Pointers Rally Past Augustana in Season Opener
Box Score
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. � Scott Krause continued his fourth quarter
heroics into another season, rallying the UW-Stevens Point football team to
a season-opening 19-15 win at Augustana (Ill.) Saturday for his eighth
career fourth quarter comeback win.
The senior threw for 278 yards on 15-for-27 passing with three
touchdowns, including a 29-yard pass to freshman Cody Childs with 2:57
remaining to give the 21st ranked Pointers the victory over the 24th ranked
Vikings.
The win was the 100th career victory for UW-Stevens Point coach John
Miech, who is now 100-50-2 in his 16th season and the sixth Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coach ever to reach the milestone.
Defense was the story of the afternoon as UW-Stevens Point limited
Augustana to just seven first downs and 188 total yards. The Pointers had
356 total yards, but were held to 12 first downs and 78 rushing yards.
The game was scoreless until late in the first half when the
Vikings� Alex Arguello intercepted an errant pass by Krause and returned
it 31 yards to the Pointers� seven-yard line with 41 seconds left in the
half. Brad Wendell then passed to Travis Temple for a touchdown on the
Vikings� first play, but the extra point hit the left upright for a 6-0
halftime lead.
UW-Stevens Point tied the game with 8:35 left in the third
quarter when Krause hit Kurt Kielblock for an 87-yard touchdown pass.
However, Augustana blocked the extra point and Matt Furlong returned it for
two points and an 8-6 Vikings� lead. The touchdown pass was the
fifth-longest in Pointer history and the 10th pass of 80 yards or more,
including the fourth of Krause�s career. Augustana�s defensive extra
point was the second allowed by UW-Stevens Point in school history and the
first since UW-River Falls returned a two-point play in 2000.
The Pointers regained the lead with 12:28 left in the fourth quarter
when Krause hit Kielblock for a 25-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-18
play for a 12-8 lead. Kieblock finished with five catches for a career-high
174 yards in his first start at wide receiver.
UW-Stevens Point forced the Vikings to punt, but then fumbled the
ball on the first play of its next possession, giving Augustana the ball on
the Pointers� 35-yard line. Wendell hit Anton Steinhart for a 31-yard
touchdown with 7:36 left on a fourth-and-six play to give the Vikings a
15-12 lead. Augustana completed just three passes in the game, including two
for touchdowns.
The Pointers punted on their next possession and then received a
10-yard punt on the Augustana 31-yard line with 3:44 left before Krause hit
Childs for the game-winning score on a third-and-eight play. Augustana
punted on its next possession and Cory Flisakowski ran three times for a
Pointer first down to run out the clock.
Nick Haffele led the stingy Pointer defense with 12 tackles and
Josh VanderVelden recovered two second half fumbles.
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