GAME NOTES (PDF)
This week: Undefeated and No. 8-ranked Augustana (8-0, 7-0 NSIC) hosts Minnesota State, Mankato (5-3, 4-3 NSIC) on Saturday in a contest between two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division teams. Kickoff from Kirkeby-Over Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The series: Saturday will be the 41st meeting between Augustana and Minnesota State in a series that first saw action on Oct. 9, 1931. The Vikings are 22-18 against the Mavericks. MSU defeated Augustana 36-6 last season in Mankato, Minn. Since 2000, the Vikings have won seven of the last 10 contests with the Mavericks.
Eight in the books: It's the same story line, just a different week. With eight wins to start the 2010 season, Augustana has recorded its best start since the 1942 campaign when the Vikings went 8-0. For Mike Aldrich, the 8-0 start is the best for any first-year head coach in Augustana football history. Eight wins also ties a school record for victories in a season. The Vikings also had eight wins in 1936, 1937, 1942, 1988, 1989, 2008 and 2009.
History in the making: The Vikings have a chance to do what no football team in school history has done before on?Saturday. With a win, Augustana would set the school record for wins in a season with nine. A win would also be the longest winning streak in more than 40 years. The Vikings rattled off nine straight wins between the 1959 and 1960 seasons. That started with a 13-0 victory over South?Dakota State and ended with a 27-7 loss to Northern Iowa.
The long ball: Junior wide receiver
Sam Holsen (Sioux Falls) caught his first touchdown pass of the season against MSU Moorhead last Saturday. Holsen caught four passes for 131 yards, including an 82-yard strike to open scoring for the Vikings. While Holsen has been effective this season, he is not on pace to match last his stellar 2009 campaign. Last season, Holsen logged 900 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns and set a single-game record by hauling in 11 catches for 267 yards against Wayne State (Neb.) on Oct. 24. In 2010, the junior has 24 catches for 330 yards.
Gettin' picky: Diego Oquendo (Staten Island, N.Y.) nabbed his second interception of the year in the third quater against MSU Moorhead last Saturday.
Zac Kallas (Eden Prairie, Minn.) grabbed his fourth pick of the year--also in the third quarter.
Devon Alber (Manchester, Iowa) then got in the act, notching his first career interception in the fourth quarter. The three interceptions is the most for the Vikings this season. Last season, Augustana had three interceptions twice, the first time coming against Emporia State (Kan.) on Sept. 5 and the second against Northern State on Nov. 7.
On the board second: For the first time this season, Augustana allowed its opponent to score twice before the Vikings could score once on Saturday against MSU Moorhead. The Dragons managed a field goal and a touchdown before Augustana could get on the board.
Josh Hanson's 82-yard touchdown pass to
Sam Holsen cut into MSUM's 10-0 lead. The Vikings have scored first in five of their eight games this season (Bemidji State, Southwest Minnesota State, Concordia, Northern State and Winona State).
Still efficient: Heading into last Saturday's game with MSU Moorhead, Josh?Hanson (Watertown, S.D.) had tossed just two interceptions all season. His arm, though, doubled that against the Dragons as Hanson threw an uncharacteristic four interceptions. The sophomore still managed to guide his team to a convincing victory; he ended up completing 14 of 26 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
Still kicking: Sophomore
Drew Behrens has developed into one of the NSIC's most effective kickers. Behrens hit a 26-yard field goal and was 4 of 4 on extra points as Augustana defeated MSU Moorhead last Saturday. Behrens also averaged 58.1 yards on eight kickoffs and 43.3 yards on six punts. He landed two of those punts inside the 20-yard line. Behrens currently leads the NSIC in points by kicking (62), field goals (18) and field goal percentage (66.7).
Football forecast: Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 59 degrees and a mostly sunny sky.
Through the air:? Augustana has had three pass plays cover more than 80 yards for touchdowns this season.
Sam Holsen's 82-yard touchdown reception against MSU Moorhead last Saturday ranks No. 3 for longest pass plays in 2010.
Tyler Schulte has snagged touchdown receptions of 89 and 99 yards.
Simply the best:? It's the best run defense in the conference and the second best in the country. Augustana is allowing just 53.4 yards rushing in conference games and 55.3 yards in all games this season. The Vikings have only allowed opposing teams to rush for 100 yards twice this season and have twice held their opponent to less than 10 yards on the ground (9 vs. Bemidji State, 7 vs. Northern State).
