Coming off a 38-6 thumping of Grand Valley State University, it seemed Augustana was ready for another thrilling game when junior Zac Kallas intercepted University of Minnesota-Duluth's sophomore quarterback Chase Vogler's pass on the first drive.

After a 38-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Josh Hanson to senior Tyler Schulte, that confidence seemed to swell within the hearts of Augustana's football team. 

From there, however, the game went downhill. 

Sophomore Drew Behrens missed the extra-point, and UMD seemed to discover that the run defense of Augustana wasn't as stout as in the regular season. 

Senior Brian Hanson rushed for 124 yards in the game, while senior Brad Voss and Volger combined for 126 yards.

The Vikings nearly mustered a comeback in the second half, as they closed the game to within nine points off of a touchdown run by senior Joe Clark.

But a fumble by Hanson late in the fourth quarter ended any hopes of a last-minute win, finalizing the score at 24-13.

"Our defense really did a great job in the second half of getting us the ball back and holding them to just three points for the whole half," said Hanson. "But on offense, we just didn't get it done. We couldn't get that one to make it a one-score game."

Even with that rushing attack, though, head coach Mike Aldrich wasn't ready to yield to the Bulldogs, as he maintained even after the game that the few missed opportunities here and there would have changed the outcome of the game.

"They played very well.  They deserve to be the No. 1 team in the nation and they deserved to win," Aldrich said.  "We played with them, but we're not making any excuses for the loss. We got beat by a better team today."

That no-excuses attitude will drive Augustana through the offseason, as they prepare for January workouts, spring football and summer conditioning before they will look to contend, once again, for the national championship.

As their season came to an end, however, 13 players wore the Vikings jersey for the final time. An era that has seen Augustana rise from 4-7 to 11-2 in just five years, will be ending.

This year's seniors include Eric Ellingworth, Clark, Schulte, Adam Diamond, Diego Oquendo, Micah Nordin, Chris Janisch, Ryan Isaacson, Andrew Keel, Dan Schoen, James Franken, Brady MacIver and Eric Bergman.

"It was a great four years," Isaacson said.  "We've come a long way since being here, and it was a great ride.  You can't hang your head after this season, and you have to just wish those guys who will be back the best for next year."

The Vikings achieved a number of feats this season:

Clark broke the school rushing record as well as rushing for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. 

Schulte caught 18 touchdowns this season, breaking the former record of 16.

Three players, Schoen, Clark and Janisch were named to the All-Region team.

Schoen was named an Academic All-American.

17 Vikings were named All-NSIC.

The 11-2 record is the best all-time.

Aldrich was recently named the Region 5 Division II Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.