ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings football team will be back at home on Saturday, October 26 when they host the No. 1 ranked North Central Cardinals.

Augustana currently sits at 3-3 on the season and 2-3 in conference action, recently falling on the road to the Carroll Pioneers by a score of 30-20. After a near scorless opening quarter, each team got on the board with a touchdown on their last possession of the frame, beginning with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Liam Crawley to Breyden Smith to put the Vikings up 7-0 around the two-minute mark. Less than two minutes later, Carroll answered with a 70-yard connection to even the game at 7-7 entering the second. Augie held a 10-9 advantage in the second quarter to lead 17-16 at the break.

Joren Clem extended the Vikings' lead to 20-16 to begin the third, but a 38-yard run from the Pioneers proved to be the lone touchdown of the quarter and gave the home team a 23-20 advantage heading into the final 15 minutes of play. Just five seconds into the quarter, the Pioneers wrapped up a scoring drive with another touchdown to bring the score to 30-20. Augie saw just one drive enter Carroll territory the rest of the way as the Pioneers held on for the 10-point win. Crawley finished his first start of the season with 240 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while Mike DiGioia hit the century mark again with 110 yards running the ball. Smith led all receivers with a game-high nine catches and 106 yards. Defensively, Luke Willis led the way with eight tackles.

North Central enters the weekend as the nation's top-ranked team and boasts a 6-0 overall record and 5-0 mark in CCIW action. The Cardinals recently defeated North Park at home last Saturday by a score of 69-0. After leading 10-0 through 15 minutes of action, North Central erupted for 35 points in just the second quarter to run away with the contest. Quarterback Luke Lehnen finished the game with 182 yards and three touchdowns, while a balanced rushing attack accounted for 292 yards on the ground. Lehnen has thrown for a touchdown pass in 50 straight games and has thrown for 16 this season to go with three interceptions. As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 59 points per outing and 529 total yards.

Augustana leads the all-time series 57-34-1 over North Central, but the Cardinals have won the last 17 meetings dating back to 2006. North Central defeated Augie last season in Rock Island by a score of 61-17.

Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.