The Gustavus football team will be looking for its second consecutive win when it hosts Augsburg at Lloyd Hollingsworth Field on Saturday, September 27 for Homecoming 2003. Both squads will be looking to continue their winning ways as both the Gusties and the Auggies pulled off conference wins last week.
Gustavus is coming off of a 24-14 road victory over Carleton and Augsburg is hoping to maintain momentum after rallying for a 31-24 victory last week at home. The Gusties routed the Auggies 41-14 when these two squads hooked up in Minneapolis last season.
A Glimpse of the Gusties
Gustavus jumped out to a 24-0 advantage last week and held on for a 24-14 road victory over Carleton. The Gusties scored three touchdowns and a field goal in their five first half possessions to put the Knights in a hole from which they were unable to emerge. Quarterback Sean Smith completed 23 of 28 passes for 212 yards and Drew Stifter gained 97 yards on the ground to lead the Gusties offensively. Smith, who completed 11 of his first 12 passes, hooked up with Nick Teigland for two second quarter touchdowns. Both of Teigland’s touchdown grabs capped off sustained drives by the Gusties. His 25-yard scoring catch at the beginning of the second quarter finished off a 72-yard drive that spanned 12 plays. Teigland’s second touchdown of the day was a 17-yard snag on the 11th play of a 69-yard drive. Defensively, Tyler Vrieze led the squad for the second time this season with nine tackles. Gustavus had four players record one sack apiece.
The Gusties have gotten off to fast starts in each of their first three games this season. Gustavus held 14-0 and 2-0 leads over Buena Vista and Concordia before eventually relinquishing the advantages and going down to defeat. Augsburg has experienced the exact opposite sensation, as the Auggies have trailed at halftime in each of their first three contests. As the squad moves into the middle portion of the season, Gustavus is searching for reliable productivity from its running game. Last week Stifter and Jerry Millan combined for 142 yards in the backfield. The week before versus Concordia the Gusties were held to just 32 yards on the ground on 30 carries. With the balanced attack that Head Coach Jay Schoenebeck likes to employ offensively, it is crucial to the Gusties success that they are able to both run and pass the ball efficiently and effectively.
A View of the Auggies
Augsburg recorded its second come-from-behind win of the year by knocking off St. Olaf 31-24 in Minneapolis last Saturday. Wide receiver Yarzue Slowon caught three second-half touchdown passes from Tony George to steal the victory after being down 24-13 late in the third quarter. Slowon nabbed seven passes for 152 yards to lead the Auggies, while George completed 15 of 31 passes for 243 yards while throwing four touchdown passes without an interception. The critical play in the Auggie second-half comeback came on a fourth-down-and-9 play from the Augsburg 17-yard line late in the third quarter, when the Oles were flagged 15 yards for a roughing-the-kicker penalty, keeping the Augsburg drive alive. Three snaps later, George hooked up with Slowon on a 70-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Ole lead to 24-19. On St. Olaf’s next drive, an Ole pass was intercepted by Jordan Hastings who returned the ball 31 yards to the St. Olaf 28. On Augsburg’s first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, George found Slowon for another touchdown pass to give the Auggies a 25-24 advantage and a lead they would never give back.
Augsburg, which finished a disappointing 2-8 last season, will be looking for its third win of the 2003 season against Gustavus, a team it has not beaten since a double-overtime 41-35 thriller in St. Peter in 1997. Slowan is the Auggies most dangerous offensive threat. He has caught 23 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns, tops of all MIAC receivers. Augsburg has the second highest passing offense in the league (229.3 ypg). Defensively, the Auggies have experienced difficulty stopping the run this year, giving up an average of 207 yards per game.
Series: This is the 62nd meeting between the two schools. Gustavus, which has emerged victorious in the last five games in the series, holds the all-time series edge 49-12-0. The Gusties have registered 1,739 points in those first 61 games against the Auggies, the most the program has scored against any opponent. Gustavus once won 14 straight games in the series between 1930 and 1959 and then won 14 consecutive against the Auggies from 1965 to 1978.
