MARSHALL, Minn. - The Augustana offense flexed once more on Saturday afternoon, knocking off Southwest Minnesota State 57-29 on Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center.

The point total is the most for an Augustana offense since scoring 63 points on November 5th, 2016 against Concordia-St. Paul. The win moves Augustana to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the NSIC while the Mustangs fall to 1-7, 1-6.

Breylon Blount ran for 136 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns while Cody Oswald added three touchdowns on four catches and 74 yards. Rich Lucero Jr. went 16 for 21 for 221 yards and three touchdowns while throwing an interception. Isaiah Huber sprung a 71-yard return as well to help him reach 120 all-purpose yards. Sam Scholten threw for and caught a touchdown, the first time a player had done each since Gunnar Hensley and Jack Fisher each did it against Northern State last season.

Logan Leonard continued his stellar season with four pass breakups to go with two tackles. Ashton Toll led the defense with six tackles, including a sack, while Brock Salm added five tackles. Gradee Sherman recorded a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss while the Viking defense got to the Mustangs for six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. 

The Viking defense forced a punt and the offense picked up where they left off before the bye, taking advantage of a short field and moved 41 yards into the end zone on a Blount one-yard rush to open the scoring. The Mustangs came right back down the field to score a touchdown but Sherman blocked the extra point to keep AU in front 7-6 with 8:03 remaining in the first quarter. 

After a pair of punts, Blount got to work to add to the Viking lead. A four-yard rush and eight-yard rush gave the Vikings a first down before a 58-yard scamper made it 14-6 with 2:38 left in the quarter. 

A nine-play, 64-yard drive in the second quarter ended with an SMSU field goal to bring them within 14-9 with 13:44 left. Huber ran free for 71 yards on the ensuing return and six plays later, Lucero put the moves on for a nine-yard touchdown rush to go up 21-9. 

After another Mustang punt that Neal May returned for 12 yards to the AU47, Lucero hit Jaxon Haynes for 21 yards and Max Grand had a seven-yard rush to set the Vikings up at the SMSU25. Facing a 3rd-and-1, Grand pounded ahead for five yards and a first down. On 3rd-and-4 three plays later, Sam Scholten threw an end around pass up for grabs, finding the hands of Oswald for a 13-yard touchdown to put the Vikings in front 28-9. 

The ensuing kickoff would get muffed by the Mustangs and Detert ended up scooping up the live ball to set AU up again at the SMSU34. It took four plays for Lucero to find Oswald in the end zone from 18 yards out to make it 35-9 into the half. 

The Vikings got the ball to open the second half and moved quickly, going 64 yards in five plays and 2:04 of gametime. After Lucero found Huber for 16 yards and a first down, Oswald found the end zone for the third time, this time from 45 yards out to put the Vikings in front 42-9. 

A defensive stand on fourth down was followed by a Lucero interception and the Mustangs cashed in with a seven-play, 62-yard drive to make it 42-16 with 4:46 left in the third quarter. A punt and safety from AU added a pair to their point total and Lucero connected from 63 yards out with Scholten to put the Vikings in front 51-16 into the fourth quarter. 

SMSU scored a pair of touchdowns to cut its deficit to 51-29 in the fourth quarter. With 2:06 remaining, Molander took a broken play into the end zone from 12 yards out to bring the game to its final score. 

Augustana begins a three-game stretch against some of the top teams in the NSIC next Saturday, hosting Northern State on Saturday at 1 p.m.