SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 22 ranked Augustana football team travels to Bemidji State Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff. Augustana is playing as an AFCA Top-25 ranked team for the first time since 2016.
 
Complete action can be followed at GoAugie.com/Live and on the GoAugie App, presented by CellOnly. The app can be downloaded in the app store or on Google Play.
 
The Game
Augustana is 3-0 on the season and has one of the nation's top rushing defenses and rushing offenses. Bemidji State is coming off its first loss of the season and sits at 2-1 overall. Augustana, who leads the series at 7-3, is looking for redemption after a 21-20 loss in the last meeting in 2019. That AU loss was the last for Augustana in NSIC action as the Vikings now own the longest NSIC winning streak in the conference.
 
The Beavers
Bemidji State enters Saturday with a 2-1 record, after losing to Minnesota State 45-24 last week.  Prior to the Beavers' first loss of the season, they had wins over Wayne State and Sioux Falls. In the Preseason NSIC Coaches' Poll, the Beavers were tabbed second in the NSIC North Division and sixth overall.
 
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Alt has had a fast start to his second season as he leads the NSIC with 340 passing yards per game and his 10 passing touchdowns rank him second in the conference. Bemidji's 340 yards passing per game average ranks them sixth in NCAA Division II. Brendan Beaulieu is the top target, ranking 17th in the nation in receiving yards with 310. Brice Peters is the go-to in the end zone as he is sixth in the country with five touchdowns.
 
Defensively, the Beavers give up 440 yards per outing over the three games played and give up 29.7 points per game.
 
The Vikings
Augustana, who came into 2021 with high expectations, is 3-0 and nationally ranked in both NCAA Division II Top-25 polls. Augustana made its first appearance in the AFCA Top-25 since 2016 this week ranked No. 22 while holding a No. 18 ranking in the D2Football.com Top-25.
 
It hasn't been one side of the ball carrying the other as the Vikings' defense has been equally impressive as the offense. The defense is No. 2 in the NSIC by giving up just 296 yards per game. The offense is tops in the conference with at 485.7 yards per game.
 
Offensively, the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year, Kyle Saddler has proven to be the four-year starter signal-caller he was hoped to be while ranking second in the league in points responsible for and 50^th in the nation with 17.3 completions per game. Jarod Epperson has proven himself amongst the best in the league as an all-purpose back ranking ninth in the nation with 170 all-purpose yards per game. He ranks second in the conference with 363 yards rushing.
 
Defensively, Augustana has spread around the wealth in a team game a single player ranking in the top-200 for most tackles in the country. However, the Viking defense doesn't allow points (18^th in the nation at 12.3), doesn't give up yards (as mentioned above) and doesn't allow teams to rush on them (more on that below). All this comes from first-year defensive coordinator Mark Sipple.
 
Who to Watch For
Peyton Buckley, who is listed as a sophomore but is seeing his first collegiate action after a redshirt season and COVID year, earned the defensive turnover hat trick last week after securing two interceptions and recovering a fumble. For his efforts, he was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week.
 
One last Thing
Augustana's defense has been very good. It's rushing defense? Historically good. The Vikings give up an average of 16.3 yards per game on the ground, a mark that ranks third in the country and easily tops in the NSIC. The next-best NSIC school is USF with an average of 57.3 yards allowed per game on the ground.