ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- North Park football dropped the Battle of the Vikings in Rock Island on Saturday afternoon, losing the contest 42-28.
Augustana pulled away early in the first quarter, going up 14-0 before the six-minute mark of the quarter. Marcel Love scored on a 13-yard run after a nice drive down the field during the second quarter, to put North Park on the board, making it 14-7. Before the half, Augustana ran a textbook two-minute offense down the field leading to a touchdown with 15 seconds left to extend their lead to 21-7.Â
North Park received the ball to open the second half, but their drive was thwarted by a pick-6 by an Augustana defensive back a minute into the third quarter. Down 28-7, the Vikings from North Park continued to show some fight, trading touchdowns the rest of the game but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback against a red-hot Augustana offense.Â
As North Park falls to 4-3, they have their work cut out for them as two of their remaining three games are against ranked opponents, hosting No. 1 North Central next Saturday, October 28, and No. 12 Wheaton at home to close the season. The Vikings will travel to Elmhurst University in between North Central and Wheaton.Â
Top Performers:Â
- Jaydin Miller – 8 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles, 1 TFLÂ
- Egan Bender – 6 assisted tackles, 7 total tacklesÂ
- Matt Eck – 26-of-39 passing, 250 yards, 1 passing TD, 1 INTÂ
- AJ Harris – 7 receptions, 10 rushes, 95 total yards, 3 total TDÂ
- Marcel Love – 9 rushes, 35 yards, 1 rushing TDÂ
- Wesley McCloud – 3 receptions, 47 yardsÂ