100-plus for Joe: Senior
Joe Clark (Rochester, Minn.) recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing effort of the season in last Saturday's victory over MSU Moorhead. It was also the 12th 100-yard rushing game of his career.
National news: Augustana climbed three spots and is ranked No. 8 in the American Football Coaches Association poll released Monday. The Vikings received 456 points to move up from their No. 11 spot last week. Grand Valley State received 24 first-place votes and 648 points to again take the No. 1 position. Three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams are in this week's top 25. Besides Augustana, Minnesota Duluth checked in at No. 2, while St. Cloud State is No. 20. Initially, No. 11 was thought to be the highest ranking for a Viking football team. However, upon further review it was discovered that Augustana was ranked No. 6 on Sept. 19, 1989.
On the up and up: Since making their first appearance in the poll on Sept. 20, the Vikings have made a jump every week. To view a breakdown of where Augustana has been ranked this season, turn to page 6.
Unbeatens: There are just two undefeated teams left in the NSIC, both of which sport 8-0 records. Minnesota Duluth and Augustana hold the distinction of being the lone pair of schools out of the conference's 14 teams that have a blemish-free record. These two teams, however, will not meet in the regular season this year.
We like Mike: The Mike Aldrich era is officially underway. The first-year head coach served as the Vikings' defensive coordinator the past four seasons and has a plethora of experience coaching in the collegiate ranks, including stops at Louisville, California Lutheran, College of the Sequoias and St. Olaf.
They're back:?The Vikings return a total of 17 starters from last year's squad (seven on offense, six on defense, and four specialists).
According to the coaches: The NSIC's 14 head coaches picked Augustana to finish third overall in their Preseason Coaches' Poll. Minnesota Duluth was tabbed the preseason favorite by the conference's 14 head coaches. Augustana was also picked to finish second in the seven-team NSIC South Division. The Vikings, who received one first-place vote in the South Division rankings, received 125 points in the overall rankings and 27 points in the South Division rankings.
The house that Bob built: 2010 marks the second season in the lavish Kirkeby-Over Stadium for the Vikings. Made possible by a lead gift of $6.1 million by Bob and Kari Hall, K-O Stadium has gained the reputation of being one of the best football facilities in NCAA Division II.
Bob Hall, who serves as Augustana's equipment manager, has been instrumental in the construction of several athletic facilities on campus. As Bob has always said, “It's for the kids.”
History lesson: Augustana is in its 88th year of competition in 2010. The Vikings own an all-time record of 362-434-15. Augustana has recorded 30 winning seasons, including the past two years.
About Augustana: The Vikings (8-0, 7-0 NSIC) are eyeing a school-record nine wins on Saturday against the Minnesota State. Augustana is averaging 433.9 yards of total offense per outing;
Joe Clark has totalled 643 yards on the ground, while
Josh Hanson is already eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark through the air.
Tyler Schulte is also averaging 108.7 yards receiving per game. The Viking defense, which is 10th in the nation for yards allowed, continues to hang its hat on its conference-leading run stoppage.
Andrew Keel leads the Vikings with 54 tackles, including five for loss and 1.5 sacks.
About Minnesota State: Todd Hoffner and the Mavericks (5-3, 4-3) will look to extend their winning streak to three games on Saturday. MSU leads the NSIC in pass defense (154.1 yards/game) and allows 301.2 yards of total offense per game. Matt McQuiston anchors that unit with a team-leading 70 tackles this season. Offensively, Taylor Brookins has rushed for 534 yards and six touchdowns. Two quarterbacks, Will Brogan and Steve Pachan, have split time for the Mavericks.
The Augustana Coaches' Show: Live from the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, The Augustana Coaches' Show airs each Monday at 5 p.m. Join Jeff Fylling and Augustana head coaches as they discuss various topics surrounding Viking athletics.
Stay connected: Follow Augustana all season long on its official online home, www.GoAugie.com. You can also get the latest news and updates on the Vikings on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoAugie) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/GoAugie). To view video highlights and the latest episode of the Augustana Sportscene, log onto the Vikings' official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/GoAugie).
