VALLEY CITY, ND  (NewsDakota.com)  Valley City State’s offense has had better days.

Far better.

The Vikings managed just six yards rushing and barely clipped the century mark in total offense Saturday, suffering a 19-8 homecoming loss to Dakota State at Lokken Stadium in Valley City.

Dakota State, who lost their starting quarterback a week ago, used freshman starter A. J. Donavon, a powerful rushing game, and a stout defense to rattle the Vikings from start to finish.

Viking quarterback Noah Chambers, brilliant two weeks ago at Augsburg, finished 19-28 for 170 yards, finding Dom Sotomayer at the end of the game for the lone Vikings scoring, a touchdown pass from seven yards out.

But the game was well in hand by that point.

Trojan runningback Tyce Ortman carried 30 times for 160 yards, while Donavon completed 16 of 27 passes, routinely feeling clean pockets against Viking blitzes, as Valley City State struggled to apply pressure all day.

Key moments for Donavon were found late in the second quarter, as he engineered a 78-yard scoring drive in just 2:06, finding Melek Ford for an eight-yard scoring strike with just eight seconds left before halftime, delivering the Trojans a 14-0 lead at the break.

A punt snap over Viking punter Jim Miller led to a Trojan safety in the third quarter, and Carson Sauseda hit a 43-yard field goal with 5:27 left to play, effectively sealing the game.

Viking safety Gavin Gerhardt provided a bright spot for the Vikings with an interception and nine tackles, leading to his team leading 30 tackles through three games.

The Vikings travel to Mayville State September 28th.