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D2 playoffs: Augustana hosts Minnesota State-Mankato in rematch of NSIC powers

matt zimmer, the daily republic, mitchell, s.d.
·4 min read

Nov. 15—SIOUX FALLS — The last time Augustana faced MSU-Mankato they came away with one of the biggest wins in program history.

It was just a few weeks ago. Now they have to do it again.

The 16th-ranked Vikings, who won the NSIC football championship outright with a 10-1 regular season, host the 9-2 Mavericks in the first round of the Division II playoffs on Saturday at Jim Heinitz Field, a rematch from one month ago, when Augustana hammered Minnesota State 28-10.

Both teams were undefeated at the time, but the Mavericks were ranked 3rd in the country and had won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Vikings. Augie's convincing win, coupled with last week's 38-19 win over Bemidji State, enabled the Vikings to take the outright NSIC title, but now to advance in the playoffs they'll have to beat the Mavericks (ranked 17th this week) again. That obviously won't be easy.

"We know they're gonna be hungry for another shot at us," said Vikings linebacker Haden Wallace. "We'll be prepared to get their best. It should be fun. We play them every year. We know what to expect. We're very familiar with them and they're very familiar with us."

The Vikings have been in this situation before. In 2021, their last time in the playoffs, they hosted Bemidji State, a team they'd routed in the regular season, 52-24. The Beavers came back to avenge that loss in the first round of the playoffs in Sioux Falls. There are several Vikings who were around for that one, and they know how hard it is to beat a playoff-caliber team twice in one season.

"I'm sure they'll have a good plan and probably be really motivated," said Vikings safety Peyton Buckley. "It'll come down to who executes and comes out ready. It's really tough to beat a good team twice but we talk a lot about how we are our biggest opponent. If we play to our standard I think we'll be in good shape."

The Vikings pushed the Mavericks around in their prior meeting, holding them to just 295 yards of offense and limiting a dominant ground attack to just 114 yards on 38 attempts. MSU was just 2-of-13 on 3rd downs in the game and punted seven times.

"Obviously, we didn't do well the last time we played them," Mavericks coach Todd Hoffner told the Mankato Free Press this week. "We need to look back and see what we did. It's hard to find any weakness in (Augustana's) defense, and offensively, they're very explosive. We'll have to play our best if we want to compete."

The Vikings are undefeated at home this year, and hosting just the third home playoff game in program history. Their last playoff win came in 2010, when they routed Grand Valley State in the second round before falling to eventual national champion Minnesota Duluth. That was the only season before this year in which the Vikings won 10 or more games. A win Saturday would equal the school record of 11 set that year.

The Vikings enter the game averaging 33 points and allowing an average of 16. Jarod Epperson has rushed for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns while Casey Bauman has thrown for 2,391 yards and 24 touchdown passes. His top targets are Devon Jones, Jack Fisher, Logan Uttecht and Epperson, who each have between 25 and 33 catches. Buckley has 68 tackles to lead a defense that has 23 total sacks and 10 interceptions. On special teams, Jake Pecina is 9-for-10 on field goals, Avery Book leads the NSIC with 44.3 yards per punt, Jones averages 19.2 yards on punt returns (with two scores) and Isaiah Huber averages 28.8 on kick returns, with a touchdown.

The Mavs are led by running back Shen Butler-Lawson's 1,412 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Hayden Ekern has 21 touchdown passes.

If there's one area where the Mavs have an advantage over the Vikings it's playoff experience. Hoffner has taken Minnesota State to the national championship game twice, finishing as runner-up in 2014 and 2019. They have 11 playoff wins since 2014.

The winner of Saturday's game gets top-seed and top-ranked Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers have a first-round bye coming off an 82-0 win over Fort Lewis in their regular season finale. The Vikings would love a shot at them.

"It's a new season and right now our focus is on winning one game," Uttecht said. "For the seniors who haven't won a playoff game, this is our last chance and it means a lot. If we do our job we're gonna have a chance to challenge new teams."