The WashU offense lines up for a play against the Augustana defense during Saturday’s CCIW game at Francis Olympic Field. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Football – Oct. 14, 2023 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana (5-1, 4-1) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
| WashU (5-1, 4-1) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
CLAYTON, MO — The previously high-flying Washington University offense was stymied in a big way, Saturday afternoon at Francis Olympic Field, as the team suffered its first loss of the season 35-17 to visiting Augustana College.
WashU came into the game averaging 448 yards and 46.6 points per game, but were held to season low totals of 58 rushing yards and just 17 points.
Augustana, on the other hand, controlled the time of possession (34:53 to 25:07) and converted 12-of-18 third downs — 10-of-11 in the first half — to take away almost any chance WashU had at making Saturday’s contest a game.
The Vikings relied heavily on their ground game, which put up 156 yards. RBs Tyler Rivelli and Mike DiGioia, who combined for 149 of those yards and scored three touchdowns.
WashU fell behind early, as Augustana scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions to go up 28-3. The Bears scored a late first half touchdown, on a 22-yard pass from Matt Rush to Gabriel Sirek to make the score 28-10 at halftime.
The Bears then came out and got another score in the third quarter, on a 5-yard run by Levi Moore to pull to within 28-17.
But that was as close as WashU would get. Augustana added a score of its own, on a 45-yard punt return by Bobby Inserra, early in the fourth that essentially put the game away.
The loss dropped WashU’s season record to 5-1 and its CCIW mark to 4-1. Augustana has the same marks and now owns the tiebreaker between the two clubs in the league standings.
The Bears will be tested again next week, when they’ll go on the road to face No. 1-ranked and defending Division III national champion North Central in another CCIW league game. That contest is scheduled for next Saturday and will kickoff at 1 p.m.
WashU’s next home game will come in two weeks, when the Bears will host Elmhurst on October 28. Kickoff at Francis Olympic Field that day will also be at 1 p.m.
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | AUG | WASHU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10:30 | AUG – Rivelli,Tyler 3 yd run (Maroon,Sidney kick), 5 plays, 16 yards, TOP 01:56 | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | 06:30 | WASHU – Muchnick,Ross 25 yd field goal 9 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:53 | 7 | 3 |
| 1st | 01:24 | AUG – Rivelli,Tyler 6 yd run (Maroon,Sidney kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:06 | 14 | 3 |
| 2nd | 06:56 | AUG – DiGioia,Mike 1 yd run (Maroon,Sidney kick), 17 plays, 77 yards, TOP 07:45 | 21 | 3 |
| 2nd | 04:56 | AUG – Inserra,Bobby 26 yd pass from Bhardwaj,Cole (Maroon,Sidney kick) 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 01:17 | 28 | 3 |
| 2nd | 00:18 | WASHU – Sirek,Gabriel 22 yd pass from Rush,Matt (Muchnick,Ross kick) 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:01 | 28 | 10 |
| 3rd | 04:47 | WASHU – Moore,Levi 5 yd run (Muchnick,Ross kick), 13 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:28 | 28 | 17 |
| 4th | 13:06 | AUG – Inserra,Bobby 45 yd punt return (Maroon,Sidney kick) | 35 | 17 |
2023 WashU Bears Football Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Away | #1 North Central College | Naperville, Ill. |
| October 28, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Home | Elmhurst University | Francis Olympic Field |
| November 4, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Away | #13 Wheaton College | Wheaton, Ill. |
| November 11, 2023 | 12 p.m. | Home | Carroll University | Francis Olympic Field |