#20 EMPORIA STATE FOOTBALL HEADS TO LINDENWOOD

Game #7
#20 Emporia State Hornets (6-0, 6-0 MIAA)
at Lindenwood Lions (3-3, 2-3 MIAA)
Sat. Oct. 19, 2013 • 1:30 p.m. • Harlan Hunter Stadium (6,000) • St. Charles, Mo.
Series Record: ESU leads 1-0
Last Meeting: ESU 13, LWU 0 (Oct. 13, 2012)
Radio: KFFX-FM (104.9), 12:30 p.m. Pregame  TV: None
Internet (Audio): www.kvoe.com Internet (Video): americaonesports.com ($8 per game)
Officials: Announced on Game Day
Up Next: ESU at Missouri Western • Saturday, November 2 • 1:30 p.m.
Spratt Stadium (8,000) • St. Joseph, Mo.

SEVEN AND SEVEN  
Emporia State takes their 6-0 record to St. Charles, Mo. for the first time to take on Lindenwood. The Hornets are looking to go 7-0 for the second straight year.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State put up a school record 747 yards of total offense in a 63-17 Homecoming victory over Southwest Baptist on Saturday in Emporia.  Brent Wilson led the assault going 19 of 25 for 385 yards and three touchdowns while adding 57 rushing yards on eight carries. The Hornets raced out to a 28-0 lead by the start of the second quarter and led 49-7 at the half. For the second game this year Emporia State threw for over 500 yards. In addition to Wilson's 385 yards through the air, Jones was ten of 12 for 116 yards.  A total 11 Hornets caught a pass led by Davis with seven catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns.  The Hornets had a season high 246 yards rushing on 49 carries. Jordan Sanders led the Hornet defense with 12 tackles, with 1.5 TFL. Curtis Shorts and Ashton Reichman each had an interception for the Hornets.

THE?COACHES
Garin Higgins has compiled a career record of 86-47 in his 12th season as a head coach. He led the Hornets to ten wins for just the second time in school history last year. He is 35-38 in his seventh season at his alma mater and is 26-14 over the last three seasons. He had a 51-9 career record as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma, including two trips to the national championship game. Higgins was a quarterback for Emporia State from 1987-90 and was on the 1989 national runners-up team. He is 1-0 against SBU.
Patrick Ross is 85-29 in his tenth year at Lindenwood and 99-36 in 12 years overall.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State leads the nation in team pass efficiency and is ranked in the top ten nationally in total offense, scoring offense, passing offense, completion percentage, first downs, red zone offense, and turnover margin. Brent Wilson is ranked in the top four nationally in total offense, passing efficiency, completion percentage, touchdown passes, and points responsible for.  

SCOUTING?THE LIONS
Lindenwood is 3-3 on the year and 2-3 in the MIAA. They have lost their last two games and have not dropped three straight since going 1-10 in 2002. The Lions are second in the league in passing behind the Hornets and lead the league in punting.
 
THE SERIES
This is just the second meeting between the two schools and the first in St. Charles. Emporia State won last year's game 13-0 on Jones Field at Welch Stadium.  

LAST TIME AGAINST LINDENWOOD
The Emporia State defense pitched their first shutout since the opening game of the 2008 season with a 13-0 win over Lindenwood. Derek Jonas hit 26 and 32 yard field goals and the only touchdown of the game came when Tyler Eckenrode found Ray Ray Davis from two yards out. Eckenrode ended the game 21 of 36 for 257 yards and a touchdown while Shjuan Richardson had eight catches for 122 yards.  Jordan Sanders had eight tackles and a sack for the Hornets.  Gary Fortune had two interceptions, two pass break ups and three tackles.  Josh Taylor returned an interception 50 yards with 2:36 left to ice the victory.

UP NEXT
The Hornets will have a bye week on October 26 before taking on Missouri Western on November 2 in St. Joseph, Mo.

LAST LOOK AT SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
The Hornets scored on their first seven drives against Southwest Baptist. The 63 points were the most scored by Emporia State since a 69-6 win at Oklahoma Panhandle State in the opening game of 2006. They scored on three drives of over 90 yards, which is more 90+ yard scoring drives than they have had in each of the last four years.

THE POLLS SAY
The Hornets moved up to #20 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Poll. The Hornets are one of five MIAA teams in the Top 25. Emporia State has received votes in the last 17 polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2012.  The Hornets moved up one spot to #22 in the D2Football.com poll this week.  
Despite the national recognition, Emporia State was slated for seventh in both the MIAA Coaches and Media Preseason Polls. The Hornets did garner one first place vote in the media poll. There was a clear split in the voting of both polls. The Hornets were almost as close to first as they were to eighth in the coaches poll.  Emporia State was just 46 points behind co-favorites Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri in the coaches poll and were 43 points in front of Ft. Hays State, who came in eighth. The Hornets were one of four teams to pick up a first place vote in the media poll.  The gap between seventh and eighth was the largest point differential in both polls.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE
Emporia State leads the nation in team passing efficiency, is ranked second in total offense and completion percentage, third in first downs, fifth in passing offense and red zone offense and sixth in scoring.  The Hornets are averaging 48.5 points per game and have scored at least 28 points in 18 of their last 22 games.  Of their 424 plays run, 174 of them (41%) have gone for either a first down or a touchdown.

