The Augustana Vikings football team has the best record since 2019. The team is currently 3-1. The Vikings started their season with a 49-27 win on the road against Simpson College. The Vikings continue the trend of opening the season with a win, and they have won their first game four times in the last five years.
“That’s crucial because that sets the tone for the rest of the season,” junior Liam Crawley said. “Just taking it week by week and day by day, 1-0, was a good start for us.”
The first home game of the season for the Vikings on Sept. 16 took a wild turn when heavy rain delayed the start time by three hours. The game kicked off at 9:23 p.m., but the team was unphased by the delay.
The Vikings quickly led the game 37-0 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. When the game was over, the final score was 74-6. That score set a new Augustana program record for the most points scored in a single game, as the previous record was 72 points.
“Winning versus Elmhurst gave us good momentum but also confidence,” senior quarterback Cole Bhardwaj said. “It’s nice winning those games a lot because then guys that don’t typically get in every game get to play.”
The following game was against Wheaton College, ranked number 10 nationally. The game was hard-fought, with the teams trading scores and tied heading into the fourth quarter. Wheaton eventually came out on top, and the Vikings fell 41-34 on the road. However, one positive from that game was the 248 yards that the team ran for.
“We’ve got a very veteran group up front and a very veteran group at the running back spot,” Head Coach Stephen Bell said. “So credit those guys for winning the line of scrimmage often and giving our running backs a chance to do their thing. Hopefully we can continue that.”
Going into the heart of their CCIW games, the Vikings didn’t plan to slow down. On Sept. 30, the Vikings fought back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Carroll University 23-19. The win was revenge for Augustana, who, the previous two years, fell to Carroll in overtime in both games.
“Us and Carroll in the last two seasons, it’s been overtime losses for us,” Bhardwaj said. “This one’s a game I’ve all looked forward to since last year.”
Over the off-season, the team sat down and created goals and primary focus points for each other. One of the main points for Bell going into this season was to get consistent play from his team and to compete every game.
“Don’t be afraid to compete every week, and when something does or doesn’t go right, move on to the next play and compete again,” Bell said.
The Vikings’ remaining six games are all versus CCIW opponents. Fifth-year senior Timothy Swaney understands that despite winning, they still need to keep working to improve.
“Our big thing right now is trying to improve every week and elevate. Eventually, we can get to that point where we’re playing extremely good football,” Swaney said.
The Vikings will face off against Millikin University on Saturday at 1 p.m. at home for the Homecoming game.
