SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana football team used a strong defensive effort to knock off Northern State 27-14 on Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.

The Vikings move to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in the NSIC while the Wolves fall to 6-3, 5-3. With the win, AU moves within a win of clinching at least a share of a third consecutive NSIC title.

Entering the game averaging over 240 yards per game on the ground, the NSU offense struggled against the front seven of the Vikings. AU held NSU to just 129 rushing yards on 31 carries while holding the NSIC's second-leading rusher Wyatt Block to just 76 yards on the ground, snapping a five-game stretch of over 100 yards rushing. 

Zachary Richardson tallied a team-high seven tackles, including three for loss and forced a hurry. Alex Belongia had his first career interception while four other Vikings recorded a pass breakup. 

Breylon Blount totaled 183 yards on 23 touches, including 153 yards and 8.1 yards per carry. Rich Lucero Jr. threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the air while completing 20 of 31 passes. The offense totaled 409 yards on the day, its sixth game on the year and third in a row with over 400 total yards.

After AU deferred the coin toss and NSU opened on offense, the first three drives ended in punts before a shanked punt set the Vikings up at the NSU49 with 11:22 to play in the first quarter. After six plays that included a 21-yard run from Grand, Pecina drilled a 46-yard field goal to open the scoring with 8:50 to play in the quarter. 

That would be the lone first quarter score as each defense made plays to keep the game within three points. The Vikings took their longest drive of the day into the second quarter, marching down the field before Lucero connected with Cody Oswald for a seven-yard touchdown pass, capping a 10-play, 87-yard drive to take a 10-0 lead with 12:29 left in the half. 

A 49-yard field goal off the foot of Pecina made it 13-0 with 8:05 to go in the first half and NSU followed with a touchdown to cut its deficit to 13-7 at the half. The Vikings fumbled to open the second half but Belongia's interception on the next drive set them up at their own 41 and gave the offense another chance. 

Blount ran for three yards before Lucero hit Oswald for nine yards and a first down. A two-yard catch from Blount would be followed by his own nine-yard rush for another AU first down at the NSU36. An unsportsmanlike penalty on a would-be third and long gave the Vikings a free first down and, three plays later, Mack Molander punched in a touchdown from six yards out to grow the lead back at 20-7 with 6:53 to go in the third quarter. 

The next three drives closed with punts to give the Vikings the ball at the AU38. Blount picked up 11 yards on two carries to get the Vikings near midfield. Lucero would hit Neal May for five yards, Blount picked up three yards on the ground and Lucero took a carry up the middle for three yards and another AU first down. 

Two plays later, Blount sprung free for 34 yards to get the Vikings inside the one and, three plays later, Lucero found Will Lynch for his first career touchdown to close the Viking scoring with just under nine minutes to play. NSU tallied a big chunk of their total yardage on a 10-play, 95-yard touchdown drive with under two minutes to play to bring the game to its final score. 

The Vikings close their regular-season home slate a week from today, hosting Minnesota State for Senior Day at 1 p.m. at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.