Hayden Audette, sports editor 

After two consecutive losses, the Augsburg football team returned to their winning ways when they took a trip to St. Paul to face the Macalester College Scots on Saturday, Oct. 15. 

In the Auggies’ previous game at home against Saint John’s, they found themselves trailing by three touchdowns after the first quarter. This week, it was their turn to build an early large lead. Augsburg received the ball first on offense and took advantage of that possession to score the first touchdown of the afternoon. A 27-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Cade Sheehan to junior running back Isaiah Thompson gave the Auggies a 7-0 lead after a little over three minutes. They would tack on another touchdown just five-and-a-half minutes later. Macalester’s junior quarterback Michael Nadeau threw a pass that took a fortunate bounce into the hands of Augsburg’s senior defensive back Camdin Carlson-Mathies, and he returned it to the end zone to extend the lead to 14-0. The Auggies would hold that lead for the rest of the quarter, but they would quickly add on more points. 

Just 35 seconds into the second quarter, Augsburg extended its lead to 21-0 after Sheehan’s second touchdown pass of the day went to sophomore wide receiver Braden Tretter for a 4-yard score. This capped off a drive that lasted over four-and-a-half minutes, and the Auggie offense was certainly moving down the field easily in the first half. The Scots would finally cut the lead to 21-7 with under four minutes left in the half, thanks to junior running back Logan Pampel scoring on a 5-yard pass from Nadeau. But Augsburg would have one more scoring drive before the half ran out. Another touchdown pass from Sheehan to first-year wide receiver Tyrone Wilson made the halftime score 28-7 Auggies. 

The second half did not feature quite as much scoring as the first. Macalester scored a touchdown after a very long drive to open the half, but Nadeau’s 6-yard pass to senior wide receiver Ty Bruckner ended up being the only points of the third quarter. The Augsburg lead stood at 28-14 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Auggies would extend that lead with two consecutive scoring drives. The first of the two scores came on a short 2-yard rushing touchdown from Sheehan with just under eight-and-a-half minutes left, and the second was an 18-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Michael Ims four minutes later. The Scots would add to their total with a touchdown before time expired, but all that did was make the final score slightly closer. The Auggies would leave Macalester with an impressive 42-21 win and a 4-2 overall record. 

A big part of this win for the Auggies was the fact that they were able to get nearly equal production from their running game and passing game. Augsburg finished the game with 226 passing yards and 231 rushing yards. Sheehan said that he feels that the team’s ability to balance the offense has been a big part of their success so far this season. “It makes everyone’s job so much easier when the whole offense is clicking,” he said. “It really puts the defense on their toes by not knowing what is coming at them next.” Augsburg’s next home game is on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1pm. They will welcome the Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers to Edor Nelson Field for a Skyline Division battle.