On Saturday Oct. 15, the Augustana Vikings football team fell to the Washington University Bears by a score of 49-28.

Despite the loss, the Vikings hold a 3-3 record and are 2-3 in conference matchup. The team is in the middle of the pack of the CCIW standings remaining at sixth place. 

Last season, the Augustana men’s football team went 5-5 overall with a 4-5 conference record. 

This season, the team has defeated similar opponents and has lost to similar opponents as last season. 

This week, the team will enter a phase of their schedule where they look to redefine their status in the CCIW and finish above .500. 

They will continue their quest to reach the CCIW playoffs as they take on North Park this weekend in Chicago. 

“This league is really good. Anybody, at any time, can beat anyone, so it’s really just take it one game at a time” Head Coach Stephen Bell said. 

Last season, Cole Bhardwaj, junior, who was the third string quarterback at the time, unexpectedly took the starting postion after injuries took down the first string and second string quarterbacks. 

Bhardwaj is the full time starting quarterback this season, and the offense has been able to develop together and worked through the spring training and summer training camp together.

This year’s football team has improved as a unit, especially on the offensive side of the ball. 

The offense has continued to develop ever since quarterback Bhardwaj took over the starting job halfway through the 2021 season. 

“Last year we were very new, we were very young,” Bhardwaj said. “We’re more experienced than we were last year and I think that gives us an upper hand on teams that we didn’t necessarily play well against last year.” 

This season, the team has been able to put more points on the board compared to last season. However the team has also faced it’s sets of challenges this season, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. 

During training camp, heartbreak struck as senior Tim Swaney suffered a torn ACL. Swaney, the star middle linebacker for the Augustana Vikings, was ruled out for the entire 2022 season.

“We kind of took a step back after Swaney’s injury. It was a tough pill to swallow, knowing that he wasn’t gonna be out there” Bhardwaj said. 

The team has needed to be able to respond appropriately, as they have to compensate for Swaney’s absence on the defensive side of the ball.

“We just took one of the best players in the league out of the field, and now we’re putting in someone who doesn’t have a ton of experience to be able to take over that role, so our guys have relied on that really well,” Coach Bell said. 

Despite the tough losses this season and having to compensate for injuries, the team has been seeking to continue to remain focused. 

“Everybody just needs to do their job and do it well, so don’t try to overcompensate for anything, and just do your job to the best of your ability,” Coach Bell said. 

The team has four regular season games remaining on the season and will look to win out in hopes of reaching the CCIW playoffs.

“No one is picking us to win this conference. No one except us,” Bhardwaj said. “Everybody on the team knows that this is a really good team that can play in the Isthmus Bowl or play in the playoffs and the only way for that to be possible is to win out.”