Sioux Falls, S.D. – Kyle McMahon put his hands on his hips and walked slowly back to the Grand Valley State University sideline after throwing the second of four interceptions.

There was not much else the senior quarterback could do in a game where everything went wrong for the Lakers.

Three touchdown catches by Augustana College wide receiver Tyler Schulte lifted the No. 9 Vikings to a 38-6 victory against sixth-ranked GVSU Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.

The Lakers (11-2) turned the ball over six times, committed nine penalties and struggled to establish an offense on the way to the team’s largest margin of defeat since 1999.

“Lot of credit goes to Augustana,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “Their defense was as advertised, and we struggled with our offense versus their defense. We had too many miscues. Too many penalties; too many turnovers. Too many things that will cost you games, and when it’s this type of playoffs, that stuff happens.”

Augustana quarterback Josh Hanson returned from an injury sustained earlier in the season, and with him, the Vikings’ offense jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead. Hanson completed 9-of-16 passes for 87 yards with the three touchdowns to Schulte, while also compiling 82 yards rushing on 20 attempts.

“It was great to get Josh back in the lineup,” said Augustana head coach Mike Aldrich. “I thought he did a great job of managing the game for us. He made a lot of very smart checks, put us in the right things.”

Augustana totaled 355 yards of total offense, 268 yards of which came on the ground.

Meanwhile, GVSU’s offense floundered. The Lakers tallied 335 yards of total offense but rushed for only 133 yards – 90 yards below their season average.

McMahon completed 16-of-35 passes for 202 yards but tossed the four interceptions. He also accounted for one of the team’s two fumbles. GVSU’s lone touchdown came on an 87-yard kickoff return by sophomore Chris Crawford in the third quarter. The resulting extra point was blocked.

“They played us really hard,” said McMahon. “They got a lot of talented guys on their team. We all just played poorly, especially myself. You can’t turn the ball over five times and expect to win.

“As the person who runs the offense, I know that I kind of let the team down in a big sense.”

Following McMahon’s fumble on GVSU’s second drive of the game, Augustana took the lead on a 40-yard field goal by Drew Behrens with 3:45 to play in the opening quarter and never looked back.

The Lakers drove deep into Augustana territory multiple times but turnovers stopped the offense. Senior running back Justin Sherrod lost a fumble in the second quarter, and GVSU failed to convert on a fake field goal on 4th-and-7 in the third quarter.

Schulte’s touchdowns of 14 yards, 18 yards and 19 yards came in the first, second and third quarters, respectively. Defensive lineman Eric Bergman returned a McMahon interception 25 yards for a score in the second quarter.

GVSU’s offense finally reached the end zone in the fourth quarter, but offensive pass interference negated McMahon’s 7-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver Israel Woolfork. On the following play, linebacker Andrew Keel intercepted McMahon’s pass.

Augustana (11-1) advances to face the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

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SCORING SUMMARY

Augustana College 38, Grand Valley State University 7

AUGIE 10 14 7 7 – 38
GVSU 0 0 6 0 – 6

First Quarter
3:45 AUGIE – Drew Behrens 40 yd field goal (Behrens kick)
0:52 AUGIE – Tyler Schulte 14 yd pass from Josh Hanson (Behrens kick)
Second Quarter
10:42 AUGIE – Schulte 18 yd pass from Hanson (Behrens kick)
2:24 AUGIE – Eric Bergman 25 yd interception return (Behrens kick)
Third Quarter
2:45 AUGIE – Schulte 19 yd pass from Hanson (Behrens kick)
2:33 GVSU – Chris Crawford 87 yd kickoff return (Luke Briggs kick blocked)
Fourth Quarter
11:51 AUGIE – Joe Clark 13 yd run (Behrens kick)