SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana University football team (6-2, 3-1 NSIC South) returns to Kirkeby-Over Stadium Saturday, Oct. 31 to host Upper Iowa University (5-3, 2-2 NSIC South) in a crucial South Division game. The Vikings enter the week ranked seventh in the first release of the NCAA Super Region 3 rankings.

At 6-2 on the season, Augustana is off to its best start since going 9-0 to start the 2010 season.
 
The Vikings are coming off a 35-28 victory over fifth-ranked USF last weekend and are making their first appearance in the NCAA Super Region 3 rankings since 2010. Augustana overcame five turnovers to win last weekend's game at USF, on the back of senior running back CJ Ham. Ham rushed for a 31-yard touchdown with 31 seconds remaining to lift the Vikings over the Cougars. Ham finished the game with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 29 carries.
 
Ham enters the weekend as the NSIC's leading rusher with 804 yards on the ground. He also leads the league with 11 rushing touchdowns, which ranks 19th in Division II.
 
Augustana enters Saturday's game averaging 460.8 yards of total offense, which ranks fifth in the NSIC and 35th in the country. The Vikings rank eighth in the NSIC averaging 172.3 rushing yards per game and fourth in passing offense (288.5 yards per game).
 
Junior quarterback Trey Heid is coming off his first career 200-yard passing and 100-yard rushing game last weekend. Heid passed for 298 yards and rushed for a career-high 106 yards in last weekend's win over USF and is the first quarterback at Augustana to do so since Eric DeGraff passed for 221 yards and rushed for 120 against South Dakota 17 years prior to the date (Oct. 24, 1998). Heid has passed for 2,271 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2015 and enters the weekend leading the country with a 169.1 passer efficiency rating.
 
The Vikings finished with a season-high 562 yards of total offense at USF last week, including a season-high 264 rushing yards. Augustana has put up 500-plus yards of total offense in five of eight games this season.