SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana football travels to Colorado State – Pueblo on Saturday for its matchup in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Kickoff from the Thunderbowl is slated for 2 p.m.
 
The Game
Saturday is the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. In fact, Augustana has never faced an RMAC member school. Augustana is in the playoffs for the first time since 2015 while CSU-Pueblo is making its third-straight appearance in game No. 12.
 
The Thunderwolves
Colorado State – Pueblo enters the postseason for the eighth time since 2011 and are the 2014 National Champions. Since reinstating football in 2008, the Thunderwolves have won to the tune of 118-27. This season was no exception with a 10-1 record and runner-up honors in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
Quarterback Jordan Kitna completes 60 percent of his passes and averages 187 yards per game. He has tallied 13 touchdowns against just two interceptions. On the ground, D.J. Penick totals 66.4 yards per game and is followed by Austin Micci with 43.3 yards per game. Penick totaled nine touchdowns throughout the season along with 731 total yards.
 
Defensively, James Maxie leads the team with 102 tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss. Jackson Wibbles leads the team with 18.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
 
Ranked No. 9 in the latest AFCA poll, the Thunderwolves concluded their regular season with a 34-7 victory over Western State this past Saturday.
 
The Vikings
Augustana is coming off a 9-2 regular season, having won six-straight games. The streak began with an overtime victory over St. Cloud State on Viking Days and has continued through three fourth-quarter comebacks and three contests with a bit more separation.
 
The winning streak continued with a victory over Southwest Minnesota State in the regular-season finale, 45-21. Quarterback Zach Masoli threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns while the defense held SMSU to just 46 yards rushing. Junior Logan Swanson had a half-sack and tied the single-season record for eight sacks in a season. Also in the game, sophomore Luis Guarita tied the single-season record with 16-made field goals.
 
Junior Sean Engel has been the top receiver this season with 38 receptions for 543 yards. Freshman Devon Jones leads the team with six receiving scores. The ground game is controlled by freshman Jarod Epperson and junior Rudolh Sinflorant with 71.7 and 54.1 yards per game, respectively. Epperson averages 6.7 yards per carry and has scored six touchdowns in his inaugural season.
 
Who to Watch For
Senior quarterback Zach Masoli made his first-career start against Southwest Minnesota State and threw for four touchdowns and 232 yards. To help make sense of the yardage, if sustained over the entire season, that yardage would rank him second in passing in the NSIC. Masoli saw action in seven games in 2019, completing 27-of-38 passes for 440 yards and a 71.1 completion percentage.
 
One Last Thing
Augustana has tallied at least nine wins in a season for the third time in program history and two of those seasons have come under Coach Olszewski. The other time under Olszewski was 2015 when the Vikings advanced to the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.