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This week
No. 1-ranked Minnesota Duluth (0-0, 0-0 NSIC/0-0 NSIC North) visits Kirkeby-Over Stadium Saturday to face No. 8-ranked Augustana (0-0, 0-0 NSIC/0-0 NSIC South) in a non-conference clash that has Division II football faithful buzzing. Kickoff from Sioux Falls is set for 1 p.m. in this match-up of two teams who butted heads in last year's NCAA playoffs.
Television
Midco Sports Network will telecast Saturday's contest at Kirkeby-Over Stadium. Tom Nieman will handle the play-by-play, while Mark Blackburn, a former Augustana assistant and current director of multicultural programs at the College, will provide color commentary. MidcoSN can be found on Channels 26 or 623 for Midcontinent Communications subscribers. It's one of four times the Vikings will appear on MidcoSN in 2011 and one of two home games the regional network will carry live.
The series
Augustana is 2-5 against Minnesota Duluth, and the Bulldogs have won the last four meetings between the two programs. The Vikings' two wins in the series came during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. UMD is the last team the Vikings have faced as the Bulldogs knocked Augustana out of the NCAA playoffs a year ago, winning 24-13 in Duluth, Minn. That contest is the lone tilt between the schools with Mike Aldrich as head coach. For more on the series, turn to pages 13 and 14.
Football forecast
Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 75 degrees and a sunny sky.
Broken records
2010 was the most successful season in school history. Augustana went 11-2; the previous high for wins in a season had been eight. The Vikings also made the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1989. And when the Vikings thumped Grand Valley State 38-6 in the second round of the playoffs at Kirkeby-Over Stadium, it was the first playoff win in school history in the first home playoff game for the program.
NSIC success
Augustana posted a 9-1 record in NSIC play last season, earning the Vikings a tie for second place in the overall conference standings. A 5-1 mark in NSIC South Division competition afforded the Vikings a share of the division title.
A prairie home companion
The Vikings have been nearly unbeatable at Kirkeby-Over Stadium since the facility opened for the 2009 season. Augustana is 12-1 (.923) at K-O, with their only loss, a 23-21 affair, coming at the hands of Winona State on Oct. 31, 2009. Vikings squads have also outscored their opponents 475-206 in the venue's history.
Poll frenzy
Preseason national polls are quick to give Augustana the top-10 tag. The Vikings made appearances in four early rankings, checking in at least No. 9 in each of them. The American Football Coaches Association slotted Augustana eighth, while D2football.com placed the Vikings ninth. Sporting News and Lindy's publications both tabbed Augustana sixth in their rankings. The highest ranking in school history for a Viking football club is sixth--earned in the final AFCA poll of 2010 on Dec. 20 and on Sept. 19, 1989.
Ranked rivals
Saturday's collision with Minnesota Duluth will be the third straight contest with a nationally ranked opponent for Augustana (dating back to last season). To close the 2010 campaign, the Vikings faced No. 6 Grand Valley State and No. 1 UMD. Augustana topped GVSU 38-6 and fell to UMD 24-13. Both were playoff games.
What the coaches say
The NSIC coaches picked the Vikings third overall and first in the South Division in their preseason poll. Augustana received 145 points overall and 33 points and four first-place votes in the South Division edition of the rankings. Minnesota Duluth was the preseason favorite with 11 first-place votes and 167 points. The Bulldogs were also picked to win the North Division with five first-place votes and 35 points.
All-America nods
Defensive backs Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen, S.D.) and
Zac Kallas (Eden Prairie, Minn.) accepted a total of four preseason All-America certificates prior to the start of this 2011 season. Consensus Draft Services picked O'Keefe for their team. D2football.com, Lindy's and Sporting News reserved a spot for Kallas.
Legit leg
Augustana's kicking game is in good hands.
Drew Behrens (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) was a first team All-NSIC pick for special teams a year ago. In two seasons, he has scored 128 points, made 20 of 38 field goal attempts and averaged 40.8 yards per punt. Last season, he kicked a school-record five field goals against Concordia University, St. Paul. Included was a personal best 46-yarder. Behrens has been placed on the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List for place kickers.
Strong secondary
The secondary is solid with the return of free safety Dan O'Keefe (Aberdeen, S.D.), strong safety
Nick Andreas (Lakeville, Minn.) and cornerback
Zac Kallas (Eden Prairie, Minn.). O'Keefe was named to the All-NSIC first team a year ago, while Andreas and Kallas were second team picks. O'Keefe was credited with 57 tackles and six pass interceptions last year. Andreas had 77 tackles last fall and Kallas led the team in interceptions with eight and averaged 26 yards on four kick returns.
Devon Alber (Manchester, Iowa),
Sean Kelly (Naperville, Ill.),
Josh Pruett (Sioux Falls) and
Chris Lucido (Omaha, Neb.) are competing for
Micah Nordin's corner back spot.
Thomas Vanasek, who registered 34 tackles and appeared in all 13 games last year, also is vying for playing time.
Quarterback experience
The quarterback situation at Augustana is as good as anyone's in the NSIC.
