WAVERLY, Iowa -- The No. 12-ranked Wartburg College football team turned in a strong all-around performance Saturday afternoon, defeating Simpson College 63-14 at Walston-Hoover Stadium. The Knights totaled 657 yards of offense and nine touchdowns to improve to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in American Rivers Conference play, extending their conference winning streak to 39 consecutive games.
Wartburg finished with 330 rushing yards and a season-high 327 passing yards. Defensively, the Knights limited Simpson to 25 rushing yards, the second-lowest total allowed by Wartburg this season.
Quarterback
Josh Papesh completed 14 of 19 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns.
Grant Hocker added 134 passing yards and a touchdown after taking over at quarterback in the second half, while also recording an 81-yard rushing touchdown. Wartburg's rushing attack featured 10 different ball carriers, led by
Dylan Swanstrom, who totaled 89 yards and a touchdown on three attempts.
Marcus Beatty added 69 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
Titan Schmitt accounted for two touchdowns, finishing with two receptions for 71 yards and a receiving score before adding a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
Cam Stephens recorded two tackles and returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.
Jackson Othmer converted all nine of his extra-point attempts, tying Wartburg's program record for PATs in a game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wartburg opened the scoring late in the first quarter following a 76-yard run by Swanstrom that moved the Knights to the Simpson four-yard line. Beatty finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run at the 1:10 mark, and Othmer added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
The Knights added three touchdowns in the second quarter to take control of the game. After defensive pressure from
David Borchers helped force a Simpson possession without points,
Sam Roose intercepted a pass from Evan Weber at the Wartburg 34-yard line. Papesh capitalized on the turnover with a 15-yard touchdown pass to
Dawson Rud at 8:20. Papesh later connected with
Sam Heither for another 15-yard scoring pass.
Conner McDonald then intercepted a pass at the Simpson 45-yard line, setting up Rud's one-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining in the half. Wartburg carried a 28-0 advantage into halftime.
Wartburg continued its offensive production in the third quarter. After Roose and Bo Kruse combined to stop Simpson's Hank Wilmes for a one-yard loss on third down, Papesh connected with
Taylen Curry for a 51-yard touchdown at 13:08. Hocker followed with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Schmitt at 10:07, extending the Knights' lead to 42-0. Simpson answered with a 90-yard touchdown play at 9:15 to get on the scoreboard.
The Knights added three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Schmitt opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run at 10:53, capping a drive that included a key third-down completion from Hocker to
Drew Hobart.
Stephens followed with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown to extend the advantage to 56-7. Hocker added an 81-yard rushing touchdown at 6:32, and Simpson closed the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Hubbard to Devin Brophy with 2:21 remaining.
UP NEXT
Wartburg travels to Pella, Iowa, to face Central College (5-3 overall, 3-2 A-R-C)Â at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium. The Dutch claimed a 40-28 triumph over Loras College earlier this afternoon.Â
NOTES
The Knights recorded a season-high 327 passing yards, surpassing their season average of 198.29 ... The Orange and Black totaled four passing touchdowns, above their season average of 2.29, and rushed for 330 yards, exceeding their season average of 244.43 ... Wartburg surpassed the 50-touchdown milestone, reaching 53 on the season with nine touchdowns in the game ... McDonald recorded his first interception of the season ... Roose recorded his first interception of the season ... Rud scored at least one rushing touchdown for the third consecutive game, surpassed the 15-touchdown milestone and reached 16 on the season with two touchdowns in the game ... Rud recorded multiple touchdowns for the second straight game ... Othmer converted a career-high and season-high nine point-after attempts, tying the program record ... Papesh threw three touchdown passes, surpassing his season average of 1.71 and reaching 15 passing touchdowns on the season ... Schmitt scored his first rushing touchdown of the season ...
Andrew Kline recorded his first tackle of the season ... Swanstrom rushed for 89 yards, exceeding his season average of 8.6 ... Hocker scored a rushing touchdown for the second consecutive game and rushed for 81 yards, surpassing his season average of 27.75 ... Wartburg extended its A-R-C winning streak to 39 consecutive games...Wartburg leads the all-time series 52-27-2...the Knights have won seven-straight against the Storm...
