SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The final regular season game of the season will have a lot on the line when the No. 12/9 Bemidji State University Football team plays at No. 20/14 Augustana on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game will help decide who will win at least a share of the NSIC title.

Bemidji State, Augustana and Minnesota State enter the final week of the regular season all tied for first in the NSIC standings at 8-1. The winner of the Bemidji State and Augustana game will secure at least a share of the NSIC crown. Minnesota State plays at Minnesota Duluth with a chance to also secure a share of the title. If the Mavericks fall at home against the Bulldogs, then the BSU/AU winner will be the outright NSIC Champion.

Bemidji State (8-1, 8-1 NSIC) has won four straight since the three-point loss to Minnesota State to end September. The Beavers started the run with a win at Wayne State, then after dominating Concordia-St. Paul, BSU went on the road for the seven-point win at Minnesota Duluth before defeating MSU Moorhead by 13 at home last week. The Dragons held the 7-0 lead after the first quarter and the game was tied at 7-7 at the half. With the game still tied at 14, BSU scored the final 13 points to claim the 27-14 victory.

The Beavers passed for 320 yards and rushed for 74. They limited MSU Moorhead to just one net yard rushing, collected six sacks and forced three turnovers. Brandon Alt completed 28-41 for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Sage Booker rushed for 47 yards, with Jayden Washington adding 41. Brice Peters caught five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Hill had nine for 75 yards and Dhel Duncan-Busby added five for 63 yards. Mike Wandmaker had just two catches, but both were big as he had 52 yards.

Spencer Wehr, the reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week, had nine tackles, six solo, along with a tackle for loss and an interception. Max Buduris had eight tackles, six solo, and two pass breakups. Marcus Hansen had 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Marco Cavallaro added 1.5 sacks. Cade Barrett and Stephen Hoffman each had a sack. Theodus Ringgold added an interception.  

BSU leads the NSIC in third down conversion percentage on defense (0.291), 18^th nationally, tied for the NSIC lead in blocked punts (4), fifth nationally, tied for the NSIC lead in defensive touchdowns (2), 39^th nationally, lead the conference in first down allowed on defense (149), 23^rd nationally, lead the NSIC in team passing efficiency on defense (102.80), 17^th nationally, lead the NSIC in team sacks per game (3.33), ninth nationally. The Beavers rank in the top 30 nationally in several other categories including 27^th in third down conversion percentage (0.446), ninth in fewest penalties (44), 13^th in kickoff return yards allowed per game (15.48), 13^th in passes that have been intercepted (5), 16^th in passes intercepted on defense (15), 14^th in passing offense yards per game (265.6), 29^th in punt return yards allowed per game (4.25), 17^th in red zone defense (0.667), 18^th in sacks allowed per game (1.00), 16^th in scoring defense points allowed per game (16.1), 28^th in scoring offense per game (35.6), 21^st in tackles for loss allowed per game (4.67), 17^th in team tackles for loss per game (8.0), 28^th in total offensive yards per game (421.8), 16^th in turnover margin (1.00), 25^th in turnovers gained (21), 30^th in turnovers lost (12) and 16^th in winning percentage (0.889).

Individually, Alt is 18^th nationally in passing touchdowns (21), 14^th in passing yards per game (250.3), 22^nd in completions per game (18.67), 26^th in total offensive yards per game (254.3), 29^th in passing yards (2,253), 35^th in passing efficiency (149.8), 38^th in points responsible for per game (14.2), and 39^th in passing yards per completion (13.41). Duncan-Busby is 13^th nationally and leads the NSIC in receiving touchdowns (9). Hansen is ninth nationally and first in the NSIC in forced fumbles per game (0.33), sixth nationally and first in the NSIC in tackles for loss per game (1.8) and seventh nationally and first in the NSIC in sacks per game (1.0). De'vonta Roberts is 31^st nationally in kickoff return yards per game (24.6).

