Football | 12/16/2011 1:57:00 PM
October 29, 2011-The Hornet football team put together back to back 50 point games for the first time since 1998 with a 52-18 win over Truman on Saturday at Welch Stadium. Tyler Eckenrode went 19 of 28 for 194 yards and two touchdowns as ESU rolled up 436 yards of total offense on the day.
ESU took the opening kick-off and went 80 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead with 9:29 left in the first quarter. Eckenrode was four for four for 34 yards on the drive before Adrian Abner rolled in from nine yards out for the first score. TSU answered with a 19 yard touchdown run by Donald Harvey to cap a seven play, 75 yard drive and make it 7-7 with 6:23 left in the first quarter. Abner got his second touchdown of the game on the next drive, thanks in large part to a 53 yard kick return by Kevin Gaddis.
The defenses finally stepped up on the ensuing drive with ESU forcing a three and out followed by a three and out by the Hornet offense. On the first play for TSU after the punt, Harnish Ayora dropped a backward pass that Kennedy Ezimako recovered at the TSU 13 yard line. Dasor Horton carried the ball twice to give ESU a 21-7 lead on a four yard touchdown run with 51.9 left in the first quarter.
A Derek Koon field goal from 27 yards following an Eckenrode fumble at the Hornet 18 yard line made it 21-10 ESU with 10:33 left in the second quarter. Another big kick return, this time an 18 yarder by LaDarrian Page set ESU up at their own 41 yard line. Eckenrode connected with Adam Schiltz for a 13 yard touchdown pass to make it 28-10 Hornets with 7:48 left in the half.
Anthony Brown went 58 yards on a pass from J.B. Clark with 2:03 left in the half and Clark hit Andy Mundwiller for the two point conversion to close the Bulldogs within 28-18. The Hornets responded as Eckenrode went seven of nine for 70 yards and hit Shjuan Richardson for a 21 yard touchdown with 37 seconds left to put ESU up 35-18 at the half. The two teams combined for 499 yards in the first half with ESU gaining 264 yards.
Neither team scored in the third quarter thanks in large part to a goal line stand by the Hornets in which they held the Bulldogs out twice on plays from the two yard line.
Zak King hit a 23 yard field goal to open the fourth quarter to put ESU up 38-18. The defense then held TSU to a three and out capped by a sack from Aaron Matthews and Riyahd Moore. The Hornets then marched 81 yards on ten plays to go up 45-18 on a six yard touchdown run by Horton with 8:33 left in the game. Jeff Richards intercepted Conrad Schottel and returned it 48 yards to the TSU 23 yard line with 5:21 left to set up the final Hornet score. Page scored from five yards out with 3:49 to make the final score 52-18.
Eckenrode was 19 of 28 for 194 yards and two touchdowns and added 30 yards on seven rushes. Horton and Abner both had 68 yards rushing and two touchdowns in their final game on Jones Field at Welch Stadium while Page added 64 yards rushing and 32 receiving yards with a touchdown. Schiltz was the leading receiver for ESU with 56 yards on five catches and a touchdown.
Clark was 16 of 29 for 206 yards with a touchdown to lead the Bulldog offense while Schottel was seven of 16 for 51 yards. Their favorite target was Anthony Brown who finished with nine catches for 145 yard and a touchdown.
Wayne Burgess and Jordan Sanders each had six tackles to lead ESU. In addition to the interceptions by Gaddis and Richards, Burgess, Sanders and Kennedy Ezimako all had fumble recoveries for the Hornets.
Kyle Whitcher led all tacklers with 14 for Truman while Richie Schumacher, the second leading tackler in the nation added 11 stops.
The Hornets are back in action next Saturday at Southwest Baptist. The non-league contest is set to kick off at 2 p.m. from Plaster Stadium in Bolivar, Mo.
NOTES:
Eckenrode passed Joe Jacobs, Trent Fuller and Pete Jelovic to move to fifth in single season passing yardage with 2,188 yards this season.
ESU won 52-23 last week at Lincoln and the last time ESU scored 50 points in back to back games was 1998 when they defeated Missouri Southern 63-17 and Central Missouri 56-24 on back to back weekends
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