LEADING THE WAY
Quarterback Brent Wilson (So./Ponca City, Okla.) is second in the nation in passing efficiency, points responsible for, and touchdown passes, is third in total offense, fourth in completion percentage, sixth in passing yards, 25th in yards per completion and 27th in completions per game. He leads the MIAA in total offense, points responsible for, passing touchdowns, and passing yards, is second in the league in passing efficiency and completions, third in completion percentage and tenth in rushing. He is the only player in the MIAA in the top ten of both rushing yards and passing yards. He went 19 of 23 for 385 yards and three touchdowns with seven carries for 60 yards in the first half against Southwest Baptist. He was in for just two series in the second half with two incompletions and a loss of three yards on a sack.  In sloppy conditions at Lincoln he went 11 of 20 for 123 yards and a touchdown and added 49 yards on five carries with a rushing touchdown. He went 27 of 41 for 410 yards and five touchdowns with 75 rushing yards on 13 carries against Northeastern State. He was named MIAA, D2Football.com and BSN National Offensive Player of the Week after setting MIAA records for passing yards, total offense and touchdown passes at Central Oklahoma.  He was 38 of 47 for 522 yards with seven touchdowns against the Bronchos and added 49 yards rushing for a total of 571 yards.  He went 23 of 34 for 297 yards with four touchdowns against Neb.-Kearney. He was the first quarterback in Emporia State history to throw for over 300 yards in his first start as he went 21 of 29 for 301 yards and three touchdowns against Ft. Hays State.  He also ran for 74 yards on 13 carries with a pair of rushing touchdowns for 375 yards of total offense. He saw action in nine games as a true freshman in 2012 and was three for four for 70 yards and a touchdown over his last three games. He is third on the Emporia State single season list for touchdown passes with 23 and is tenth on the single season passing yardage list with 2,038 yards through six games.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Quarterback Corben Jones (Fr.-RS/Yukon, Okla.) played almost the entire second half against Southwest Baptist and went 10 of 12 for 116 yards and added one rush of ten yards as he led the Hornets on two scoring drives. He went three of four for 53 yards with a 37 yard touchdown pass against Lincoln. He was one for three for 19 yards in his Hornet debut against Ft. Hays State. He carried the ball four times for a total of seven yards against the Tigers. He redshirted last season following an All-State career at Yukon HS. He threw for 1,999 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior and had over 7,000 career passing yards for Yukon HS.

WITHIN REASON
Quarterback Ty Reasnor (Fr./Cashion, Okla.) will likely travel as the third quarterback to start the season for Emporia State. He earned first-team Class A All-State honors as he threw for 3,562 yards and 48 touchdowns with just three interceptions to lead Cashion HS to a 13-1 record as a senior.

TARHEEL TORNADO
Receiver Ray Ray Davis (Sr./Indian Trail, N.C.) is ranked sixth in the nation in touchdown receptions, 18th in receptions per game, 20th in scoring and 21st in receiving yards. He leads the MIAA in touchdown catches, is ranked second in receptions per game and sixth in scoring and receiving yards. On the season he has 12 first downs and two touchdowns on 14 third down receptions and 35 of his total 46 receptions have gained either a first down on touchdown on the season. He had seven catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns along with a one yard touchdown run against Southwest Baptist, all in the first half. He had four catches for 79 yards at Lincon. He had six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown against Northeastern State. He had an MIAA record five touchdown catches and finished with 16 receptions for 181 yards against Central Oklahoma. The 16 receptions are the most by a Hornet since Jarrett Vito's school record 21 catches against Truman in 1995. He caught eight passes for 94 yards against Neb.-Kearney. He had five catches for 35 yards against Fort Hays State. He earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors after catching 61 passes for 899 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. He is a versatile athlete who caught and threw a touchdown pass in the Kanza Bowl.  He had a then career high 138 yards on nine catches at Northwest Missouri and scored a touchdown on a five yard rush. He caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown against Missouri Western. As a sophomore he was sixth in the MIAA in receptions with 50 catches for 540 yards and four touchdowns in ten games. He has 157 catches for 2,068 yards and 21 touchdown catches in his three seasons with the Hornets.

WHAT YOU TALKIN' ABOUT
Receiver Austin Willis  (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is ranked fourth in the nation in receiving yards,  sixth in touchdown catches, 30th in receptions per game, 34th in scoring and 42nd in all-purpose yards. He leads the MIAA in touchdown catches and is ranked second in receiving yards, fifth in receptions, seventh in all-purpose yards and eighth in scoring. He had five catches for 83 yards with a 52 yard touchdown - all in the second quarter - against Southwest Baptist. He had just three catches for eight yards in the rain at Lincoln. He had nine catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns against Northeastern State. He was the first Hornet to have over 125 yards receiving in four straight games as an NCAA Division II school. He had eight catches for 196 yards and a touchdown against Central Oklahoma. He had six catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns against Neb.-Kearney. He caught nine passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns at Fort Hays State.  He also had a rush for 18 yards to give him 234 all-purpose yards. The 216 yards were the most by a Hornet since Shjuan Richardson caught 11 passes for 217 yards against Truman last season. Of his 40 receptions on the year, 13 have gone for more than 25 yards including three catches for over 60 yards. He caught 26 passes for 326 yards as a sophomore. Also a member of the Hornet track team, his 74 yard touchdown catch gave Emporia State the lead at Southwest Baptist and was the fourth longest play from scrimmage last year for the Hornets. He has 1,128 yards on 67 receptions in his career for a 16.8 yard average per catch.
 
