GAME NOTES (PDF)
This week: Augustana (4-0, 3-0 NSIC) travels to Concordia University, St. Paul (3-1, 2-1 NSIC) on Saturday for its second road game of the season. Kickoff is set for noon at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul, Minn.
The series: Saturday will be the seventh meeting between Augustana and Concordia in a series that dates back to the 2004 season. Both teams have won three games apiece, and Augustana is riding a two-game winning streak against the Golden Bears. The Vikings are 2-1 on the road against CU. Last season, Augustana handed CU a 30-23 loss in Sioux Falls.
Super Schulte: Tyler Schulte's (Sioux Falls) senior season just keeps getting better. The NSIC announced Monday that the wide receiver has been named Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Vikings' 53-21 victory over Southwest Minnesota State this past Saturday. Schulte put together another impressive offensive show on Saturday. The senior caught six passes for a career-high 210 yards for three touchdowns. Schulte, who has now caught a touchdown pass in four straight games, got the bulk of his work done in the first three quarters. The three-touchdown outing is his third multiple-touchdown contest of the season. His first touchdown was a 99-yard connection from Josh Hanson on Augustana's first offensive play of the game. The play was the longest in school history, breaking the previous marks for the longest reception and longest play from scrimmage. The previous longest pass was an Eric DeGraff to Matt Holmlund connection that went 95-yards against St. Cloud State on Sept. 23, 2000, while the old record for longest play from scrimmage was a 97-yard run by Erwin Schultz against Jamestown on Oct. 30, 1937. Schulte already has 615 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns this season.
Go with the throw: Josh Hanson (Watertown, S.D.)?completed 18 of 23 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 65 yards and one score to lead his squad to a win over Southwest Minnesota State this past Saturday. Hanson's air attack was complimented by yet another no-interception performance. Through four games this season, Hanson has already thrown for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Pick six...almost: Junior Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen, S.D.) is making a routine of intercepting passes. O'Keefe snagged his fourth pick of the season last Saturday against Southwest Minnesota State, nearly returning it for a touchdown before being tripped up at the 1-yard line. He currently shares the lead in the NSIC for interceptions per game in conference contests with 1.0 per tilt.
The big “0”: Augustana has had little trouble moving the ball, and the Vikings again showed that last Saturday against Southwest Minnesota State. The Vikings tallied a season-high 618 yards of total offense in their 13th-straight win over SMSU. That marks the highest output since Augustana racked up 730 yards against Minnesota, Crookston on Sept. 17, 2005. The Vikings are averaging 441.5 yards of total offense per outing.
Four wins to start: Augustana's 4-0 start is its best since the 2002 season when the Vikings also opened the season with four wins under head coach Jim Heinitz. The four wins for Mike Aldrich also marks the first time in school history that a head coach has started their career with such success. Prior to Aldrich going 4-0, the next best effort to start their career was by Martin Cole, who began the 1925 campaign with a 3-0 mark.
Strive for five: A win on Saturday would secure the best start for Augustana since the 1942 season when LA “Lefty”?Olson guided his crew to an 8-0 campaign. Mike Aldrich has an opportunity to be the first team since the post World War II?era to start with five wins.
Football forecast: Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 56 degrees and a mostly sunny sky.
National news: Augustana climbed four spots and is ranked No. 20 in the American Football Coaches Association poll released Monday. The Vikings received 134 points to move up from their No. 24 spot last week. Grand Valley State received 21 first-place votes and 644 points to again take the No. 1 position. Three NSIC teams are in this week's top 25. Minnesota Duluth is No. 2, while Minnesota State is No. 25. Four more conference teams received votes. To view this week's complete poll, turn to page 10.
More on Schulte: Not only is Schulte the NSIC's top receiver, he's also the nation's leader in receiving yards per game. According to the latest NCAA?statistics released Monday, Schulte is averaging 153.75 yards per game. There are several other notable Viking individual and team stats that rank high nationally; to view them all, turn to page 7.
Nothin' but time: Augustana is a clear winner in the ever-important time of possession statistic. The Vikings usually have the ball around five minutes longer than their opponents. Augustana averages 33 minutes, 52 seconds of possession, while the Vikings' opponents have the ball for an average of 26:08 per game.
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 346 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).
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.
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 357-434-15. 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.
About Augustana: The 4-0 (3-0 NSIC) Vikings are trademarked by a high-powered offense and scrappy defense. The Vikings lead the NSIC with 353.7 passing yard per conference game, while the defense is tops in the conference in pass defense, run defense and total defense. Augustana is off to its best start since 2002 and is looking for its third straight win in the series.
About Concordia: The Golden Bears are fresh off a 28-26 upset of then No.-11 ranked Minnesota State last Saturday. CU is 3-1(2-1 NSIC) and features an air-oriented offense centered around quarterback Spencer Ohm. Sam Campbell leads the Golden Bears in rushing, averaging just under 60 yards per game. Charles Gilbert has caught 18 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in 2010. Defensively, Taylor Selby has charted a team-best 27 tackles this season.
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).