Josh Hanson (Watertown, S.D.) passed for 2,295 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. He added 518 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The 6-foot-1 junior has fully recovered from hand and shoulder injuries that hindered him in the fall and spring. Backup quarterback
Ryan Schuetz (Gretna, Neb.) passed for 202 yards and one touchdown last season and commanded the first-team offense in the spring game.
Holsen and other hands
The Vikings boast a big-play receiver in a healthy
Sam Holsen (Sioux Falls). In 2009, Holsen had 37 catches and 13 touchdowns and averaged 100.4 yards in receptions per game. Holsen's numbers fell off in 2010 due to nagging injuries. Also vying for playing time at wide receiver are
Jordan Marshall (Ramsey, Minn.),
Ben Parsley (Flandreau, Minn.),
Danny Isaacson (Sioux Falls) and
Noah Huisman (Mason City, Iowa). Marshall had 98 yards and two touchdown catches last year, while Parsley recorded 73 yards and two touchdowns. Isaacson appeared in 11 games, and Huisman in seven.
Filling holes
Augustana's three starting linebackers from 2010 are gone. Top candidates to step in at linebacker are
Austin Luecke (Groton, S.D.),
Keith Newman (Watertown, S.D.),
Ross Peterson (Sioux Falls) and
Jake Weiss (Sioux Falls). Luecke logged 56 tackles a year ago, Newman started one game and Peterson, who had an interception in the spring game, saw action in four contests. Weiss, a former quarterback, is also anxious to join the competition following an arm injury in spring practice.
O-line mostly intact
With the exception of All-NSIC center
Dan Schoen, the offensive line is intact.
Isaac Jorgensen (Sioux Falls), All-NSIC honorable mention in 2010, returns at tight end.
Aaron Esselink (Hills, Minn.), a second team All-NSIC choice, is at left guard,
Tyler Lynch (Sioux Falls) at right guard and
Louis Krabbenhoft (Sioux Falls) at right tackle.
Tom Ries (Eden Prairie, Minn.) moves from his left tackle slot to center.
Pat Regan (Stillwater, Minn.) and
Bo Adams (Omaha, Neb.) likely will be part of the offensive-line rotation. Regan was cited for his improved play at the conclusion of the spring game. Transfer
Bruce Manz (Buffalo, Minn.) will also contend for playing time.
Up front on defense
Defensive end
Ben Wardell (Sturgis, S.D.), an All-NSIC second-team pick in 2010, and nose guard
Aaron Jung (Watertown, S.D.) are back. Wardell was in on 52 tackles in 2010, while Jung registered 21.
Jake Lee (Blue Earth, Minn.) takes over for
Brady MacIver at defensive tackle. MacIver was an All-NSIC first-team honoree in 2010.
Joel Slinden (Grove City, Minn.) is slated to step in for
Eric Bergman at defensive end. Slinden's improved play was noted by coaches at the end of spring drills.
Playoff fever
With a reliable nucleus of returners, the Vikings have good reason to believe they can make another repeat trip to the NCAA playoffs. Prior to the 2010 season, Augustana's lone appearances in NCAA postseason competition came in 1988 and 1989; the Vikings made an early exit in both of those efforts.
We like Mike
Mike Aldrich commenced his career as a head coach in eventful style. He immediately rattled of nine wins and led the Vikings to their first playoff appearance in more than two decades. Aldrich also doubles as Augustana's defensive coordinator. The 2010 Region 5 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Liberty Mutual?Coach of the Year, Aldrich owns a career record of 11-2.
Zero heroes
Augustana defensive unit pitched three shutouts in 2010, blanking Bemidji State (10-0), Winona State (17-0) and Upper Iowa (32-0). The last time Augustana posted three shutouts in one season was in 1942 when the Vikings blanked Nebraska-Omaha, Dakota Wesleyan and North Dakota.
History lesson
Augustana is in its 89th season of competition in 2011. The Vikings owns an all-time record of 365-435-15. The Vikings have posted 32 winning seasons, including the past three years.
Stay connected
It's easy to know the latest on Viking athletics. You can follow Augustana on its various social media outlets, including Twitter (twitter.com/GoAugie), Facebook (facebook.com/GoAugie) and YouTube (youtube.com/GoAugie). To learn more, visit GoAugie.com/stayconnected.
Augustana Sportscene
Augustana Sportscene is a 30-minute weekly television show highlighting Augustana athletics and is hosted by Director of Athletics Bill Gross. The show includes Viking highlights, interviews with various coaches and student-athletes and promotion of upcoming Augustana athletic events. Augustana Sportscene airs Monday's at 10:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. on Midco Sports Network and at various times on Mediacom's MC22.
Video webcasts
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and New Media Television have again teamed up to webcast each conference football game in 2011. A complete broadcast schedule is available at www.northernsun.org.
On the radio
Veteran radio man Jeff Fylling is back as the “Voice of the Vikings” for 2011. Join Fylling and color anaylyst and former Augustana quarterback John Schultz for each week's broadcast on KIKN-FM 100.5. You can also stream the broadcast at kikn.com/stream.
