Nelson, Cronin, Gale earn IIAC Player of the Week honors
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Two days after Simpson pulled off a stunning 38-37 upset against No. 19 Wartburg, Storm football players swept the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Player of the Week honors.
Quarterback Taylor Nelson earned Athlete of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week honors, linebacker Mark Cronin was named Defensive Player of the Week and placekicker James Gale took home Special Teams Player of the Week.
Nelson, a sophomore from West Des Moines, Iowa, set an Iowa Conference record for completions in a game, going 38 of 59 for 358 yards and five touchdowns against the Knights. He orchestrated a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback, going 16-for-25 for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes. His five touchdowns were one shy of tying school and conference records.
Nelson surpassed the 300 yard passing for second game in a row and the second time this year as the Storm tallied their first win over Wartburg since 1997. The honor is Nelson's second of the season.
Cronin, a junior linebacker from Holstein, Iowa, anchored Simpson's defense with a career-high 13 tackles. He made one tackle for loss, helped out on a sack, forced a fumble and broke up two passes.
Cronin leads the team with 69 tackles this season, including four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Gale, a senior placekicker from Waukee, Iowa, made good on all five extra-point attempts in a game where the point-after try was anything but routine - Wartburg failed on three. His 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter brought Simpson within a touchdown.
Gale is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts this year including a long of 38 yards. He is 21-for-23 on extra points and has 117 points during his career.