BIG FOOTE
Mitchell Foote (Fr.-RS/Enid, Okla.) had career bests of four receptions and 82 yards against Southwest Baptist. He had an eight yard touchdown grab at Lincoln. He caught two passes for 29 yards against Northeastern State. He  snagged a five yard touchdown pass the first time he set foot on the field for the Hornets on a fade against Neb.-Kearney. Eight of his ten receptions on the year have been good for either a first down or a touchdown. He was a first-team All-State selection and was Enid HS's all-time leader with 102 receptions for 1,552 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career.

MAGIC
Receiver Kavaski Ervin (So./Mesquite, Texas) had a 20 yard reception against Southwest Baptist. He had a break out game with six catches for 93 yards with two touchdowns and he also blocked a punt against Northeastern State. He had three catches for 40 yards at Central Oklahoma. He played at both receiver and corner back last season. He was the only Hornet to have a rush of over 25 yards and a reception of over 40 yards last season. He was credited with two tackles at Northwest Missouri. He averaged 17.2 yards per catch last year including a 42 yard touchdown reception against Central Oklahoma.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM
Receiver Drake Smithon (So./Woodward, Okla.) caught three passes for 22 yards against Southwest Baptist. He has a five catches for 52 yards on the year. He had four catches for 34 yards last season after transferring from Oklahoma State.

MORE TARGETS
A total of 14 players have caught at least one pass this season. J.P. Lohrentz (Fr.-RS/Buhler, Kan.) has two catches for 16 yards on the year after moving from safety during training camp. Dyland Walker (So./Schertz, Texas) had his first catch of the year against Southwest Baptist and had a 44 yard touchdown at Washburn last season.

HIGHWAY 99 ALL-STAR
H-back Josh Klumpe (Sr./Olpe, Kan.) caught two passes for 55 yards against Southwest Baptist. He had two catches for 24 yards at Lincoln. He caught two passes for 38 yards against Northeastern State. He had a career high five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown at Central Oklahoma. He had three catches for 28 yards against Neb.-Kearney and three catches for 25 yards against Fort Hays State with a long of 13 yards.He has 17 catches for 225 yards on the year.  He had three catches for 95 yards and a touchdown in the final two regular season games last year. He had two receptions for 63 yards and a score at Washburn. He pulled in a 32 yard pass at Northwest Missouri.

REESE'S PIECES
H-back Reese Richards (Fr.-RS/Azle, Texas) had two catches for 31 yards against Southwest Baptist. He caught a 37 yard touchdown pass at Lincoln. He has five catches for 93 yards, an average of 18.6 yards per catch, on the season. He was the team MVP and earned second-team All-District honors for Azle (Texas) HS as a senior.

THAT'S A DOZIE
Running back Dozie Iwuagwa (Sr./Pittsburg, Calif.) is ranked ninth in the MIAA in rushing yards. he had 11 carries for 73 yards with a 55 yard touchdown rush against Southwest Baptist. It is the longest rush by a Hornet this year and the longest touchdown rush since Derwin Hall went for 65 yards against Truman in 2010. He had nine carries for 14 yards in the rain at Lincoln. He only carried the ball five times against Northeastern State for 26 yards and added one reception for seven yards. He went for 90 yards on 16 carries at Central Oklahoma. He had a career high 123 yards on 19 carries against Neb.-Kearney. He had a then career high 86 yards on 18 carries against Ft. Hays State. He was the first Hornet to rush for over 85 yards in each of the first three games of a season since Tyler Paul hit that mark in the first five games of 2003.  He had 357 yards on 91 carries with six touchdowns last season. He led Emporia State with 79 yards on 14 carries with a career high three touchdowns at Truman. He was the first Hornet to have three rushing touchdowns in a game since Page at Southwest Baptist in 2011. He had a then career high 18 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns at Northeastern State last year. He also had four catches for 54 yards to end with 134 all-purpose yards.  

BROWN AND SERVE
Running back Antonio Brown (Fr.-RS/St. Louis, Mo.) is ranked fifth in the MIAA in rushing touchdowns. He 11 carries for 47 yards with two touchdowns against Southwest Baptist. He had a career high four rushing touchdowns on 16 carries with 102 yards at Lincoln.  It was the most rushing touchdowns by a Hornet since Brian Shay had four against then Missouri-Rolla in 1998. He had ten carries for 51 yards and a touchdown against Northeastern State. He had seven carries for 19 yards and added a 19 yard reception in his Hornet debut against Ft. Hays State. He was a first-team All-State selection at Christian Brothers HS in St. Louis. He scored 46 touchdowns with over 2600 rushing yards combined as a junior and senior.

