GAME NOTES (PDF)
This week: Augustana opens Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Saturday when the Vikings travel to Bemidji State. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. The contest marks the first time Augustana and BSU have met in a conference game.
The series: Saturday's contest in Bemidji will be just the fifth tims Augustana and Bemidji State have met. The series has been on hiatus since 1989. In that last meeting, the Vikings topped the Beavers 50-6 in Sioux Falls. Augustana is 3-1 against BSU (2-0 at home, 1-1 on the road.).
Just the fifth: On Saturday, Mike Aldrich became the fifth head coach in Augustana football history to win his debut at the helm of the Vikings as his squad defeated St. Cloud State 32-23. Martin Cole, Bob Burns, James Malmquist and Lyle Eidsness all also won their inaugural games at Augustana.
Big stops equals player of the week: A 13-tackle outing by
Ryan Isaacson (Sioux Falls) last Saturday established a career high for the senior and earned him NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors Isaacson led a strong defensive effort on behalf of the Vikings. Isaacson made his presence felt from his outside linebacker position, stuffing several Husky run opportunities. He also swatted a SCSU point after attempt to help his squad retain a 14-13 lead in the second quarter.
Ty's our guy: The
Argus Leader's Matt Zimmer described it as a “super-human effort,” and no one would argue that senior
Tyler Schulte's (Sioux Falls) six-catch, 196-yard performance played a key role in Augustana's victory over St. Cloud State last Saturday. The Vikings' Mr. Versatility was virtually unstoppable. He caught two touchdown passes, took a few snaps at quarterback and turned a botched snap on an extra point attempt into two points. In fact, it was his unexpected two-point conversion after Augustana's last touchdown that made it a nine-point Viking lead and a two-possession game.
Oh Danny boy: A late interception by Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen, S.D.) late in the game last Saturday set up a touchdown that pushed Augustana's lead to nine points. The junior snatched Phillip Klaphake's pass at SCSU's 36-yard line and returned it just shy of a touchdown to the 2-yard line. It was a big day for O'Keefe as he also finished with a career-high 11 tackles.
No loss for Josh: Sophomore quarterback
Josh Hanson (Watertown, S.D.) shrugged off a shaky first series in his second career start and ended up having a solid contest against SCSU last Saturday. Hanson completed nine passes for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also showed glimpses of some open-field running ability, even breaking off one run for 14 yards. Equally important, Hanson did not throw an interception all afternoon.
Vikings in NSIC openers: Augustana is flawless in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference openers, having won its two games in that situation by an average of 12.5 points. Both of those wins-- one in 2008 and the other in 2009--came against St. Cloud State.
Year Opponent W/L Score
2008 St. Cloud State W 38-16
2009 St. Cloud State W 13-10
Vikings in conference openers: While the Augustana's record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference openers is blemish free, the Vikings' mark in conference openersprior to joing the NSIC is solid but not nearly as pretty. From 2000 to 2007, Augustana compiled a 3-4 mark in North Central Conference openers.
Year Opponent W/L Score
2000 St. Cloud State L 25-24
2001 Minnesota State W 53-23
2002 Minnesota State W 7-0
2003 North Dakota L 13-3
2004 North Dakota L 13-7
2005 North Dakota L 52-3
2006 Minnesota State W 21-16
2007 Minnesota State L 16-26
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 465 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).
The Berg is the word: Senior defensive lineman
Eric Bergman (Clear Lake, Minn.) was named Consensus Draft Services Preseason All-America in June. An All-NSIC South Division honorable mention pick in 2009, Bergman started all 12 games last season and recorded 52 tackles. He also had 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss--both team bests.
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.
Receiving votes: Augustana football team received votes in the first three American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches' Polls of 2010. The Vikings earned 24 votes in the third rankings of the season released Monday. Grand Valley State took the No. 1 spot with 641 points and 21 first-place votes. Augustana was one of six NSIC teams to make the top 25 or receive votes. Conference neighbors Minnesota Duluth (No. 2), Minnesota State (No. 18), Winona State (No. 19), Wayne State (No. 22) and Bemidji State (51 votes) also made an appearance in the poll.
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.
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).
Football forecast: Saturday's forecast call for a high of 61 degrees and a chance of showers.
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 354-433-15. Augustana has recorded 30 winning seasons, including the past two years.
Let's go bowling: The Vikings are coming off back-to-back appearances in the Mineral Water Bowl. Augustana is 1-1 in its two appearances, having defeated Missouri Western State 37-16 in 2008 but falling to the Griffons 34-21 last season. The Mineral Water Bowl annually features one team each from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
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: With just one contest under their belts, the Vikings are sporting a perfect record and a capable crew on both offense and defense. In Augustana's 32-23 win over St. Cloud State last Saturday,
Tyler Schulte caught six passes for 196 yards, while
Josh Hanson threw for 256 yards.
Joe Clark rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
Ryan Isaacson led a tenacious Viking defensive effort, finishing with a career-high 13 tackles.
About Bemidji State: The Beavers, led by 15th-year head coach Jeff Tesch, own a 1-0 record on the young 2010 season. BSU is fresh off a 24-7 victory over Minot State in its season opener. In that game, the Beavers were led by Steven Battle's 95 rushing yards, Derek Edholm's 134 passing yards and Adam Berg's 62 receiving yards. Defensively, Rob Willis is BSU's leading tackler as he tallied nine stops against Minot State. The Beavers finished 8-3 last season and posted a 7-3 mark in conference play.
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 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).
Up next: Augustana continues play in the NSIC with a Sept. 18 home date with U-Mary. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.; KIKN 100.5 FM and Jeff Fylling will carry the game. You can also catch the KIKN audio webscast at www.kikn.com/stream.
