SIOUX FALLS – Three weeks into the 2017 football season, Augustana continues to do what every team hopes to during the grueling season, get better each week, and the Vikings hope to continue that trend on Saturday, when they take on the St. Cloud State Huskies in St. Cloud, Minnesota at 6 p.m.
 
Both teams enter the game with the same 2-1 records, but got there in different ways. While Augie posted a 1-1 record at home and won its only road game, St. Cloud State won both of its road games and lost its only home game in-between the wins.
 
Following the Week 1 loss to MSU Moorhead, when the Vikings posted just 127 yards of total offense, they could only get better, which they did in a 28-20 Week 2 win at Minot State. Not only did the offense improve by posting 422 total yards, but the defense stepped it up as well, holding the Beavers scoreless in the second half of the 28-20 win.
 
Both sides of the ball continued to improve in last week's 30-27 overtime win over Bemidji State, but a couple long returns set the Beavers up for two short touchdowns, which kept them in the game.
 
With both the offense and defense improving, if the Vikings can clean up the return coverage on special teams, they should see the team move forward yet again in Week 4.
 
Week 4 Quick Hits
• The Vikings and Huskies first played in 1950, a 6-0 Augustana win
• Augustana posted 10 tackles for loss last week, the most since 15 TFLs at U-Mary on Sept. 10, 2016
• Augie has not lost the turnover battle through three games this season
• The Vikings led at the half on Saturday against Bemidji State for the first time this season
• Ryan Bradberry scored his first-career touchdown in Saturday's win, a walk-off touchdown in overtime
• Last week marked the first overtime game for AU since a 37-34 win over Northern State on Sept. 3, 2016
• Caden Quintanilla finished with 30 yards receiving vs. Bemidji State without catching a pass. He got the yards on the hook-and-ladder play on 4th and 19 in the 4th quarter
• Jordan Determan snagged one interception in each of the last two games
• Both of the interceptions thrown by Augustana quarterbacks last week occurred in the end zone    
• The offense tallied at least 400 yards of total offense in each of the last two weeks – 422 in Week 2, 499 in Week 3
• Kicker Jeff Glassburner kicked his first-career field goal last week, a 24 yard FG, and is a perfect 8 for 8 in PATs
• Center Jake Lacina is the son of former Minnesota Viking and Augustana hall of famer Corbin Lacina... a center
• Quarterback Ryan Rubley's dad, T.J., played in the NFL, CFL and WLAF... as a quarterback
• After playing a team with a mythical creature as a mascot in the opener, the Vikings play a team with a mammal as a mascot for the third straight week (Beavers, Beavers, Huskies)