SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State football team closed its season on Saturday afternoon suffering a 55-0 loss to No. 25 Augustana University at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
The loss was the sixth straight for SMSU as it ends the season with a 2-9 overall record, including 1-5 in NSIC South Division play. Augustana, ranked No. 3 in this week's NCAA Super Region 4 rankings, claimed its first conference championship since the 1959 season. The Vikings will receive a bid to the NCAA playoffs when the bracket is announced on Sunday.
Augustana, with one of the top defensive units in the country, showed why on Saturday limiting SMSU to a season-low 208 yards of offense, including minus-19 yards rushing.
Augustana closed the game with 573 yards on offense with 275 yards on the ground.
Onte Burns led the Mustang defense with a game-high 11 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He finished the season leading the NSIC in tackles for the second straight season.
Gage Roberson chipped in with nine tackles with one for loss.
SMSU's
Andrew Haidet completed 16 of 30 passes for 147 yards and was intercepted once.
Steven Nava completed 7 of 15 pass attempts for 80 yards and was intercepted once.
Paddy Devlin was the team's top target with five receptions for 80 yards.
Donald Austin rushed six times for a team-high nine yards and caught three passes for 47 yards for the Mustangs.
The Vikings scored on their first drive of the game to take a 7-0 advantage and then recovered an Austin fumble on SMSU's second drive of the game at the SMSU 38-yard line. Kyle Saddler, who finished the game passing for 273 yards and three touchdowns, threw his first touchdown pass of the game with 9:01 left in the opening quarter to make the score 14-0.
Augustana added to the lead later in the quarter as SMSU's
Adihia Bell mishandled an Augustana punt and the Vikings' Lincoln Boetel recovered in the end zone for a 21-0 lead. Saddler would add a 2-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to make the score 28-0.
The Vikings would score two more touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 42-0 halftime lead.
SMSU moved the ball three times inside the Augustana 30-yard line but failed to score as it was shutout for the second straight game. It was the first time SMSU has been shutout in back-to-back games since 1979.
Today's game was the final for 14 SMSU seniors in the Brown and Gold.
