SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 16-ranked Augustana football team (7-2 overall, 7-1 NSIC) closes its regular season home slate at Kirkeby-Over Stadium for a Saturday afternoon showdown against cross-town rival Sioux Falls (7-2, 6-2). Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

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
The key trophy in the "Key to the City" game is a four-foot-tall key that was carved from an Aspen tree from the family farm of Arne Bortnem, a 1965 Augustana graduate. The traveling trophy is one of five active trophies played for in NSIC rivalries. The 'key' debuted in 2012, the first meeting between the two schools in 26 years.

This season's matchup will tout a little more significance. This will be the latest meeting with the two teams since November 13, 1936. It is also the most combined victories between the two in series history. Casey Bauman threw for six touchdowns and ran for another in a 49-29 victory over the Cougars last season. 

Scouting the Enemy
The Cougars enter the week 7-2 overall and 6-2 in the NSIC and are coming off an open week. USF has been one of the surprise stories of DII after going 3-8 a season ago and being picked to finish eighth in the NSIC Preseason Poll. The Cougars are receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 and are ranked No. 23 in the D2Football Top 25. USF also slotted in at No. 7 in the Super Region 4 Region Rankings.

Camden Dean is an NSIC Offensive Player of the Year candidate to this point. He has thrown for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding 518 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Dylan Rudningen adds 469 yards and five touchdowns to the backfield.

Defensively, the Cougars have been ballhawks. They rank fourth in the country with 14 interceptions as nine different USF players have recorded at least one. Matt Goehring leads the way with four INTs while adding 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and three QB hurries. 

About the Vikings
The Augustana football team found balance and composure in a 28-7 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.

Jarod Epperson continues to sit alone at the top. The senior has run for 3,890 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 28th in the country with 89.6 yards per game. He is also 14th in the country and leads the NSIC with 6.35 yards per carry while adding eight touchdowns.

Epperson has also scored 33 rushing touchdowns, third all-time. In all, he has 18 100-plus yard games. He has left his mark in the passing game through out his career as well as he is the first player in program history and third active player amongst all NCAA levels to have over 3,500 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in their career.

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 six starts this season.

Hensley currently ranks fourth in the country in completion percentage at 69.7 percent, 21st with 8.73 yards per attempt, 16th with a 163.0 passing efficiency, 40th with 15.0 points responsible for and 30th with 230.3 passing yards per game. He has also thrown for 17 touchdowns, 29th most in the country. 

Special teams has, again, been a strength for this year's team as they rank 14th in the country with 25.13 yards per kickoff return and allow just 17.81 yards per kick return, 37th in DII. 

Offensively, the Vikings rank fifth with a 67.3 completion percentage, 38th in passing offense at 229.9 yards per game. They're also 25th in red zone offense, scoring at a 86.5 percent clip inside the 20, and are 10th in red zone defense, allowing points on 64.3 percent of red zone drives. Ball security has been a theme as well as the Vikings have only lost two fumbles, ranking sixth in the country with just two fumbles lost.  

Defensively, it has been all about the front seven. The Vikings average 2.67 sacks per game, 26th in the country, and are 23rd in rushing defense allowing 94.4 rushing yards per game. The defense has also stood tall in the biggest moments, ranking 16th in opponent fourth down conversion percentage, allowing 31.8 percent and are 29th with a 31.7 opponent third down conversion percentage.  

The Augustana defense has played lights out of late. Over the last four games, the defense has given up 30 total points (7.5 points per game). That performance has helped dip their season number to 15.7 points allowed per game, first in the NSIC and 20th in the country.  

They have spent plenty of time in the backfield this season. The Vikings fourth in the NSIC with 6.2 tackles for loss per game and are third with 2.67 sacks per game. Will Davis (4.5) Myles Taylor (3.5), Kade Lynott (3.0) and Gradee Sherman (3.0) have led a team effort. 11 Vikings have at least 0.5 sacks and 18 have at least 0.5 tackles for loss.

Five different Vikings have collected at least 30 tackles through nine games. Haden Wallace leads the way with 77 tackles, 52 solo and 8.0 tackles for loss while adding his first career interception return for a touchdown against Concordia-St. Paul. Kade Lynott is second on the team with 64 tackles and has added 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks.

Peyton Buckley has been all over the field, racking up 52 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups including an interception. Isaiah Ryan has 44 tackles and seven pass breakups to go along with an interception while Logan Leonard has 36 tackles and a team-high four interceptions.

One Last Thing
With a win on Saturday, Augustana would clinch at least a share of the NSIC title. It would mark the first time the Vikings have won consecutive conference titles since winning the SDIC in 1941 and the NCC in 1942.