Augustana Football Claims ‘Key’, Olszewski Collects 100th Career Victory
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 100th win of Augustana head football coach Jerry Olszewski’s career is a memorable one. The Vikings’ leader brought the ‘Key to the City’ back to Augustana in a 49-29 win over Sioux Falls Saturday at Bob Young Field.
Augustana racked up a season-high 436 yards of total offense as quarterback Casey Bauman tied a school record with six touchdown passes and added a seventh touchdown on a rush. In all, Bauman accounted for 370 yards and all seven touchdowns in the win.
The Vikings’ defense tallied two interceptions in the contest with one each by Haden Wallace and Brayden Hoops.
Augustana moves to 5-0 on the season while Sioux Falls slips to 2-3.
After Sioux Falls opened the game with a touchdown and 2-point conversion, Augustana marched 64 yards over eight plays for its first scoring drive of the game. The scoring play was a 26-yard pass from Casey Bauman to Mitchell Goodbary on a run-pass option. On the option, Goodbary ended up wide open and walked into the end zone.
Augustana then jumped out to a 21-8 lead with a second 26-yard touchdown, this time Bauman to Canyon Bauer and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Devon Jones. Bauer broke two tackles on his touchdown while Jones was setting the tone for later in the quarter.
After the Cougars scored to cut into AU’s lead at 21-15, Bauman found Jones for a 73-yard touchdown. Jones caught the ball on the Vikings’ 37-yard line, broke a pair of tackles and ran into the end zone.
The Vikings’ lead ballooned to 34-15 on Bauman’s fifth touchdown pass of the half for AU’s second-straight two-play drive. Bauman tossed the ball to Logan Uttecht for a 17-yard touchdown.
The Cougars got seven points just before the half ended on a short passing touchdown as the two squads entered intermission with AU leading 35-21.
For the amount of scoring in the first half, the third quarter featured just one touchdown as Augustana slowed its offense down considerably. The lone touchdown came on a 12-play, 80-yard drive covering seven minutes. Bauman went up the middle from two yards out to boost the Vikings’ lead to 42-22.
The fourth quarter was much of the same as each team found the end zone just once. Bauman tied the school record with his sixth touchdown pass when he hit Bauer for a 21-yard score, putting an exclamation point on the win with 4:37 remaining.
The Cougars scored in the waning minutes of the contest to make the final score 49-29.
Kade Lynott and Peyton Buckley led Augustana’s defensive effort with eight tackles each, with Lynott securing seven solo tackles.
Bauman hit Jones and Uttecht five times each for completions as Jones recorded a 121-yard receiving game with his two touchdowns. Bauman’s final line read 21-of-29 for 326 yards and six touchdowns passing while recording 44 yards and a touchdown rushing.
Augustana returns to the friendly confines of Kirkeby-Over Stadium on Saturday to host Southwest Minnesota State. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 PM.