TICE IS NICE
Running back Jordan Tice (Jr./Osage City, Kan.) scored on an 11 yard touchdown run and finished with 31 yards on seven carries against Southwest Baptist. He had a season high 43 yards on eight carries at Central Oklahoma. He had nine carries for 36 yards against Neb.-Kearney. He carried the ball 13 times for 38 yards at Ft. Hays State. He had 320 yards on 82 carries last season with two touchdowns. He led Emporia State with 12 carries for 67 yards at Southwest Baptist. He had a career high 91 yards on 12 carries against Central Oklahoma. He had ten carries for 33 yards and a touchdown at Neb.-Kearney. He had 88 yards from scrimmage on 14 carries and four catches with a touchdown against Ft. Hays State. He averaged 9.6 yards per carry with a touchdown as a freshman.

JOSHING AROUND
Running back Josh Matthews (Sr./McKinney, Texas) had eight carries for 52 yards against Lincoln. He had six carries for 29 yards in his Hornet debut at Ft. Hays State. He transferred to Emporia State last year from Drake where he played in 22 games as a defensive back for the Bulldogs. He is the brother of Hornet defensive end Aaron Matthews.

PUTTING IT BLUNTLY
Tackle Aaron Blount (Jr./Garland, Texas) earned Squarehead Award honors for the Northeastern State and Lincoln games. He was the Squarehead winner for the Truman and Northwest Missouri games last season. He was the first overall pick in the Hornets 2012 Spring Game Draft.
 
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU
Tackle Clayton Brown (Jr./Braymer, Mo.) earned Squarehead honors against Central Oklahoma. He was the Squarehead winner at Neb.-Kearney last season after transferring from Iowa Central CC.

MR. RODGERS
Trey Rodgers (Sr./Collinsville, Okla.) earned the Squarehead Award against Southwest Baptist playing in his first action since the fifth week of last year. He started the first five games last year before suffering an injury against Lincoln. He was set to start this year before a training camp injury delayed his return until last week.
 
A FEW GOOD MEN
Danny Goodman (Jr./Emporia, Kan.) has taken over the starting center spot for the Hornets and was named the Squarehead Award winner against Ft. Hays State.

OFF THE ICE
Guard Jarrett Stastny (Fr.-RS./Sanger, Texas) earned the Squarehead Award against Neb.-Kearney.

SCOOBY DOO
Guard Jordan McAdoo (So./Piedmont, Okla.) started eight games as well between the guard and tackle position and earned Squarehead honors against Lindenwood.

VINLAND
Garrett Ericson (Sr./Bronson, Kan.) worked his way into the starting line up against Ft. Hays State in his third year in the program after transferring from Ft. Scott CC.

QUALIFYING
Offensive tackle Jake Roepke (So./Fort Polk, La.) saw his first action against Central Oklahoma. He sat out the first two games while an eligibility issue was resolved. He was set to enroll at Emporia State in the fall of 2012 when his tour of duty with the 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry of the 4th Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army was extended into the school year. He played at Butler CC one semester before enlisting in the Army and serving our country in Afghanistan.
 
TURF MONSTER
Tanner Surber (Jr./Osawatomie, Kan.) saw action in four games last season and is the main back up at both tackle positions.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Emporia State is ranked 11th in the nation in interceptions with 11 on the year. The Hornets are ranked in the top five of the MIAA in scoring defense, pass defense efficiency, red zone defense, interceptions, opponents third down conversions and turnovers forced. The Hornets are tied for the most defensive stops in the red zone (forcing a turnover or holding in downs) despite allowing the fifth fewest penetrations.  Emporia State is allowing just 6.2 yards per completion on passing plays to rank second in the MIAA.

THE POST MAN
Safety Chris Poston (Sr./Oklahoma City, Okla.) missed the Southwest Baptist game and is out for Lindenwood with an injury. He was on several preseason All-American watch lists. He leads the MIAA and is ranked 11th in the nation with three interceptions on the season. He had an interception and a tackle before leaving the Lincoln game with an injury. He had seven tackles and a sack against Northeastern State. He recorded seven tackles and had an interception at Central Oklahoma. He had eight tackles with an interception return for 23 yards, pass break up and tackle for loss against Neb.-Kearney. He had four interceptions last season with a season long 47 yard return at Neb.-Kearney and a 41 yard interception return against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He returned to safety and had nine tackles, 1.5 TFL and a pass break up at Washburn after recording five solo tackles and an interception while playing corner at Northwest Missouri. He recorded seven tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass break up against Missouri Western. He had eight tackles, including the final stop on fourth down at Northeastern State last season.  He was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick as a true freshman for the Hornets in 2008. He has ten career interceptions in 30 career games.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Brandon Gentz (So./Emporia, Kan.) had seven tackles in his first career start against Southwest Baptist. He had a career high two interceptions at Lincoln that he returned a total of 39 yards.  The first came in the Blue Tigers end zone to end a scoring threat in the thrid quarter. He moved to safety after playing receiver last season. He had a career high five catches against Lincoln for 16 yards and had one catch for 37 yards against Ft. Hays State.

IT'S IN THE BAG
Safety Kadeem Satchell (Jr./Princeton, Texas) had two tackles and a pass break up in the end zone against Southwest Baptist. He was credited with three tackles at Lincoln. He had five tackles against Northeastern State. He had nine tackles at Central Oklahoma to share the team lead. He had two solo tackles against Ft. Hays State including one tackle for a loss of five yards. He had 45 tackles last season including a career high ten stops with a pass break up against Missouri Western. He had seven tackles, including a tackle for loss against Lincoln in his first career start.  He had six total tackles in ten games as a freshman.

