ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Saturday, Concordia-St. Paul (2-6, 2-5 NSIC) heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota looking to pickoff #20 Augustana (6-2, 6-1 NSIC) with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.

WEATHER OUTLOOK
Saturday in Sioux Falls is predicted for a 61 degree high with partly cloudy conditions and SE 10-20mph winds with a 20 percent chance of rain. On Sunday, Thunderstorms are expected in the area, potentially impacting the weekend if conditions shift.

WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC football games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, and supported by BlueFrame Technology.
 
Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ

DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.

LISTEN TO THE COACHES SHOW
The Coaches Show with Shannon Currier is back on the Twin Cities airwaves for a fifth season, once again hosted by Wally Langfellow of Minnesota Score. The show airs following the Minnesota high school football game of the week, typically on Friday evenings in the 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. hour on KYCR 1440 AM radio, available in the Twin Cities metro area.
 
This week's radio interview guests are junior RB/WR/KR Jaylon Washington and sophomore defensive back Byron Sweeny.
 
For fans who miss the show or are outside of the radio station's Twin Cities reach, the entire show is accessible via the CSP Bears Podcast, available in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Play Music. It will typically be uploaded late Friday night (after the initial air time) or Saturday morning prior to the game. Search 'CSP Bears' into your favorite podcast provider!

WEEK NINE GAME CAPTAINS
CSP head coach Shannon Currier features rotating team captains each week for the sixth year in a row in 2024. Captains are selected by the coaching staff based on performance on the field and as a leader in practice, meetings and day-to-day activities.

This week's game captains are senior guard Taylon Hensley and sophomore quarterback Jackson Compton on offense, and senior linebacker Brayden Hilgemann and junior linebacker Caden Baarts on defense.

SERIES HISTORY: AUGIE 14, CONCORDIA 4
The Golden Bears have dropped seven-straight to the Vikings overall and six in a row on the road.

CSP's last win over Augustana was a 17-7 home win in 2014 at Sea Foam Stadium, and their last win on the road was in 2007, a 20-19 victory.

Concordia is 4-14 all-time against Augustana, but only 1-13 since the Vikings joined the NSIC in 2008, as CSP held a 3-1 record against the Vikings when they were members of the North Central Conference (NCC).

Concordia is 2-6 in eight prior trips to Sioux Falls, also winning 17-16 in the first-ever contest between the schools.

Head coach Shannon Currier is seeking his first win over Augustana, holding an 0-6 record with all six meetings occurring after his return to the program in 2016.
 

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FULL CSP PREVIEW: VIEW THIS WEEK'S GAME NOTES

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ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Augustana enters week nine riding a four-game winning streak, coming off of a convincing 34-16 win at Minnesota State last week and a 31-0 shutout against Winona State two weeks ago. The streak also includes a 20-7 road win at Minot State and a 28-24 win over Minnesota Duluth.

The Vikings (6-2 overall, 6-1 NSIC) lead the NSIC by a half game over city-rival Sioux Falls (6-2) and appeared among the teams considered for the first NCAA Super Region 4 rankings this week. The Vikings and Cougars will square off next week on Augustana's campus.

Following Augie's 34-16 win over MSU, Gunnar Hensley was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week and Kade Lynott was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week. Hensley compiled 288 yards of total offense, two touchdowns and a 149.1 rating while Lynott made seven tackles, had a 50-yard interception return and helped stifle the MSU rushing attack.

Hensley ranks second in the nation with a 70.3 completion percentage, 11th with a 171.3 passing efficiency and 23rd with 243.3 passing yards per agme with 16 touchdown passes.

The Augustana run game is led by Jarod Epperson with 3,734 career rushing yards, setting an Augie school record. He's the NSIC's second-leading rusher on the year with 80.1 rushing yards per game and adds six touchdowns. He has 31 career touchdowns and 17 100-yard rushing games as a Viking. He's 47 receiving yards shy of becoming the third-active player among all NCAA divisions to achieve 3,500 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards.

The Vikings' special teams features a punt return unit that averages 11.7 per return while holding opponents to a 17.1 average on kickoff returns compared to their own 25.1 kickoff return average - all marks that rank in the top-37 in Division II.

A strong defensive front seven has allowed Augustana to average 2.88 sacks per game, ranking 22nd in the nation, with a run defense that ranks 20th in allowing 92.4 yards per game. Augustana also ranks third in the NSIC with 6.9 tackles for loss per game - an interest contrast against a Golden Bear offensive line that ranks 11th in the country with 3.88 TFLs allowed per game, 14th in the country with 0.88 sacks allowed per game while blocking for the nation's sixth-best rusher Jaylin Richardson (966 yards, 12 total TDs) as Concordia averages 171.9 rushing yards per game as a unit.