Preview: Augie, USF battle for the Key on KELOXTRA
Nov 08, 2024
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- Augustana and USF will renew their in-city rivalry for the 30th time this weekend, with the Key to the City up for grabs for the 12th time.
The two teams are set to renew their rivalry on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will air on KELOXTRA and KELOLAND.com.
"The Key to the City whether you're 2-7 or 7-2 is always a big deal. It's a rivalry game. We see these guys 365 days a year whether you're walking around town, going to the grocery store or the gas station," USF head coach Jim Glogowski said. "There's a sense of pride with that."
Saturday's game will see the most combined victories between the two teams in series history as both teams own a 7-2 record.
The Cougars have won four straight games, including a victory over then #7 Minnesota State and a challenging Wayne State team last week.
"It's no coincidence that they're at where they're at. They've won some tight games and I think like us, they're a team that probably feels like they're getting better as the season is going on," Augustana head coach Jerry Olszewski said.
"We talk about being the best team in our city first and to do that, you've got to beat Augustana," Glogowski said. "On top of that, you want to be the best team in the conference, which obviously Augustana has had a lot of success, the reigning conference champs. Then you want to win your region, which obviously they're in our region. Ultimately, if you want to be a National Championship type football team, you've got to follow the steps to get there."
Augustana took the Key to the City last year with a 49-29 win at USF. Now, the game returns to Kirkeby-Over Stadium where the Vikings have never won the Key.
"We haven't beat this team with this coaching staff on our home field and we haven't won back-to-back," Augustana senior linebacker Haden Wallace said. "It's important to try and break that and do what we're supposed to do."
"These guys have done a lot of special things this season already. I think it's important to them to understand that, we're undefeated at KO this season. One of those two things has got to give and they take great pride in playing here," Olszewski said.
This year's matchup goes well beyond the X's and O's as the two teams are battling for conference and playoff positioning.
"It's a chance to get in the conference championship talk, it's a chance to up our chances in the playoff bid berth potential and they've understood that," Olszewski said. "It's a one week season every week that we play. We've been in the playoffs since Moorhead."
"With the nature of the conference standings and with two games to go, it certainly just puts a whole lot more energy into the operation, because it's a big game with the playoffs, the conference championship and all that stuff that goes into it," Glogowski said.
Kick-off between Augustana and USF is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. You can watch the game on KELOXTRA and KELOLAND.com.
Play-by-play and commentary will be provided by Sports Director Grant Sweeter and reporter Jordan DeSmet.