MARSHALL, Minn. – The No. 5/10 ranked Augustana University football team remained undefeated earning a 57-29 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
The Vikings improve to 8-0 overall, 7-0 NSIC, while the Mustangs drop to 1-7 overall, 1-6 NSIC.
 
Augustana held a 14-9 lead early in the second quarter before scoring three straight touchdowns in building a 35-9 halftime advantage.
 
SMSU put together a solid second half and closed the game with 464 yards of offense and 22 first downs. It was SMSU's first 400-plus yard game since the final game of the 2023 season. The 29 points was the highest total for the Mustangs since the 2022 season.
 
SMSU quarterback Macloud Crowton completed 27 of 53 pass attempts for 453 yards and three touchdowns. He is the first Mustang to pass for more than 400 yards since Blake Gimbel in 2018.
 
Colin Maher was Crowton's top target catching six passes for a career-high 159 yards and one touchdown. Maher is the first SMSU player since Daniel Davis in 2019 to close a game with more than 150 yards receiving.
 
Jake Anderson had six receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown, while Tryg Auten added four receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown.
 
Augustana finished the day with 450 yards on offense with 208 on the ground. Breylon Blount led the Vikings with 136 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
 
AU quarterback Rich Lucero Jr., passed for 221 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while completing 16 of 21 passes. Cody Oswald caught four passes for 74 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Josiah Hedensten led the Mustang defense with a game-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Parker Knutson had an interception for the Mustangs, his Division II leading seventh of the season.
 
AU opened the scoring on its first drive of the game with Blount scoring on a 1-yard run with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. SMSU answered on the ensuing drive with Crowton connecting on a 65-yard touchdown pass to Auten with 8:11 to cut the deficit to 7-6, following a blocked PAT.
 
Blount broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to give AU a 14-6 lead. SMSU once again countered with a scoring drive as Landon Hubbard booted a 28-yard field goal to trim the AU lead to 14-9 early in the second quarter.
 
AU used a 71-yard kickoff return moments later to help setup a six-play, 28-yard scoring drive capped by a Lucero Jr., 9-yard touchdown run. Following a SMSU punt, the Vikings made the score 28-9 with wide receiver Sam Scholten completing a jump-ball pass into the end zone on third-and-four for a 13-yard touchdown to Oswald.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, SMSU fumbled with AU recovering at the SMSU 34-yard line. Four plays later Oswald caught an 18-yard touchdown to build a 35-9 halftime lead.
 
Trailing 42-9 in the third quarter, SMSU's Tariq Parker scored his first career touchdown with an 8-yard touchdown run with 4:59 remaining. The drive was set-up by Knutson's seventh interception of the season and the 12^th of his career. He is one shy of the school career record of 13 held by Blaine Schnaible and Carl Douglas.
 
A snap out of the end zone gave Augustana a safety late in the third quarter and on its next drive Scholten caught a 63-yard touchdown pass on third-and-eight to make the score 51-16 lead.
 
Crowton completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Maher and a 5-yard touchdown pass to Anderson for SMSU's final two touchdowns. It was the first career touchdown reception for Anderson.
 
SMSU will return to the road next Saturday, Nov. 1, with a 12 p.m. match up versus Minnesota State.