The Aurora University football team will open the 2021 season when they travel to Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota on Saturday, September 4. Game time has been set for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Clemens Stadium.  

Watch the game action - 
- The game can be seen live using live stats or live video or audio

Game Notes - View here 

All-Time Series - AU vs. Saint John's University
This will be the first regular season meeting all-time between the two football programs.

The Spartans and Johnnies met in the 2019 NCAA Division III playoff opening round in the first meeting all-time between the two schools. AU fell just short, losing the SJU 51-47. Relive the game here.
 

About the Aurora University Spartans –
- AU is opening the 2021 on Saturday.won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with a 7-0 record.
- AU won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in 2019 with a 7-0 record (9-2 overall) and won the spring 2021 NACC South Division with a 3-0 record.
- The Spartans out-scored their opponents in 2019 494 to 225.
- The Spartan offense averaged 519.2 yards per game with 329.2 through the air and 190 yards on the ground.
- AU out-scored their opponents by an average of 49.2 to 25.1
- Defensively, AU allowed 359.2 yards per game.

Spartan Key Performers / Returners from 2019 - 
- Quarterback Gavin Zimbelman passed for 3,614 yards on 280-of-441 passing, 57 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
- Tight End Colton Jewell had 49 catches for 716 yards and nine touchdowns.
- Running back Tyran Bailey averaged 6.7 yards per carry and 98.8 yards per game with eight rushing touchdowns.
- Blake Martz had six sacks with a fumble recovery and 44 tackles.
- Robert Stark led AU with seven sacks while having a team high 11 tackles for loss.
- Sean Reyna had a team leading three interceptions with 43 tackles and one sack.

National Recognition: D3football.com released their 2021 Division III football preseason All-American teams with Aurora University senior quarterback Gavin Zimbelman and senior tight end Colton Jewell being recognized as the First-Team selections.

Jewell returns to the Spartans in 2021 after a strong 2019 season and the covid19 2020 season. Following the 2019 season, he was selected as a Second-Team All-American at tight end by D3football.com after having already been named First-Team All-Region from D3football.com and First-Team All-Conference by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Jewell caught 50 passes for 724 yards and nine touchdowns while helping the Spartan offensive that averaged 519.2 total yards per game, 190.0 yards rushing and 329.2 passing per game. 

Zimbelman continues to earn lofty honors at AU and nationally for his efforts on and off the gridiron. He was named the 2019-2020 AU Male Athlete of the Year which added the top AU athletic honor to a lengthy list of noteworthy accomplishments in 2019. He was selected as a 2019 Gagliardi Trophy Finalist, a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-America quarterback, D3football.com Honorable Mention All-American. a third-team all-region quarterback by D3football.com, the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Year and All-Conference. Zimbelman is the first Spartan to advance to the semifinal or final stage of the Gagliardi award process.

During the 2019 season, Zimbelman completed 280 of 441 passes for 3,614 yards with 57 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and ran for 414 yards and four touchdowns. He finished among the Division III national leaders in passing touchdowns (57), points responsible for (368), points responsible for per game (33.5), total offense (366.2 per game), passing yards (3,614), passing yards per game (328.5) and completions per game (25.45).

About the Saint John's University Johnnies –
- Saint John’s begins its 110th season Saturday. The game will be the Johnnies' first in 630 days and one of five at home out of the schedule's first six this fall. SJU (12-2, 7-1 MIAC) won a share of its MIAC-record 34th conference title and made its sixth consecutive postseason appearance (30th overall, 26th in Division III), advancing to the national semifinals, in 2019.

Johnnies to Watch - 

Saint John's University senior wide receiver Ravi Alston was named to the D3football.com Preseason All-America second team. 

He was named a preseason All-American by Lindy's magazine and the College Football America Yearbook earlier this summer for the second straight season, and was a D3football.com preseason All-America second-team pick in 2020.

An Associated Press All-American in 2019, Alston finished that season with 88 receptions for 1,444 yards and 13 touchdowns, including 36 catches for 554 yards and five touchdowns in SJU's four postseason games. The 1,444 receiving yards were third-most in Division III and fell 40 yards shy of the program's single-season record of 1,484 (Blake Elliott '03 in 2002).

Up Next for the Spartans - 
- The Spartans will again be on the road next week as they travel to Naperville, Illinois and take on No. 3 North Central College. Kick-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 11 in Naperville.