Football Preview: Luther

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson football will honor its seniors on Saturday in the final game of the 2019 campaign as Luther visits Buxton Stadium for a 1 p.m. matchup.

The Storm (4-5, 3-4 A-R-C) are aiming to send the seniors out in style with a win to stop a four-game losing stretch. The Norse (1-8, 1-6 A-R-C) enter after tallying their first victory of the season last weekend.

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

GAME INFO
Luther (1-8, 1-6 A-R-C) at Simpson (4-5, 3-4 A-R-C)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 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: Simpson enters the weekend in the last game of the 2019 season and looks to send its seniors off in style with a home victory ... the Storm were upended 38-20 last weekend after Loras went on a 31-0 run to grab the league victory ... Luther comes into the contest after picking up the team's first win of the season in a 35-34 triumph over Nebraska Wesleyan.

LUTHER SERIES NOTES: Both teams are meeting for the 81st time in a series that dates back to 1924 ... the Norse own a 45-34-1 tilt in the series ... the Storm have been the victors as of late by winning the last 6 of 8 contests between the two programs ... Simpson has held Luther to 17 points in each of the last two meetings with the Storm winning both contests ... since 2006, the home team has not had the edge as the away team has garnered eight victories compared to the home team's six triumphs in that span.

ABOUT THE NORSE: Luther comes into the matchup after securing its first win of the season last weekend against Nebraska Wesleyan ... the Norse grabbed a 35-34 victory after the Prairie Wolves missed an extra point with 3:17 left in the contest to allow Luther to maintain the lead ... the Norse are currently ninth in the league in scoring on both sides of the ball, but pace the conference in rushing with 223.7 yards per game ... Parker Kizer is third in rushing yards with 610 for the Norse and tied for second with eight scores.

RECORD SETTERS: Over the course of the last two games for Simpson, two records have been broken that stood for over a decade ... Sam Bartlett reached 15 TD receptions in a season to break the team's previous record of 14 that was set by Dusty Cain in 2003 ... Bartlett came into last week's game needing three scores to clip the record and was able to do so ... two weeks ago, Brendan Holmes nabbed the career tackles record by passing Jarod Young's mark of 339 that was set between 1993-96 ... Holmes currently has 359 takedowns from his safety spot and is third in team history with 15 interceptions.

SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM: The football team had four players named to the 2019 Academic All-District 8 First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) ... Sam Bartlett, Trey Chumbley, Joe Meyer and Joe Weppler were selected for their performances inside the classroom and on the gridiron this fall ... Chumbley is now a two-time recipient for academic all-district ... the Storm paced the district with the most selections from one team out of the 30 players honored from NCAA Division III programs across 21 states and Canada.

STORM IN THE RANKINGS: Sam Bartlett climbed the national rankings after securing three TD receptions with 148 yards in last week's game at Loras.

Sam Bartlett:
Receiving yards per game (124.9) – 1st in A-R-C, 4th in nation
Receiving yards (1,124) – 1st in A-R-C, 4th in nation
Touchdowns (15) – 1st in A-R-C, 6th in nation

SENIOR DAY: The Storm will honor their seniors before the game to show appreciation for the time and commitment the players have put into the program over the course of the last four seasons ... the Simpson senior athletic trainers and cheerleaders will be honored as well.

AROUND THE A-R-C: There is a lot riding in the final week of the regular season for a couple conference teams as Central takes on Coe for a chance at the league title ... Wartburg takes aim at Loras to stay in the hunt for a league crown despite the one blemish to its record ... Dubuque and Nebraska Wesleyan compete against one another to round out the league slate besides the showdown inside Buxton Stadium.