Alt eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards at Wayne State. He enters the game this week with 10,902 career passing yards. Over the past 35 games, Alt has thrown for 105 touchdowns and has 115 for his career.

The defense has 30 sacks and 15 interceptions on the season. The defense recorded three sacks against CSP to snap a streak of two games without one. On the season, the Beavers have at least four sacks in five games. BSU is coming off an impressive six sack performance against MSU Moorhead. The defense did tally two interceptions to record multiple INT for the sixth game this year against the Dragons. After Caleb Young returned an interception for a touchdown against Wayne State, Buduris added one against Concordia-St. Paul. BSU has returned 15 interceptions for 302 yards this season.

Alt has completed 168-278 for 2,253 yards and 21 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Sam McGath has completed 11-20 for 137 yards and three touchdowns.  

On the ground, Ali Mohamed leads the team rushing 92 times for 453 yards and seven touchdowns. Following Booker's big game at Minnesota Duluth, he now has 63 carries for 417 yards and five touchdowns. Jayden Washington has rushed for 232 yards on 59 carries and two touchdowns. Jarrett Gronski has 53 carries for 187 yards and two touchdowns, while McGath has rushed 16 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Duncan-Busby has caught 39 passes for 582 yards and nine touchdowns. Jake Hill has 31 receptions for 406 yards and two scores. Peters had a big game against the Dragons and now has 23 catches for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Drayton Lehman has 16 catches for 253 yards. Joey Baron has three touchdowns, while Booker and Mike Wandmaker added two receiving touchdowns.

On defense, Buduris leads the team with 50 tackles, 38 solo, along with six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception and eight passes broken up. Klein has 42 tackles, 26 solo, along with 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception. Wehr is third on the team with 41 tackles, 19 solo, along with five tackles for loss, two interceptions and three passes broken up. Hoffman has 36 tackles, 14 solo, eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four passes broken up. Hansen has 16.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 33 tackles, 22 solo. Cole Sorby and Young each have 30 tackles, with Sorby and Young each adding an interception. Along with Wehr, Princeten Harris and Jamel Stone all have two interceptions. Harris has five passes broken up.  

Augustana is 9-4 in the series against Bemidji State since 1961. BSU is 2-5 in Sioux Falls. Last year, the teams went right down to the end in Sioux Falls with the Vikings claiming the 30-29 victory. The Beavers rallied with 26 points in the second half and went for the win late on a two point try that missed. The teams have split the past four meetings. This will be the third straight meeting in Sioux Falls as the teams played in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs in 2021 in which BSU claimed the 28-24 victory and then last year's one-point contest. In four of the last five meetings, the games have been decided by one point, four points, one point and three points.

Augustana is 9-1 overall and 8-1 in NSIC play, going 4-0 at home this season. The Vikings began the season winning eight straight before falling in a snowy game at Wayne State (14-12). During the winning streak, Augustana handed Minnesota State their only loss (28-10). Last week, Augustana won 31-21 at Northern State. AU averages 32.60 points per game and allow 16.1 points. Jarod Epperson has rushed for 907 yards and nine touchdowns. Casey Bauman has completed 163-249 for 2,285 yards and 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Jack Fisher has 26 receptions for 502 yards and four touchdowns. Devon Jones has 405 receiving yards and three touchdowns, with Logan Uttecht collecting four touchdowns, along with 338 yards.

On defense, Peyton Buckley has 60 tackles, 45 solo, along with 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and seven passes broken up. Haden Wallace has 52 tackles, 31 solo and 5.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. Will Davis leads the team with four sacks.

The game will be broadcasted on the NSIC Network and on Beaver Radio Network.

