By: After a frenetic first half, the defenses went to work in the third and fourth quarters. Simpson pulled ahead on a late field goal in the fourth to earn the victory.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – What began as two teams ripping each other's defenses to shreds turned into a defensive battle by late in the game, but a field goal with just over a minute left provided the difference as Simpson College downed Illinois College, 25-23. The Blueboys dropped to 1-1 on the season.
The early fireworks began on Illinois College's second drive of the game. After forcing a three-and-out, the Blueboys took over on their own 15 and moved the ball forward on a 13-yard dash from
Jason Barbour before a holding call brought the team back to their own 19-yard line. Facing a 1st & 20 situation, the hand-off went to
Austin Ellsworth and he busted up the gut for 81 yards, giving IC the 7-0 lead.
Following another three-and-out from Simpson, Illinois College got the ball back on its own 17. The Blueboys were just shy of midfield when
Greg Cross went 51 yards straight up the middle to increase the advantage to 14-0 with less than eight minutes gone.
With starting quarterback Caleb Frye forced to the sidelines with an injury, Sam Sasso brought Simpson back into the game, hitting Devin Norman on a 36-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 at the end of the first.
As the Illinois College struggled to get traction in the second quarter, kicker Drew Jensen booted two field goals to make it 14-13. Taking over with just under eight minutes until halftime, Simpson moved 51 yards in eight plays and took its first lead on a barreling three-yard run from Braden Meints to go on top, 19-14. Jensen missed the extra point and the IC deficit remained five.
The Blueboys started their final drive of the first half with 5:07 until the break. Moving methodically to midfield, Illinois College faced a 4th & 1 at its own 49. After showing punt and forcing a timeout from Simpson, the Blueboys brought the offense back out onto the field and handed the ball to
Dyllan Bailey who trucked over a Storm defender and went 36 yards down to the Simpson 15-yard line. Three plays later,
Blake Matson lofted a ball softly into the arms of
Brendan Finley for a touchdown. A bobbled snap cost IC a point however, making it 20-19 at the break.
Both defenses came out ready to play in the third quarter. Simpson picked up one first down before the IC defense forced them off the field. Barbour was then stripped on a carry and the Storm recovered deep in Illinois College territory, only to fumble the ball back to the Blueboys on the next play as Bailey sacked Sasso and
Josh Brooks recovered. IC's drive would stall though, and the punt attempt would be blocked, putting Simpson in great field position at the IC 33. Nine plays later, Jensen kicked his third field goal of the day to put the Storm back ahead, 22-20.
Midway through the fourth quarter, a short punt by Simpson's Tanner Krueger gave Illinois College the ball at its own 45. The Blueboys marched down the field and had a 1st & Goal at the Simpson 9 before being held to two yards over the next three plays. On fourth down,
Justin Horn did well to handle a low snap and
Zack DeWitt kicked it cleanly through to give IC the 23-22 edge with under six minutes remaining.
The teams traded three-and-outs and the Storm took back over on their own 49 with 2:55 remaining. On third down from the IC 34, a face mask penalty gave Simpson new life with a first down at the Illinois College 14. Sasso nearly connected with Nathan Russell on the go-ahead touchdown but Ellsworth came in and rocked the Simpson receiver to force the ball out for an incompletion. However two plays later, Jensen's 28-yard field goal gave the Storm the lead back one last time.
Having to go 82 yards in 1:04, Matson was sacked on three straight downs to bring the game to an end.
Ellsworth was the leading rusher in the game, picking up 97 yards on just three carries. Cross had 63 yards on five carries and Barbour carried 10 times for 53 yards. Behind center, Matson connected on 19-of-26 passes for 175 yards and a score.
Logan Uyetake ended with a team-high five receptions for 29 yards.
Matt Graef ended with 11 tackles (four solo), while linebacking partner
Ryan Torrance had seven tackles (four solo). Bailey ended with five tackles, including one sack and a forced fumble.
Illinois College has now completed non-conference play for the year and the rest of the eight games on the slate will decide the Midwest Conference title. The Blueboys meet Macalester College back at England Stadium on Sept. 17 starting at 1 p.m.
