Wayne State football came up short in the homecoming matchup with Augustana University wit the final score 44-31.

Augustana improves to 4-2 on the season and WSC falls to 2-4.

“They’re (Augustana) a great team,” Head Coach Dan McLaughlin said. “When you’re playing a team of that caliber, two things have to happen. You can’t help them, and when you get the opportunity to make plays you have to make those plays.”

The Wildcats marched down the field on the opening drive, but had to settle for a field goal by freshman kicker Ethan Knudson gave WSC a 3-0 lead.

WSC junior running back Rashad Trimble fumbled the ball inside Wildcat territory at the 44-yard line. The Vikings capitalized and scored from four yards out courtesy of quarterback Trey Heid to receiver Charlie Hayes, which gave the Vikings a 7-3 lead.

WSC regained the lead as junior running back Arelious Burns scored from nine-yards out, which made it 10-7. On the following drive, Vikings freshman running back DJ Luke scored on a one-yard touchdown run and pulled Augustana ahead 13-10.

Augustana’s Heid scored with 4:23 left in the first half on a 15-yard run to extend the Vikings lead to 20-10. WSC’s Burns scored his second touchdown of the game from nine yards out and made the score at halftime 20-17 Vikings.

AU opened up the third quarter with a Heid 39-yard touchdown pass to receiver Matt Heller, making the score 27-17. WSC was forced to punt on its next possession and the Vikings took full advantage of it. They scored yet again as Heid connected with Hayes from 16 yards out, that put the Vikings ahead 34-17 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.

WSC junior quarterback Zach Osborn found receiver Nate Rogers on a 36-yard touchdown, which cut the score down to 34-24. The Vikings tacked on a field goal with 1:37 left in the third quarter, which extended the lead to 37-24.

Heid found Heller for the second time in the game with 12:21 left in the fourth quarter, which gave the Vikings a 44-24 lead. Osborn found Rogers for his second touchdown of the game, making the final score 44-31.

“We need to do a better job of communicating on the back end, making sure we’re all on the same page and going in and attacking the football,” WSC Defensive Coordinator Scott McLaughlin said. “The guy we’re going up against this week is the top passer in the league, so we have to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback.”

Burns led the Wildcats in rushing yards with 98 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback Osborn completed 28 out of 49 passing attempts for 312 yards and one interception.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Tyler Thompson led the Wildcats defense with six tackles, and senior defensive back Cam Montgomery recorded his fourth interception of the season.

The Wildcats will travel to Marshall, Minn., to take on the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. this Saturday evening.