to a gain of 29 yards before a false start and a sack pushed them back to their own 33-yard line. The Bulldog’s had no choice but to punt, as it was fourth down and 20 yards. 

The Vikings sent Fisher 23 yards deep, resulting in a touchdown and good kick attempt putting them up 28-24 with 53 seconds remaining. 

Ryan recalled the atmosphere of Kirkeby-Over Stadium in the final minute. 

“During the last drive on defense, I looked over at the crowd, and everyone was standing, jumping around and screaming,” Ryan said. “That atmosphere was one of the best we’ve seen since our time here at home and it’s a big factor in the game. Enough can’t be said about our fans and the constant support they give our program.”

UMD managed to make it to Augustana’s 9-yard line with 13 seconds left in the game. UMD quarterback Kyle Walljasper threw three incomplete passes that would determine the fate of the game. Senior defensive back Peyton Buckley broke up one of the passes from Walljasper with two seconds remaining, denying the Bulldogs their chance to score. 

The time clock struck zero. Viking players and coaches rushed the field in celebration as a 17-year long losing streak had been snapped. 

“The game felt great,” Hensley said. “It was a huge team win for us and we played well on both sides of the ball, offense and defense. There were multiple players who stepped up and made huge plays for our team down the stretch. It felt good winning this close one, especially after losing the week before in a close one. We know this is a competitive league, and we need to find ways to win these close games.”

Throughout the game, Hensley had 22 successful completions out of 27 attempts. He threw for a total of 291 passing yards with his longest pass going 60 yards.

The Vikings look to extend their win streak as they take on the Minot State University Beavers at Minot, North Dakota on Saturday, Oct. 12.