Augustana excited to challenge FCS champion South Dakota State

SIOUX FALLS — For several years now, the other college football programs in South Dakota have been operating in the shadow of the Jackrabbits.

That may have been a controversial statement at one time, but anyone objecting to it now is not living in reality.

South Dakota State’s opponent this week, the Augustana Vikings, are certainly not going to argue with the pecking order.

The Jackrabbits are reigning two-time Division I FCS national champions, they sell out home games in 19,000 seat Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, have more than a half-dozen alumni in the NFL and are respected at the highest levels of the sport.

The Vikings are in the midst of arguably the most successful era in their program’s long and storied history, reigning NSIC champions and the 14th-ranked team in Division II, but they are, still, a Division II team.

The most recent Division II teams to visit Brookings, Lindenwood and Western Oregon, were defeated 52-7 and 45-7, respectively.

Augustana’s players and coaches know all about this. They’ve watched the Jackrabbits play in Frisco on ABC. They watched them play Oklahoma State in this year’s season opener. They see Dallas Goedert and Tucker Kraft and Christian Rozeboom play on Sundays.

Most of the Vikings probably never dreamed their team would play this team. But ever since it was announced last spring, it’s been circled on the calendar. The Vikings know they’re big underdogs, and they can’t wait to get it on.

“You want to see how good you are in the grand scheme of things,” said defensive end Will Davis. “When you hear names like (SDSU quarterback) Mark Gronowski and some of those other guys, that’s exciting. It gets you pumped. I feel like our expectations are always the same regardless of the opponent but this is definitely different than our other games. There’s going to be a huge crowd and they’re going to be a big challenge.”

Whatever bad blood there was when both teams were in the D2 North Central Conference has subsided. Augustana coach Jerry Olszewski became an admirer of the Jacks and former coach John Stiegelmeier not long after arriving in Sioux Falls, and that respect hasn’t wavered since Jimmy Rogers took over. Olszewski mentions the Jackrabbits often when talking about the things he’s trying to accomplish with his program, and he’s sent assistant coaches up to Brookings. Former SDSU co-defensive coordinator Brian Bergstrom first had that role under Olszewski (he’s now the head coach at Winona State) and current SDSU running backs coach Robbie Rouse also previously had that job with the Vikings. Jackrabbit offensive quality control assistant Kyle Saddler was a record-setting quarterback for Augie under Olszewski.

“They’re on top and they’ve earned it,” said Coach ‘OJ’ as he’s known by friends and colleagues. “We know who they are and how gifted and talented they are but that’s what makes this such a great opportunity for us.”

The respect is mutual. At his Tuesday press conference Rogers noted his admiration for Olszewski and how well the two coaching staffs have gotten along when they’ve crossed paths over the years.

And Rogers was complimentary of what he sees on film, too.

“They’re really good,” Rogers said of the Vikings. “They’re big up front, especially on the O-line, they’ve got a mature running back (Jarod Epperson) who’s been a three-time all-conference player — he’s very impressive. Their wide receiver corps has been impressive. We’ve got our hands full with their skill. Some of these guys are not much different than what we have on our team.”

That might sound like the kind of empty platitude an overdog coach throws out as a way of playing nice with a lesser opponent, but Rogers means it. He’s talked often about how many of the Jacks best players were mostly recruited by Division II schools, and pointed to several standout Jackrabbits in recent years who transferred to SDSU from a Division II school and became starters or key contributors.

“They have several guys who can play at (the FCS) level,” Rogers said. “We’re not going to take anybody lightly. We need to prepare and plan to execute like how we would if we were playing anybody else. We didn’t feel any less than Oklahoma State and they’re not gonna feel any less than us. We’re not gonna disrespect what it takes to win.”

Still, the Vikings know they’re going to be outmanned. That doesn’t mean they can’t compete, but it means their margin for error will be razor thin. Epperson is probably as good as any running back the Jacks will face in the Valley, while the Viking defense has a lot in common with SDSU’s — deep and skilled at all three levels. The Vikings are also going to be playing in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 19,000 fans. The biggest crowds they get in Division II are their home games, typically between 2,000 and 3,000. Some of their road games in the NSIC are played in front of three-digit crowds.

“Their defense reminds me of our defense — the way they move to the ball and put 11 hats on the ball,” Epperson said. “It should be an interesting day to be a running back, that’s for sure. But it’ll be awesome. I’d like to think I thrive in an environment like that and will feed off the energy of a big crowd that’s against you. It should be a fun atmosphere. This is a chance to see where our program is at and how we stack up to the big boys at SDSU. “

There is some familiarity among the players. Viking receiver Canyon Bauer is a former Jackrabbit who has a national championship ring from 2022. And Davis said while he only knows a few guys on the Jacks roster, he smiled reading through their roster, recognizing names of people he played against or remembered from his high school days in the Twin Cities area.

The Vikings should have a solid contingent of fans, but the fact that SDSU now sells out home games means there probably weren’t enough tickets to accommodate every Augie fan that wanted to go.

Can Augie win? Olszewski said it’s important for his team to believe they can, but talk won’t do it. He’s not talking to his team about beating the Jackrabbits — he’s focusing his message on being at their absolute best, because it’ll take nothing less than that to even have a chance.

“We talk about competing,” said the Viking coach, who is 75-41 in 12 years at the helm. “You’re going there to compete. The wins and losses take care of themselves on the scoreboard, but you better believe you’re gonna compete against anybody you go up against, because that’s what you’re called to do. That’s been our message all summer and certainly this week. It starts with us. We’ve got to be our best if we’re going to do anything against a program like the Jacks.”

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.