The Wayne State College Wildcat football team will be looking to pull off an upset in their final home game of the year against the undefeated Augustana Vikings in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference clash.
The Wildcats enter this contest at 5-3, with a 4-3 record in NSIC play. WSC will look to bounce back after a brutal 28-26 loss to the Northern State Wolves last week in Aberdeen, S.D.
The Vikings sit at 8-0 on the year, 7-0 in NSIC competition, and are ranked 12th in the American Football Coaches Association top 25 poll. They also rank second in the Super Region Four rankings as released by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The Vikings are coming off a huge 28-10 upset win on the road against the previously 3rd ranked Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks and will be looking to remain unbeaten.
The Viking offense is averaging 35.4 points per game while gaining 410.3 yards per game. They are led by their graduate senior quarterback Casey Bauman. He has 2,002 passing yards with a 67.6% completion rate, with 20 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions on the season. The Vikings average 158 rushing yards per game, led by senior running back Jarod Epperson, who leads the team with 643 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Seven different wide receivers have at least 100 receiving yards on the season, led by junior Jack Fisher, senior Devon Jones and senior Logan Uttecht.
This Viking defense is also a formidable side. The defense only gives up 15.8 points per game and 302.1 yards per game. The defensive front is fantastic, allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards per game while generating 18 sacks and 46 tackles for loss on the year. The Vikings’ secondary is also a stout unit, allowing 206.8 yards per game and collecting eight interceptions on the year. The defense is led by an All-NSIC second team selection last year in junior defensive back Peyton Buckley. He leads the team with 51 tackles, 38 of them by himself, 5.5 tackles for loss and seven pass breakups. He is tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
What makes this Augie team especially hard to play against is their discipline. The Vikings are the 12th least penalized team in the nation, with only 35 penalties on the year.
The Wildcats and Vikings will battle it out this Saturday, October 28. The contest is slated to start at noon at Bob Cunningham Field at Memorial Stadium.