Coaches: Gustavus Head Coach Jay Schoenebeck (’80) is in his tenth season directing his alma mater. Schoenebeck has compiled an overall record of 49-44, 44-38 in the MIAC. Augsburg is coached by Jack Osberg who is in his 12th year leading his alma mater. Osberg has racked up a career mark of 57-67 at Augsburg. Last week Osberg broke the all-time school record for coaching victories.
Gunderson and Najarian Inducted Into Gustavus Hall of Fame Today: Two former Gustavus football standouts will be inducted into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame today. Offensive guard Marv Gunderson and linebacker Dave Najarian will be honored along with seven other former Gustie athletes today. Gunderson was a two-time First Team All-Conference offensive guard on the 1951 and 1952 squads. He started every game of his three-year career on teams that won three MIAC titles. His squads did not lose an MIAC contest in his career (18-0). Najarian earned All-America honors in 1981. A two time All-Conference selection, Najarian ranks fifth all-time in career tackles with 258.
One Win Away From Multiple Milestones: A Gustavus victory today would be its 50th against Augsburg, the most against any collegiate opponent. A win this afternoon would also mark the 50th in the 10-year coaching career of Head Coach Jay Schoenebeck. He is attempting to become only the fourth coach in the program’s history to tally 50 victories. Current assistant coach Dennis Raarup won an all-time best 99 games while patrolling the Gustie sideline from 1971-87. Gustavus needs one more victory to record its 200th all-time win at Hollingsworth Field since the stadium was constructed in 1929.
Touchdown Teigland: Senior tight end Nick Teigland has caught 14 passes this season for three touchdowns. He has now caught 34 passes for six touchdowns in his collegiate career. Teigland is averaging one touchdown for every 5.7 receptions. That is tied for the fifth lowest ratio for anybody who has caught at least six touchdowns in school history.
Sack Squad:Gustavus sacked Carleton four times last week to bump its season total up to 11. Eight different defenders have at least one sack to their credit with senior defensive end Dan Myers leading the way with three. The Gusties currently rank second in the conference in sacks, one behind Bethel.
Offenses Looking to Get on Track:Today’s game features two of the three least proficient offenses in the MIAC. Augsburg (319.7 ypg) ranks seventh and Gustavus (310.3 ypg) ranks eighth in the conference in total offense. Both teams have struggled sustaining success with their respective running games. Gustavus (105.3 ypg) is seventh in rushing offense and Augsburg (90.3 ypg) ranks eighth.
Statistical Comparison
| GAC | Category | AUG |
| 20.0 | Points Per Game | 23.7 |
| 59 | First Downs | 51 |
| 58 | Opp. First Downs | 61 |
| 105.3 | Rushing Yards Per Game | 90.3 |
| 156.3 | Opp. Rushing Yards Per Game | 207.0 |
| 2.9 | Rushing Average Per Carry | 2.7 |
| 3.7 | Opp. Rushing Average Per Carry | 4.7 |
| 1 | Rushing Touchdowns | 3 |
| 4 | Opp. Rushing Touchdowns | 7 |
| 205.0 | Passing Yards Per Game | 229.3 |
| 178.3 | Opp. Passing Yards Per Game | 176.0 |
| 8.8 | Yards Per Catch | 12.3 |
| 11.1 | Opp. Yards Per Catch | 12.3 |
| 63.6 | Completion Percentage | 51.4 |
| 53.9 | Opp. Completion Percentage | 66.2 |
| 5 | Passing Touchdowns | 7 |
| 5 | Opp. Passing Touchdowns | 4 |
| 5 | Interceptions Thrown | 3 |
| 2 | Opp. Interceptions Thrown | 4 |
| 310.3 | Total Offense Per Game | 319.7 |
| 334.7 | Opp. Total Offense Per Game | 383.0 |
| 4.3 | Total Offense Per Play | 4.5 |
| 4.6 | Opp. Total Offense Per Play | 5.8 |
| 3/2 | Fumbles/Lost | 1/1 |
| 4/2 | Opp. Fumbles/Lost | 4/1 |
| 18/175 | Penalties/Yards | 17/166 |
| 17/170 | Opp. Penalties/Yards | 23/230 |
| 30:56 | Time of Possession Per Game | 29:20 |
| 29:04 | Opp. Time of Possession Per Game | 30:40 |