Vikings pull away from Simpson in second half

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College football team dropped its season opener to Augustana by a score of 49-27 on Saturday evening at Buxton Stadium.

The Storm (0-1) got out to a solid start and led 7-0 after one quarter, but Augustana (1-0) scored 21 points in each of the second and third frames to pull away for the win.

TURNING POINT
An 11-yard touchdown pass from J Jensen III to Tristan Bushey placed the score at 14-13 Augustana with just over three minutes left in the first half. The two squads then traded punts, but a personal foul by the Storm on their own gave the Vikings the ball on the home 36-yard line with seven seconds left. A successful hail mary attempt gave the visitors an eight-point lead and the momentum coming out of the break.

SCORING SUMMARY

• Simpson scored a touchdown on its first possession of the 2023 season as Jensen connected with Reed Worth for a 16-yard score.
• Augustana managed to tie the game early in the second quarter when Ben Ludlum finished off an 11-play, 69-yard drive with a one-yard rush into the endzone.
• The Vikings scored again on their next possession, this time on a 38-yard pass from Cole Bhardwaj to Ian Gorken.
• Set up by long receptions by Tim Wilburn and Cole Staska, Simpson pulled within one with an 87-yard drive capped off with a Bushey touchdown. The Storm missed the extra point, however, leaving the score at 14-13 with 3:23 left in the half.
• Augustana took advantage of a personal foul penalty by Simpson's punt unit and capitalized on a 36-yard hail mary pass from Bhardwaj to Jordan Vesey as the half expired.
• The Vikings scored three rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away from the Storm for good. Tyler Rivelli was responsible for two of those scores, including a 50-yard touchdown run on his first rush of the half.
• Following an Augustana pick six, Jensen rebounded with a pair of touchdown strikes to Staska and Worth. Staska hauled in a six-yard pass after a big reception by Wilburn put the Storm in Vikings territory, and Worth scored from 20 yards out on a drive that Jensen went 7 for 7.

TOP CONTRIBUTORS

• J Jensen III - 400 pass yards, 4 TDs
• Cole Staska - 122 rec yards, 1 TD
• Reed Worth - 114 rec yards, 2 TDs
• CJ Hangartner - 9 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 pass breakup
• Eldred Boria - 7 tackles
• Payton Betts - 5 tackles, 2 pass breakups

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Simpson compiled 448 yards of total offense compared to Augustana's 367. The Storm finished the game with a 400-187 edge in passing yards but struggled rushing the ball as the Vikings out-rushed the home team 180-48.

NOTES

• The game was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
• This was Jensen's second time reaching the 400 passing yard threshold in his career. With his 400 yards, he leaped two spots on the all-time career passing yards leaderboard, now sitting in eighth position with 3,464 yards.
• Picking up where he left off last season, Worth tallied his seventh career game with multiple receiving touchdowns. He ranks fourth all-time with 2,219 receiving yards.

UP NEXT
Simpson hits the road to face Crown in more nonconference action.