#10 EMPORIA STATE HOSTS #2 NORTHWEST MISSOURI IN MIAA TITLE TILT

Football | 11/6/2013 5:18:00 PM

Game #9
Military & Veteran's Appreciation Day
#10 Emporia State Hornets (8-0, 8-0 MIAA)
vs. #2 Northwest Missouri Bearcats (9-0, 8-0 MIAA)
Sat. Nov. 9, 2013 • 1:00 p.m. • Jones Field at Welch Stadium (7,000) • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: NWMSU leads 25-2
Last Meeting: NWMSU 55, at ESU 10 28 (Nov. 3, 2012)
Radio: KFFX-FM (104.9), 12:00 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 vs. Washburn • Saturday, November 16 • 1:00 p.m.
Jones Field at Welch Stadium (7,000) • Emporia, Kan.

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY 
One team will end Saturday with a share of the MIAA Championship after undefeated and #10 Emporia State plays host to undefeated and #2 Northwest Missouri.

LAST TIME OUT
In a battle of the top two teams in the nation in turnover margin #14 Emporia State forced six turnovers to come out on top of a 35-30 win at #12 Mo. Western.  The Hornets scored 21 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter before the Griffons answered with 24 straight points  to take a 24-21 lead with 11:01 left in the game.  Emporia State answered with a 12 play, 75 yard drive to regain the lead with 7:08 left on a one yard pass from Brent Wilson to Kavaski Ervin and went up 35-24 less with 4:20 left when Wilson hit Ray Ray Davis from one yard out. Travis Partridge pulled MWSU within 35-30 on a two yard run with 2:46 left but his two point conversion pass failed. The Griffs got one last chance following a defelected interception but Gary Fortune picked off Partridge in the endzone with 11 seconds left to seal the win.

THE?COACHES
Garin Higgins has compiled a career record of 88-47 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 37-38 in his seventh season at his alma mater and is 28-14 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 0-6 against NWMSU.
Adam Dorrel is 22-6 in his second year at Northwest Missouri. He is 2-0 against ESU.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The Hornets lead the nation in turnover margin and red zone offense and ranked in the top three nationally in scoring offense, total offense, passing efficiency and interceptions. Brent Wilson is third in the nation in passing efficiency and points responsible for. Ray Ray Davis is third in the nation in touchdown receptions. 

SCOUTING?THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri is 9-0 overall, 8-0 in the MIAA, ranked #2 in the nation and are the top ranked team in Super Region 3.  They are ranked seventh in the nation in total defense and scoring defense and are sixth in scoring offense. They have scored five touchdowns on defense and/or special teams. Trevor Adams is ranked first in the nation in passing efficiency.
 
THE SERIES
This is the 28th meeting in a series that began in 1930. NWMSU leads the series 25-2 and has won 18 straight. The last ESU win was 41-26 in Maryville in 1994. 

LAST TIME AGAINST NW MISSOURI
Tyler Eckenrode broke the Hornets single season passing record, but it was not enough as #4 Northwest Missouri defeated #20 Emporia State 55-10 in Maryville, Mo. Eckenrode ended the day 21 of 34 for 267 yards.  He connected with eight different receivers led by Ray Ray Davis with nine catches for 138 yards.  Josh Taylor led the Emporia State defense with 15 tackles while Chris Poston added five solo stops and his third interception of the season.

UP NEXT
The Hornets will play host to #8 Washburn in the regular season finale on Nov. 16 in Welch Stadium. The Senior Day kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m.

LAST LOOK AT MISSOURI WESTERN
This was the first win over a ranked team other than Pittsburg State since the AFCA began publishing a poll in 2000. This was the Hornets first fourth quarter comeback since overcoming a 15-13 deficit at Southwest Baptist last season. The six turnovers forced by Emporia State were the most in a game since forcing six against Southwest Baptist on Nov. 5, 2011.

QUICK STARTS
Emporia State has scored on their opening drive in four of eight games and have scored first in seven of eight games. The Hornets have led for 404:54 of the 480 minutes played this season, been tied for 62:14 and trailed for just 13:52 of action.