Game Notes        NSIC Network        Live Stats         Beaver Radio Network

Bemidji State Notes

-        Brent Bolte stands alone in second in program history for wins by a head coach with 60. His .750 winning percentage is the best all-time and he is second in program history for conference wins at 57

-        Bemidji State had just their second home loss over the past two seasons, both against Minnesota State. Bolte is 30-9 during his time as head coach at home

-        Bemidji State enters this week ranked No. 12 in the AFCA Poll and No. 9 in the D2Football.com Poll. The Beavers opened the season ranked eighth in the Lindy's College Football Preseason Poll

-        BSU leads or is tied for the NSIC lead in 6 categories following week nine

-        In 80 games under Bolte, BSU has scored less than 20 points just seven times, which occurred once last year

-        Forty-seven of Bolte's wins have come when scoring at least 30 points, which has happened in seven games this season. Last week's 27-14 win over MSU Moorhead was the first victory when scoring under 30 points this season and first time since Nov. 5 last year against Northern State (24-14)

-        Bemidji State is 14-3 on the road over the past two-plus seasons and Bolte is 30-11 away from Bemidji

-              BSU has allowed 14 or less points in six of nine games this season and has won by at least 20 points in five of the eight victories. Three times the Beavers have won by over 30 points

-       Augustana is 9-4 in the series against Bemidji State since 1961. BSU is 2-5 in Sioux Falls. Last year, the teams went right down to the end in Sioux Falls with the Vikings claiming the 30-29 victory. The Beavers rallied with 26 points in the second half and went for the win late on a two point try that missed. The teams have split the past four meetings. This will be the third straight meeting in Sioux Falls as the teams played in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs in 2021 in which BSU claimed the 28-24 victory and then last year's one-point contest. In four of the last five meetings, the games have been decided by one point, four points, one point and three points.

-              BSU leads the NSIC in third down conversion percentage on defense (0.291), 18^th nationally, tied for the NSIC lead in blocked punts (4), fifth nationally, tied for the NSIC lead in defensive touchdowns (2), 39^th nationally, lead the conference in first down allowed on defense (149), 23^rd nationally, lead the NSIC in team passing efficiency on defense (102.80), 17^th nationally, lead the NSIC in team sacks per game (3.33), ninth nationally. The Beavers rank in the top 30 nationally in several other categories including 27^th in third down conversion percentage (0.446), ninth in fewest penalties (44), 13^th in kickoff return yards allowed per game (15.48), 13^th in passes that have been intercepted (5), 16^th in passes intercepted on defense (15), 14^th in passing offense yards per game (265.6), 29^th in punt return yards allowed per game (4.25), 17^th in red zone defense (0.667), 18^th in sacks allowed per game (1.00), 16^th in scoring defense points allowed per game (16.1), 28^th in scoring offense per game (35.6), 21^st in tackles for loss allowed per game (4.67), 17^th in team tackles for loss per game (8.0), 28^th in total offensive yards per game (421.8), 16^th in turnover margin (1.00), 25^th in turnovers gained (21), 30^th in turnovers lost (12) and 16^th in winning percentage (0.889).

-              Individually, Alt is 18^th nationally in passing touchdowns (21), 14^th in passing yards per game (250.3), 22^nd in completions per game (18.67), 26^th in total offensive yards per game (254.3), 29^th in passing yards (2,253), 35^th in passing efficiency (149.8), 38^th in points responsible for per game (14.2), and 39^th in passing yards per completion (13.41). Duncan-Busby is 13^th nationally and leads the NSIC in receiving touchdowns (9). Hansen is ninth nationally and first in the NSIC in forced fumbles per game (0.33), sixth nationally and first in the NSIC in tackles for loss per game (1.8) and seventh nationally and first in the NSIC in sacks per game (1.0). De'vonta Roberts is 31^st nationally in kickoff return yards per game (24.6).

