STORM LAKE, Iowa (Sept. 28, 2023) - The Buena Vista football team comes in fresh off a bye week as it steps foot onto Peterson Field inside of J. Leslie Rollins Stadium on Saturday afternoon to host Simpson College in a 1 p.m. American Rivers Conference kickoff as part of Family Weekend on campus.

GAME COVERAGE

Radio: 97.5FM KBVU (local)
Live Audio: https://www.kbvu975.com/
Live Video: https://team1sports.com/buenavista/
Live Stats: https://bvuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

INSIDE THE SERIES:  Saturday marks the 76th all-time meeting between the Storm and Beavers…the two programs have split the last five overall meetings despite BVU having won the last two, including a thrilling 26-21 triumph to close out last season…This year's game is the first one played between the two sides in Storm Lake since 2018 with the Storm leaving with a 56-7 victory…The winner has scored at least 45 points in four of the last five match-ups.

2023 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing yds per game
BVU: Eman Alaniz (28.0)
SIM: Desmond Alexander (42.5)

Passing yds per game
BVU: Zach Herrera (62.3)
SIM: J Jensen III (330.0)

Receiving yds per game
BVU: Eman Alaniz (36.7)
SIM: Reed Worth (97.8)

Total Tackles
BVU: Dylan Berens (18.0)
SIM: Wyatt Schaben (33.0)

Total Sacks
BVU: Keaton Bindel (3.0)
SIM: Mason Little (1.0)

Interceptions
BVU: N/A
SIM: Three tied (1.0)

KO Return Avg.
BVU: Eman Alaniz (17.0)
SIM: Danny Rankins Jr (19.0)

Punt Return Avg.
BVU: Eman Alaniz (25.0)
SIM: Kevon Beckham (1.0)

SCOUTING THE STORM

SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS

The Storm dropped to 1-3 overall (0-2 A-R-C) following a 63-0 home loss to No. 3 Wartburg College last Saturday after being dealt a narrow 21-13 road loss at Nebraska Wesleyan to begin American Rivers Conference play two weeks ago. The team's lone victory came on the road versus Crown College, 48-46, on Sept. 9.

Over half of the team's total yards in each of the first four games has come through the air while quarterback J Jensen III has completed over 30 passes in each one. He currently leads the A-R-C and sits eighth in all of Division III by averaging 330.0 yards passing per contest this season. Dating back to the start of last season, he has passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Jensen III has a veteran and experience receiving group to throw the ball to, led by Reed Worth, who has averaged 70.0 receiving yards per game through the first two A-R-C contests while sitting third overall with 97.8 yards per game and five touchdown receptions. Cole Staska isn't far behind with 29 catches for 77.8ypg and two scores.

The offensive hasn't been as explosive in the run game outside of its 217 rushing yards during its win over Crown. Among the other three games, it's highest rushing total was 47 net yards against Augustana (Ill.). Through the first two conference contests, it's been held to an average of 3.3 rushing yards per game.

Defensively, Simpson is allowing 44.8 points per game for the year and just shy of 450.0 yards per game of total offense. A great deal of those yards have come through the air where it is sixth in the A-R-C, allowing 279.8 per game. Wyatt Schaben has been a standout leader of the unit, totaling a team-high 33 tackles this season and ranks fifth in the league, averaging 8.3 per contest. The team doesn't put a great deal of pressure into the backfield with just 11 tackles for loss and two sacks and allowing an additional 170.0 yards rushing.

ABOUT BUENA VISTA

The Beavers (0-3, 0-1) had the week off last Saturday and is taking the field for the first time since a 47-0 road loss at No. 3 Wartburg on Sept. 16.

Through the first three games, the team has struggled to sustain lengthy drives on the offensive side and have been unable to get the defense off the field when opponents are facing third-and-long situations. Offensively, the team is averaging less than 170.0 yards of total offense per game while opponents are gaining an average of over 550.0.

On the ground, the Beavers rank seventh in the league by averaging just over 70.0 yards rushing per game with Eman Alaniz and Keaton Huebner leading the way with a 28.0 and 22.0 yards per game, respectively. The duo has combined to score all three of the team's three rushing TD's on the year and chalked up nearly half of the team's total carries. Quarterbacks Zach Herrera and Austin Smith have split time under center to this point with Herrera completing just 19-of-43 pass attempts for 187 yards.

Defensively, the group will look to avoid giving up the big plays whether on the ground or through the air. Opponents are converting nearly 50 percent of their third-down opportunities and also 5-of-7 on fourth downs which has led to an average of nearly 27 first downs per contest. Dylan Berens has helped lead the way with a team-high 18 total tackles, including a pair of sacks while Keaton Bindel is close behind with 13 stops and a team-high three sacks. Trey Ortman is second on the team with 17 total tackles while Treyton Mahler has 16 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Matthew Beisswenger is near the top of the list with 14 tackles to go along with three pass breakups. He's also did the bulk of the team's kicking to this point and is currently ranked fifth in the A-R-C by averaging 34.3 yards per attempt and has also attempted a league-high 24 kicks. He already has a pair of boots over 50 yards and five which have landed inside the 20-yard line. He's kicked-off all six times this season and averaging over 52 yards per attempt.