Despite the pomp and circumstance of Senior Day, and playing the final game of the season on Hollingsworth Field, the Gustavus football team couldn’t find a way to slow down an Augsburg offense that was clicking on all hitting in the first half. The Gusties trailed 28-7 at the half and couldn’t recover in the remaining 30 minutes, falling 37-20 in the game.
Augsburg improved to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the MIAC with the win, while Gustavus drops 1-8 overall and 1-6 in the MIAC with the loss.
“I feel for those guys,” said Head Coach Peter Haugen on his seniors. “They are all really good kids, but we got down early couldn’t recover.”
The Auggies were on the board with a pair of first quarter touchdowns by Jerise Washington to go up 14-0. Washington capped off two over four-minute drives with a three-yard run at the 9:18 mark and a one-yard plunge with just :37 seconds left in the quarter.
Augsburg scored its third unanswered touchdown on a six-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Brumm to Adam Carl to put the Auggies up 21-0 at the 14:35 mark of the second quarter. The Auggies gained possession after Phil Putratz blocked Tom Huepenbecker’s punt and Adam Sonntag recovered it on the Gustavus six-yard-line.
The Gusties were able to cut the lead to 21-7 in the fourth minute of the second quarter when Jeffrey Dubose broke couple tackles on his way into the end zone from five yards out. The scored capped an 11 play 55-yard drive.
Augsburg quickly answered on the ensuing possession when Brumm found Carl on an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Auggies went 70 yards in 3:25 on the Carl touchdown to gain a 28-7 with 1:05 left in the first half.
After 13 minutes of scoreless football, the Gusties were able to bring the score to 28-14 following Dubose’s second rushing touchdown of the game – this time a two-yard plunge. Dubose finished the game with 22 yards on 10 carries.
Jerise Washington put Augsburg up 34-14 with his third touchdown at 12:55 of the fourth quarter. The Auggies had to go just 25 yards on the scoring drive following a Huepenbecker punt that hit a wall of wind and went only seven yards. Washington was the leading rusher in the game, gaining a hard-fought 88 yards on 26 carries.
Following a 27-yard field goal by Wesley Waytashek with 5:58 left in the game, Mike Strelow, Gustavus’ third quarterback to play in the game, hit Elliott Herdina up the sideline for a 27-yard touchdown. Strelow was 1-for-1 for 27 yards and a touchdown in his one series, not a bad start to a collegiate career for the rookie.
Logan Becker, who battled through a lower-body injury and was in-and-out of the contest, finished 6-for-16 for 73 yards with an interception passing. Backup Derek Lieser was 8-for-15 for 87 yards with an interception through the air. Leiser gained 30 yards on seven rushes, while Strelow was the team’s leading rusher with 32 yards on 3 carries.
Senior Turner Johnson led the Gusties in the receiving game with career-high 111 yards on six catches. Herdina added 49 yards on four grabs.
Augsburg outgained Gustavus 321 total yards to 301 in the game. The Auggies were 6-for-6 in red-zone scoring and were 8-for-15 on third downs.
Marcus Brumm finished 20-for-32 for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Brumm found seven different receivers throughout the afternoon, as Adam Carl led the way with 115 yards on 11 catches to go with his two touchdowns.
Joe Haas led the Gustavus defense with a game-high 12 tackles (4 solo, 8 asst.). Dane Mellgren recorded Gustavus’ only tackle for loss and sack in the game, while Dan Opitz had two pass breakups.
The Gustavus football team will travel to Northfield, Minn. for its season-finale next Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m.
It was Senior Day at Hollingsworth Field as 28 Gustavus football senior and student coaches were honored for their hard work and dedication to the football program. The Gustavus Athletics and Sports Information Departments would like to thank those individuals and wish them luck in all their future endeavors.