#24 Augustana has go ahead touchdown on a 20-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining in the game to defeat Wayne State 31-27 Saturday afternoon in Sioux Falls. Wayne State falls to 5-2 on the year and a 1-2 record in the NSIC South Division. Augustana moves to 6-1 on the year with a 2-1 record in the NSIC South Division.
Augustana would capitalize on a WSC fumble on the opening play for the Wildcat offense on a five-play drive to get a 30-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Vikings at the 13:07 mark of the first quarter.
A 15-play drive for the Wildcats would cap off with an
Alex Powders 30-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3 with 6:03 left to play in the first quarter.
The Vikings would score their first touchdown of the game on their next drive o a 13-yard pass to make it 10-3 Augustana with 1:58 to play in quarter one.
Powders would set a school record for longest field goal in a game at 52 yards late in the second quarter to make the score 10-6 in favor of the Vikings. The previous record was 50 yards set in 1984 and later tied in 2008.
Augustana would increase their lead to 17-6 with 57 seconds left in the first half on an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Casey Bauman.
Powders would knock home his third field goal of the first half, this one from 38 yards with no time remaining in the half. The Vikings would have the halftime lead on the Wildcats 17-9.
Isaiah Huber would open the second half for the Vikings scoring a two-yard rushing touchdown to increase the Vikings lead to 24-9 with 8:52 left in the third quarter.
Wayne State would answer 18 seconds later a 72-yard rushing touchdown from
Anthony Watkins for the first Wildcat touchdown of the afternoon cutting into the Vikings lead. Augustana would still lead 24-16.
A 41-yard field goal would open up the fourth quarter for the Wildcats to make it 24-19 Augustana with 14:56 left in the game.
Nick Bohn would give the Wildcats their first lead of the game with 7:13 remaining in the game at 27-24 on a one-yard rushing touchdown. Bohn would throw it to Watkins to complete the two-point conversion to cap off the score.
Marzion Cosby would pick off Bauman with 2:10 remaining in the game before the Wildcats would go three and out setting up the Vikings at the 20-yard line 1:49 remaining in the game. Bauman would throw his third touchdown of the game with only nine seconds left in the game to Logan Uttecht to give the Vikings the go-ahead touchdown to win the game 31-27.
Bohn would go 23-36 with 230 passing yards and one interception in the loss. Watkins would lead the Wildcats with 77 rushing yards and one touchdown followed by Bohn with 66 yards and a score.
Jadon Johnson was the leading receiver for the 'Cats with 128 yards on 12 catches.
Trevor Marshall was second with 50 yards on four catches.
Defensively,
Alex Kowalczyk would lead the 'Cats in tackles with nine, two of which were tackles for a loss. He was followed by
Jaylan Scott and
Dexter Larsen with eight each. Kowalczyk and Scott would each also record a sack.
As a team, the Wildcats would accumulate 157 rushing yards and 230 passing yards for a total of 387 yards while the Vikings rushed for 107 yards and passed for 221 yards for a total of 328 yards in the loss for the 'Cats.
The Wildcats will be at home next Saturday hosting Southwest Minnesota State at 12 p.m.
