In preparation for Saturday night’s game against Mount Saint Joseph, head coach Steve Bell said the Vikings worked out the kinks in a preseason game against Aurora.
The first game of the season begins at 6 p.m. at Swanson Stadium. The team is going up against the Mount St. Joseph Lions.
Steve Bell, the new head coach, is ready for the upcoming game.
“Our kids are ready to go,” Bell said.
Bell stressed their preseason has had a major impact on the team’s readiness for the game.
“The culminating experience of {the preseason} was Aurora,“ Bell said. “Although we didn’t keep score, it was important for evaluating any mistakes.”
Augustana football captain Frank Kalble has high expectations for the first game.
“Obviously a win to start but we need to understand we are playing against ourselves. We cannot let a new opponent change what we’ve been working for since spring,” Kalble said.
Kalble thinks Bell’s methods have brought the team closer and prepared them for this game.
“Coach Bell holds everybody accountable and everyone has been working towards a common goal.”
Before coming to Augustana, Bell was the head coach at Monmouth College. His overall record with the Scots was 112-44. Part of this record was Bell’s turnaround of the program, turning a 3-7 record in 2000 to an 8-2  record in 2001. He left Monmouth as the coach with the highest all-time wins.
The transition from head coach at Monmouth is much like Bell’s Augustana experience so far.
“Coaching is coaching, everything stays the same,” Bell said.
The team has been analyzing videos of Mount St. Joseph to be ready for the Lion’s offense and defense.
“We’ve been watching the favorite plays they go to,” Bell said.
If the team performs well, Bell believes they can win their first game.
“I want us to play the best we possibly can,” Bell said. “{If we can do that} the scoreboard will take care of itself.”