SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Riding the high of a dramatic overtime victory, the Augustana football team travels to MSU Moorhead Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Moorhead, Minnesota.
The Game
Playing in separate divisions, the two squads meet every other season, and only have five total meetings. Augustana won the first three meetings while the Dragons have claimed the latest two. The last meeting was in Sioux Falls, a 38-7 win for MSUM in 2017.
It's the final cross-division away game for Augustana as the Vikings travel to MSU Moorhead for the first time since the 2015 season. The Vikings enter with a 4-2 overall record while the Dragons are 3-3. Both squads are 3-1 in their respective divisions.
The Dragons
MSU Moorhead sits in second place of the NSIC North and is coming off a season that saw them go 8-4 overall, but 8-3 in the NSIC in 2018. Head coach Steve Laqua earned NSIC Coach of the Year honors following the season.
Most recently, the Dragons fell 24-17 at Concordia-St. Paul after a slow start. The Golden Bears jumped out to a 17-3 lead before the Dragons attempted a late comeback with 14 points in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell after being unable to recover an onside kick.
The offense is led by freshman quarterback Matthew Plasterer and his 177.8 yards per game. His top receiver is Grady Bresnahan who has 43 receptions and an average of 95.3 yards per game. The Dragons average just 44.8 yards on the ground. Defensively, Shad Vedaa leads with seven tackles per game while Steichen Woods leads the team with four sacks.
The Vikings
This past Saturday, sophomore
Luis Guarita was the hero as the kicker connected on a 35-yard field goal in overtime to give the Vikings a 16-13 win over St. Cloud State. The connection was the third of the day for Guarita, which combined with a 25-yard
Jake Welsheimer touchdown, totaled the 16 points. The Vikings recovered a pair of fumbles defensively and held the Huskies to a season-low 23 yards rushing.
T.J. Liggett led the defense with nine tackles and added a tackle for loss and fumble recovery. Liggett leads the team with 49 tackles.
Guarita went on to earn the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week honor following his 3-for-3 performance. He now ranks fourth in the nation connecting on 92.3 percent of his field goal attempts and is fifth in NCAA Division II with two makes per game.
The Vikings continue to impress on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 23 yards rushing by St. Cloud State. The Huskies entered the game averaging 161.6 yards per game on the ground.
On the offensive side of the ball, the offensive line has held strong, leading the NSIC and ranking 25
th in the nation with just 4.83 tackles for loss allowed per game.
Who to Watch For
Senior captain
Michael Kloza tallied two tackles for loss in the victory over St. Cloud State while making seven total tackles. For the season, he ranks second on the Vikings with 36 tackles and has made 5.5 tackles for loss.
One Last Thing
Augustana is the nation's leader in turnovers gained. The Vikings gained two more in last Saturday's win over SCSU including recovering a fumble in overtime. For the season, Augie has gained 19 turnovers, 10 from recovered fumbles and nine from interceptions.
With help from the nation's lead in turnovers gained, the Vikings are 13
th in the NCAA Division II with a turnover margin of 1.33.
