ST PETER —
Amid controversy and confusion, Gustavus Adolphus football coach Peter Haugen put a positive spin on the Golden Gusties’ stunning 26-24 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss to Augsburg Saturday at Hollingsworth Field.
“We’ve got good kids and we’ll bounce back,” Haugen said moments after the Auggies’ Aryton Scott launched a 42-yard desperation touchdown pass to Hakeem Bourne-McFarlane on the game’s final play. “This will make us stronger and certainly much more determined. They had those two big plays that were obviously very pivotal.”
Augsburg took advantage of a somewhat controversial call in the waning seconds to pull off the bizarre victory.
Jeff Dubose came out of the backfield to grab a Muresuk Mena pass for a 19-yard score that gave Gustavus a 24-20 lead with just 1:04 to play. Then Kellan Eurle’s interception on the next snap from scrimmage appeared to seal a Gusties’ win.
Mena knelt down twice as the Auggies burned their final two timeouts. Mena went to a knee for a third time, but a Gustavus player lost his helmet and the officials stopped the clock with 42 seconds remaining. So instead of ticking off 40 seconds and then running a final play to end the game, the officials reset the play clock to 25 seconds and didn’t start the game clock until the ball was snapped on the punt.
Jordan Rudenick’s punt sailed into the end zone, and seven plays later, Bourne-McFarlane leaped in the air among a crowd of players and latched on to Scott’s heave into a stiff breeze near the 3-yard line. He kept his momentum going and broke the goal line as time expired.
“It was a feeling of disbelief,” Gustavus defensive back Jake Forcier said. “I didn’t think it was possible to throw up a last-second prayer like that. They made a good play and we just didn’t do our jobs.”
Augsburg’s other game-changing play came on the final play of the first half when Bourne-McFarlane took a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown. Instead of having a 10-0 lead at halftime, the Gusties led 10-7.
Prior to the kickoff, Mena hit Michael Hintze on a 3-yard TD pass with 13 seconds to go. The score was set up by a Beau Bachman forced fumble that Torey Asao recovered.
The second half went back and forth, with Scott and Mena trading touchodwn passes.
Scott ended up 19 of 36 for 283 yards and three scores through the air, and he carried the ball 23 times for 158 yards.
Mena rushed for a team-best 90 yards and was 19 of 27 passing for 229 yards and three TDs, one each to Hintze, Dubose and Phillip Butler.
Scott put the Auggies ahead 20-17 with just 2:19 remaining, then Mena guided a seven-play, 66-yard scoring drive that appeared to be enough for the win.
“I thought we showed a lot of composure,” Mena said. “We mixed things up and kept the defense guessing. Things were clicking and we kept rolling. They mixed things up between a man and a zone. They flew around to the ball and we’re tough defensively. The feeling right now is really undescribable. ... It was a heartbreaker.”
Gustavus (1-1) plays Saturday at St. Olaf.
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Related Photos
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Gustavus Adolphus College running back Jeff Dubose trips over Augsburg's Avery Dorsett during the first half Saturday. Pat Christman
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Gustavus Adolphus College's Phillip Butler is pursued by Augsburg's Michael Busch during a first half run Saturday at Hollingsworth Field. Pat Christman
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