Sioux Falls Rebounds in Marshall, Augie Dominates C-SP at Home

It was a big weekend for both the Sioux Falls Cougars and the Augustana Vikings.

Sioux Falls was in search of its first win in four weeks after three straight losses, while Augie looked to remain undefeated with a home contest.

Both teams answered the call Saturday, with USF dominating to the tune of a 35-14 road win in Marshall, while Augie soared in a 50-10 home win over C-SP.

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Per USFCougars.com:

Marshall, Minn. – The University of Sioux Falls football team (4-3, 3-3 NSIC) put together one of its most complete performances of the season tonight, powering past Southwest Minnesota State (1-5, 1-5 NSIC) with a 35-14 road victory at Mattke Field inside the Schwan Regional Event Center.

Fast Start

After an early turnover on the opening drive, the Cougars quickly found their rhythm. Redshirt-freshman quarterback Tate Schafer capped a four-play, 57-yard drive with an eight-yard rushing touchdown midway through the first quarter to give USF a 7-0 lead.

Offensive Fireworks

In the second quarter, Schafer connected with Adonis Hutchinson for a 24-yard touchdown strike to extend the lead to 14-0. Hutchinson wasn't done—after an SMSU score, the junior wideout added another highlight-reel moment with an 85-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, marking his second score of the day and his longest catch of the season.

Christian Janis also joined the scoring column late in the second quarter, hauling in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Schafer with 18 seconds left in the half to give the Cougars a 21-6 advantage at the break.

Schafer accounted for five total touchdowns—throwing for three and rushing for two—while completing 21-of-34 passes for 384 yards and adding 70 yards on the ground.

Balanced Attack

USF dominated on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Mustangs 618–245 in total offense and controlling possession for nearly 40 minutes.

The Cougars rushed for 234 yards behind Bubba Tann III's 108-yard effort on 19 carries, while Jordan Smith added 69 yards on 12 attempts.

Hutchinson led the receiving corps with seven catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns, while Janis added 49 yards and a score. Hank Brown Jr. contributed six receptions for 59 yards, and Dahlton Wood added a 20-yard grab to move the chains.

Defensive Dominance

The Cougars' defensive front was relentless, holding SMSU to negative seven rushing yards and just 245 total yards of offense. Mouhamed Diawara led the charge with two sacks and two tackles for loss, while Dawson Raabe added a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss of his own.

Dalton Reiff also recorded a sack as USF's defense notched four total on the day.

Up Next

The Cougars enter their bye week and will hit the road October 25th to take on Minot State before returning home November 1st to host Winona State.

Per GoAugie.com:

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana football team totaled a season-high 581 yards in a 50-10 offensive outburst over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium. 

It was the Vikings' (7-0 overall, 6-0 NSIC) highest yardage total since 2019 and the most points they have scored since the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division II Playoffs. They also outgained the Golden Bears (1-6, 1-5) 306-207 on the ground, the most rushing yards for the Vikings since 2012. 

In his first home start, Rich Lucero Jr. was efficient again, going 21 of 28 for 256 yards and three touchdowns while adding a touchdown on the ground. Mack Molander also saw snaps under center, running for 93 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. Breylon Blount had 172 total yards on 19 touches and Isaiah Huber had eight catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. 

The defense allowed just 87 yards in the air as Logan Leonard led the way with an interception and a tackle. TJ Murray had a team-high five tackles and an interceptions while Kael Ryan and Ashton Toll had five tackles apiece. Ryan also forced a fumble. A trio of freshmen tallied four tackles as redshirt freshman Camron Maciejewski (A QB Hurry), true freshmen Marcus Vinson Jr. (1.0 TFL) and Brody Shuss each contributed defensively.

The Vikings will have a week off before heading to Marshall, Minnesota on Oct. 25 to take on Southwest Minnesota State. 

Sources: USF Cougars and GoAugie.com