November 9th, 2024 4:30pm
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - In his final Key to the City game, Jarod Epperson made sure to keep the Key in-house, leading a 27-21 Augustana (8-2 overall, 8-1 NSIC) victory over Sioux Falls (7-3, 6-3) on Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
The win is the first home victory for Augustana over USF since 1986. The win also clinches at least a share of the NSIC title, becoming the first team since 1942 to repeat as conference champions.
Epperson ran wild, tallying a career-best 202 rushing yards while scoring two touchdowns for the fourth consecutive game. He was the one to put the game on ice, racking up 109 rushing yards in the fourth quarter alone to seal the victory. He also added a 75-yard reception for a career-high of 277 total yards.
Gunnar Hensley had another efficient outing for the Vikings, going 16 for 25 with 271 yards and a touchdown in the air. Jack Fisher led all receivers with 99 yards on six receptions. Isaiah Huber was stellar in the return game, taking three kickoffs for 66 yards and a pair of punts for 43 yards.
Kade Lynott led a defense full of outstanding performances with a career-day, resetting career-highs with 11 tackles, nine solo, and a pair of sacks while also breaking up a pass. Peyton Buckley led all players with a career-high 12 tackles, 11 solo, and Haden Wallace added the games only interception. The Vikings limited the Cougars to 117 yards on the ground, their 18th game in a row holding an opponent under their season rushing average.
The game opened with an offensive explosion. USF started with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown and gave them an early lead. That would get canceled out awfully quick as a 26-yard Huber kickoff return set the Vikings up at their own 38 and Epperson broke a tackle and bursted for a 62-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage to make it 7-7 in the first 4:35 of game time.
Although the offenses looked to expand on each start, the defenses dug in. The next nine drives resulted in punts leading up to an Augustana drive from their own 12-yard line with 1:55 left in the half.
After an incompletion on first down, Hensley and Epperson connected on a screen that saw Epperson catch it on the east side of the field and switch all the way to the right sideline, taking it 75 yards to the USF 13. Breylon Blount took the next play three yards before Hensley found Jacob Remmert in the end zone on second down to give AU its first lead of the day at 14-7 with 1:25 left in the half.
USF was unable to muster any offense before the half, leading to another Cougar punt, and Huber picked up seven yards on the return to give the Vikings favorable position again, this time at their own 45 with 53 seconds left.
Hensley hit Fisher for eight yards and then ran for six and a first down. A false start forced a Viking timeout and moved them back five yards before Hensley found Canyon Bauer near the east sideline to bring AU down to the USF 2. With little time remaining, the Vikings couldn't find the end zone. Jake Pecina split the uprights from 20-yards out as time expired to give AU a 17-7 lead into the locker room.
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