Football Preview: Buena Vista

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Buena Vista visits Buxton Stadium on Saturday for Simpson football's American Rivers Conference home opener. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

The Storm are back home after playing on the road last weekend in Dubuque, Iowa against Dubuque. For the first time in five tries, Simpson defeated the Spartans, 21-14. The Beavers did not have the same fate and lost 37-16 to Nebraska Wesleyan after going up 16-0 late in the second quarter, but allowed the Prairie Wolves to close the game on a 37-0 run.

The game will be streamed live through SimpsonAthletics.com. Todd Guessford will have the call with Ethan Humble with pregame beginning at 12:15 p.m.

GAME INFO
Buena Vista (2-1, 0-1 A-R-C) at Simpson (2-1, 1-0 A-R-C)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Buxton Stadium | Indianola, Iowa
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

LISTEN TO THE STORM: For the fifth straight season, KNIA is the radio home of Storm football. The team of Andrew Swadner and Rick Wilson will have the call on 94.3 FM and 1320 AM or online at kniakrls.com. Fans can also download the KNIA app, available on iTunes and Google Play. Pregame coverage begins at 12:35 p.m.

FIRST AND 10: The Storm come into the contest after opening up American Rivers Conference play with a 21-14 win at Dubuque … Simpson got on the board at the end of the first quarter with another touchdown catch by Sam Bartlett, this time on a 7-yard pass from Tanner Krueger … the duo synced up once again to put the Storm up 14-0 … the Spartans came back and made it a 14-14 game early in the fourth quarter … Joe McNally stepped up to make a play for the team and hauled in a 28-yard TD catch to give Simpson a 21-14 advantage and take the road win.

BUENA VISTA SERIES NOTES: Simpson and Buena Vista are meeting for 74th time in a series that dates back to 1927 … the Storm have been the victors as of late and are riding a four-game winning streak in the series … Simpson won 56-7 last year in Storm Lake, Iowa on Oct. 10 … Tanner Krueger was 19-for-29 for 268 yards from under center and tossed for five touchdowns, all were to different receivers … Michael Connor paced the defense in the win with three sacks to go with his eight total tackles.

ABOUT THE BEAVERS: Buena Vista comes into the matchup with a 2-1 overall mark and is 0-1 in league play … the Beavers opened the year with a demanding 51-7 win over Hamline and followed that up with a 27-24 victory against Concordia (Neb.) … the winning ways looked to continue for Buena Vista against Nebraska Wesleyan last week … the Beavers got up to a quick 16-0 advantage, but let the Prairie Wolves go on a 37-0 run to close out the game, 37-16 … the team is averaging 191.3 yards rushing per game and 266.7 through the air per contest.

MEYER THE MENACE: Joe Meyer was a threat during the team's win at Dubuque on Saturday … the junior rushed for a career-high 154 yards on 32 carries, including a burst for 22 yards … Meyer is pacing the conference with 90.3 yards per game through three games … his 68 rushing attempts are first as well, 20 more than second place.

GROUP TACKLING: Simpson has swarmed to the ball each week and it shows … four players have at least 20 tackles so far, highlighted by Brendan Holmes' 27 from his safety spot … Quinn Slaven has rushed in to fill the gaps on the outside with his 23 takedowns from the secondary … near the line, Michael Connor and Chris Bowles have 22 and 21 tackles apiece, respectively.

WEEKLY ACCOLADES: Once again, the Storm had someone named an A-R-C Player of the Week for their performance … freshman punter Mason Ackerson was tabbed as the Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts … he tallied 209 yards on five punts for a 41.9 average … his longest punt came on a 62-yard boot to pin Dubuque back late in the game to help seal the win.

AROUND THE A-R-C: With one week of American Rivers Conference play over, five teams remain unbeaten heading into week two. Along with Simpson; Coe, Nebraska Wesleyan and Wartburg all picked up wins, while Central did not face an A-R-C opponent ... the Knights cruised past Luther, 62-10, the Prairie Wolves won 37-16 over Buena Vista, Coe defeated Loras, 24-7 and Simpson won 21-14 at Dubuque.