Augustana Vikings Leap Up to #13 in Rankings After Close Win

Picking up the wins you are supposed to early on in the regular season goes a long way for a team as far as reaching their goals down the road.

The Augustana Vikings football team endured a late surge from Bemidji State this past weekend to hang on to the 30-29 victory, and now have jumped in the latest rankings.

In the latest AFCA poll, the Vikings have gone from the 19th to the now 13th ranked team in the country in the DII poll.

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Augie led late in their home opener to the Beavers 30-16, but the final minutes were not easy. The Vikings would fend off a late 2-point conversion try to win by the Beavers to earn the victory.

Here is the latest poll from the American Football Coaches Association:

1	Ferris St. (Mich.) (29)	2-0	749	1	D. No. 14 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 27-5	Sept. 24 vs. Waldorf (Iowa)
2	Northwest Missouri St.	2-0	712	2	D. Lincoln (Mo.), 58-20	Sept. 17 vs. Central Missouri
3	Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (1)	2-0	692	4	D. No. 21t Colorado St.-Pueblo, 35-10	Sept. 17 vs. Lincoln (Calif.)
4	Shepherd (W.Va.)	2-0	645	5	D. Edinboro (Pa.), 41-7	Sept. 17 vs. California (Pa.)
5	Angelo St. (Tex.)	2-0	625	6	D. No. 12 Colorado School of Mines, 30-27 OT	Sept. 17 at Texas Permian Basin
6	West Florida	2-0	609	7	D. Southwest Baptist (Mo.), 49-10	Sept. 24 vs. Delta St. (Miss.)
7	Harding (Ark.)	2-0	567	8	D. Southeastern Oklahoma St., 38-13	Sept. 17 vs. Southern Arkansas
8	West Georgia	2-0	543	10	D. Morehouse (Ga.), 42-0	Sept. 24 at West Alabama
9	Newberry (S.C.)	2-0	471	13	D. North Greenville (S.C.), 29-22	Sept. 17 at Emory & Henry (Va.)
10	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	2-0	468	16	D. Southern Nazarene (Okla.), 45-0	Sept. 17 at Arkansas Tech
11	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	2-0	412	18	D. West Chester (Pa.), 35-14	Sept. 17 at Millersville (Pa.)
12	Ashland (Ohio)	2-0	370	20	D. Findlay (Ohio), 28-3	Sept. 24 at Quincy (Ill.)
13	Augustana (S.D.)	2-0	341	19	D. Bemidji St. (Minn.), 30-29	Sept. 17 at Minnesota St.-Moorhead
14	West Texas A&M	2-0	283	23	D. Adams St. (Colo.), 34-19	Sept. 17 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville
15	Valdosta St. (Ga.)	1-1	281	3	Lost to Virginia Union, 45-40	Sept. 17 at Miles (Ala.)
16	Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	2-0	204	NR	D. No. 11 Nebraska-Kearney, 35-28	Sept. 17 vs. Northeastern St. (Okla.)
17	Notre Dame (Ohio)	1-1	158	21t	D. Wheeling (W.Va.), 27-14	Sept. 17 vs. West Liberty
18	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	1-1	144	14	Lost to No. 1 Ferris St. (Mich.), 27-5	Sept. 17 at Erskine (S.C.)
19	Indianapolis (Ind.)	1-0	140	25	Idle	Sept. 17 at Tiffin (Ohio)
20	Bowie St. (Md.)	1-1	132	9	Lost to Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 40-12	Sept. 17 at Shaw (N.C.)
21t.	Albany St. (Ga.)	1-1	121	15	Lost to Florida A&M, 23-13	Sept. 17 at Shorter (Ga.)
21t.	Colorado School of Mines	0-2	121	12	Lost to No. 6 Angelo St. (Tex.), 30-27 OT	Sept. 17 at Adams St. (Colo.)
23	Saginaw Valley St.	2-0	120	NR	D. No. 9 Bowie St. (Md.), 40-12	Sept. 17 at Northwood (Mich.)
24	Minnesota St.	2-0	119	NR	D. Minnesota-Duluth, 17-10	Sept. 17 at Northern St. (S.D.)
25	New Haven (Conn.)	1-1	114	24	D. Southern Connecticut, 31-26	Sept. 17 vs. American International (Mass.)

Dropped Out: Nebraska-Kearney (11), California (Pa.) (17), Colorado St.-Pueblo (21t)

Others Receiving Votes: Washburn (Kan.), 102; Virginia Union, 97; Nebraska-Kearney, 81; Tiffin (Ohio), 51; Henderson St. (Ark.), 48; Colorado St.-Pueblo, 46; West Alabama, 43; Frostburg St. (Md.), 33; Kutztown (Pa.), 30; Indiana (Pa.), 25; Missouri Western St., 21; California (Pa.), 18; Assumption (Mass.), 10; Colorado Mesa, 4.

The Vikings are back out on the road this weekend, traveling to face the MSU-Moorhead Dragons in Week 3. As for the USF Cougars, they hit the road as well, and take on Concordia St. Paul.

Source: AFCA.com