Jergens scores three TDs in win over River Falls

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Davey Jergens scored three touchdowns, Jordan Beem ran for 121 yards and Simpson beat Wisconsin-River Falls 28-21 to start the 2015 season Saturday.

Jergens broke a 21-21 tie with a 56-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, completing a highlight-reel day for the sophomore. He got the scoring started with a 2-yard run in second quarter and caught a 63-yarder later in the first half.

With the win, the Storm (1-0) improved to 4-0 all-time against River Falls and snapped a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season.

"It's been a long time since I walked into the locker room and saw those smiling faces," head coach Jim Glogowski said. "That was awesome."

Simpson's ground game was a big reason for the smiles. Led by a career-best effort by Beem, the Storm racked up 210 yards on the ground. Jergens provided a perfect compliment to Beem's consistent performance, hitting the seams created by the offensive line for big gains.

"Davey gives us a different dimension," Glogowksi said. "He runs the ball well in space."

With the exception of a 63-yard Rance Ashley TD run, the defense held River Falls in check. The Falcons (0-1) managed just 267 total yards and dynamic quarter Ryan Kusilek was held to 125 yards passing. Ashley led the way with 92 yards and three TDs.

Simpson rotated quarterbacks Caleb Frye and Sammy Sasso throughout the day. Frye got a majority of the snaps, throwing for 82 yards on 9 of 15 passing with one INT. Sasso completed just one pass in four tries, but the catch was 63-yard TD to Jergens that give Simpson a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

Simpson led 21-14 in the fourth when Ashley completed his second long scoring run of the day, a 36-yarder with 8:38 left. It took just three plays for Jergens to give the lead back to Simpson, and the offensive line took care of the rest.

After a three-and-out, Simpson held the ball for 12 plays, chewing up the final 5:38. The Storm out-gained the Falcons 142-78 in the fourth quarter alone, eliminating any chance of a late comeback.

"I thought at the end of the game we wore them down, and that was good to see," Glogowski said.

Michael Pavon led the defense with nine tackles and Isaac Frazier had three tackles for loss to go along with 1.5 sacks.

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Simpson is off next week, then heads to Bloomington, Ill. to take on Illinois Wesleyan on Sept. 19.