GAME NOTES (PDF)
This week: Augustana (3-0, 2-0 NSIC) faces its first opponent from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division on Saturday, hosting Southwest Minnesota State (2-1, 1-1 NSIC) at Kirkeby-Over Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The series: Saturday will be the 15th meeting between Augustana and Southwest Minnesota State in a series that dates back to the 1990 season. The Vikings are 12-2 (6-1 at home, 6-1 on the road) against the Mustangs and are riding a 10-game winning streak in the series. The two teams last met on Oct. 10, 2010, with Augustana recording a 29-7 victory. The last time Augustana and SMSU met in Sioux Falls, the Vikings were 39-20 winners at Howard Wood Field on Oct. 11, 2008
Air Hanson: The NSIC announced Monday that Augustana quarterback
Josh Hanson (Watertown, S.D.) has been named its Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Vikings' 52-21 win over U-Mary on Saturday. Hanson had a monster game on Saturday, completing 31 of 45 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns. Hanson didn't throw an interception all afternoon and also ran in for a score from 16 yards out. His touchdown passes covered distances of 28, 20, 13, 22 and 5 yards. His favorite target was
Tyler Schulte, who caught four of those touchdown passes to tie a school record. Hanson leads the NSIC with 329.5 passing yards per game and has already thrown for 915 yards in just three games this season.
On the record: If
Tyler Schulte (Sioux Falls, S.D.) had an touchdown dance, he would have had plenty of opportunities to practice it last Saturday against U-Mary. The senior caught four touchdown passes in the Viking win, tying a school record. Tom Brown also caught four touchdown passes on Nov. 3, 1985, against Morningside. Schulte has been downright unstoppable thus far this season. He's already caught 20 passes for 405 yards and seven touchdowns. His 135.0 receiving yards per game ranks seventh nationally, while his 14.67 points per game is fourth in the country.
He's picky: Junior Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen, S.D.) has developed a knack for plucking opponents' passes. O'Keefe had two interceptions last Saturday against U-Mary. Both of his picks set up Vikings touchdowns; he returned his first interception 21 yards. The junior also recorded three tackles. O'Keefe has three interceptions on the season.
Still kickin': He's definitely found his groove.
Drew Behrens (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) drilled a career-long 44-yard field goal and was a perfect 7 of 7 on extra points against U-Mary last Saturday. Behrens had strong day punting as well; he landed one at the 1-yard line, setting up a Marauder three-and-out and resulting Augustana touchdown just before halftime. The sophomore also averaged 61.8 yards on nine kickoffs and had one touchdown-saving tackle on the day. Behrens is a perfect 11 of 11 on extra points this season, and his 44-yarder ties the longest field goal made in a conference game this season in the NSIC.
Three wins to start: Augustana's 3-0 start marks the second consecutive season the Vikings have been victorious in their first three contests of the season. In 2009, Augustana began the year by knocking off St. Cloud State; Emporia State; and Minnesota, Crokston. Since 2000, Augustana has started 3-0 four times (2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010).
The meaning of four: A win on Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State would give Augustana its best start since the 2002 season when the Vikings also started 4-0 under the tutelage of head coach Jim Heinitz. prior to that, the last time the Vikings have ushered in the season with four wins was in 1960 under head coach Bob Burns.
First timer: Not only would a win on Saturday give the Vikings their best start since 2001, it would also make Mike Aldrich the first head coach in school history to start his career 4-0. The next best effort to start their career was by Martin Cole, who began the 1925 campaign with a 3-0 mark.
Football forecast: Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 67 degrees and a sky full of sunshine.
National news: Augustana is ranked No. 24 in the latest AFCA Division II Top-25 Poll released Monday, marking the first time this season the Vikings have cracked the top 25. Augustana received 82 points. The Vikings are one of three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams in this week's poll. Minnesota Duluth checked in at No. 2, while Minnesota State is No. 11. Grand Valley State (Mich.) received 641 points and 19 first-place votes to take the top spot. The national ranking marks the first time Augustana has made its way to the top 25 since Sept. 14, 2009, when the Vikings were No. 25. To view this week's complete poll, turn to page 10.
Mr. Consistency: Senior
Eric Ellingworth (Redwood Falls, Minn.) has had a pair of career games in the past two weeks for the Vikings. After establishing career highs for catches and receiving yards against Bemidji State on Sept. 11 , the wide receiver turned around and did it again against U-Mary last Saturday. He caught eight passes for a career-high 102 yards against the Marauders. He is currently leading the NSIC in receptions per game with 8.5.
Take me to your leaders: Four seniors will serve as the Vikings captains for the 2010 season.
Tyler Schulte,
Chris Janisch,
Eric Bergman and
Dan Schoen have been chosen to lead Augustana this year; a special teams captain will also be named each week.
Let's go Joe: Senior running back
Joe Clark (Rochester, Minn.) is inching closer to becoming Augustana's all-time leading rusher. The shifty runner is just 421 yards from tying Chris San Agustin's (1987-1990) career record of 3,098 yards. Clark is hardly a stranger to the Viking record book; he already holds the record for rushing yards in a season (1,114 in 2008).
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.
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.
Home sweet home: The Vikings are 7-1 in Kirkeby-Over Stadium. Augustana has outscored its opponents 304-151 in the facility.
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).
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 357-433-15. Augustana has recorded 30 winning seasons, including the past two years.
Senior momentum: The 2010 roster features 14 seniors, all of whom have played an important roll during their careers as Vikings.
Take me to your leaders: Four seniors will serve as the Vikings captains for the 2010 season.
Tyler Schulte,
Chris Janisch,
Eric Bergman and
Dan Schoen have been chosen to lead Augustana this year; a special teams captain will also be named each week.
About Augustana: Sporting a 3-0 record and 2-0 mark in conference play, Augustana looks to pick up its first win against an opponent from the NSIC South Division on?Saturday. The Vikings have displayed a potent offense in 2010, averaging just over 382 yards of total offense per game. A bulk of that yardage has come through the air as sophomore quarterback
Josh Hanson and the Vikings are averaging 309.3 passing yards per outing. Hanson has already thrown for 915 yards.
Tyler Schulte anchors an explosive group of receivers and is averaging 135 yards receiving per game. Schulte has also caught seven touchdown passes in just three games. Defensively,
Ryan Isaacson has emerged as the Vikings' leader; he has tallied 23 stops on the season. Dan O'Keefe continues to haunt opposing quarterbacks as he has tallied three interceptions in 2010.
About Southwest Minnesota State: The Mustangs suffered their first loss of the season last week after falling 30-14 to Bemidji State in a conference contest. SMSU relies on its passing game to move the ball; Ryan Ratekin has thrown for more than 700 yards in just three games. His favorite target is Lester Lewis, who has caught 15 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Mustangs own one of the conference's top linebackers in Nick DeCaneva, who is leading the NSIC in tackles with 28.
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 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).
