ELMHURST, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings football team put together a dominant all-around performance Saturday, racing past Elmhurst 58-14.
The Vikings set the tone from the opening possession, marching 73 yards in five plays before David Finfer connected with Tyreke Fortney for a 48-yard touchdown. Augie added a 29-yard Jacob Garbett field goal on its next possession before Ben Ludlum punched in a four-yard touchdown run to give the Vikings a 17-0 advantage after the opening quarter.
Elmhurst briefly shifted the momentum early in the second quarter, turning an Augustana interception into a 97-yard touchdown return before adding another score to pull within 17-14. The Vikings answered immediately. Ludlum broke through for a 20-yard touchdown run with 3:09 remaining in the half, and Finfer found Mikey Brosnan for a 60-yard touchdown with just 44 seconds left. Augustana carried a 31-14 lead into halftime.
Augie took control again coming out of the break. Ludlum scored his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard run, and Finfer and Fortney connected for their second touchdown of the day, this one covering 19 yards. Ludlum then provided the exclamation point with a 55-yard touchdown run, sending Augustana into the fourth quarter with a 51-14 advantage.
Augustana's defense capped the scoring early in the fourth quarter when Kaden McShaw intercepted an Elmhurst pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six was the Vikings' second defensive touchdown of the game and pushed the final margin to 58-14.
Ludlum powered the ground game with 231 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. Finfer completed 12 of 17 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, while Fortney caught three passes for 93 yards and two scores. Brosnan added three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The Vikings' defense also made its presence felt throughout the afternoon, recording two interceptions and two sacks while limiting Elmhurst to just 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. McShaw finished with six tackles, three pass breakups, and the 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, while Cole Schroeder also recorded six tackles.
With the win, Augie improves to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. The Vikings will be back in action on the road to battle the No. 1 North Central Cardinals.
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Augustana College
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