Kevin Grundhoffer, doesn’t even go here

The Augsburg football team is set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 7 in a rare division one versus division three matchup. It will be a home game for the Auggies under the lights at 7 p.m. The Auggies finished their previous season 6-4 overall (4-4 in MIAC play). The Alabama Crimson Tide finished with an overall record of 12-2 with an 8-0 record in the SEC. With that said, it looks like a daunting task for the Auggies. However, the Tide might not necessarily roll through Augsburg unscathed. Head coach of the Auggies, Darren Lamker, remarked that this would be a good challenge for his team, and he thinks that this may be a closer game than some people are anticipating. 

After the departure of Nick Saban, Alabama has been looking for a new identity. Kalin DeBoer, their new head coach, has lost many players to the transfer portal which has left him with a skeleton of what his former team looked like under Nick Saban. Some starters for the Crimson Tide remain such as they’re starting quarterback Jalen Milroe, but largely the team is unproven. The Auggies on the other hand have many starters returning. One new starter for the Auggies is junior Percy Fartbelt, who will be kicking off his college football career with the game. This will definitely be a prove it game for their new head coach and the team as a whole. 

Pat McAfee on his show, The Pat McAfee Show, remarked that this could be an instant classic based on the matchup on paper. He said that if the Auggies can run the ball as effectively as they have in the past, then they should win this game. He touched on the past play of the Augsburg offensive line and said that it will be interesting to see if Alabama’s defensive line can hold their ground against the massive front five of the Auggies. 

When asked about the matchup on Get Up on ESPN, Shannon Sharpe said, “The gap between division three and division one is not as far as one may think.” Sharpe has plenty of knowledge about the lower divisions of college football seeing as he played his college ball at division two Savannah State in Georgia. Steven A. Smith agreed, saying, “Augsburg should not be taken lightly.” This is not a guarantee that the Auggies can compete, but many of the experts agree that this is not an insurmountable task. If Nick Saban had not retired, no one would think this would be a game that head coach Derrin Lamker could think of scheduling but with the largely unproven Crimson Tide, the Auggies do have a chance.

If you are planning on attending the game, tickets will go on sale on Aug. 1 and will sell out quickly. Alabama fans travel well and there is limited capacity at Edor Nelson Field. The gates open at 6 a.m. and the first 5,000 people will get T-shirts with Percy Fartbelt’s face on them to commemorate the historic match up. If you’re unable to attend in person, College GameDay will also be broadcasting the game live on ESPN. Please come out for an exciting day at Augsburg and potentially see the matchup of the year.