SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus football team will be back in action Saturday as they travel to Minneapolis to take on Augsburg for a 1 p.m. contest. The Gusties enter the contest 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the MIAC while the Auggies are 1-6 overall and 0-5 in conference.
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The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 78th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and Augsburg football programs with the Gusties leading the series 59-18. Last season on Oct. 20 in Saint Peter, the Gusties played their best all-around contest of the season in a 42-0 win over the Auggies. Five different players scored touchdowns as Gustavus outgained Augsburg 289-98.
Through the Air: The Gustavus passing attack has been especially strong in 2019 with a handful of Gustavus players putting themselves in the national spotlight. Michael Veldman has thrown for 326.0 yards per game and 24.3 points responsible for per contest, marks which ranks fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively, while his 19 touchdowns are 13th. Brice Panning and Josh Kirk are also near the top of the NCAA leaderboards, with Panning’s 12 touchdowns being the third most, while Kirk’s 124.5 receiving yards are 12th.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus is coming off one of their most dominating performances in recent history as they nabbed a 69-21 win over Hamline Saturday. The Gusties put up 606 yards of total offense and scored touchdowns on their first 10 possessions to secure the win.
Gustavus signal caller Michael Veldman is currently atop of the MIAC through six games with 326.0 pass yards per game, and is tied with 19 touchdowns. Brice Panning and Josh Kirk have been the top two targets for Veldman with Panning being tied for third in the nation with 12 touchdown receptions, while Kirk lead the MIAC with 124.5 receiving yards per game. David Peal has been the team’s top ball carrier, taking 64 carries for 231 yards and eight touchdowns, with his eight scores tied for the most in the conference.
Jake Boykin and Zach Jakes have led the Gustavus defense thus far, totaling 38 and 36 tackles, respectively, with Jakes notching a team high 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Jake Krull has been the teams top tackler in the secondary with 30 tackles to go along with an interception.
Scouting the Auggies: Augsburg comes into the contest most recently falling to Carleton 42-19 Saturday. The Auggies were able to jump out to 13-12 lead in the contest but 30 unanswered points for the Knights pushed them to victory.
Quinn Frisell quarterbacks the Augsburg offense, although he has missed a few games this year due to injury. The senior is 66-for-112 for 777 yards, throwing six touchdowns and two interceptions. His top target has been Josiah Ferguson, who has 23 catches for 283 yards and three touchdowns, while Le’Andre Benion has grabbed 17 passes for 196 yards and two scores. Quran Al-Hameed leads the rushing attack with 77 carries for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, Derek Glynn leads the team and conference with 81 total tackles, 15 above the next MIAC individual. He is the only individual in the conference averaging double-digit tackles a game with 11.6 and both his solo (31) and assisted (50) tackle marks are tops in the MIAC. Shaquille Young has been a force on the defensive front, notching 4.0 tackles, a sack, and three forced fumbles, while Collin Feld and Steven Edwards Jr. both have two interceptions in the secondary.