MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Gustavus football opened the MIAC schedule Saturday afternoon with a convincing 28-0 victory over Augsburg, improving to 2-1 overall. The shutout win is the first for Gustavus since 2018 when it beat Augsburg 42-0 in Saint Peter. 

After the Gustie defense forced a punt on the first possession of the game, the offense drove 64 yards in nine plays, ending with a one-yard touchdown run by De'Marion Brown. The Gustie defense once again forced a punt on the ensuring Auggie drive, and yet again, the offense responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 41-yard touchdown run by River Wood for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. 

Tanner Domschot ended the next Augsburg drive with an interception on a fourth down attempt, but the Gusties were unable to generate points from the turnover and were forced to punt for the first time. Augsburg drove deep into Gustie territory and was threatening to score at the end of the first half, but Carson DeKam picked off a pass and returned it 44 yards to midfield. The score remained 14-0 Gustavus at halftime. 

Both teams ended their first two drives of the third quarter with a punt before the Gusties extended their lead to 21-0 on a 38-yard touchdown run by Brown. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, George Sandven connected with Jake Breitbach on consecutive passes of 20 and 30 yards, getting the ball down to the Auggie one. It took three more plays, but Brown rushed in his third touchdown of the game for a 28-0 advantage with 5:53 left on the clock. 

The Auggies had an opportunity to end the shutout late in the fourth quarter with the ball on the Gustie two, but the defense stood tall and ended the threat with an interception by Bode Hogan. 

Sandven completed 15-of-16 of his passes (93.8%) for 191 yards with Breitbach as the top target, hauling in seven catches for 126 yards. With his final catch of the day, Breitbach surpassed Gustavus Athletics Hall of Famer Chad Arlt for second place in program history with 3,176 career receiving yards. Breitbach is now 120 yards away from setting the program record, currently held by Matt Boyce (2012-15). 

Brown led the rushing attack with 21 carries for 114 yards and three touchdowns, marking his second straight game with three rushing scores. As a team, the Gusties out-gained the Auggies 358-170 in total yards. 

Myshawn King, and Jack Klug had seven tackles each to pace the defense. King added 2.0 sacks, including 2.5 tackles for loss. 

Gustavus returns home next Saturday to take on Bethel. 
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