Box Score
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 15th-ranked Augustana College Vikings rank in the top ten in the nation in rushing defense, and they showed why on Saturday, allowing just seven net yards on the ground to the Northern State University Wolves in a 31-15 victory in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football action.
The Wolves scored a touchdown in the first quarter and another in the fourth, while the host Vikings scored four times in between en-route to the victory. Augustana remains perfect on the season, improving to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in NSIC play. NSU slipped to 0-6 on the season and 0-5 in conference action.
Saturday marked the fifth straight NSU opponent that has been ranked or receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll.
The Vikings racked up 441 yards of total offense, 263 of which came on the ground. Senior running back Joe Clark notched 106 yards and a TD on the ground, while Ben Parsley caught two TD passes – his only two receptions of the day – from sophomore quarterback Josh Hanson.
The Wolves' quarterbacking duo of senior Joei Fiegler and junior Nick Wanner completed 14 of 29 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Each quarterback connected with sophomore wide receiver Mark Hanley for a touchdown.
After the Vikings scored on their opening possession, Fiegler found Hanley for a 73-yard TD that evened the score in the first quarter. The Viking defense then cracked down, registering four sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery to keep the Wolves at bay.
The Vikings broke the first quarter tie with 3:16 left in the second on Parsley's first TD catch of the afternoon. He quickly added the second with just 37 seconds left in the half to make it a 21-7 affair heading into the break.
Augustana kept the pressure on in the third quarter, as Clark scampered in from seven yards out. Kicker Drew Behrens added a 38-yard field goal with 7:27 left in the third.
Down 31-7, the Wolves broke a string of four straight 3-and-out possessions with an 8-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 41-yard Wanner-to-Hanley hookup. Wanner then found Hanley again for the 2-point conversion to make it 31-15 with 4:49 left in the game.
The Wolves would get two more possessions in the final moments of the game, but were unable to convert on either possession.
Hanley led the Wolves with 139 all-purpose yards, 126 of which came in receptions. The effort marked his first 100-yard receiving day of the season. No other NSU receiver caught more than two passes on the day.
Defensively, junior Mike Bogdanovich registered 10 tackles, five of which were solo stops and two of which went down for a loss. Six other players had six tackles apiece, including Mike Tuch, who recovered one of two fumbles for the Wolves. Redshirt freshman Jayson Geditz notched his first career interception in the first half, returning it 25 yards.
The Wolves remain on the road next weekend as they travel to the University of Minnesota, Crookston for another NSIC North Division match-up. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.
