SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The 2018 college football season officially kicks off for Augustana on Saturday night under the lights at Harms-Eischeid stadium. The Vikings will square up with Upper Iowa at 6:05 p.m. as both programs start their season with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference south division clash in Fayette, Iowa.
 
A year removed from a frustrating 4-7 season, the Vikings are determined to get back to their winning ways in 2018-2019. Augustana is sure to be challenged early and often in the NSIC, as two of their first four opponents are currently ranked inside the top-20 of the most recent AFCA DII poll.
 
Saturday's kickoff will mark the 97th season of Augustana Football. The Vikings are 50-42-4 all-time in week one, and have won four-of-five season-opening games under head coach Jerry Olszewski. The last time the Vikings lost a season-opener on the road was on August 27, 2005, dropping a 30-33 contest to Concordia-St. Paul.
 
Picked to finish 4th in the Northern Sun Conference's South Division and 6th overall, Augustana returns a number of key players on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Augustana returns sophomore quarterback Kyle Saddler, sophomore running back Ryan Bradberry and senior tight end Chet Peerenboom. Peerenboom, who caught 12 passes for 129 yards despite being hampered by injury in 2017 was selected to last year's All-NSIC honorable mention team. Bradberry, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas is Augustana's offensive player to watch in 2018 as he scampered for nearly 800 yards in 2017. In his true freshman season, Saddler tossed 10 touchdown passes and threw for over 1,200 yards.
 
Defensively, Augustana returns the NSIC's top tackler, and one of the nations best at linebacker. Kirby Hora, a senior from Sioux Falls, South Dakota racked up 129 tackles last season which was the fifth most in the nation. The first team CoSIDA Academic All-American distributed nine tackles-for-loss and five sacks, both of which were the 10th most by any defender in the conference last season. Senior defensive lineman Joey Newman, who was second on the team in 2017 with 9 tackles-for-loss returns in 2018 to help lead the Vikings on the defensive front.
 
In the Northern Sun Conference Football Coaches Preseason Poll, Upper Iowa is picked to finish eleventh overall and sixth in the NSIC South Division. The Peacock football team is coming off their fourth winning season in the last five years after finishing the 2017 campaign with a 6-5 mark overall, but have had only five winning seasons between 1966 (8-2) and 2013 (6-5).
 
 Week 1 Quick Hits:

• The Vikings are 9-2 all-time against Upper Iowa, but just 2-2 in their last four matchups.
• Augustana owns a 50-42-4 overall record in Week 1 games since 1920.
• The Vikings open the season on the road for the first time since 2015, in which they recorded a 35-14 win over Bemidji State.
• The last time Augustana Football lost a season opener on the road was dropping a 30-33 contest to Concordia-St. Paul.
• Augustana scored at least 20 points in eight-of-nine season-opening games.
• The Vikings have won four-of-five season-opening games under head coach Jerry Olszewski, and 10 of their last 12 season-openers overall.
• Olszewski earned his first-ever win as a Viking at MSU Moorhead in the 2013 season-opener, 41-28.
• Saturday's game marks the start of the 36th season in the booth for legendary Augustana broadcaster Jeff Fylling.
• Center Jake Lacina is the son of former Minnesota Viking and Augustana hall of famer Corbin Lacina.

Augustana Players To Watch:
- Kirby Hora. (LB, 6-2/210, Sr.)
The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native led the NSIC with 129 tackles in 2017, a number that ranked fifth nationally in DII.
Named First Team All-NSIC, First Team CoSIDA Academic-American, Academic All-NSIC, Daktronics/CCA All-Region First Team and First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District in 2017.
 
- Ryan Bradberry (RB, 5-11/225, So.)
The NSIC named Bradberry as Augustana's offensive player to watch in 2018.
In his true freshman season (2017), the Dallas, Texas native lead the Vikings with 775 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.  
 
Upper Iowa Players To Watch:
- Brent Lammers (QB, 6-0/190, Sr.)
Recorded an NSIC-leading 2,463 yards in total offense 
Rushed for 547 rushing yards, the highest total among quarterbacks in the conference.
Threw for 1,916 passing yards, the second most yards in the air last season in the NSIC
 
- Mitchel Siech (LB, 6-1/220, Jr.)
Ranked third on the team in total tackles with 65
Added 2 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.
 
Last Match-Up: 

• The Vikings fell to the Peacocks, 21-20, on Oct.21, 2017. Leading 17-14 at halftime, Upper Iowa came back in the 4th quarter for a one-point win.
• The Vikings had a chance to take the lead with two minutes to play in the 4th quarter, but the 42-yard field goal came up short.
• The Vikings still lead the all-time series, 9-2.

 
Football in the NSIC:
- The NSIC football schedule is broken into two divisions (north/south). Each team will play 11 conference games that will count towards the NSIC Overall Championship as well as seven divisional games that will count towards the NSIC North/South Division Championships. In all, three league champions will be awarded (Overall Champion, North Division Champion, South Division Champion). Ties will not be broken for overall or division champions. New for the 2018 season, the four non-division games will be moved to weeks five through eight and divisional games will be weeks one through four and nine through eleven.