REVOLUTIONARY
Safety Josh Monteagudo (Fr.-RS/Cape Coral, Fla.) had eight tackles, seven of them solo, against Southwest Baptist.  He had seven solo stops, including three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble at Lincoln.  He has 15 tackles in the last two games after recording six in the first four games of the season. He is a transfer from Hutchinson CC where he redshirted as a true freshman.

CUT IT SHORT
Safety Curtis Shorts (So./Ft. Worth, Texas) picked off his first career interception as a Hornet and returned it 33 yards against Southwest Baptist. He is in his second year with Emporia State after transferring from Abilene Christian.  He was a first-team All-District selection for Lake Worth HS after recording 115 tackles as a senior.

THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS
Cornerback Deveon Dinwiddie (Jr./Hutchinson, Kan.) had three tackles, including a TFL against Southwest Baptist. He was credited with just one tackle at Lincoln, but had three punt returns for a total of 82 yards.  He is averaging 16.4 yards per punt return. He had three tackles and a pass break up against Northeastern State. He led the Hornets with nine tackles, eight of them solo including a tackle for loss at Central Oklahoma. He had eight tackles against Neb.-Karney with a pass break up. He had three tackles and an interception return of 44 yards against Ft. Hays State. He also had a 23 yard kick-off return and a long punt return of 18 yards. He transferred from NCAA Division I-FCS Champion North Dakota State. He played running back and gained 206 yards on 29 carries in ten games for the Bison last year. He rushed 143 times for a team-high 860 yards and 12 touchdowns for Hutchinson CC and returned four kickoffs for an average of 21.8 yards per return. He was rated a two-star prospect and the 15th best player in Kansas by Rivals.com and played an integral role in Hutchinson HS's four straight state championships.

BULL DOZIER
Cornerback Julian Dozier (Sr./Round Rock, Texas) recorded six tackles against Southwest Baptist. He had four tackles and three pass break ups at Lincoln. He was credited with three solo stops against Northeastern State. He had eight solo tackles and two pass breakups at Central Oklahoma. He had four solo tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He made his return to the line up against Ft. Hays State after missing most of last season. He saw action in the first two games last year before suffering a broken foot. He was named Defensive Player of the Game by the Hornet coaches after recording seven tackles with a forced fumble against Ft. Hays State last year. He had played in 34 straight games until his injury and his 40 games played are the most of any Hornet.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Cornerback Gary Fortune (Sr./Indian Head, Md.) is ranked fifth in the MIAA in interceptions with two and ninth in passes defended. He had three tackles and a pass break up against Southwest Baptist. He had a fourth quarter interception that sealed the win against Central Oklahoma. He had a tackle and interception and a pass break up against Neb.-Kearney. He missed the final five games of last season with an ACL injury. He picked off two passes against Lindenwood and had two more pass break ups to go with four tackles before injuring his knee. He had four tackles at Southwest Baptist. He recorded five tackles and a pass break up against Lincoln. He had five tackles and a pass break up against Central Oklahoma after missing the Neb.-Kearney game with a hamstring injury. He had one tackle for loss against Ft. Hays State and added a 24 yard kick return after transferring from Ohio University.

ACE OF MAYZE
Cornerback Ace Mayze (Fr./Arlington, Texas) had a season high five tackles, four of them solo stops, against Southwest Baptist. He has been a mainstay on special teams as a true freshman and saw his first extended action on defense against the Bearcats. He has at least one tackle in five of the six games he has played in this season. He was a first-team All-District selection as a utility player for Seguin HS where he played wide receiver, quarterback, cornerback, safety and kick returner.

SPARTACUS
Cornerback Jarrett Strode (So./St. Charles, Mo.) missed the Southwest Baptist game and is out for the Lindenwood game. He recorded four tackles and a fumble recovery at Lincoln before leaving the game with an injury. He had three solo tackles and a pass break up against Ft. Hays State. As a freshman he moved into the starting line up late last year as injuries piled up in the Hornet secondary. He had 12 total tackles in seven games that included two starts last season after earning all-district honors for Francis Howell HS in St. Charles, Mo. as a senior in high school.

THE COLONEL
Linebacker Jordan Sanders (Sr./Warner Robins, Ga.) is averaging 8.2 tackles per game over five games to rank 11th in the MIAA. He is 15th in total solo tackles despite missing one game. He had 12 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss against Southwest Baptist. He was credited with four stops at Lincoln.  He recorded 13 tackles, ten of them solo, and was in on a tackle for loss against Neb.-Kearney. The ten solo tackles rank 43rd in the nation for a single game this year. He had five tackles and a blocked PAT against Ft. Hays State and was named the Defensive Player of the Game by the Hornet coaching staff. He will return to the line-up after sitting out last game. He is back after earning honorable mention All-MIAA honors last season when he was second on the team with 97 total tackles. He is also being mentioned on some preseason All-America lists after grabbing at least ten tackles in each of the last three games, including a season high 15 in the Kanza Bowl against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He had ten tackles at Washburn. He had 11 tackles at Northwest Missouri. He led Emporia State with nine tackles, an interception, 1.5 tackle for loss, two pass break ups and a quarterback hurry against Lincoln. He had ten tackles and a fumble recovery against Central Oklahoma after recording ten tackles and a team high seven solo stops at Neb.-Kearney. He had three tackles and a sack against Ft. Hays State. He was the second leading returning tackler for the Hornets with 65 stops in just seven starts as a sophomore. He has 203 tackles in 26 games at Emporia State.

