Some notes to wet your football appetite while anticipating Saturday's Augsburg-at-Hamline game -- aka, the game for "The Hammer": -- Augsburg is 3-0 for the first time since the 1999 season, and has a chance to go 4-0 for the first time since 1973 when it faces Hamline this Saturday in St. Paul. The Auggies started out 5-0 back in 1973, en route to a 7-2 record.
-- After starting his Augsburg career 3-21, Augsburg head coach Frank Haege has won 7 of his last 9 games, including two wins over nationally-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) and a 49-21 win over St. Olaf last Saturday (last year, the Oles beat the Auggies 70-31).
-- Augsburg was 4-26 from 2004-06, before finishing 5-5 last season. Augsburg's last winning season was a 6-4 campaign in 1999.
-- Saturday's game against Hamline is the fourth in the battle for "The Hammer," the trophy that goes to the winner of the Hamline-Augsburg game. The trophy was started in coach Frank Haege's first season as Augsburg's head coach in 2005.
-- Augsburg has won the last five games in a row over Hamline and 12 of the last 14 games in the all-time series with the Pipers.
-- As a team, Augsburg currently ranks eighth nationally among NCAA Division III teams in passing offense (328.0 yards per-game), and Augsburg's 422.67 yards of total offense per-game ranks 27th-best in Division III. Augsburg's 42.67 points-per-game so far this season ranks seventh-best in Division III, and its plus-1.67 turnover ratio (10 gained, five lost) is 25th-best in Division III. Augsburg's 248.67 yards allowed per-game on defense is 29th-best in Division III.
-- Augsburg quarterback Jordan Berg (SR, Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS) was named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week on Tuesday for his efforts in Augsburg's 49-21 victory over St. Olaf on Saturday. Berg completed 37-of-53 passing for 397 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, leading the Auggie offense to touchdowns on their first five drives to build a 35-14 halftime lead, en route to the dominating victory.
The 397-yard effort was the ninth of his career (23 games), and improved his career stats to 594 completions, 998 attempts, 6,507 yards and 56 passing touchdowns. Berg already holds school records for career completions and touchdowns, and has a chance to break the attempt and yardage records in next Saturday's (10/4) game at Hamline. He is just 24 passing attempts away from the school record of 1,022, and just 117 yards away from the passing yardage record of 6,624, both held by Derrin Lamker (1993-97).
On the season, Berg has completed 95-of-147 passes for 956 yards with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics, Berg ranks first nationally in pass completions per-game (31.67), ninth in passing yardage per-game (318.67), 20th in total passing yardage (956) and eighth in total offense per-game (321.3). His 95 completions are seventh-highest among Division III quarterbacks, and his two interceptions are the second-fewest among the 22 Division III quarterbacks who average 22 or more completions per-game.
-- Augsburg wide receiver Royce Winford (SR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS) was named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 17, after his two-touchdown effort in Augsburg’s 30-24, two-overtime win over Wartburg (Iowa) on Sept. 13. Winford caught 13 passes for 116 yards -- the 12th 100-yard receiving game of his career and ninth in his last 13 starts -- in Augsburg’s win over St. Olaf. Also a cornerback on defense (a rare two-way player in college football), Winford collected a first-quarter interception for the Auggies, his second interception of the season.
Winford is just one catch away from moving into second place in Augsburg's career receptions list. He now has 185 catches for 2,454 yards and 31 touchdowns in his career. Scott Hvistendahl (1995-98) holds every receiving career record -- 285 receptions for 4,696 yards and 40 touchdowns -- and Andrew Neumann (2003-06) is in second place in career receptions with 186.
On the season, Winford has 31 receptions for 311 yards (103.7 yards per-game, 10.0 yards per-catch) and seven touchdowns, tops among MIAC receivers in overall receptions per-game and third in yardage per-game. In the NCAA Division III national statistics, Winford currently stands third nationally in receptions per-game (10.33) and 35th in receiving yardage per-game (103.7). His seven touchdowns (42 points) are sixth-most among NCAA Division III players.
