On Saturday, Sept. 6, the Augustana football team defeated the Simpson College Storm in their season opener, 42-41, in an overtime thriller that went down to the final snap of the game. That win marked the fifth straight year, and the seventh time in eight years, that the Vikings have opened their season with a win.
While some teams might struggle with four brand new coaches on the staff, those new faces, with the backing of the players, did not let the moment get too big for them.
Head coach Steve Bell is entering his eleventh season as the head coach for the Augustana program, and despite being voted sixth in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) preseason coaches poll, the same excitement of the first game was present.
Coach Bell, unsurprisingly, does not pay much attention to polls like that, he said. Not only have no games been played yet that prove those polls, but he said he knows what his players and new coaches are capable of doing, and it showed in the opening night win despite the challenges.
“The main focus for us is to try to play the best football Augustana can play…We got a win on the road, and that’s huge, but we probably went through about three to four to five situations that we probably would not ever see in a year.” Bell said. “We got to see those all in one game, so that was good. We got to work through those, but we saw some kids make plays when we needed them, so we get to move forward now.”
Despite the team retaining many members of the coaching staff from previous years, such as head coach Steve Bell, offensive coordinator Keegan Jones and defensive coordinator Dick Maloney among many others, the team ushered in four new coaches for the 2025 season. The new faces include two offensive-minded coaches in Carter Bell and Brandon Johnston, who will coach the tight ends and receivers, and two defensive-minded coaches in Teven McKelvey and Travon Aldridge, who will coach the defensive backs and cornerbacks.
Coach Carter Bell joins the Vikings as their wide receivers coach, as well as their strength and performance coach. Bell, more commonly known among the team as “Coach Carter,” is the son of head coach Steve Bell and was added to the staff after completing his collegiate career at the University of South Dakota (USD).
Although this is his first coaching job, Coach Carter certainly brings a lot of playing experience. At USD, he tallied 192 receptions for 2,958 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns for the Coyotes.
“When I was in college, I had four different receiver coaches over five and a half years,” Carter Bell said. “I know that can be a bad thing, but I took it as something good, since I got to learn from four different guys, and each had a different style of playing the position. One of the biggest things I picked up on is just being able to know the game, and I try to teach that to our guys here that it’s not only good to know your part of what you do every play, but it’s also really beneficial to know what everyone else is doing,”
In the win against Simpson, sophomore transfer quarterback Jimmy Makuh threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns in his first game under center for Augustana. His receivers also played well.
With senior wideout Breyden Smith going down with an injury, junior Ethan Vrabec hauled in eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, and junior Sean Schlanser caught 11 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Mikey Brosnan also stepped up in place of Smith and caught a career-high five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. A significant part of this breakthrough is the relationship between the quarterback, Makuh, and the receiving core that already existed, and how the coaches have fostered it.
“They do a good job of building our relationships,” Makuh said. “I feel they do their job as coaches, but you know, off the field, they’re all good guys. We’re in the meeting rooms, we’re in the locker rooms, the weight room, laughing and having a good time talking to each other. So that’s something special. They do a good job of helping us build relationships.”
One of the biggest things that these young coaches bring to the table is their attitude. Though it may not seem significant, more minor things, such as bringing momentum and confidence in practice, trickle down from the coaches to the players.
“They [the new coaches] bring the energy, they bring that competitiveness to the field. I remember that at practice, we would make a big play, score, and Coach Carter would be going all out, getting everyone hyped,” Brosnan said. “Or you got a Coach Mac [McKelvey], the DB coach, when one of the defensive backs gets an interception in practice, he is sprinting down the field and running over to dap him up. It’s special!”
As the season goes on, the young coaches’ impact will continue to grow as the team settles into conference play. After a bye this week, the team will face off against nationally ranked Wheaton College at home on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 6 p.m.
