The Simpson football team fell to Augustana 49-27 despite holding a 7-0 lead going into the second quarter Saturday evening, in a non-conference game heard live on 94.3 KNIA. The Storm came out firing both offensively and defensively early, as quarterback J Jensen III found Reed Worth in the corner of the endzone in the first quarter to lead 7-0. That lead would hold through the end of the quarter, and the teams traded more scores in the second that included a touchdown throw to Tristan Bushey and a missed extra point, to put the Storm down 14-13 heading into the final seconds of the first half.

A hail-mary touchdown as time ran out in the first half started a brutal three-minute stretch for the Storm that extended into the third quarter, as the Vikings took a 21-13 lead, then scored two touchdowns in the opening minutes of the second half to blow the game open 35-13. Both teams scored twice in the fourth quarter, as Jensen found Worth again in addition to receiver Cole Staska.

Head coach Reed Hoskins said after the game the guys fought hard to the end, but had a stretch they couldn’t recover from after a really strong start. Hoskins said he was happy with the poise the team showed, and the biggest test will be their response to the loss this week.

Jensen threw for 400 yards and four scores in the contest, while Staska had 7 receptions for 122 yards and Worth 9 receptions for 114 yards. The Storm fall to 0-1, and will next play on the road at Crown College.