Head coach Steve Bell and defensive coordinator Dan Bauder are both looking to win in their next home game against North Central College this Saturday.
Before preparing for the game, the coaches had their sights set on a win during their game against Millikin University played this last Saturday.
“In order to get out of (our) slump, we need a win against Millikin,” said Bell before the game. “We have to stop the bleeding.”
Unfortunately, the Augustana football team lost 35-43, dropping their record to 2-5 on the season and 1-4 in the conference. The team was hoping for the win in order to break their four game losing streak.
More importantly, Bell said the team was looking for the win in order to gain some momentum for the game against the Cardinals.
“We need to come into that game on a positive note,” Bell said. “The game will be a difficult one if we continue to play at the level of play that we’re at now.”
Bauder agreed with Bell that the team needs to win soon and find some “winning cures.”
“When we win, everything clicks together and everyone is happy,” he said.
As of now, the team is struggling because of the age difference in their players as they have a predominately underclassmen team.
Bell remarked that the challenge with having a young team is a curse and a blessing.
“We struggle with having a lot of youth, but at the same time it’s very exciting because we’ll have a lot of talent returning,” said Bell.
While Bell said he is very excited for the future, he also wants to stay focused on this season and his short term goals for the team.
“We have to be able to produce now,” said Bell.
North Central is currently on a six win streak and are 4-0 in the conference. Last week, they defeated Wheaton College 35-25.
The coaches also hope to take things one step at a time during the upcoming game against  not only North Central, but the rest of their opponents towards the end of the season.
“There’s too many people focused on the scoreboard,” said Bell. “The better way to win is to win every play, every quarter and play step by step. Then at the end of the game, the scoreboard will reflect what we want.”