The Vienna Vikings (3-0) put their unbeaten record on the line Saturday when they take on the Salzburg Ducks (0-1) at home in Vienna as the Austrian Football League enters its fourth weekend of play.
The Vikings are coming off an impressive 14-9 win over the defending champion Danube Dragons two weeks ago. They had opened the season with an 83-7 drubbing of the Telfs Patriots and followed that up by beating the Prague Black Panthers 28-22. Salzburg were defeated 20-17 by the Graz Giants in their lone outing this season.
Vikings quarterback Nico Hrouda threw for 177 yards and a touchdown against one interception in the win over Danube while running back Florian Wegan rushed for 93 yards and the other touchdown to pace Vienna. Wide receiver Fabian Eder hauled in six passes for a whopping 131 yards. The Vienna defense held the Dragons to 133 yards of total offense including just 31 yards rushing. Expect another strong performance on a Vienna squad that is determined to return to the championship game this year after losing the title by the narrowest of margins in 2023.
The Ducks rely heavily on their ground game as quarterback Kristopher Denton only threw for 115 yards in the loss to Graz. Running back Camron Madden led the charge rushing for 120 yards while Jan Wiesauer had nine carries for 107 yards and one touchdown and Denton 17 for 88 yards and a score.
This game will be decided in the trenches. If the Vienna front seven can control Salzburg’s rushing attack they will control the game.