Wayne St. runs past #13 Augustana 38-31, captures NSIC South Division crown
The Wayne State Wildcats never trailed and took down #13 Augustana 38-31 on Saturday afternoon.
By News Channel NebraskaWAYNE, Neb. - The Wayne State Wildcats never trailed and took down #13 Augustana 38-31 on Saturday afternoon.
The victory marked a special end to the season in several ways. It meant the Wildcats (7-4) won the Egg Bowl on Senior Day and secured the NSIC South Division title. The win also likely knocked the Vikings (9-2) out of the Div. ll playoffs and prevented their opponent from capturing a share of the conference championship. After a slow start to the season, Wayne St. finished the year with four-straight wins.
WSC running back Dawson Forgy finished with 27 carries for 161 yards. That effort brought his season total to 1,400 yards, the new single-season program record.
The Wildcats were the aggressor early, using big runs by Brennan Hays and solid defensive possessions to build a 14-0 lead. Then the Vikings roared back with 14 unanswered points and were driving in the final minute of the half. That's when momentum shifted. Brayden Chaney picked off a pass and Alex Phelps hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass on the next play to make it 21-14 at halftime.
Augustana kicker Jake Pacina, who was named team MVP after the game, drilled a 57-yard field for the only points in the third quarter.
Wayne State converted a field goal to start the fourth and scored on a fourth down run soon after to extend it to a two-touchdown lead. Chaney followed up the TD with another big defensive play. The junior caught a deflected pass and returned it for a score to make it 38-17 with 7:32 remaining.
Augustana wasn't ready to surrender, though. The Vikings scored on a long touchdown pass, recovered an onside kick and scored again to make it a seven-point game with 3:11 remaining. However, the Wildcats put the game away by getting first downs on the run to secure the win.