How to watch and what to know about Augustana at Upper Iowa
Augustana is coming off an emotional and draining rivalry loss to USF in the Key to the City game, and next week they face a Wayne State team that, prior to last week was, like the Vikings, undefeated.
In between is Saturday’s trip to Fayette, Iowa, to take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks.
A five-hour bus trip to play an 0-5 team while perhaps still smarting from a rivalry defeat certainly doesn’t come with the fanfare of last week’s game, but for the Vikings to stay on track for a playoff berth they need to take care of business in Fayette.
AUGUSTANA (4-1) AT UPPER IOWA (0-5)
WHEN/WHERE: 3 p.m. Saturday at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette, Iowa
ONLINE: NSIC Network
RADIO: KIKN-FM 100.1
COACHES: AU – Jerry Olszewski (10th year, 60-36); UIU – Jason Hoskins (3rd year, 1-15)
SERIES: Augustana leads 12-2
LAST TIME: Augustana won 37-20 last year in Sioux Falls
LAST WEEK: Augustana lost 31-24 to USF; Upper Iowa lost 47-7 to SMSU
RANKINGS: Augustana is receiving votes in the Top 25 poll.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP: Another home loss to USF in the Key to the City game has to sting for the Vikings, but it’s by no means a bad loss, and their impressive rally to go from down 21 points to in position for a game-tying score should give them some momentum heading out onto the road.
Transfer quarterback Casey Bauman returned from injury to start against the Cougars and had by far his best game as a Viking, throwing for 284 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, after he had previously struggled in the passing game.
If star running back Jarod Epperson is not ready to return from the foot injury that kept him out against USF, former Brandon Valley standout Tate Johnson showed promise last week, rushing for 52 yards on eight carries.
The Viking defense will be looking to rebound from an uncharacteristic performance in which they gave up over 400 yards, including 175 on the ground.
The Peacocks have struggled mightily in recent seasons, but they’ve been a bit better at home this year. Though 0-5, they lost 24-21 to MSU-Moorhead at home and showed some fight in a 48-22 loss to Bemidji, a playoff team last year.
UIU is second-to-last in the league in both scoring offense and scoring defense. They average just 213 yards of offense per game
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: How to watch and what to know about Augustana at Upper Iowa
