A 31-23 home victory against Concordia-St. Paul has thrust USF back into the AFCA Division II football coaches' poll going into Augie Week.

The Cougars (6-1) are ranked 23rd in the poll released Monday.

USF opened the season with a 32-19 road victory against then No. 16-ranked St. Cloud State and followed that with four straight wins before falling at Winona State 10-9 on Oct. 6. The Cougars rebounded from their first loss of this season on Saturday night, when they held off a late charge by the visiting Golden Bears and moved to 6-1 overall with a 31-23 win.

The Cougars play at Augustana College (3-4) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Vikings coach Mike Aldrich said they must establish the run against the Cougars. They will try to make the Cougars one dimensional.

It's finally here for the kids and the city, you try your best to treat this week as a normal game week," said USF head coach Jed Stugart. "Their quarterback is probably the best quarterback we've faced to date, both of their running backs are special and they have great wide receivers."

Battle for the Mayor's Cup

On the steps of City Hall Monday, Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether along with Augustana College and the University of Sioux Falls announced the Mayor's Cup all sport challenge between the city's Division II colleges.

"We want to tell you about a new competition, that I'm incredibly excited about, that will bring a whole new level of excitement to the City of Sioux Falls," Mayor Mike Huether said. "It will bring out the best in education, it will bring out the best in stewardship, it will bring out the best in teamwork, and, yes, the best in competition."

The challenge includes all sports along with academics and community service. A total of 19 points are up for grabs to extend the rivalry throughout the year. Each year a single point is awarded to whichever school wins an athletic event sponsored by University of Sioux Falls and Augustana College.USF Athletic Director Kevin Hesser said the points are portioned so each sport is counted equally. Hesser said competitions involving sports that play multiple times throughout the year. Hesser used double-headers for softball and baseball as an example. A half-point is awarded for each game.

Points are also awarded for the highest student-athlete grade point average, and the schools will be competing for two points during two community service projects during thecourse of the year. This year the schools are hosting simultaneous blood drives and a point is awarded to the school receiving the most donations.

Augustana College Director of Athletics Bill Gross was not able to attend Monday's press conference, but Associate Athletic Director Jeff Holm read a statement from Gross:

"The true value of the Mayor's Cup extends well beyond the athletic competition between these two institutions. The true value of the Mayor's Cup is informing and promoting the community of Sioux Falls and how great it is to have these two schools in this town."   

"It's so inclusive not just for both schools in all sports but also for the community itself," Aldrich said. "It helps to foster a foundation in this community for these two schools and I think it's a good friendly rivalry from that aspect."

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