SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's postseason football at Kirkeby-Over Stadium as Augustana hosts Minnesota State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The NSIC Champion Vikings host a postseason game for the fourth time in program history with kickoff slated for noon.
 
For a full bracket, click here. Tickets can be purchased at GoAugie.com/Tickets. Prices are $15 for reserved seats, $10 for general admission, $5 for youth and $3 for college students.
 
Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.
 
About the Game
Saturday will mark the fourth time in nearly 13 months that the Vikings and Mavericks will matchup and will meet in the NCAA First Round for the second consecutive year. The Vikings have won all three previous meetings, winning by an average of 21.0 points per game.
 
The winner of the game will head to Pueblo, Colorado, for a game with No. 1 CSU Pueblo on Saturday, Nov. 30.
 
Scouting the Enemy
The Mavericks enter the week 8-3 overall following a loss in their regular season finale to Minnesota Duluth.

MSU is the most disciplined team in the country, racking up the fewest penalties (3.82) and fewest penalty yards (32.91) per game. They also move the sticks, ranking 13th in the country with 249 first downs.

The strength of the offense is under center. Hayden Ekern ranks 29th in the country with a 63.9 completion percentage and is 21st with 2,470 passing yards. He is also 14th in the country with 16.5 points responsible for per game and 23rd in the country with 11 rushing touchdowns. The offensive line has kept him upright for the most part, ranking 19th in the country with just 1.00 sacks allowed per game.

Defensively, Antonio Alzheimer is the engine. He leads the team with 89 tackles and had a forced fumble on his resume. Cody Brown leads the team with 6.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss while Karson Dunn has a pair of interceptions and 4.0 tackles for loss. 
 
About the Vikings
The Augustana Vikings became outright NSIC champions for the second consecutive season on the final day of the regular season, ultimately falling 17-10 to Bemidji State on Saturday afternoon at Chet Anderson Stadium. The Vikings earned the outright title during the game on Saturday when Minnesota State fell 30-16 to Minnesota Duluth. 
 
The AFCA announced Tuesday that Augustana head football coach Jerry Olszewski has been named the Region 5 Coach of the Year in Division II. Olszewski became Augustana's all-time winningest coach earlier this season. He also guided AU to a second consecutive outright NSIC title, the first team in program history to repeat as conference champions since the 1942 NCC Champions.
 
Jarod Epperson continues to sit alone at the top. The senior has run for 4,149 yards in his career, breaking the previous record held by Joe Clark (2006-10). The most remarkable part of the record is he was able to do so in one less game and on 130 less carries than Clark. On the year, Epperson ranks second in the NSIC and 17th in the country with 97.6 yards per game. He is also ninth in the country and leads the NSIC with 6.34 yards per carry while adding 10 touchdowns.
 
It has been quite the coming out party for sophomore signal caller Gunnar Hensley. The Carlsbad, California native has now been named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week twice in nine starts this season. Hensley currently ranks 10th in the country in completion percentage at 67.0 percent, 25th with 8.45 yards per attempt, 25th with a 155.1 passing efficiency and 29th with 225.7 passing yards per game. He has also thrown for 18 touchdowns, 44th most in the country. 

Offensively, the Vikings rank 13th with a 65.5 completion percentage, 44th in passing offense at 225.8 yards per game. They're also 13th in red zone defense, allowing points on 66.7 percent of red zone drives. Ball security has been a theme as well as the Vikings have only lost two fumbles, ranking fifth in the country.

Defensively, it has been all about the front seven. The Vikings average 2.45 sacks per game, 41st in the country, and are 37th in rushing defense allowing 107.3 rushing yards per game. The defense has also stood tall in the biggest moments, ranking ninth in opponent fourth down conversion percentage, allowing 29.2 percent.

Peyton Buckley has been all over the field, racking up 76 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups to go with an interception. He currently ranks second in program history with 42 career passes defended.

Five different Vikings have collected at least 45 tackles through the regular season. Kade Lynott leads the way with 90 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss to go with his 6.0 sacks. Haden Wallace is right behind him with 88 tackles, 58 solo and 8.0 tackles for loss while adding a pair of interceptions and sacks. 
 
One Last Thing
Augustana has won 11 straight home games, going 6-0 in 2023 and 5-0 in 2024.