THE POLLS SAY
The Hornets moved up to #10 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 20 polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2012.  The Hornets jumped eight spots to #11 in the D2Football.com poll this week.  In the more important regional rankings, the Hornets are in seventh and just outside the NCAA Playoffs at the present time.
Northwest Missouri is ranked #2 in the AFCA National Poll and #1 in the NCAA Regional Poll.  This is the highest ranked team Emporia State has played since taking on the #2 Bearcats in 2006 and the highest ranked team to come to Welch Stadium since #2 Pittsburg State in 2004.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE
Emporia State leads the nation in red zone offense and turnover margin and are ranked in teh top five in.  The Hornets are averaging 47.3 points per game and have scored at least 28 points in 20 of their last 24 games.  Of their 643 plays run, 212 of them (33.0%) have gone for either a first down or a touchdown.

LEADING THE WAY
Quarterback Brent Wilson (So./Ponca City, Okla.) is lighting up the record book at Emporia State. He is having the best sophomore year of any Hornet quarterback in history and one of the best years period. He set the single season touchdown passes record with 30, is second in total offense with 2,949 yards, and fourth in passing with 2,492 yards on the season. He is third in the nation in passing efficiency and touchdown passes, ranks fifth in total offense, points responsible for and completion percentage, is tenth in passing yards per game, 27th in completions per game and 38th in yards per completion. He leads the MIAA in total offense, points responsible for, passing touchdowns, and passing yards, and is second in passing efficiency. He led his first fourth quarter comeback at Missouri Western going four of six for 27 yards and adding two carries for 14 yards on the Hornets go ahead touchdown drive. He finished the day 19 of 32 for 159 yards with three touchdowns and added 39 yards rushing on ten carries. He was 25 of 34 for 295 yards and four touchdowns at Lindenwood. He also ran for 75 yards on ten carries. He went 19 of 23 for 385 yards and three touchdowns with seven carries for 60 yards in the first half against Southwest Baptist. 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 was 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.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Quarterback Corben Jones (Fr.-RS/Yukon, Okla.) played the fourth quarter at Lindenwood and completed his only pass of the day for ten yards. He was 10 of 12 for 116 yards as he led the Hornets on two scoring drives against Southwest Baptist. 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 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 third in the nation in touchdown receptions, 11th in receptions per game, 15th in scoring and 24th in receiving yards per game. He leads the MIAA in touchdown catches, is ranked third in receptions per game and scoring, and is sixth in receiving yards. On the season he has 18 first downs with four touchdowns on 20 third down receptions and 48 of his total 66 receptions have gained either a first down on touchdown on the season.
He had nine catches for 79 yards and a touchdown at Missouri Western. He caught 11 passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns at Lindenwood with 109 yards and all three touchdowns coming in the first half. 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 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 177 career catches to rank fifth in Emporia State history. He has 2,277 receiving yards and 25 touchdown catches in his three seasons with the Hornets.

WHAT YOU TALKIN' ABOUT
Receiver Austin Willis  (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is ranked 21st in the nation in receiving yards per game and 23rd in touchdown catches. He is fourth in the MIAA in touchdown catches and receiving yards, seventh in receptions, and tenth in all-purpose yards. Of his 44 receptions on the year, 14 have gone for more than 25 yards including six catches for over 50 yards. He was limited to one catch at Missouri Western with an injury and will be a game day decision against Northwest Missouri. He had a 51 yard reception and a 63 yard kick return at Lindenwood and finished the game with 127 all-purpose yards on four touches. 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. 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 1,193 yards on 71 receptions in his career for a 16.8 yards per catch average.
 
BIG FOOTE
Mitchell Foote (Fr.-RS/Enid, Okla.) caught three passes for 25 yards at Missouri Western. He had five catches for 50 yards at Lindenwood. He 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. Eleven of his 15 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 four receptions for 45 yards and two touchdowns at Missouri Western. His one yard grab gave the Hornets the lead for good in the fourth quarter. He pulled in a 12 yard touchdown pass at Lindenwood. 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 three catches for 26 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.) had caught at least two passes in every game this season until he was injured early against Missouri Western. He is doubtful against Northwest Missouri. He 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 19 catches for 236 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 11th in the MIAA in rushing yards. He had two touchdowns on seven carries with 43 yards at Missouri Western. He had 68 yards on nine carries including a 44 yard touchdown at Lindenwood. It was the first time a Hornet has had two rushes of over 40 yards in a season since LaDarrian Page had a pair of 50 yard runs in 2010. 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 third in the MIAA in rushing touchdowns. His nine rushing scores are the most by a Hornet since Kevin Smart had 11 touchdowns in 2009. He had 109 yards on 14 carries at Missouri Western.  It was his second 100 yard rushing day of the season, the first time a Hornet has had two 100 yard games in a season since LaDarrian Page and Dasor Horton each did it in 2011. He gained 76 yards on 16 carries with a pair of touchdowns against Lindenwood. 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.) had 34 yards on ten carries and also recorded four tackles on special teams at Lindenwood. He 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 Lindenwood and 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 and again against Missouri Western.

