[Football] No. 10 Grand View Set to Battle No. ...

Des Moines, Iowa – The No. 10 Vikings will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on the No. 8 Cougars of Saint Francis in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series. The game is scheduled to begin Saturday, November 17th with kickoff at 11:00 am.

Grand View is 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the North Division of the Heart of America Conference. Saint Francis is also 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the Mideast Division of the Mid-States Football Association.

Football Tradition Continues…

Both programs bring a wealth of tradition to the matchup. Since Grand View's inaugural season in 2008, the Vikings have made the NAIA Playoffs 7 times, while the Cougars have appeared in 9 postseasons. Grand View has a 6-5 record in the Championship Series while Saint Francis is 31-15.

The Vikings and Cougars have matched up twice, and Grand View has a 2-0 record. This included a 23-7 victory in route to their National Championship.

Grand View won the National Championship in 2013, and Saint Francis is the two-time defending National Champions in 2016 and 2017.

Comparing the Teams…

Grand View and Saint Francis are very comparable when it comes to their performance and style of play on the field.

The Vikings rank 21st in total offense with 424 yards/game and 23rd in scoring offense at 34.8 points/contest. The Cougars rank 33rd in total offense at 398 yards/game and 11th in scoring offense at 38.6 points/contest.

Grand View's defense ranks 12th in total defense at 287.3 yards/contest and 27th in scoring defense/game with 22.7 points/game. Saint Francis ranks 10th in total defense at 278 yards/contest and 13th in scoring defense at 17.6 points/game.

Offensively the Cougars are led by quarterback Matt Crable. Crable ranks 8th in pass efficiency at 154. Defensively, linebacker Eric Dunten rates 6th in tackles/game at 11.6. Defensive lineman James Jamicich is one of the best at pressuring opposing signal callers as he ranks in the Top-10 of total sacks and sacks/game.

Ticket and Travel Information…

Tickets are available to be purchased for $10 between now and 12:00 noon on Friday by calling the Saint Francis business office at 260-399-8004.  They will go up to $15 on game day.  Student tickets can be purchased for $5 between now and game day at any time.  Any fan purchasing tickets ahead of time can pick them up at our Will Call window beginning at 10:00 am Saturday.

Saint Francis has a visitor's tailgate lot. It is only accessible from the East side of campus. The lot is highlighted in GRAY on the one map, and the second map shows how to access the lot from the street. The cost of parking in any of Saint Francis' lots is $5. This includes the tailgating lots. The maps are below for your reference.

Check back with gvvikings.com for a complete recap and follow the Vikings on social media (@VikingAthletics) for in-game updates.