AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 2022

[Otis Day]

One thing I struck out on during the trip was the post-game meal. But I got to spend that time with my kid, so it was well worth it.

Where'd you eat?? Sioux Falls has no shortage of good places to eat so bummed to hear you struck out.

[WPHB]

What an amazing weekend! The game didn't turn out for the good guys like I had hoped, but was pleased with their effort in the 4th quarter. Will be hard to top that trip. My first K-O game day experience was nothing short of amazing. After driving all evening and night, I got to the stadium around 9 am and was immediately beset with other Augie fans and parents who took me in with open arms and treated me like I was part of the group. Met some amazing parents, and some amazing new friends, and had some amazing food (and drink) at tailgate. The crowd was great and other than some rowdies in purple at the end of the game, even the USF fans were amazingly nice and friendly.

One thing I struck out on during the trip was the post-game meal. But I got to spend that time with my kid, so it was well worth it.

Almost 2000 miles in 48 hours, but could not have asked for a better experience. So happy that my kid chose Augie.

[Purple Mav Man]

enjoyed all this a lot guys. I didn't bring up "Christians vs. convicts" because there is no substance to it. Oops, I just did ;-)

One and the same… :)

[BIGvikingFan]

HaHa, I don't have as hard of thought towards those two schools, but I sure as hell want to beat them. As far as the mangy dogs and bunnies I've moved on from those guys due to 30 some years of mostly bad memories and yes I hate them. USF is our main rival and NSU is close behind especially since they got a shiny new stadium and now are relevant in football. College athletics without rivals would be boring. I'ts more fun these days as Augustana is very good in all sports and are despised by fans of other schools.

enjoyed all this a lot guys. I didn't bring up "Christians vs. convicts" because there is no substance to it. Oops, I just did ;-)

[vikingfaithful]

I hate USF and Northern isn't much higher on my list.

Sorry to break your streak.

HaHa, I don't have as hard of thought towards those two schools, but I sure as hell want to beat them. As far as the mangy dogs and bunnies I've moved on from those guys due to 30 some years of mostly bad memories and yes I hate them. USF is our main rival and NSU is close behind especially since they got a shiny new stadium and now are relevant in football. College athletics without rivals would be boring. I'ts more fun these days as Augustana is very good in all sports and are despised by fans of other schools.

[MrAugustana]

Augustana having an arrogant view towards USF and NSU is mostly a myth drummed up by opposing fans. Vikings spent 70 years in the NCC being kicked around by state schools. Augie fans are enjoying the recent success by the athletic department and remember where we came from. In all my years of being an AU fan I've never heard a fellow fan utter a disparaging word towards our in-state rivals.

I hate USF and Northern isn't much higher on my list.

Sorry to break your streak.

[NSU4LIFE]

Augustana having an arrogant view towards USF and NSU is mostly a myth drummed up by opposing fans. Vikings spent 70 years in the NCC being kicked around by state schools. Augie fans are enjoying the recent success by the athletic department and remember where we came from. In all my years of being an AU fan I've never heard a fellow fan utter a disparaging word towards our in-state rivals.

You must not have been in attendant for the women's basketball regional game between NSU and Augie about four years ago or so.

One of the loudest games I've been to in my lifetime and if you really want to believe the Augie folks were just warm and gracious and kind all game then I think we are proving Thunders point, haha

[Tundra_Man]

My dad went to USF back in the 50s and he would tell stories of the practical jokes the two schools would play on each other. So I know there was some form of rivalry even 60+ years ago.

[tman28]

Mike, I love ya....but I've seen plenty of snarky talk between the two sides..haha.

My old CF from slow pitch, Tyler Schulte, he would openly call USF "13th grade football" to the rest of our squad when joking around about the upcoming games (this was right before the teams started playing, when USF first was joining the conference). I still chuckle about this today actually. His teammates would come around for our game in the summer and the D2 Vikings having their way with the NAIA Cougars was a pretty common thought with the group. I get it. On the flipside, Erik Cimpl played right next to Tyler in our outfield....and he was nearly the same age/timeframe as Tyler but was a starting RB at USF when the Coo was winning NAIA rings. So he would give it right back to Tyler..and it made for pretty entertaining banter.

Living in Sioux Falls during all of this, I can tell that Augie has embraced this rivalry more as the years continued. I can tell you Coach OJ has valued the times he's had the Key in their football office..and I've seen it there. It means something. There's no doubt in my mind the initial stance taken by Augie is what really fueled the USF side. Zimmer and I have talked about this before..and are much in agreement as we both covered it from start until now.

I do agree that Augie looks at SDSU and USD more as their rivals..which of course is born from trying to beat them locally in the NCC. However, mostly due to the size of the schools, SDSU and USD have kinda moved on and I think now that playing in their company means more to the Vikings than the other teams. Obviously, that's what being sought out on the hoops side..to be with those schools at the Denny where the Augie hoops team can have a seat at the table. I think at some point it'll happen, but it's quite apparent it's on the back burner now..and might stay there for a handful of years. TBD.

I think the Northern thing is quite a bit different. Augie has a competitive NSIC team blocks away from them in SF....whereas Northern doesn't have another NSIC team close to them geographically..so for NSU, that's their closest game basically....in-state Augie or USF. I don't think that'll ever feel like USF vs Augie..but with the Wolves getting better in football, I do think a separate rivalry can be formed.

In coaching sports in SD, I've seen plenty of the anti-Sioux Falls take from the Brookings, Aberdeens, Yanktons or the world. I get it. Sioux Falls is like the New York Yankees of SD..the SF teams always are going to have far greater means than the others and a win over a SF team is like a notch for the smaller communities. I'm sure if I lived in those areas I'd view it much the same.

