CHICAGO, IL., -- North Park (1-5, 1-3) played host to Viking rival Augustana College (3-3, 2-2) Saturday afternoon, looking to keep their momentum rolling after their 17-12 win last week over Carthage College. However, Augie's well balanced offensive attack gave North Park trouble early on and they stacked on the points behind a veteran offensive line and the reigning CCIW Offensive Player of the Week running back Ben Ludlum.
Right away Augustana jumped ahead to a 14-0 lead after quarterback Jimmy Makuh connected with his two main receivers Tyreke Fortney and Sean Schlanser. Makuh had a strong afternoon throwing 22-34 for 260 yards and 5 passing touchdowns to three different receivers. Schlanser led the way through the air hauling in 8 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns, while Fortney followed close behind with 7 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. By the end of the first quarter Augie had extended their lead to 21-0 after Makuh hit receiver Ethan Vrabec with less than three minutes remaining in the quarter. Running back Ben Ludlum had over 100 yards on the ground on 22 carries, owning the workhorse role for Augustana and keeping them ahead of the chains to stay in advantageous field position.
North Park's offense totaled 325 yards, but the Vikings couldn't find the endzone until late in the third quarter to cut into the Augie lead 28-6. Quarterback Paul Palmer threw for 223 yards and a touchdown to freshman receiver Trey Robinson, who finished today's game with 4 catches for 77 yards including the late TD catch.
Aidan Delisi broke loose near the end of the fourth quarter for a 35-yard touchdown posting the Vikings' second score of the game, but the following two-point conversion was unsuccessful leaving the score at 35-12.
The rushing game for North Park was by committee but struggled to get going; Palmer, Delisi, and running back Jamaal Jones combined for 102 yards against a stout Augie defense.
Linebackers Armando Martinez and Kory Pradia were all over the place for North Park's defense, each logging an identical 8 total tackles (7 solo, 1 assisted) with Pradia adding a tackle for loss to his day.
Cornerback Isaiah Bernadel also had a strong afternoon in the secondary, finishing with 7 solo tackles and a pass breakup. Despite some strong performances, Augustana's machine like offense clicked on all cylinders finishing with 35 points and 459 total yards.
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What's Next?
North Park slides to 1-6 on the season and 1-4 in the CCIW, with their next game being the Homecoming game on Saturday, October 31st at 1pm.
