SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's the home opener for Augustana football as the No. 19 Vikings host Bemidji State in a rematch of last season's NCAA Division II Playoff game. Kickoff in Kirkeby-Over Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
 
The contest is also the Be Bold, Wear Gold contest to support Cure Kids Cancer in partnership with Augiethon and the Sanford Health Foundation. Fans are encouraged to wear gold for pediatric cancer awareness at the contest.
 
Tickets to the contest are available at GoAugie.com/Tickets. Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app. The app can be downloaded in the app store or Google Play.
 
The Game
In a highly-anticipated contest, Bemidji State enters having dropped a tight contest, 37-34, to Minnesota State while Augustana worked past Concordia-St. Paul 28-14. Augustana was picked as the preseason favorite by the NSIC Coaches while Bemidji State was tabbed No. 2 in the same poll.
 
The Beavers
Bemidji State is coming off a 37-34 loss at the hands of Minnesota State on opening night. The Beavers found themselves behind 30-13 at halftime but stormed back in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns to trail 30-27 at the end of the third quarter before ultimately falling by three points. The Beavers outgained MSU 425-331 with 367 yards through the air.
 
The Beavers, preseason picked No. 2 in the NSIC, are coming off a campaign that saw them enter the NCAA Division II Playoffs, including a victory over Augustana in the opening round. The North Division coaches tabbed BSU at the top of the division, much in part to the returning Brandon Alt at quarterback. The Harlon Hill Finalist ended 2021 second in the nation in passing touchdowns and became the 20th player in NCAA DII history to record 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns in a season. Alt has his favorite target back in Brendan Beaulieu who totaled 76 receptions for 1,318 yards a year ago.
 
Defensively, Bemidji State relies on Zollie Kaplan, an NSIC North Division First Team honoree from a year ago. He ranked second in the NSIC with 18.5 tackles for loss while totaling eight sacks. Against Minnesota State, he was mostly neutralized as he only recorded a quarterback hurry. Spencer Wehr led BSU in that loss with 10 tackles.
 
The Vikings
Augustana is coming off the season-opening 28-14 win at Concordia-St. Paul. Jarod Epperson rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown while Casey Bauman added 68 yards and a touchdown. Bauman made that start under center for AU, completing 50 percent of his passes with two touchdowns. Those touchdown passes went for five yards to Matt Francis and 11 yards to Jack Fisher.
 
After a tie game early in the third quarter at 14-all, Augustana clamped down defensively and outscored the home team 14-0 with the aforementioned Epperson and Francis touchdowns.
 
T.J. Liggett led the defense with nine tackles, six of which were solo including a tackle for loss. Peyton Buckley recorded two tackles for loss as part of his seven tackles with a sack for eight yards. The Augustana offense out-gained CSP 320-271 including a massive 258-68 discrepancy in rushing yards. Augustana's defense returns in 2022 as the national statistics champion with the fewest rushing yards allowed a season ago.
 
Who to Watch For
Epperson recorded his ninth 100-plus rushing performance at Concordia-St. Paul. He totaled 109 yards on 18 rushes for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. For his career, Epperson has averaged 78.8 yards per game, ranking him fourth all-time at Augustana. When changing the minimum to 11 games, he is easily the highest career average in program history.
 
Year 100 Tidbit
Augustana football dominated the 1930s. The Vikings won seven South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Championships over that span including the first conference championship in 1932. The run included an undefeated 8-0 record in 1937. The Vikings outscored their opponents 221-45. That included four shutouts and wins over Northern State (25-7), Sioux Falls (26-6) and Minnesota State (19-0).
 
The decade has been the most successful winning percentage-wise in Augustana history, winning 77.4 percent of games with a 56-16-1 record.
 
One Last Thing
Augustana and Bemidji State will have played three times over the past 350 days when the two teams meet Saturday. Augustana traveled to Bemidji, Minnesota, on Sept. 25 last season and came away with a 52-25 victory to move to 4-0. The next meeting came in the NCAA Division II Playoffs on Nov. 20 as BSU topped Augustana 28-24 in K-O Stadium. In another look, in 11 weeks of football, Augustana and Bemidji State will have met three times.