As for the Key game....I cannot wait for tmrw at 1pm. Hoping they get about 7,000 fans or close. I will look to post some updates live from the game on the twitter.

If you see me there..gimme a shout.

Same here being around many former USF and Augie Players. The Augie guys would bring up 7 on 7s they would do in the summer against USF. The USF players always thought their dominating physicality would have had them do well versus Augie. All underlying. This is also in my opinion driving some former Augie students and players to not embrace the rivalry. The beatdowns they thought would happen arnt happening!

[Matt Witwicki]

Augustana having an arrogant view towards USF and NSU is mostly a myth drummed up by opposing fans. Vikings spent 70 years in the NCC being kicked around by state schools. Augie fans are enjoying the recent success by the athletic department and remember where we came from. In all my years of being an AU fan I've never heard a fellow fan utter a disparaging word towards our in-state rivals.

Mike, I love ya....but I've seen plenty of snarky talk between the two sides..haha.

My old CF from slow pitch, Tyler Schulte, he would openly call USF "13th grade football" to the rest of our squad when joking around about the upcoming games (this was right before the teams started playing, when USF first was joining the conference). I still chuckle about this today actually. His teammates would come around for our game in the summer and the D2 Vikings having their way with the NAIA Cougars was a pretty common thought with the group. I get it. On the flipside, Erik Cimpl played right next to Tyler in our outfield....and he was nearly the same age/timeframe as Tyler but was a starting RB at USF when the Coo was winning NAIA rings. So he would give it right back to Tyler..and it made for pretty entertaining banter.

Living in Sioux Falls during all of this, I can tell that Augie has embraced this rivalry more as the years continued. I can tell you Coach OJ has valued the times he's had the Key in their football office..and I've seen it there. It means something. There's no doubt in my mind the initial stance taken by Augie is what really fueled the USF side. Zimmer and I have talked about this before..and are much in agreement as we both covered it from start until now.

I do agree that Augie looks at SDSU and USD more as their rivals..which of course is born from trying to beat them locally in the NCC. However, mostly due to the size of the schools, SDSU and USD have kinda moved on and I think now that playing in their company means more to the Vikings than the other teams. Obviously, that's what being sought out on the hoops side..to be with those schools at the Denny where the Augie hoops team can have a seat at the table. I think at some point it'll happen, but it's quite apparent it's on the back burner now..and might stay there for a handful of years. TBD.

I think the Northern thing is quite a bit different. Augie has a competitive NSIC team blocks away from them in SF....whereas Northern doesn't have another NSIC team close to them geographically..so for NSU, that's their closest game basically....in-state Augie or USF. I don't think that'll ever feel like USF vs Augie..but with the Wolves getting better in football, I do think a separate rivalry can be formed.

In coaching sports in SD, I've seen plenty of the anti-Sioux Falls take from the Brookings, Aberdeens, Yanktons or the world. I get it. Sioux Falls is like the New York Yankees of SD..the SF teams always are going to have far greater means than the others and a win over a SF team is like a notch for the smaller communities. I'm sure if I lived in those areas I'd view it much the same.

As for the Key game....I cannot wait for tmrw at 1pm. Hoping they get about 7,000 fans or close. I will look to post some updates live from the game on the twitter.

If you see me there..gimme a shout.

[laker]

.

[vikingfaithful]

Augustana arrogance...hard to believe...

Augustana having an arrogant view towards USF and NSU is mostly a myth drummed up by opposing fans. Vikings spent 70 years in the NCC being kicked around by state schools. Augie fans are enjoying the recent success by the athletic department and remember where we came from. In all my years of being an AU fan I've never heard a fellow fan utter a disparaging word towards our in-state rivals.

[Thunder]

I think the area highlighted in bold is what's fueled the rivalry game to have more significance to USF.

Augustana arrogance...hard to believe...

[Matt Witwicki]

Generally speaking, every Northern State fan wishes desperately that they had gone to Augie.

(I'm kidding. But sometimes I think every Northern State fan thinks that's what every Augie fan thinks about them.)

I think many of the state schools in the area (including SDSU/USD back when they were still D2, but especially Northern now that those two schools are D1), Augie is seen as the spoiled/uppity private school full of entitled kids and that seems to bother them. It doesn't help that in the last 10-15 years Augie has really focused on and invested in athletics and has continued to stay near or at the top of the all-sports standing in the conference most years.

As far as USF goes, the Cougars were NAIA up until... 2010? Something like that. And Augie and USF basically hadn't played each other in football for, like, 30 or 40 years or something until USF jumped to D2, So most of the Augie grads I know basically never played USF and never really developed any "rivalry" with the Cougars. They mostly looked down on USF as an inferior NAIA team, even when USF was regularly competing for and winning national championships at that level. Augie basketball did play USF a handful of times before USF jumped to D2 but I believe Augie won all of those games, so even that didn't really develop a rivalry.

Coincidentally, USF has a very good record against Augie in football since going D2, but I think Augie fans in general still see them as the "little brother," not a true rival.

In a lot of ways, I think Augie fans still really see USD and SDSU as their rivals, even though they haven't played either school in 15+ years now and likely never will again (unless USD and SDSU's athletic departments grow some stones and play Augie in basketball in the future, but I doubt that will ever happen).

I think the area highlighted in bold is what's fueled the rivalry game to have more significance to USF.

[BIGvikingFan]

Nice article on the defense. https://www.keloland.com/sports/augu...edium=referral (I would hate to be that guy being tackled in the picture ;-)