luther posts homecoming victory over simpson 23-13
Oct. 3, 2009
Playing in a constant drizzle here in Carlson Stadium, the Homecoming fans that braved the weather were provided an exciting 23-13 victory by the Luther College football team over Simpson College.
Luther jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead thanks to touchdown runs of one yard and 16-yards by quarterback Chris Reynolds.
Simpson pulled to within 14-6 early in the third quarter. A 76-yard kick-off return by the Storm's John Wolfe to the Luther 13, set up a three-yard plunge by Tyson Unkrich just 2:41 into the third frame.
After a quick three and out by the Norse on their first possession of the second half, a 36-yard punt by Donny Norlander, pinned the Storm inside their own five-yard line. Unkrich fumbled a snap that was recovered by Luther nose tackle Cody Edwards on the Simpson four-yard line two plays later. Luther extended its lead to 20-6 when Reynolds carried the ball into the end zone for his third and final touchdown of the afternoon. The attempted two-point conversion failed.
Simpson pulled to within 20-13 when Taylor Rogers caught a five-yard pass from Unkrich with 13:50 remaining in the game. The Storm scoring drive started on Luther's own 37-yard line following a bad snap by the Norse that was recovered by the Storm.
Luther place kicker Seth Streeter capped off the Norse scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 3:44 left on the clock.
"I was very happy with how our team competed and the effort our kids gave this afternoon," commented Head Coach Mike Durnin. "Everyone hung in there physically, mentally and emotionally for 60 minutes, overcoming some adverse conditions and some adverse situations."
Reynolds had a career afternoon, rushing for 155 yards on 21 carries that included a long of 46, averaging 7.4 yards per rush. He also connected with five different receivers for 97 yards, accounting for 252 of Luther's total offensive yardage of 254. Darren Oxton and Steve Thompson were credited with six and five receptions respectively. Oxton, who returned to the lineup after missing last week due to an injury, tallied 41 yards, while Thompson was credited with 39.
"Offensively, we got on the scoreboard early and the field goal Seth knocked through the uprights late in the game was huge," stated Durnin. "Chris made a number of big plays both running and throwing the football that keyed all of our scoring drives."
Defensively, Luther held Simpson to a season low 205 yards of total offense. The Storm entered the game averaging 383 yards per game. Kyle McGivney had another huge game producing eight tackles from his middle linebacker position. Will Bothe and Bobby Kuennen also had solid efforts recording five and 4.5 tackles respectively.
"Our defense rose to the occasion this afternoon," stated Durnin. "McGivney just keeps playing sideline to sideline. I also thought Josh Patterson and Dana Schmitt also played well in our secondary."
Schmitt was credited with three pass break-ups and Patterson tallied two. Kyle Stoner and George Zacharakis-Jutz were also credited with two pass break-ups each.
"The key now is to prepare for a tough road trip to Cornell College next week," commented Durnin. "We will enjoy this victory tonight, but we will get back to business on Monday. Cornell has a good football team and we will need to prepare and play well to secure a victory."
With the win, Luther leveled its Iowa Conference record to 1-1 and overall record to 2-2. Simpson falls to 1-2 in league action, 2-3 overall.
Next week's game in Mount Vernon will begin at 1:00 p.m. Norse fans can catch all the action via audio stream by Luther College radio station 1240 AM beginning with the pre-game show at 12:40 p.m.
