Tim Swaney is hardly the only fifth-year senior playing a key role for Augustana. Augustana athletics photo

By Brian Lester, D3sports.com

On the second play of Augustana’s game against then unbeaten Washington University last Saturday, Tim Swaney forced a fumble on a sack, a tone-setting play that helped get things rolling for the Vikings in a 35-17 statement win.

A year ago, Swaney wasn’t on the field. The 2021 team MVP tore his ACL and MCL before the season started and could only watch from the sideline as the Vikings struggled through a 5-5 campaign.

That could have been the end of the road for Swaney. Instead, he opted to return for a fifth year. It’s turned out to be a wise decision for him as he’s part of a Viking team off and running to a 5-1 start.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Swaney said.

That’s a stark contrast to a year ago for the standout linebacker.

“Last year was rough,” Swaney said. “Not being out there and being able to help the team, it was different. I’ve never been happier this year. A lot of fifth year guys came back, and our success reinforced my decision even more. I’m happy I’m back.”

Everyone else is glad Swaney is back, too.

“He’s a field general on that side of the ball,” fifth-year senior wide receiver Bobby Inserra said. “Having him back helps. This year, we are also all confident in our abilities. We have a bunch of fifth-years and that means we have a lot of guys with a lot of football under their belts. That’s helped us be confident and go out there and make plays.”

There were plenty of plays made against Washington, including a touchdown catch and punt return for a score by Inserra.

Tyler Rivelli ran for two scores while the defense held the Bears to just 58 rushing yards, picked off two passes and recorded five sacks. Chase Tatum and Toby Splitt tallied eight tackles apiece. Swaney and Nick Harper had six apiece.

“It was complementary football,” Inserra said. “Everyone was playing well in all phases of the game. And the energy on the sideline was amazing. That really helped us play because everybody was cheering for each other. We played for each other.”

Head coach Steve Bell agrees everything came together for the team on that day as the Vikings won their third consecutive game.

“It was kind of the culmination of the first five games. It felt like we played really good in all three phases. It was the first time we put it all together. We had moments in other games, but this time we put it all together, which was really nice to see.”

Bell said two things have changed for the Vikings this season that have proven valuable for this team.

“One is leadership. It’s totally different,” Bell said. “We’ve always had really good players, kids who were great athletes, but the leadership and accountability, and the standard they hold themselves to this year, has changed dramatically.”

The other key difference is having a short memory.

“It’s the mentality of not letting plays, negative plays, stack on each other,” Bell said. “You are going to have some bad things happen during games, and our guys, across the board, have handled that really well. They wash the bad plays out of their minds and move on to the next play.”

It’s all added up to a season Bell always believed had a ton of potential wrapped around it. Last year had that potential as well. Various factors prevented it from being reached.

“It was there. It was a matter of pulling it out,” Bell said. “Last year was a rough one. We had some growing pains we had to go through. “I don’t want to say this year it’s been exactly scripted out the way I thought it would, but it (the success) doesn’t surprise me. That’s for sure.”

The defense of the Vikings is holding teams to an average of just under 19 points (18.8) per game and has been particularly tough against the run, limiting teams to an average of 80.5 yards per outing on the ground. It has forced 16 turnovers, including 10 off interceptions. 

Swaney leads the team in tackles (55). Five other players have at least 22.

“Everyone has stepped into their role and has confidence,” Swaney said. “I thought on Saturday, for the first time, everyone took their piece of the pie for lack of a better term. We played a great game as a whole defensive unit.”

Offensively, Augustana is putting up nearly 43 points per game (42.8) and has churned out more than 2,300 yards (2,326). 

Inserra is the top receiver with 31 catches for 297 yards. Jordan Vessey ranks second with 21 catches for 237 yards and two scores.

Quarterback Cole Bhardwaj has thrown for 1,045 yards and 11 scores while Rivelli has rushed for more than 605 yards and nine touchdowns.

“We have so many older guys on offense and everyone knows what they have to do,” Inserra said. “We try to perfect our game plan every week.”

Bell said having older players step up has been huge. A lot of the younger players have risen to the occasion as well.

“It’s a lot easier talking to a guy who has played multiple years when you are explaining something. I know the fifth-years and seniors get a lot of attention, but we have a lot of guys who are juniors, sophomores and freshmen who are contributing to the team, and that’s exciting.”

Despite the success, the work isn’t done yet for Augustana, which received six votes in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 poll.

“Every week we say it’s about us, and at the end of the day, my biggest message to the team is we have to worry about ourselves and play to our level every week,” Swaney said. “We just have to worry about playing our game.”

The wins bring added attention, especially a statement victory like the one against the Bears. Success of that nature can often blur focus. The Vikings refuse to let it happen.

“We have to take it one game at a time. We can’t look past this week. We need that victory,” Inserra said. “We do the best we can every week and not take any opponent lightly. We’re a newer team being talked about on a high level, but we have to prove ourselves. We haven't done enough yet.”