SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The two-time reigning NSIC Champion and No. 9-ranked Augustana football team closes a two-game road spurt on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Bemidji, Minn., for a matchup against reigning NCAA Super Region 4 finalist Bemidji State. Kickoff 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.

Scouting the Enemy
The Beavers are 0-3 on the season and 0-2 in the NSIC after falling 56-23 to Sioux Falls at home last weekend. The Beavers rely on a ground game that averages 164.7 rushing yards per game and have three players with at least 100 rushing yards.

Bemidji State was picked to finish fourth in the NSIC Preseason Poll and first in the North Division while starting the season ranked No. 16 in the AFCA Top 25. Jayden Washington, an All-NSIC back a season ago, has run for 136 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Connor Carver leads the team with 236 passing yards and 201 rushing yards while throwing and running for two touchdowns each.

Weekend Rewind
For the second time in three weeks, Gunnar Hensley found Cody Oswald for a game-winning touchdown to lift the Augustana football team to victory. On Saturday afternoon, Oswald fought through contact for a 19-yard grab with 17 seconds remaining to boost the No. 11-ranked Vikings to a 21-20 win over UMary at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.
Oswald finished the day with 94 yards on four receptions, including 59 yards on a pair of catches on the final drive, while Klayton Sattler had six catches for 60 yards and his first career touchdown. Isaiah Huber added 59 receiving yards on six catches while Gunnar Hensley threw for 251 yards, 156 in the final quarter, on 21 of 35 passing with a pair of touchdowns.

This (Game)Day in History
Augustana has played on September 20th 13 previous times, going 6-7 in those games. It will be the first game on September 13 since 2014, a 48-17 road victory at Northern State. The first game played on September 20th came in 1935 in a home loss to Fort Hays State.

AU is 2-2 on this date against current NSIC foes and will be the first September meeting between the Vikings and Beavers since 2022, a September 10th thriller that saw the Vikings win 30-29 in the season opener.

Welcome to the Skoldiers
80 different Vikings have played over the first two weeks, including 20 Vikings that have made their AU debut. Josh Larsen, a transfer from South Dakota, has made three starts at left guard. Klayton Sattler has nine catches for 101 yards and scored his first career touchdown against UMary on September 13 against UMary. Neal May, a Minnesota State transfer, four catches for 70 yards and 144 return yards.

Defensively, true freshman Brody Shuss had seven tackles, including one for loss, RJ Eckhardt had his first career tackle go for a loss on fourth down and Ashton Toll has a half sack.

Vikings in the National Rankings
Plenty of statistics have jumped off the page through three games for Augustana. As a team, The Vikings are 53.3 percent on third down, the 14th best conversion rate in the country. The offense is 21st in nation with 63 first downs and their team completion percentage (65.3%) is 29th. Augustana is one of 26 teams to have not thrown an interception while their 118 pass attempts is the second most among those 26 teams.

The yardage margins have also leaned in the Vikings favor. Augustana is 11th with 317.3 passing yards a game and 47th in total offense with 398.0 yards a game. Defensively, Augustana is 60th in total defense with 334 yards allowed per game and 32nd with 158.7 passing yards allowed per game. The defense has also allowed just 17.7 points per game, 29th in the country.

The special teams have swarmed the opponents, ranking 14th with 14.0 kick return yards allowed per return while the return team averages 24.2 yards per return, the 43rd most in the country.