-        Bolte is 2-3 against Augustana, going 1-2 in Sioux Falls and 1-1 in Bemidji

-        Bemidji State picked up their 400^th program victory at Wayne State and are now at 403

-        Including his time as an assistant, Bolte is 168-88 with the Beavers

-        The defense didn't allow any team to rush for over 200 yards last year and seven times held teams under 100 rushing yards. So far in 2023, the Beavers have limited five teams to under 100 rushing yards and only two teams to rush for over 200 yards. The game against CSP, the Beavers held the Golden Bears to just 64 passing yards. This past weekend against MSU Moorhead, BSU limited the Dragons to just one net rushing yard. It's the lowest total of the season just behind the four net rushing yards by UMary

-        When BSU leads at the half, they hold a 24-0 record in the last two-plus seasons. The only loss this season against Minnesota State was the only time trailing at the break. BSU was tied at half this past weekend against MSU Moorhead (7-7) for the first time this season

-        BSU has continued to dominate in the red zone to start the 2023 season. The Beavers have scored on 37 of 44 chances so far this season for 223 points. The drives have ended with 30 touchdowns and seven field goals

-        On the flip side of that, the defense has allowed just 30 trips inside the 20 and 20 scores for 104 total points. UMD was just the second team to go perfect on red zone trips this season converting on 4-4 times inside the 20 for 24 points. The only other time a team went perfect was Winona State going 1-1 for just three points in the third game of the season. BSU has forced seven turnover on downs and both an interception and fumble inside the red zone

-        The defense forced four interceptions in week one, which is the most in a game since tallying four against Minnesota Crookston during the 2019 season. BSU added two more in week three, five and seven, before a three interception game in week eight. It was another multi-interception game against MSU Moorhead with two interceptions for 15 on the season to rank second in the NSIC and 16^th nationally in INT

-        Six times last year Bemidji State tallied at least four sacks in a game. The high was nine against MSU Moorhead on Oct. 15, 2022. This season the defense continues to post high sack numbers. Seven times this season the Beavers have at least a sack and have 30 on the season to rank first in the NSIC and ninth nationally. It was another high sack number against MSU Moorhead this year with the Beavers posting six sacks

-        For the first time in the last 33 games, Bemidji State had more rushing than passing yards. Against CSP, the Beavers rushed for 223 and passed for 127. Five times during the 2019 season the Beavers had more rushing than passing yards. It was a balanced attack against the Bulldogs passing for 271 yards and rushing for 212 yards. BSU threw for 320 yards and rushed for 74 yards against the Dragons

-        Bemidji State ranked in the top-25 nationally last year in passing offense (4th), red zone defense (13th), rushing defense (22nd), sacks allowed (5th), scoring defense (25th), scoring offense (11th), team passing efficiency (10th), team passing efficiency defense (22nd), team sacks (9th) and total offense (10th)

Augustana Notes

-              The Vikings are led by Jerry Olszewski who is 72-40 in his 10th season at Augustana. He's gone 5-2 in his career against Bemidji State

-              AU was picked to finish 4th in the NSIC Preseason Poll

-              AU returns Players to Watch in RB Jarod Epperson and S Peyton Buckley. Epperson has rushed for 907 yards and nine touchdowns. Buckley leads the defense with 60 tackles (45 solo), along with 6.5 TFL, 2 INT and 7 pass break ups

-              Last time out, AU went on the road to claim the 31-21 win at Northern State

-              The Vikings are averaging 32.6 points and allowing 16.1 per contest. It's a balanced attack rushing for 1,601 yards and 18 TD, while passing for 2,301 yards and 22 TD. In addition to Epperson's numbers on the ground, Casey Bauman has thrown for 2,285 yards and 22 TD. Jack Fisher has 26 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns. The defense has 20 sack and 9 INT

-              The last meeting between BSU and AU was in week two last year in Sioux Falls with the Vikings claiming the 30-29 win. AU held the 30-16 lead before he Beavers rallied with a pair of touchdowns. BSU went for the two-point try and the win late, but missed the try to fall by one

-              AU handed Minnesota State their only loss so far this season back on Oct. 21 in Sioux Falls (28-10). The only loss for the Vikings was at a snowy Wayne State (14-12)