On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Augustana football team faced the Carthage Firebirds and scored a touchdown on the opening drive, with sophomore quarterback Jimmy Makuh throwing to junior Ethan Vrabec. From that point on, the Vikings did not look back, coasting to a 23-3 victory over the Firebirds.
With the win, Augustana moved to 7-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Heading into the game, the Vikings were coming off a huge 42-21 home win over the Illinois Wesleyan Titans, whom they were previously tied with for third place in the CCIW.
One key aspect of the Vikings’ defense that has worked well this season is their ability to jump routes to force interceptions. In the win against Illinois Wesleyan, Head Coach Steve Bell said he was pleased with the defense’s mental toughness, noting the three interceptions they came away with as a result of their strength.
“I don’t think we panicked ever,” Bell said. “We knew it’d be a tough game. In the first half, it was going to be tit-for-tat, but we played good in moments and really good in the second half. We turned them over three times, and turnovers happen when a bunch of guys get to the ball and the second or third guy is the one that punches it out, or when guys do their job and are in the right place at the right time.”
After the Illinois Wesleyan game, the focus immediately shifted to the next game, a road matchup against Carthage. While the Vikings were 4-1 against the Firebirds in their last five matchups, most of those games were closer than the teams’ records would indicate.
Although this is sophomore Keegan Otte’s first year on the team after transferring in, he said he understands there is no time for goofing around. While the team stayed overnight for the first time this season, Otte said they are there for one reason: To win the game.
“It’s a business trip,” Otte said. “We’re just going there, kicking their butt, coming back and then we’re still chasing our best game. We’re just going to go up there, have our best game, come back, celebrate and get back to it.”
Both teams scored on their opening drives, the Vikings on a Makuh pass to Vrabec and the Firebirds on a field goal, but both soon traded the ball back and forth. Eventually, late in the second quarter, Makuh found junior Sean Schlanser in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown, which pushed the score to 14-3. While the offense did not score any more touchdowns, a solid defensive effort held the Firebirds to three points, and three more field goals by First-Year Jacob Garbett pushed the score to 23-3.
This win sets up a critical week 10 matchup against the Washington University Bears at home next Saturday, Nov. 15, at 12 p.m. With the Vikings having postseason aspirations, whether it is the Isthmus Bowl, in which they played in 2023, or the Division III playoffs, a place the Vikings haven’t been in since 2005, this game also acts as the seniors’ last home game wearing an Augustana uniform.
This senior class has been instrumental in helping the Vikings earn some of their best overall records in two decades, and junior linebacker Dino Hunt said this would be a good way to send off the senior class, giving them a taste of postseason football while also giving the younger guys something to chase after in their athletic future.
“As a team, I want us to get back in the Isthmus Bowl, have that second shot, and go for it all,” Hunt said. “Going against the WIAC, a hard conference, but I want us to get there for the seniors, for all the young guys. I want the seniors to experience it again. I want the young guys to be able to experience that, and shoot for that in the upcoming years, to have that as a goal.”
However, sophomore defensive back Cole Schroeder knows they can’t let this chase cloud their minds. That possibility of postseason play does not happen if they can’t focus on the crucial game ahead.
“It’s become a realistic pursuit now of postseason games,” Schroeder said. “Like I said, it’s about staying level-headed towards the next game and not looking too far into the future. Just focused on this next week.”
