SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 13/20-ranked Augustana football team begins its 104th season on Thursday night at Missouri Western for non-conference action. Kickoff from St. Joseph, Missouri is slated for 7 p.m.
Live audio (free) and video ($) of the game 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 Griffons enter the season following a 3-8 campaign in Tyler Fenwick's third season at the helm. Three of their eight losses came to nationally ranked teams, the same amount of games that were lost by one score or less.
Picked ninth in both the MIAA Coaches and Media Polls, MoWest looks to reload after adding 26 transfers and 32 freshmen.
MoWest returns 15 starters from last season, including eight on offense, four on defense and three on special teams. The Griffons will also look to replace 18 starters lost from the 2025 squad, including 10 on defense, six on offense and two on special teams.
August Football
Augustana will open its schedule in August for the second consecutive season and the second time since the 2009 season. AU won 30-26 last season on August 30th against Missouri Western. The Vikings played one August game each year from 2004-2009, going 4-2 in those games. They have won five August games in a row, with their last August loss coming in 2005 at Concordia St. Paul. It will be just the ninth game in program history in August and fourth (2-1 record) on the road.
This (Game)Day in History
Augustana has played on Aug. 27 just twice in program history, falling at Concordia St. Paul 33-30 in 2005 before a 38-16 victory at St. Cloud State in 2009.
In the 2009 matchup with the Huskies, Sam Holsen caught five passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns while Tyler Schulte added 43 yards and two touchdowns on offense while Chris Janisch tallied 17 tackles and Brandon McMichael had two sacks defensively to lead the Vikings to victory.
2026 Schedule Outlook
The Vikings open the season with an August game against a non-conference opponent for the second consecutive season, this time traveling to Missouri Western. The Vikings will take on a pair of NCAA DII Tournament participants, starting with the NSIC Opener on Sept. 3 at Minnesota Duluth.
Augustana opens its home slate Sept. 12, hosting Minot State before welcoming MSU Moorhead on Spet. 19. The Vikings will also host the Key to the City game on Oct. 3 against Sioux Falls and Viking Days against Southwest Minnesota State on Oct. 24.
NSIC Preview
In the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, Augustana was selected to finish third, just behind Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth. Gunnar Hensley and Jermaine Hampton Jr. were each named a Preseason Player to Watch.
Returning All-Conference from 2025
Augustana returns four All-NSIC performers from the 2025 squad, starting with All-NSIC First Team punter Jake Pecina. In addition, Corbin Wirkus, Klayton Sattler and Jermaine Hampton Jr. were selected to the All-NSIC Second Team a year ago.
Meet the Captains
Voted by their peers, Augustana has a returning captain and four new captains for the 2026 season. Senior Gunnar Hensley joins first year captains and seniors Tyler Birn, Christian Connelly, Jake Pecina and Sam Scholten.
Staff Updates
The Vikings will add four new staff members in 2026 and saw a shift in defensive leadership. Kelly Scholten and Chase King were promoted to Co-Defensive Coordinators while continuing to coach their respective positions. Paddy Devlin was added as a wide receivers coach from Southwest Minnesota State, Mike Bond is the new defensive backs coach after working at Concordia-St. Paul, Zach Brooks leads the running backs after a season at Montana State University–Northern and Ryan McFadden will lead the offensive line after spending his most recent season at Henderson State