THE GOVERNOR
Linebacker Deshawn Dinwiddie (Jr./Hutchinson, Kan.) is ranked second in solo tackles and 18th in total tackles in the MIAA. He had seven tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and and a pass break up against Lincoln. He had five tackles and a pass break up at Lincoln. He cracked double figures in tackles for the first time against Northeastern State, ending with 11 total including one for a loss. He had seven tackles, a TFL and a pass break up at Central Oklahoma. He was credited with eight solo stops on his nine tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had three tackles and a fumble recovery against Ft. Hays State. He played in 21 games for NCAA Division I-FCS Champion North Dakota State before transferring to Emporia State. He recorded 24 tackles in 11 games as a sophomore for the Bison and played in 10 games as a true freshman, primarily on special teams. He was a second team all-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League Division I selection for Hutchinson HS in 2010.

STRIKER
Linebacker Tariq Allen (Jr./Irving, Texas) is ranked 27th in the MIAA in tackles. He was credited with six tackles against Southwest Baptist. He had three stops, including half a tackle for loss at Lincoln. He was credited with eight solo stops against Northeastern State. He had five tackles at Central Oklahoma. He had a career high 13 stops with a sack and a quarterback hurry against Neb.-Kearney. He had four tackles and was credited with the Big Stick Award against Ft. Hays State. He was rated among the top 20 inside linebackers in the country at #4 by ESPN and #16 by rivals.com as a senior at MacArthur HS before joining the Texas Longhorns.

PUNKED
Linebacker Ashton Reichmann (Sr./Maize, Kan.) picked off his first career pass against Southwest Baptist to end a Bearcat scoring threat. He had four solo tackles against both Lincoln and Northeastern State. He recorded three tackles at Central Oklahoma. He had 21 tackles in 12 games last season for the Hornets.  He is in his fifth year with the program.  He had 13 total tackles as a sophomore when he saw time on both Hornet special teams and as a reserve linebacker. He was named first team All-State in class 6A at Maize High School where he had 126 tackles during his senior season.

BLOODLINES
Linebacker Jason Tetuan (So./Topeka, Kan.) had four tackles with a TFL of three yards at Lincoln. He had three tackles in his first career start at Central Oklahoma. He was credited with four tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had seven tackles, six of them solo, last year for the Hornets. He was an honorable mention All-State selection and earned All-Centennial League honors on offense and defense for Topeka Hayden HS. His brother John was an All-American baseball player at Wichita State, brother Jesse was a member of the 2003 Big 12 Champion Kansas State football team and brother Jarod was an All-MIAA performer for Washburn in 2007.  

PILLAR OF HERCULES
Linebacker Corben Abila (So./Weatherford, Texas) had four unassisted tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had an interception return of 21 yards against Ft. Hays State along with two tackles. He had 16 tackles last year for the Hornets. He was All-District as a utility player in high school as well as being named the team MVP at C.F. Brewer High School.   

LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Neil Shortell (Sr./Mission Hills, Kan.) leads the MIAA and is ranked 92nd in the nation in tackles for loss per game. He had four tackles, two for loss against Southwest Baptist. He had two tackles, one of which was a sack, strip and fumble recovery at Lincoln. He had missed the Northeastern State game with an injury. He had two solo tackles, one for a loss, at Central Oklahoma. He also returned three kick-offs from his up-back position with a long of 18 yards. He had two tackles against Neb.-Kearney.  He led Emporia State with five tackles at Ft. Hays State, including 2.0 tackles for loss. He played six games at UConn after transferring from Butler CC. He had four receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown as a tight end for Butler CC in 2011 on his way to All-Jayhawk Conference honors. His brother Eric Shortell hit 23 home runs for the Hornet baseball team in 2008.
 
REMEMBER TWO THINGS
Defensive end Aaron Mathews (Sr./McKinney, Texas) was credited with two tackles both behind the line of scrimmage and two quarterback hurries against Southwest Baptist. He recorded five tackles, two for a loss including a sack against Northeastern State.  He was also credited with three quarterback hurries on the day. He had four tackles and a fumble recovery at Central Oklahoma. He is the lone returning starter on the defensive line and he led the Hornets with four sacks and nine tackles for loss last season. He had four solo tackles, including one for a loss at Washburn. He had two TFL including a sack and was credited with four quarterback hurries against Lindenwood last season.    

WILSON!
Defensive lineman Justin Wilson (So./Luther, Okla.) had two tackles at Central Oklahoma. He recorded four tackles with half a tackle for loss against Neb.-Kearney. He got the only sack on the night for Emporia State against Ft. Hays State. He saw action in all 12 games last year.  He had three tackles against Missouri Western. He had two solo stops, one of them a tackle for loss against Central Oklahoma. He was credited with three tackles, including a tackle for loss at Neb.-Kearney.

