Thunder offense explodes in 49-7 rout of Augustana

Rock Island, Ill.- The Thunder football team came to life in the decisive second quarter on its way to scoring 49 unanswered points to knock off the Augustana Vikings 49-7 in Rock Island on Saturday afternoon. The Thunder offense outgained the Vikings 244-57 in the second quarter.

Wheaton (3-1, 1-0) outgained Augustana 569-265 in total yardage, with a 483-101 advantage through the air. Wheaton was 7-for-15 on third down while limiting Augustana (1-3, 0-1) to just 1-for-12.

The defense set the tone early for the Thunder as they forced turnovers on the first two Augustana possessions of the game. However, the Thunder offense could not capitalize and the Vikings were able to keep the game a scoreless tie. On its third possesson, Augustana was able to use a 37-yard run by Eric Chandler to set up an eventual 20-yard touchdown run on a reverse by Nick Krantz giving the hosts a 7-0 lead.

Wheaton's offense began firing on all cylinders at the start of the second quarter. With 13:50 left in the first half, Jordan Roberts found Morgan Cook (PICTURED LEFT) down the middle of the field for a 37-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at seven.

On the guests' next possession, Peter Jarrett capped a five-play, 48 yard drive with a four-yard touchdown to put Wheaton ahead 14-7.

Wheaton's defense made the next big play when Brett Anderson (PICTURED BELOW) scooped up a Viking fumble and rumbled 45 yards for a Thunder touchdown. It was Wheaton's second defensive touchdown of the year.

The Thunder offense was not finished for the first half. Taking over on their own 15-yard line, the offense marched down the field in six plays, ending the drive on a 35-yard screen pass from Roberts to Charlie Velling that put Wheaton up 28-7.

On the first possession of the second half, Garrett Meador found Cook for a 15-yard touchdown catch, making the score 35-7. Cook finished the game with six catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Meador was 15-for-25 for 214 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception.

#C.J. Nightingale# ended Augustana's first possession of the second half with an interception of Augie's Nick Welch. Welch was 9-for-22 for 101 yards and was sacked twice. The interception was one of six turnovers forced by the Thunder on the day.

Wheaton quickly turned the turnover into points when Meador found Mark Hiben down the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown pass. Hiben caught 10 passes for 204 yards on the day. Hiben's 10 catches today is the most by a Thunder receiver since Alex Pokorny caught 10 passes against Wabash in the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs on November 11, 2008. The 204 receiving yards collected by the sophomore today is the most by a Thunder wideout since Joe Chupp recorded 217 yards against Millikin on October 10, 2005.

Roberts accounted for Wheaton's final score of the day with a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Roberts was 17-for-19 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

Jarrett was the leading rusher for the Thunder with 38 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown.

The Thunder will return home next Saturday for the first time in over a month for a 1 PM contest against Carthage College in the annual Homecoming game.Print Friendly Version

Related Story Content