Simpson vs Howard Payne is a Saturday, Sept. 26 neutral-site game at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Simpson Football visits Howard Payne
Simpson is 1-1 coming off a bye after a 52-0 home win over Crown in week 2.
Howard Payne is 2-0 in official games after a 49-0 win at Pacific and a 37-17 win at Wayland Baptist (plus a 59-15 exhibition win over Clutch City College Prep).
The Storm are led by Junior WR Noah Cracraft who is playing like one of the best receivers in the American Rivers Conference: 7 catches, 161 yards, and 3 TDs last time out, and 137.5 receiving yards per game with 4 TDs through two games.
Junior RB Demarico Young is again the bell-cow in his third season. He is averaging 178 rushing yards a game on about 23 carries with 3 TDs and has picked up right where he left off as a conference rushing leader.
The defense needs to build on a two-turnover day against Crown. Both turnovers were forced by senior DB Deuce Robinson (St. Ambrose transfer), who earned A-R-C Defensive Player of the Week in the shutout.
Howard Payne Scouting Report
The Yellow Jackets have an explosive offense. Junior J.D. Mays (172 rushing yards) and senior Blessing Ngene (128 rushing yards) form a two-headed backfield that also opens the passing game.
Sophomore QB Bryce Still has taken a firm grip on the offense. In the two official games that count, he has averaged 355 passing yards with a 67% completion rate and 6 TDs.
Sophomore transfer WR Deuce Martin has been Still’s main target: 13 catches, 273 yards, and 2 TDs, both of them 40-plus-yard scores.
Keys to the Game
Simpson needs to play within itself and get the ball to its playmakers — Cracraft on the perimeter and Young between the tackles — while limiting Still’s big-play opportunities downfield.
Howard Payne will try to use the run game to set up explosive shots to Martin and keep Simpson’s defense from pinning its ears back.
This is a non-conference meeting of two teams that want to prove they can score with anyone. Simpson’s recent shutout and Howard Payne’s 2-0 start set up a high-tempo matchup in Frisco.
Howard Payne is a 12.5 favorite using the Hansen Ratings.
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