Augie Crushes Bemidji to Move to 4-0, USF Falls to 3-1 vs. Duluth

It was another busy weekend locally for our area college football programs, and Augie and USF had split results on Saturday.

The Augustana Vikings kept up their winning ways on Saturday, dominating the Bemidji State Beavers on the road to the tune of a 42-14 final.

As for the Cougars of USF, they fell at home to ranked Duluth 34-17.

Get our free mobile app

Here's more on Saturday's action from GoAugie.com:

BEMIDJI, Minn. - The No. 9-ranked Augustana football team made a statement on Saturday afternoon, cashing in a 42-14 road victory over Bemidji State at Chet Anderson Stadium. 

Gunnar Hensley went 21 for 25 with 196 yards and three touchdowns in the air and added 20 yards and a touchdown on the ground to power the offense. Ryan Kenny added his first career 100-yard rushing game with 121 yards and a pair of scores. Also finding the end zone twice was Klayton Sattler, whose three catches earned him 47 yards. 

27 different players recorded a tackle defensively, led by five each from Cade Larson and Ashton Toll. Quinton Adams and Gradee Sherman had two breakups apiece and Logan Leonard had an interception. 

The Vikings return home on September 27 for a Viking Days matchup against Winona State. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

And for the USF Cougars:

Duluth, Minn. – The No. 25 University of Sioux Falls football team (3-1, 2-1 NSIC) dropped its first game of the season on today, falling 34-17 to No. 16/11 Minnesota Duluth (4-0, 3-0 NSIC) at Bob Young Field.

First Half Struggles

The Bulldogs built a 28-0 halftime lead behind a balanced offensive attack with four rushing touchdowns, three by quarterback Kyle Walljasper. After falling to 34-0, JT Frieders split the uprights for a 37-yard field goal in the fourth. 

Cougar Highlights

Despite the setback, the Cougars found bright spots in the second half as USF quarterbacks, Bennett Brueck and Tate Schafer landed their first career touchdown passes. Midway through the fourth, Brueck found Christian Janis in the back of the end zone for a 28 yard score to cut the deficit, 34-10. Later in the fourth, Schafer connected with Isaiah Emanuel for a 30 yard touchdown pass for a final score of 34-17.

Dean finished the day 16-of-29 passing for 193 yards while surpassing 5,000 career passing yards to sit 8th in the USF recordbooks. Brueck added 22 rushing yards and 28 passing for 50 yards of offense and a score on the day while Schafer closed out the game with 70 passing yards and a score to shine some light on the future of Cougar Football's Quarterback Room.

Up Next

The Cougars hit the road next Saturday, looking to bounce back in NSIC play when they take on #14 Minnesota State at 2pm.

Sources: GoAugie.com and USFCougars.com