This week: No. 14-ranked Augustana (9-1, 8-1 NSIC) will close the regular season on Saturday with a 1 p.m. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division meeting with Upper Iowa (2-8, 2-7 NSIC) at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
The series: Saturday will be the fourth meeting between Augustana and Upper Iowa in a series that first saw action in the 2005 season. The Vikings are 3-0 against the Peacocks and have won two of those meetings on the road and the other in Sioux Falls. Last year, Augustana defeated UIU 21-41 at home.
Senior Day: The Vikings will recognize their 13 seniors at Saturday's game against Upper Iowa. A brief ceremony before the game will highlight each of their career accomplishments.
With a win: A victory on Saturday against Upper Iowa would guarantee Augustana at least a share of the NSIC South Division championship. The Vikings are presently tied with Winona State for first place in the division. If WSU loses on Saturday and Augustana wins, the Vikings would have sole possession of the title. A win would also give Augustana its 10th of the season, extending its season record for victories in a season, which the Vikings broke with win No. 9 against Minnesota State on Oct. 30.
Regionally speaking: Augustana fell one spot and is ranked No. 2 in the latest Super Regional Three Rankings released Monday by the NCAA. Super Regional Three is comprised of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Vikings, who have an overall and Division II record of 9-1, fell in behind Minnesota Duluth, which owns an overall and Division II record of 10-0. The Bulldogs are also ranked No. 1 in this week's American Football Coaches Association Top-25 Poll. Augustana is No. 14. The top six teams from each of the nation's four regions earn a berth in the NCAA Playoffs. Augustana has not made the playoffs since 1989. The Vikings took the No. 1 position in last week's regional rankings.
Playoff talk: Assuming Augustana wins on Saturday and stays at the No. 2 spot in Super Regional Three, the Vikings would end up receiving a bye for the first round of the NCAA?Playoffs and hosting a second-round game. Augustana has never hosted a playoff game. The Vikings, who haven't qualified for NCAA postseason action in 21 years, have two playoff appearances in the program's 88-year history. In 1988, Augustana fell to perennial power North Dakota State 49-7 in Fargo. A year later, the Vikings dropped a 27-20 decision to St. Cloud State on the road.
Turnovers kill: The Vikings committed three turnovers last Saturday at Wayne State.
Joe Clark fumbled twice, and
Tyler Schulte was intercepted once. Augustana also failed to make good on two fourth-down conversions in the loss.
Sputtering offense: Last Saturday at Wayne State marked the worst rushing performance by the Vikings in 2010. Augustana managed just 55 yards on the ground. Normally, the Vikings would make up for a poor rushing outing with a big day through the air, but Augustana was held to just 201 yards of total offense--another season low. In fact, the Vikings' offensive output was the lowest of the season by more than 100 yards. The previous low of the season was on Sept. 11 against Bemidji State when Augustana put up 316 yards of total offense.
Football forecast: Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 44 degrees and a partly sunny sky.
Let 'em run: The trademark of the Augustana football team was put to the test last Saturday at Wayne State. The Vikings, who boast the NSIC's top run defense at 78.2 yards per game, allowed a season-high 172 yards on the ground. The Wildcats ran the ball 51 times on the Vikings and found paydirt three times via the run.
National news: Augustana fell seven spots and is ranked No. 14 in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll released Monday. The Vikings received 298 points and moved down from their No. 7 position a week ago. Conference-neighbor Minnesota Duluth garnered 23 first-place votes and 645 points to take the top spot. St. Cloud State was also ranked 18th. This marks the first time this season the Vikings have moved down in the poll. Augustana was also ranked No. 14 on Oct. 11 of this year.
Mr. Utility: Primarily used as a wide receiver, the lethal
Tyler Schulte (Sioux Falls) was worked in at quarterback in last Saturday's game at Wayne State. The senior completed five passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns as the signal caller. Schulte isn't completely new to the position. A?backup quarterback in high school, Schulte has been called upon numerous times throughout his career at Augsutana to be under center. He's thrown for nearly 1,000 yards in his career and has 14 touchdown passes under his belt. As a receiver, Schulte has caught 149 passes for 2,501 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Kirkeby-Over...a great place to play: For the Vikings' opponents, playing at Kirkeby-Over Stadium has proven to be a tall task. The Vikings are 10-1 in K-O and have outscored their opponents 405-190. Augustana is 5-0 at home in 2010; the Vikings are also better at home in every major statistical category.
Big defense: Augustana's run defense is one of the best in Division II. The Vikings are currently sixth in the country in the statistical category and lead the NSIC. Augustana's defense has held its opponent to 20 yards or less rushing four times this season (Bemidji State, Southwest Minnesota State, Northern State and Minnesota State Moorhead). The Vikings have held all but four opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground in 2010.
First 2010 touchdown: He's been a productive receiver for Augustana in his four-year career with the Vikings, so it comes as a surprise that
Eric Ellingworth's (Redwood Falls, Minn.) touchdown reception last Saturday against Wayne State was his first this season. The 12-yard strike came from
Tyler Schulte in the second quarter. The senior has caught 36 passes for 424 yards this season and averages 11.8 yards per catch. For his career, Ellingworth has 84 catches for 849 yards and three touchdowns.
A grand would be grand: Senior running back
Joe Clark (Rochester, Minn.) needs 216 yards to go over the 1,000-yard mark for the year. If the Vikings make the NCAA Playoffs, Clark would have at least two games to do it. Clipping a grand has been the norm for Augustana's all-time leading rusher. ?He's had 1,000 yards the past two seasons. In 2008, Clark set a school record with 1,114 yards on the ground. A year ago, Clark rushed 202 times for 1,020 yards. His career mark sits at 3,347 yards heading into Saturday's contest with Upper Iowa.
It's been awhile: It's been two years since Augustana has lost back-to-back games. If the Vikings were to fall to Upper Iowa on Saturday, it would be the first time since 2008 that they have suffered two consecutive losses. Augustana fell to Wayne State and Winona State in back-to-back weeks two seasons ago. On Oct. 25, 2008, the Wildcats topped the Vikings 28-7. Augustana followed that with a 41-24 loss to the Warriors on Oct. 31, 2008.
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.
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 363-435-15. Augustana has recorded 30 winning seasons, including the past two years.
About Augustana: The Vikings (9-1) suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday, falling to Wayne State 26-14 on the road. Augustana features an offense that averages 404.1 yards per game and a defense that is one of the NSIC's best at stopping the run.
Joe Clark has racked up 784 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2010, while
Tyler Schulte has caught 43 passes for 863 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Andrew Keel leads the Viking defensive unit with 74 tackles, including 10.5 for loss.
Chris Janisch has racked up 72 stops as well. As a team, Augustana has 18 interceptions.
About Upper Iowa: Tom Shea's Peacocks (2-8) are looking for their third win of the season on Saturday. Upper Iowa is allowing 40.7 points and 445.7 yards per game in conference contests. Leading the Peacock offense is quarterback Ben Curran, who has passed for 1,235 yards and eight touchdowns. His favorite target is Jessie Hubbard; the junior wide receiver has caught 50 passes for 590 yards and five touchdowns. Ethan Douglas has charted 68 tackles, including nine for loss, and leads the UIU defense. Aaron Miller has also had 67 tackles in 2010.
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).