LOUIE, LOUIE
Defensive lineman Ryan Louia (Sr./Burlington, Kan.) had two tackles and a pass break up against Southwest Baptist. He had three tackles at Lincoln. He had a pass break up and a solo tackle against Northeastern State. He recorded three tackles with two of them solo at Central Oklahoma. He had two tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had a tackle and a pass break up at Fort Hays State.  He played in all 12 games with one start last season. He has used his size to break up seven passes and block two kicks at the line of scrimmage in his 30 career games. A fifth year player, he is one of the four Hornet team captains.

BRING THE LUMBER
Defensive lineman Nick Schutte (Jr./Elk Run Heights, Iowa) recorded two solo stops against Southwest Baptist. He had a sack and a forced fumble at Lincoln. He had his first career sack a week earlier against Northeastern State. He recorded one tackle at Ft. Hays State. He had 36 tackles, 3.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks for Ellsworth CC team that finished last season 7-4 with a win at the Graphic Edge Bowl.  

A TREE
Defensive lineman James Junious (So./Arlington, Texas) had a fumble recovery against Southwest Baptist. He recorded a tackle at Central Oklahoma. He had a solo tackle and a quarterback hurry against Neb.-Kearney. He saw action in nine of 11 games last year.  He had a solo tackle at Truman. He had five tackles and a quarterback hurry on the season. He was a second-team All-District pick at defensive end and an Academic All-State selection for Lamar HS.

DREAM WARRIOR
Defensive lineman Ryan Kinkaid (Kansas City, Kan.) had two assists against Neb.-Kearney from his interior spot on the line. He was named second-team All-Jayhawk Conference at Ft. Scott CC.

THE HAMPTONS
Defensive lineman Russell Hampton (So./Ottawa, Kan.) had a solo tackle against Neb.-Kearney. He had a tackle for loss and a forced fumble against Ft. Hays State.

ISN'T THAT SPECIAL
Emporia State is ranked 12th in the nation in kick return defense and 20th in punts blocked. The Hornets have made nine of ten field goal attempts to lead the MIAA and rank eighth in the nation in makes. The Hornets had two PAT, a field goal and a punt blocked in the first three games and none blocked since then. Emporia State is ranked 14th in the MIAA in kickoff returns.  

BOOK OF ELI
Kicker Eli Kuhns (So./Copperas Cove, Texas) is ranked eighth in the nation in field goals per game, 17th in scoring and 24th in field goal percentage. He leads the MIAA in made field goals and kick scoring, is second in field goal percentage with his nine makes in ten attempts and is fourth in overall scoring. He has made four straight field goals and 26 straight PAT. He did not attempt a field goal against Southwest Baptist but tied the school record for made PAT with nine in nine attempts. He was two of two on field goals at Central Oklahoma. He hit two field goals against Neb.-Kearney, including a season long 49 yarder. He went three for three on field goals and four of five on PATs at Ft. Hays State. He is averaging 55.3 yards per kick-off with seven touchbacks in 47 kicks.  He is averaging 36.4 yards per punt with six of his 22 punts going inside the opponents 20 yard line. He was nine of 12 on field goals last season, with eight of them over 35 yards and was ranked seventh in the MIAA and 53rd in the nation in made field goals. He was named Special Teams Player of the Week by the MIAA and NCAA.com against Lincoln as he hit four field goals, all over 37 yards, including a school record tying 51 yarder against Lincoln. He was the first true freshman to hit six 40+ field goals in a season in school history and the first Hornet to hit four field goals of over 40 yards since All-American Justin Gray was eight of ten from over 40 yards in 2004. He averaged 53.6 yards on kick-offs with eight touchbacks last season. He is tied for second on the Emporia State career list with 18 made field goals in just 18 games.

SAVAGE SAVNER
Kicker Kyle Savner (Sr./Basehor, Kan.) is two of two on PAT and has kicked off six for the Hornets with a touchback. He is in his third year at Emporia State after transferring from Coffeyville CC.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Linebacker Ben Carlson was named a Capital One Academic All-American last season.  He and offensive lineman Kameron Neal both earned Capital One Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA.  Carlson has a 3.84 GPA in business adminstration.  He was a two-time Academic All-American in baseball at Missouri State.  Neal had a 3.78 GPA in computer operating systems.

DID YOU CATCH IT
For the fourth year in a row, the Hornets had a home game featured on the MIAA Television Network when they defeated Southwest Baptist 63-17 on October 12 for Homecoming. It was just the second time in seven games that the Hornets played a team with an under .500 record on the MIAA Network. Emporia State was featured on the MIAA Television Network twice last year. The Hornets are third behind Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri for the most appearances on the MIAA Network over the last three years with seven appearances. The Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012 game against Missouri Western was the first televised match-up of nationally ranked teams from Jones Field at Welch Stadium. The MIAA Network is available live to nearly 2 million homes. The Hornets have played 15 games on live television in the last 16 seasons with six of the games coming from Welch Stadium. Video webcasts for all of Emporia State's regular season games are available on a pay per view basis from americaonesports.com.  Audio of all ESU games are available at www.kvoe.com with Greg Rahe, Chuck Samples and Ron Thomas providing the call.   

