Box Score
Behind a bruising running game and a dominating defense, Augustana shut down Southwest Minnesota State, 29-7, Saturday night at the Regional Events Center in Marshall, Minn.
Augustana improved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference following its 12th-straight win over the Mustangs, while SMSU slipped to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in the NSIC.
The Vikings never let the high-powered Mustang offense get going. SMSU entered the contest ranked third in the nation in scoring and sixth in passing at 42.3 points and 331.2 yards through the air. However, the Vikings limited the Mustangs to just 160 total yards, including 136 yards passing.
While the Vikings' rushing attack, which amassed 254 yards, kept the Mustangs on the sidelines, Augustana's defense made sure SMSU's wasn't on the field for very long. Of the Mustangs' 9 drives, 7 lasted 5 plays or less, including 5 3-and-outs.
Meanwhile, all but 2 of Augustana's drives lasted at least 6 plays. The Vikings rolled up 406 total yards, the third time this season Augie has eclipsed 400 yards, and held onto the ball for 36:24.
Joe Clark did most of the damage on the ground. The junior carried the ball 29 times for a season-high 177 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also caught 2 passes for 11 yards as he single-handedly outgained SMSU.
Augustana staked itself to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter by scoring on its second and third drives. Clark capped a 6-play, 58-yard with an 8-yard run with 5:58 left in the quarter. Andrew Behrens missed the PAT, leaving the score 6-0.
Luke Butler made it a 13-0 game with 36 seconds left in the stanza when he plunged in from 3 yards out to culminate an 8-play, 63-yard drive.
Southwest Minnesota State had a chance to score midway through the second quarter. The Mustangs marched down the field to the Viking 15. However,
Zac Kallas intercepted a Ryan Ratekin pass in the end zone to squelch the drive.
The Mustangs got their only points of the game midway through the third quarter when Gannon Moore scored from 2 yards out with 5:25 left in the period to cap a 71-yard drive that took just 5 plays. That made the score 13-7.
Augustana controlled the game for the final 20 minutes as the Vikings scored 16 unanswered points. Augustana took the ensuing kickoff and marched 57 yards for a score. Clark scampered in from 3 yards out to push the lead to 19-7.
Following a 3-and-out drive by the Mustangs, the Vikings put together another scoring drive. Clark scored his third touchdown on a 2-yard run with 9:00 to play. The Vikings missed the 2-point conversion to make the score 26-7.
After another 3-and-out, Augustana's offense was back in business. The Vikings drove 45 yards on 12 plays, chewing up 6:55 on the clock. Behrens kicked a 24-yard field goal with 33 seconds left in the game to secure the win.
In the fourth quarter alone, Augustana gained 114 yards, including 98 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, SMSU ran just 7 plays and lost 10 yards. The Vikings owned the ball for 11:54.
In addition to Clark's 177 yards, his seventh career 100-yard game and third of the season,
Nate Mahone rushed for 65 yards on 17 carries. Butler was an efficient 11-of-19 passing for 152 yards.
Tyler Schulte and
Joe Klumper each caught 3 passes for 59 and 44 yards, respectively.
Defensively,
Brandon McMichael had a team-high 5 tackles. The Vikings sacked Ratekin 2 times, once by
Andrew Keel and once by
Eric Bergman. The Vikings now have 17 sacks on the season, including 4.5 by Bergman.
Ratekin was just 17-of-35 passing for 136 yards and 1 interception. Zach Wysong, SMSU's career rushing leader, was held to just 32 yards. Blake Wilson caught 6 passes for 58 yards.
Augustana, which is now 2-2 on the road, returns home next week for a Viking Days matchup against Upper Iowa University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
