INDIANOLA, Iowa - Missing key players on offense didn't slow Simpson on Saturday.
Despite the absence of starting running back Michael Chia and receiver Brad Vogel, Simpson rolled for 605 yards of total offense in a 42-22 homecoming win over Cornell on Saturday at Buxton Stadium.
"Our kids stepped up today," head coach Jim Glogowski said. "We had some injuries and we were able to overcome them. The next-man-in mentality was really exciting to see."
Taylor Nelson threw for a career-high 385 yards and three touchdowns for the Storm (2-4, 2-2 Iowa Conference), who beat Cornell for the tenth game in a row.
With the injury to Chia, four different running backs carried the ball, including three freshmen. Deion Lewis led the attack with 58 yards and a touchdown, Ethan Calvert ran 12 times for 44 yards and Tyler Kenny had a 25-yard touchdown run.
"I saw great things out of all three freshmen today," Glogowski said. "The future is bright at that position."
Nelson also ran the ball 12 times for 44 yards, giving him 429 total yards, the second most in Simpson history. He completed 21 of 34 passes and his 385 yards are the most by a Simpson quarterback since 2003.
Simpson scored on each of its first three possessions and never looked back. Nelson plunged in from a yard out on the first drive and found Ben Coy on a shallow crossing route that ended in a 78 yard touchdown scamper for the second, resulting in a 14-0 lead.
Coy added a 70-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, giving him a career-high 148 yards on the game. Mike Kuhn led the team with seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
"Taylor made some good passes," Coy, a senior, said. "I just turned around and saw some open field and ran with it."
The lone bright spot for the Rams (2-3, 0-3) was the play of quarterback Juan Flores. The sophomore ran for 143 yards and threw for 189, accounting for 332 of Cornell's 383 yards of offense.
The bulk of his yardage came on a 70-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, bringing Cornell within a touchdown at 14-7.
Simpson responded when Lewis capped off an 18-play, 72 yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Mike Kuhn put an explanation point on the first half with a 32-yard touchdown catch with nine second left, giving the Storm a 28-10 halftime lead.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the second half as Cornell never threatened the rest of the way.
Linebackers Mark Cronin and Ted Haag made seven tackles each and Justin Bolkema had two sacks. Grant Focht picked off Flores in the endzone and Jarrod Schott picked off a desperation pass late in the game.
The Storm hit the road next week, traveling to Waverly for a meeting with Wartburg. The Knights (4-1, 2-1) played a late game against Dubuque on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
Notes: The 605 yards of total offense by Simpson is the seventh-most in program history and the most since Simpson racked up 609 against Loras in 2002 ... Nelson's 385 passing yards are the fourth-most in school history ... Nelson's 429 total yards are second to Mike Donnenworth's 517 against Upper Iowa in 2003 ... Simpson has won 15 of the last 17 meeting against Cornell ... Cornell hasn't won in Indianola since 1947.