SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- With three road victories in three games, the Augustana football team will look to stay undefeated away from Sioux Falls as they visit Northern State for a Saturday afternoon matchup in the Hub City. The Vikings (3-3, 2-2 NSIC South) and the Wolves (2-4, 1-3 NSIC North) will kickoff at 1 p.m. from Swisher Field, and fans not in attendance can watch live video and stats on GoAugie.com/live.

The Vikings, who are coming off one of their best defensive performances of the year against No. 7 Minnesota Duluth, will look to duplicate their defensive effort against the Wolves. Last Saturday the Vikings linebackers, secondary and defensive line racked up a season-high 42 solo tackles and three turnovers. Both Kirby Hora and Cody Kujawa made impressive interceptions, tipping the ball up and diving to make the pick. In the secondary, Eli Weber flexed for a season-high 10 tackles and also had two pass breakups. Going into week seven, Augustana head coach Jerry Olszewski knows executing for four quarters will be crucial. "We need to finish," Olszewski said, "I know what this team is capable of, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go out and prove it on Saturday."

Augustana will also look to get one of the nations best offenses back in high gear. Behind an offensive line that has allowed just six sacks in six games (second in the NSIC), the Vikings are averaging more than 460 yards per game which is 24th in the nation (DII). Quarterback Kyle Saddler leads the NSIC with 295 yards per game (16th nationally) and has racked up 15 total touchdowns on the year. With 94 more yards last Saturday, Rudolh Sinflorant continues to shine in his sophomore campaign. He now has 613 yards and only needs 501 (100.3 per game) to reach the school's all-time record, held by Joe Clark (2008) with 1,114 yards. On Saturday, look for the Vikings to win the line of scrimmage, establish the run game early and mix in their potent passing attack.

Moving the Chains...
Through six games, Augustana has racked up 167 first downs (27.8 per game). The Vikings rank first in the NSIC in first downs and stand second in the nation in DII.

Protecting The Passer...
The Vikings great offensive production starts with a tremendous job from the offensive line. The Vikings have only allowed six sacks all season, which ranks second in the NISC, and tied for 20th in the nation.

Picking Up Where They Left Off...
The Vikings picked off two more passes last week (Kirby Hora, Cody Kujawa) and now have five interceptions on the season. Michael Kloza has the other three for Augustana

Keep Kicking To Us...
Behind stout efforts from sophomore Luke Fritsch, the Vikings are leading the NSIC in kick return yards, averaging more than 26 per game. Individually, Fritsch is 10th in the nation at 30.9 yards per kick return.

Knowing the North...
Saturday marks the third of four inter-division matchups (South vs. North) the Vikings will play this year. Following next Saturday's 'Vikings Days' game with NSIC North foe U-Mary (Oct. 20), Augustana will round out their regular season with three more NSIC South opponents.

Last Time Out: Loss, 28-17 to No. 7 Minnesota Duluth
Last Saturday, the Vikings executed a solid game plan and trailed the nations 7th-ranked team 12-10 late in the second half. Augustana slowed down a tough Bulldogs offense, forcing three turnovers and limiting them to 100 yards below their average. However, a pair of late scores led the Bulldogs to an 11 point win.

The Vikings racked up a season-high 42 solo tackles, led by Hora who finished with a season-high 13. Both Hora and Kujawa picked off passes as the Vikings forced two fumbles and had three total turnovers. Nickel Meyers led the team with 57 yards receiving and one touchdown in the loss.

Scouting The Enemy...
After starting the year 1-4, Northern State picked up their second win of the year last Saturday vs. Concordia St. Paul. The Wolves are led by a solid passing attack that puts up more than 260 yards per game. Quarterback Hunter Thompson is tied with Saddler and second in the NSIC with 15 touchdowns on the year. True freshman Dakota Larson has five of those touchdowns and is averaging 99.7 receiving yards per game. Defensively, the Wolves give up more than 27 points and 400 yards per game. Through six games, Noah MacPherson has three sacks and 50 total tackles. Overall, Northern State is looking for its 5th straight winning season.

When These Two Square Up…
Dating back as far as 1923, Augustana and Northern State have shared an in-state rivalry for nearly a century. Overall, the Vikings have dominated the series, holding a 30-6-1 advantage.  More recently - spanning over 14 seasons - the Vikings have won 11 straight matchups, including an undefeated record at Swisher Field (5-0).

The last time the Vikings and the Wolves squared up, it was an instant classic in Sioux Falls. In week one of the 2016 season, then-No. 25 Augustana went 88 yards in 33 seconds to take a 31-28 lead with 1:54 remaining in the 4th quarter. Northern answered, tying the game with a 21-yard field goal with 11 seconds left to send the game into overtime. The Wolves then hit a 33-yard field goal in their first possession of overtime before Trey Heid hit Matt Heller in the back of the end zone to lift the Vikings to a 37-34 win.

Game Notes:

• Augustana has racked up 167 first downs on the season, ranking 2nd in the nation (DII) and first in the NSIC.
• At 26.5 yards per kick return, the Vikings rank 6th in the nation in kickoff return average.
• Individually, sophomore Luke Fritsch is 10th in the nation and leads the NSIC at 30.9 yards per kick return.
• Kyle Saddler has helped lead a passing offense that is putting up 295 yards per game, which is 16th nationally and also leads the NSIC.
• Saddler has 15 touchdown passes on the year, which is a career-high. He finished with 10 a season ago, giving him 25 for his career. Trey Heid set the program career record in 2016, finishing his four-year career with 105 touchdowns.
• Following 90+ yards last week, Rudy Sinflorantnow has 613 rushing yards this year. The Sophomore only needs 501 (100.3 per game) to reach the school's all-time record, which was set by Joe Clark (2008) with 1,114 yards.
• Augustana offensive line has allowed just six sacks in six games. That stands second in the Northern Sun and 20th in the nation.
• With two more interceptions last week, the Vikings have five picks on the year. They've also forced five fumbled and recovered three.
• Last Saturday, the Vikings defense racked up a season-high 42 solo tackles
• Kirby Hora had a season-high 13 tackles, and now has 58 on the year. With an average of 9.7 per game, the All-American ranks third in the NSIC. Hora has also recovered two fumbles, which leads the league.
• Last week, Cody Kujawa made his first career interception. He also finished with nine tackles.
• Kyle Theis is second on the team with 48 tackles (8.0 per game)
• Also last week, Nickel Meyers led the team with 57 yards receiving and one touchdown. He stands 5th in the NSIC with 82 yards per game and five touchdowns.
• The Vikings have five players averaging more than 25 receiving yards per game.
• Augustana is putting up 462 yards of total offense per game, standing second in the Northern Sun.
• The Vikings are averaging more than 31 points per game, which is 10 points higher than a season ago, and 5th in the NSIC.
• Augustana has drawn 503 yards in penalties, which stands second in the league (83.8/per game)
• Saddler's 61 attempts in week four stands second all-time in program history for a single game. Pat Graham  (62 vs. Minnesota State in 1995) holds the record.
• Sinflorant's career-high 235 yards in week three is third all-time in Augustana program history for a single-game. Chris San Agustin (290 at South Dakota State in 1990) hold the record.
• The Vikings are 34-28 all-time under head coach Jerry Olszewski, with coach 'OJ' earning his first ever win as a Viking at MSU Moorhead in the 2013 season-opener, 41-28.