SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's football and more on Saturday as Augustana football welcomes Wayne State to Kirkeby-Over Stadium for a 1 p.m. contest. The game marks the 48^th Annual Shrine Game while also serving as the Augustana Athletics Hall of Fame Game.
 
The Game
Augustana looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 27-7 setback at No. 3 Minnesota State, while Wayne State is coming off a 19-13 overtime victory over Southwest Minnesota State. Both squads enter with 1-1 records, both in the NSIC and South Division.
 
The Wildcats
Wayne State forced overtime in its win over SMSU with a touchdown with :03 on the clock. The Wildcats totaled 547 yards of offense while holding SMSU to 185. In nearly even fashion, WSC totaled 287 yards through the air and 260 on the ground.
 
Quarterback Andy McCance led the rushing attack with 95 yards and tossed for two touchdowns. He also leads the NSIC in passing at 285.5 yards per game. He has completed 56 percent of his pass attempts, which ranks seventh in the league.
 
The Vikings
The Vikings saw their six-game road win streak snapped at No. 3 Minnesota State in a 27-7 loss last Saturday. The Mavericks pushed their NSIC win streak to 26 games. Augustana took a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter when Kyle Saddler found Brett Shepley open for a 29 yards touchdown. Just before the half, Minnesota State regained its lead at 10-7. The Mavericks added a pair of touchdowns and a field goal to pull away 27-7, much in part to 138 yards rushing from Nate Gunn. Saddler threw for 245 yards, hitting Sean Engel and Shepley for over 100 yards, each.
 
Saddler is averaging 240 yards passing per game with three touchdowns. Engel has the most receptions at 11 but is passed up in yardage by Shepley who has eight receptions. On the ground, Rudolh Sinflorant, who ran all over Wayne State last season to the tune of 235 yards, has tallied 126 yards in 2019.
 
Defensively, senior back Michael Kloza leads the team with 14 tackles and has tallied two tackles for a loss including a sack.
 
Who to Watch For
Shepley has been Saddler's top target through two games. Shepley has a touchdown in each game and is averaging 82.5 yards receiving per game. On top of that, he is averaging 20.6 yards per reception, proving to be a deep threat when the ball is thrown his way.
 
One Last Thing
Augustana has reached the red zone on five occasions in 2019. On all five occasions, it has come away with points behind four touchdowns and one field goal. The Vikings are one of 41 teams in the nation to be perfect in the red zone so far.