Preview: Storm host Buena Vista to close home schedule
The Simpson Storm football team hosts the Buena Vista Beavers for Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 28. Kickoff is set or 1 p.m. from Buxton Stadium in Indianola.
The Storm (4-4, 3-3 Iowa Conference) fell to .500 on the season after a tough 28-27 overtime loss at Dubuque last week. The Beavers (3-4, 2-3) suffered a similar fate with a 14-13 loss against Nebraska Wesleyan.
Twenty senior football players along with senior athletic trainers, cheerleaders, dancers and pep band members will be recognized in a ceremony prior to kickoff. The ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the football team.
Gameday Coverage
Video Stream: SimpsonAthletics.com
Video Talent: Todd Guessford (play-by-play), Tim Lone (analyst)
Radio: KNIA 1320 AM/95.3 FM and KNIAKRLS.com
Radio Talent: Andrew Swadner (play-by-play), Rick Wilson (analyst)
Live Stats: SimpsonAthletics.com
Watch the Storm from your living room - without a computer
The Iowa Conference has partnered with Stretch Internet to create a free app available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Users can access the content simply by searching for "Iowa Conferene" on the app interfaces on any of the compatible devices, and then downloading the free app. Simpson home games along with contests at fellow Stretch users Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Dubuque, Luther and Nebraska Wesleyan will be available. Games played at Loras and Wartburg will not. View the story posted by the IIAC to learn more.
Quick Hits
• Saturday's matchup pits the Iowa Conference's No. 1 passing offense against the league's top pass defense. Buena Vista leads the conference with 338.6 passing yards per game while the Storm hold opponents to a league-low 201.
• With 10 receptions in last week's loss at Dubuque, Jackson Redmond moved into sixth place on the Storm's all-time receptions list with 132, passing Jesse Von Behren (127 from 19999-02). He is just two receptions behind Trent Kain (2004-07) to move into the top five. His 1,766 career receiving yards are eighth all-time.
• In the last three seasons, Simpson has eclipsed 500 yards of total offense twice, but both have been in losing efforts. The most recent was last week when the Storm racked up 543 yards in a 28-27, overtime loss to Dubuque. Prior to that, Simpson amassed 567 yards of offense in a wild 51-45 loss to Wartburg on Nov. 7, 2015.
• With 14 takeaways through eight games, Simpson is on pace to record the most takeaways in the last 12 seasons. Since creating 25 turnovers in 2005, the Storm have never had more than 18 in a year, a mark reached in 2014, 2007 and 2006. Simpson's 10 interceptions are the most since also recording 10 in 2008.
• Listed at No. 2 on the running back depth chart for the first half of the season, junior Cam Bunting has transformed into a feature back in Simpson's offense, breaking the 100-yard mark in four of the last five games. After setting a career-high with 177 yards last week, Bunting is now averaging 127 over the last five games. He averaged just 48.3 in the first three games.
• Safety Ryan Lehr leads the team with four INTs this season and earlier this year set the school single-season record for interception return yards with 162. He passed the mark of 154 set by John Wolfe in 2008. He already ranks third in school history with 204 interception return yards in his career, behind Kyle Westphal (246 from 2001-04) and Larry Allen (235 from 1983-85).
• Lockdown cornerback Prince Krah was held without a pass breakup for the first time in 2017 last week, but is still among the nation's leaders in passes defended with 14 (24th). His 12 pass breakups are the most by a Simpson player since 2004 and rank fourth on the Storm's single-season list.
A look at the Beavers
Buena Vista has been putting up impressive passing numbers in their first season under new head coach Grant Mollring, leading the league with 338.6 passing yards per game. Piloting the offense is junior Cole Miller, who has thrown for 2,200 yards and 15 TDs on the year. His favorite target is senior TJ Lint, who leads the league with 812 yards receiving. Lint is one of just three players in the IIAC to average more than 100 yards per game, as he hauls in 7.4 catches per contest. While the offense has put up big numbers, the defense has been susceptible to big games. Teams have put up 30-more-more points in 5 of 7 games against the Beavers, who rank last in the league in scoring defense (40.6 ppg) and total defense (502.1 ypg).
The Series
Saturday marks the 72nd meeting between Simpson and Buena Vista in a series that dates back to 1927. Simpson leads the all-time series 37-33-1 and has won the last two games, including a 17-9 win last season in Storm Lake. Since the turn of the century the teams have played seven games decided by seven points or less, six of which have come down to a play in the final 60 seconds. Buena Vista has won the last three games that have come down to the wire.
2012: Buena Vista 29, Simpson 27 (Storm miss 35-yard FG with 7 seconds left)
2013: Buena Vista 34, Simpson 32 (Beavers run in for game-winning TD as time expires)
2014: Buena Vista 38, Simpson 31 (Storm's potential game-winning drive stopped by an INT with 35 seconds left)
Watch the Storm in HD
Storm video streaming has gone high-definition! A new addition in the spring of 2017, Storm football fans can experience all six home game in HD for the first time this season. Veteran broadcaster Todd Guessford has the call alongside analyst Paul Davis, former defensive line coach for the Storm. Former Simpson offensive lineman and assistant coach Tim Lone will sit in for Coach D in the final home game of the season, Saturday, Oct. 28 against Buena Vista. Pregame begins at 12:15 p.m.
On the Air
Back again this season, all Simpson football games can be heard on KNIA 1320 AM/95.3 FM and online at KNIAKRLS.com. You can also download the KNIA app on iTunes and Google's Play Store. Andrew Swadner will have the call with Rick Wilson providing the color commentary.