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 third in the nation in interceptions with 19 on the year. The Hornets are ranked in the top five of the MIAA in pass defense efficiency, rushing defense, and red zone defense. Emporia State is allowing just 6.3 yards per completion on passing plays to rank third in the MIAA.

THE POST MAN
Safety Chris Poston (Sr./Oklahoma City, Okla.) missed the Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist games with a hand injury before returning against Missouri Western. He was on several preseason All-American watch lists. He is second in the MIAA with four total interceptions on the season and leads the league with 0.7 INTs per game. He recorded six tackles and an interception against Missouri Western including a stop on a fake punt that eventually led to a Hornet touchdown. 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 11 career interceptions in 31 career games.

REVOLUTIONARY
Safety Josh Monteagudo (Fr.-RS/Cape Coral, Fla.) had a career high 12 tackles,nine of them solo, and an interception at Missouri Western.  His interception came with 5:22 left in the game and led to a Hornet touchdown and 35-24 lead. He 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 been credited  with 15 tackles in the last three 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.

IT'S IN THE BAG
Safety Kadeem Satchell (Jr./Princeton, Texas) had four tackles and an interception at Lindenwood. He had two tackles and a pass break up in the end zone against Southwest Baptist. 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. 

SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Brandon Gentz (So./Emporia, Kan.) had five tackles at Missouri Western. He had three solo tackles at Lindenwood. He 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 third 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.

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.) was credited with three solo tackles and a fumble recovery at Missouri Western. The fumble came on a kickoff that set up the Hornets third touchdown.  He also had a 31 yard kick-off return to start the game. He had a 21 yard interception return, two punt returns for 22 yards and two kick returns for 34 yards at Lindenwood. He 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 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.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Cornerback Gary Fortune (Sr./Indian Head, Md.) is ranked 24th in the nation and third in the MIAA in interceptions with three and is 12th in the league in passes defended. He intercepted a pass in the end zone with 16 seconds left to seal the Hornets win at Missouri Western. He had a season's best 31 yard return of his interception at Lindenwood. 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 Nebraska-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 five tackles and a pass break up against Central Oklahoma. 
 
BULL DOZIER
Cornerback Julian Dozier (Sr./Round Rock, Texas) had eight tackles and two pass break-ups before leaving the Missouri Western game with an injury. He is doubtful for the NWMSU game. He had three tackles and a 35 yard interception return at Lindenwood. He 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 recorded seven tackles with a forced fumble against Ft. Hays State last year. He had played in 34 straight games until his injury and his 42 games played are the most of any active Hornet.

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.) has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury and is possible for Missouri Western. 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 ranked 12th in the MIAA in solo tackles. He had ten tackles against Missouri Western. He was credited with just three solo tackles at Lindenwood as 12 Hornets had either three or four tackles on the day. 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. 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 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 206 tackles in 27 games at Emporia State.

THE GOVERNOR
Linebacker Deshawn Dinwiddie (Jr./Hutchinson, Kan.) is ranked fifth in the MIAA and 48th in the nation in solo tackles and is 17th in total tackles in the MIAA. He was credited with 11 tackles including a tackle for loss at Missouri Western. 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 23rd in the MIAA in tackles. He had 12 tackles, a sack and ain interception at Missouri Western. He had four solo stops, including a TFL and a pass break up at Lindenwood. He was credited with six tackles against Southwest Baptist. He was credited with eight solo stops against Northeastern State. 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.) had two solo stops at Lindenwood. He 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.

PILLAR OF HERCULES
Linebacker Corben Abila (So./Weatherford, Texas) was credited with four unassisted tackles at Lindenwood. He 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.  

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. 

LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Neil Shortell (Sr./Mission Hills, Kan.) is ranked fourth in the MIAA and 95th in the nation in tackles for loss per game. He had a career high seven tackles at Missouri Western with a sack. He has at least one sack in three of the last four games. He had an eight yard sack at Lindenwood. 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.
 
WILSON!
Defensive lineman Justin Wilson (So./Luther, Okla.) played every defensive snap against Missouri Western with a career high five tackles. He had a solo sack at Lindenwood for a loss of six yards. He 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 a tackle for loss and a pass break up at Missouri Western. He forced a fumble at Lindenwood. He 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 eight passes and block two kicks at the line of scrimmage in his 32 career games. A fifth year player, he is one of the four Hornet team captains.

REMEMBER TWO THINGS
Defensive end Aaron Mathews (Sr./McKinney, Texas) is ranked 15th in the MIAA in sacks. He was credited with two solo tackles at Missouri Western. He had two sacks and a forced fumble among his four tackles at Lindenwood. He 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.   

BRING THE LUMBER
Defensive lineman Nick Schutte (Jr./Elk Run Heights, Iowa) was credited with two tackles and a pass break up at Missouri Western. He had four tackles at Lindenwood. He 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 for Lamar HS.

DREAM WARRIOR
Defensive lineman Ryan Kinkaid (Kansas City, Kan.) is questionable against Northwest  after suffering an injury against Missouri Western. He had a solo stop at Lindenwood. He 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 leads the MIAA and is sixth in the nation in kick return defense. The Hornets have made ten of 12 field goal attempts to rank second in the MIAA in percentage and third in makes. The Hornets had two PAT, a field goal and a punt blocked in the first three games and none blocked since. Emporia State is ranked 14th in the MIAA in kickoff returns. 

BOOK OF ELI
Kicker Eli Kuhns (So./Copperas Cove, Texas) is ranked 14th in the nation in field goals per game, 19th in scoring and 31st in field goal percentage. He leads the MIAA in kick scoring, is third in field goal percentage and made field goals with his ten makes in 12 attempts and is fourth in overall scoring. He had made five straight field goals before missing a 45 yarder at Lindenwood and has connected on 38 straight PAT. He tied the school record for made PAT with nine in nine attempts against Southwest Baptist. 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 54.9 yards per kick-off with seven touchbacks in 62 kicks.  He is averaging 36.8 yards per punt with nine of his 32 punts going inside the opponents 20 yard line. He had a season's best 57 yard punt at Lindenwood. 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 second on the Emporia State career list with 19 made field goals in just 20 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 is 9-3 outside the league this year and are 37-8 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. 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-3. 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.

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 88-47 as a head coach with a 36-38 record at his alma mater. He is 28-14 over the last four seasons and 22-4 over the last 26 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. He is one of six Hornet coaches to win at least five games in four straight years.
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.

INJURY REPORT
H-Back Josh Klumpe is doubtful with a knee injury.  Defensive back Julian Dozier is doubtful with a knee injury. Defensive lineman Ryan Kinkaid is questionable with a knee injury. Receiver Austin Willis will be a game day decision with an ankle injury.  

A Hornet win would...
•make Emporia State 9-0 overall, 9-0 in the MIAA;
•guarantee a share of the second MIAA championship in school history;
•make Emporia State 3-25 all-time against Northwest Missouri;
•snap an 18 game losing streak to Northwest Missouri;
•be the first win in Emporia over Northwest Missouri since 1965;
•be the first win over Northwest Missouri since 1994;
•be the highest ranked team Emporia State has defeated as a Division II school;
•mark the first time the Hornets have beaten ranked teams in back to back games;
•make Emporia State 9-0 for the first time in school history;
•be the sixth nine win season in 116 seasons of football at Emporia State with four in the last 12 years;
•be Emporia State's 11th straight win overall dating back to last season;
•make Coach Higgins 38-38 at Emporia State and 89-47 overall.

A Hornet loss would...
•make Emporia State 8-1 overall, 8-1 in the MIAA.
•make Emporia State 2-26 all-time against Northwest Missouri;
•be Emporia State's 19th straight to Missouri Western;
•snap Emporia State's ten game winning streak overall dating back to last season;
•make Coach Higgins 37-39 at Emporia State?and 88-48 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.