Football finishes strong, defeats Augustana 45-24 with dominant second half

| Junior Sports Editor

Fred Ware scored three touchdowns in the win against Augustana. (Sydney Strominger | Contributing Photographer)

Midway through the 2023 season, the WashU football team lost to Augustana College for the first time in program history. The upset loss put the Bears in fourth place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) standings and eventually propelled the Vikings to the postseason instead of the Bears. 

A year later, on Saturday, Nov. 16, Augustana looked within striking distance of an upset victory for the second year in a row. So when the WashU offense exploded for 21 points in the second half to pull away from Augustana, one could almost hear the WashU sideline take a sigh of relief. 

“We focused on accentuating the things that we’re really good at, and then tried to eliminate things that were causing us some problems,” head coach Aaron Keen said. “For the most part, today, our guys did their job and did it just a little bit better.” 

The Bears defeated Augustana 45-24 on Nov. 16, finishing their regular season schedule and commemorating Senior Day with a meaningful victory. The 2024 Bears finished their regular season with an 8-2 record, becoming the ninth team in program history to win at least eight games. 

“Today was a great win, especially for the seniors,” junior running back Fred Ware said. “We just wanted to put everything out there today.” 

The Vikings started the game hot, scoring a touchdown on their second drive. The Augustana defense stood strong on the first two Bears drives, giving the WashU faithful deja vu from last year’s upset. However, an interception by junior linebacker Brady Willmer put WashU in good field position. The Bears could not find the end zone, but sophomore kicker Ross Muchnick converted a chip-shot field goal attempt to cut into the Augustana advantage. 

On the next WashU possession, it took just two plays for the Bears to take the lead. While scrambling, sophomore quarterback Levi Moore found fifth-year tight end Grant Hajicek for a short completion. Evading two Viking defenders, Hajicek ran 69 yards to the end zone for his longest reception with WashU. 

Augustana responded quickly, though. The Vikings returned the kickoff 66 yards, starting their drive in the red zone. Two plays later, Augustana had taken a 14-10 lead. Keen credits his defensive and special teams units for answering well to the early pressure. 

“We were allowing big returns and great field position, but our guys did a great job of responding to that,” Keen said. “One of the things I love most about this team is that they’ll always respond to that adversity.” 

WashU got the ball at the beginning of the second quarter and scored after a five minute possession. Ware got the ball off of a direct snap, easily finding the end zone to take the lead. Augustana responded, cashing a seven-minute drive into a game-tying field goal. With seconds left in the half, Moore found senior receiver Collin Goldberg, who leaped to give the Bears a halftime advantage of 24-17. 

At the half, senior running back Ken Hamilton was carted off the field with an apparent injury. Hamilton, who is the fifth all-time in rushing yards for the Bears, led the WashU offense in the metric again this year — despite missing two games. Ware, who led the Bears with 95 rushing yards, said Hamilton’s injury put a damper on the win. 

“They’re my family,” Ware said about senior running backs, Hamilton and Kenvorris Campbell. “It means the world to go out there and play with them one more time. I love those people.”

Augustana got possession at the half, and immediately tied the game on a 66-yard touchdown run. From there on, though, the Bears did not look back. Both offenses were forced to punt early in the quarter, but WashU broke through the stalemate with a 22-yard Ware run. With five minutes left in the third quarter, Moore ran for a nine-yard touchdown to give the Bears the lead. WashU forced another Viking punt, and Ware scored another touchdown with just six seconds left in the quarter.

For the rest of the half, both defenses kept scoring relatively low. First-year lineman Jack Middleton contributed two sacks in the half, and with three total sacks in the game, was named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week. Late in the quarter, Ware scored his third touchdown of the afternoon on another direct-snap play to give WashU their 45-24 lead. With seconds left, senior defensive back Jack Costello broke up a Vikings pass in the end zone, ending the Bears’ last game at Francis Field in 2024. 

With the win over Augustana, WashU’s season is over. No. 23 Wheaton College, who beat the Bears earlier this season, was not selected for the NCAA tournament. Wheaton will play the University of Wisconsin–Stout in the Culver’s Isthmus Bowl next weekend. If Wheaton had been selected for the tournament, WashU would have played in the Isthmus Bowl. 

This season was a tumultuous one for WashU football. Before their opening game against Rhodes College, it was announced that the Bears would be kicked out of their associate membership in the CCIW ahead of the 2026 season. By midseason this year, starting senior quarterback Clark Stephens was sidelined with an injury. Their loss to Wheaton on Oct. 26 all but eliminated their postseason hopes, weeks before the end of the season. 

There were some bright spots, though. The Bears’ offense exploded for over 40 points four times, in their wins over Rhodes, Carthage College, Elmhurst University, and Millikin University. WashU also set a new program record for total yardage in the 50-point win over Millikin. Next season will be the Bears’ final season in the CCIW, as WashU will join the North Coast Athletic Conference in the fall of 2026. WashU has one more opportunity to finish above third in the CCIW, something they have not done since joining the conference in 2018. 

After the game, many on WashU football were awarded with all-CCIW honors. Middleton was named CCIW defensive first-year student-athlete of the year. Goldberg and senior lineman Brendan Mayo were named to the All-CCIW First Team, while Hamilton, senior linemen Tyler Brooks, Peter Lynch, and Nate Light, and sophomore linebacker Joy Chane were named to the all-CCIW Second Team. Campbell was WashU’s nominee for the CCIW Respect Award, given to the player who “upholds the values of the team, their institution, and their community.”

While the season ended unceremoniously, Keen still believes the team’s accomplishments are worth celebrating. 

“Any time you can win eight games, it’s a great thing,” Keen said. “In over 130 years of Washington University football, we’re the ninth team to win eight games. So it’s special.” 

WashU football honored its 20 graduating seniors and fifth-years in a pregame ceremony. Hamilton, Goldberg, Campbell, Hajicek, Stephens, lineman Nate Light, and defensive back Zach Ginsburg are among the 20 names departing after the season. Postgame, Keen thanked the seniors for their impact on the program through tumultuous years. 

“This class was the first I got to help recruit and mold as they got here, and I feel great about what they’ve done,” he said. “They’ve changed the culture here, and they’ve been part of a lot of big victories because of that.”

This article was originally published on 11/17/24 at 10:11 pm, and was revised on 11/19/24 at 2:33 pm to include the D3Football.com Team of the Week and All-CCIW honors. 

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