Posted: Sep 23, 2023
Simpson falls to No. 3/4 Wartburg at home
Wartburg
(4-0)
63
Simpson
(1-3)
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wartburg (4-0) | 0 | 28 | 28 | 7 | 63 |
|
Simpson (1-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College football team faced a tough test on Saturday against No. 3/4 Wartburg, falling 63-0 inside of Buxton Stadium.
Simpson (1-3, 0-2 A-R-C) held the nationally-ranked Knights (4-0, 2-0 A-R-C) scoreless through the first quarter, but Wartburg put up four touchdowns in the second and third frames and added one more in the final three minutes of the fourth for the shutout victory, its second in a row.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After forcing two punts and a turnover on downs, Simpson had a chance to score the first points of the game with a 42-yard field goal, but the attempt was blocked by Owen Grover to keep the score level.
- The Storm defense stood tall again after retaking the field following a lightning delay, but a good punt by Jaxson Hoppes pinned Simpson deep in its own territory. After a quick 3-and-out, Wartburg took advantage of a short field and broke the tie with a rushing touchdown by Hunter Clasen.
- Nile McLaughlin threw touchdown passes in each of the Knights' next three possessions to give the visitors a 28-0 lead at the break.
- Wartburg came out of the locker room and turned a 17-yard interception by Grover into six points with 11:22 remaining in the third. The Knights scored two more times on the ground in the third and added their final touchdown at the end of an 11-play, 82-yard drive that spanned 7:08 in the fourth.
TOP STORM
- J Jensen III - 33-50, 244 yards
- Reed Worth - 7 rec, 62 yards
- Tristan Bushey - 8 rec, 56 yards
- Wyatt Schaben - 11 tackles
- Zach Truitt - 7 tackles
- Micah Nally - 6 tackles, 0.5 sack
- Payton Betts - 6 tackles, 1 PBU
KEY STATS
- The Knights were 0-3 on third down in the first quarter, but converted 11 of 12 the rest of the way for an overall efficiency of 73 percent.
- Wartburg gained 495 yards of total offense compared to Simpson's 224.
UP NEXT
Simpson looks to pick up its first American Rivers Conference win of the season next weekend at Buena Vista. The Beavers had a bye this weekend and are 0-3 overall.
