LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Wesleyan set a new school record with 608 yards of total offense and most importantly picked up their second straight victory with a 45-38 win over Simpson College on Senior Day in IIAC football action at Abel Stadium.
 
Shaka Taylor had a monster game rushing for 230 yards with a touchdown, while catching nine passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns to lead the record-setting offensive performance.  Quarterback Jonathan Curti also added another record passing Tyler Francis for single season passing yards.
 
NWU scored on their first three offensive possessions of the game, then missed a pair of field goals on their next two trips inside Simpson territory.  The Prairie Wolves were able to get a much needed touchdown right before halftime to take a 28-14 lead into the break.
 
To start the second half, the Prairie Wolves scored touchdowns on their first two drives to build up a 21-point lead. 
 
Simpson pulled within seven points early in the 4^th quarter as they scored two touchdowns within two minutes of each other to make the score 42-35.  The Prairie Wolves then marched 48 yards on 12 plays taking 5:28 off the clock.  After missing his first two field goals, Jackson Hinze converted a 41-yard field goal to make it a two possession game.
 
The Storm quickly got inside the NWU red zone but three straight incomplete passes forced the Storm to settle for a field goal.  Drew Jensen made a 25-yard attempt to cut the score to 45-38 with just over five minutes remaining.
 
NWU took advantage of three costly Storm penalties that resulted in first downs and allowed the Prairie Wolves to run out the clock and seal their second straight victory and first win at home this season.
 
It was an offensive showcase to start the game with both teams marching up and down the field.  NWU took the opening drive 73 yards and scored on a 2-yard reception by Caleb Conway from Curti.  On Simpson's first offensive play, running back Cam Bunting went 86 yards untouched for a touchdown to tie the game.
 
The Prairie Wolves needed eight plays once again to find the end zone, this time Curti hit Bryce Darner on a 8-yard reception to give NWU a 14-7 lead.  The quick strike Simpson offense scored on only three plays their next drive as Sam Sasso hit Austin Hronich for a 54-yard TD pass.
 
Shaka Taylor made a 27-yard touchdown reception at the 2:23 mark of the first quarter to mark five touchdowns on five straight offensive possessions to start the game between the two teams.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan had a chance to break the game open in the 2^nd quarter, but their offense stalled out deep into Storm territory and Hinze missed field goal attempts of 32 and 38 yards.  Finally, right before half the Prairie Wolves were able to get up two scores.  On 3^rd & 26, Curti found Bradley Pelkey for a 27-yard touchdown pass, his fourth TD pass of the first half.
 
NWU forced a three and out on the opening drive of the second half and the Prairie Wolves responded with another TD.  Shaka Taylor caught his second TD pass of the game, this time from eight yards out giving the Prairie Wolves a 35-14 advantage.
 
Cam Bunting scored his second rushing TD of the game on a 1-yard dive at the 5:13 mark of the third quarter cutting the NWU lead to 35-21.
 
When NWU got the ball back, Taylor had a highlight reel 78-yard touchdown scamper.  Taylor was bottled up in the backfield, changed directions then used blocks on the edge to get the sideline and burst for his longest run of the season and putting the Wolves back up 21 points.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan had a chance to put the game out of reach, but a trick play backfired as Bryce Darner tried a double pass that was intercepted in the end zone.  Simpson needed only four plays to capitalize as Sasso found Sam Bartlett on a 8-yard TD pass on the first play of the 4^th quarter.
 
Another NWU interception gave Simpson the ball right back and it took the Storm only one play to find the end zone.  Sasso hit Hronich on a 37-yard TD pass to cut the lead to seven points with 12:35 remaining.
 
A pair of big first down completions and a 27-yard from Taylor got NWU into the redzone to setup a 41-yard field goal to give NWU the ten point advantage and would be enough for the win.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan finished with a school record 608 yards of total offense, breaking the previous record of 602 that was set in 1994.  NWU had 229 yards on the ground and 379 through the air against a Simpson defense that was leading the IIAC in pass yards allowed.
 
Shaka Taylor carried the ball 30 times for 230 yards with a TD averaging 7.7 yards a carry.  He caught nine passes for 134 yards with two touchdowns to account for 334 yards of all-purpose yardage.  With his big game, Taylor went over 1,000 yards for the season, just the seventh NWU back to go over 1,000 yards and the first since 2005.
 
Jonathan Curti was 31-43 for 379 yards with five touchdowns and one interception on the day.  Curti started the game 9-9 and 22-28 with 281 yards and four TDs in the first half alone.  With his big day, Curti broke Tyler Francis' single season passing yards record as Curti now has 2,888 yards on the year. 
 
Besides Taylor, tight end Caleb Conway caught six passes for 61 yards and a TD, while Bryce Darner caught five passes for 30 yards and a TD.
 
Simpson finished with 477 yards of total offense, passing for 354 and running for 123 on only 15 carries.  Sasso was 22-43 for 354 yards with three touchdowns.  Bunting ran the ball 13 times for 119 yards and two TDs.
 
Dakota Buss led the NWU defense with 11 tackles and an interception.