OUTSIDE?THE?CONFERENCE
The Hornets have gone 10-1 in non-conference games under Garin Higgins and are 21-6 outside the MIAA in the 21st century. Since joining the MIAA, ESU is 30-11 in non-conference games and has lost only three games to unranked non-conference D-II opponents since 1996.  The MIAA?has sent seven different schools to the NCAA?playoffs in the last eight years and has had a team in the national championship game seven of the last nine seasons.  The MIAA went 11-3 outside the league last year and are 37-7 outside the league over the last three seasons with two wins and a loss against NCAA Division I-FCS teams while five of the losses came in postseason play and the other was by Southwest Baptist against former MIAA member Truman. Five MIAA schools are ranked this week in both the AFCA Division II Coaches and D2Football.com Media Top 25 polls.

THE?NFL EXPERIENCE
The Hornets have had 14 players play in one of the major professional football leagues.  Two Hornets have won Super Bowl rings - Kelly Goodburn with the Washington Redskins and Leon Lett with the Dallas Cowboys. Adam Schiltz caught two passes for the Houston Texans in exhibition action this season and is currently on the practice squad with the Tennessee Titans. Harold Ayodele was a part of the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp in 2011. Garin Higgins has coached three players that have gone on to play in the NFL regular season - Lynn Scott with the Dallas Cowboys, Sam Breeden with the Green Bay Packers, and San Diego Charger Patrick Crayton.

TOUGH LOSSES
The Hornets eight losses over the last three seasons have came to teams that went a combined 77-26 overall and included seven teams ranked in the top ten of Super Region-4. The last seven losses were to teams that were ranked in the AFCA top 25 nationally at some point during the season.

MIAA IN THE POSTSEASON
Since the MIAA first expanded in 1989 and the new teams became eligible for post season play in 1990, the MIAA has won five national championships and had a representative in 12 of 22 national championship games.  The MIAA has been represented in seven of the last nine national championship games.  In that time the MIAA is 28-11 in the NCAA Playoffs and 8-4 in bowl games for a combined post season record of 36-15 against non-conference opponents.

INJURY REPORT
Safety Chris Poston (Sr./Oklahoma City, Okla.) is out with a hand injury. Defensive back Jarrett Strode (So../St. Charles, Mo.) is out with a shoulder injury.
 
HEAD?COACH?GARIN?HIGGINS
Former Hornet Garin Higgins is the 21st head football coach at Emporia State and is just the second to lead the Hornets to ten wins in a season. Last year he became the sixth Hornet coach to lead his team to the post season. He is 86-47 as a head coach with a 35-38 record at his alma mater. He is 26-14 over the last four seasons and 20-4 over the last 24 games. He compiled a 51-9 record as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University before becoming the co-offensive coordinator at Minnesota State in 2005. He was the offensive coordinator at Northeastern State in 2006.  
With five more wins in 2012 than 2011, he led the Hornets to the biggest improvement in wins from one season to the next in Emporia State history.  He has helped establish a true home field advantage for ESU, with the Hornets winning at least four home games in three of the last four seasons. He had led the Hornets to within just one game of a post season berth in 2010 and 2011 before winning the Kanza Bowl in 2012.
While at NWOSU, he was named the Central State Football League Coach of the Year five straight years from 2000 through 2004. The Rangers won 31 consecutive games from 1998 through 2000 and were 15-3 against NCAA Division II schools under Higgins.
A native of Blackwell, Okla., Higgins graduated from Emporia State in 1992. He was a four-year letterman for the Hornets and helped lead the team to a national runner-up finish in 1989. He has been involved with four teams that have played for or won national championships as a player, coordinator or head coach. Higgins and his wife Heather, a 1995 graduate of ESU, are the parents of three children - son Halen and daughters Harlee and Gracyn.

A Hornet win would...
•make Emporia State 7-0 overall, 7-0 in the MIAA;
•make Emporia State 2-0 all-time against Lindenwood;
•be Emporia State's first in St. Charles,Mo.;
•make Emporia State 7-0 for the second straight year and seventh time in school history;
•be the 19th seven win season in 116 seasons of football at Emporia State;
•be Emporia State's ninth straight win overall dating back to last season;
•make Coach Higgins 36-38 at Emporia State and 87-47 overall.
move Coach Higgins into fourth by himself on the all-time victory list at Emporia State

A Hornet loss would...
•make Emporia State 6-1 overall, 6-1 in the MIAA.
•make Emporia State 1-1 all-time against Lindenwood;
•snap Emporia State's eight game winning streak overall dating back to last season;
•make Coach Higgins 35-39 at Emporia State?and 86-48 overall.

WORKING?OVERTIME
• The Hornets are 3-8 in overtime games with wins in three of their last five after dropping their first four extra period contests.
• Three of ESU's 11 overtime games have come against Truman with ESU winning two of the three games.
• The quadruple overtime game in 2006 between ESU and PSU?was the first MIAA?regular season game to go to four overtimes and the first involving an MIAA?team since NWMSU's 4 OT?win against Carson Newman in the 1999 National Championship Game.
• ESU's 17 point deficit at the half against MSSU in 2011 was the largest half-time spread the Hornets have overcome for a win since joining the MIAA and matched the greatest deficit ever overcome for a win as an NCAA school. Including the win against MSSU, the Hornets have won 20 of their last 24 games. ESU came from 17-0 at the end of the first quarter to defeat Ft. Hays State 24-17 to open the 1992 season.