Football | 9/18/2013 5:20:00 PM
BOOMER SOONER Â
Emporia State travels to the Sooner state to take on Central Oklahoma. The Hornets have four starters originally from Oklahoma along with Coach Higgins.
LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense on the way to a 34-21 victory over Neb.-Kearney on Thursday night in Emporia. Emporia State ended the game with 499 yards of total offense as they won their fifth straight game dating back to last season. The Hornets led 34-7 after their first possession of the third quarter. Brent Wilson finished the game 23 of 34 for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Austin Willis finished with six catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Ray Ray Davis caught a team high eight passes for 94 yards and a score. Dozie Iwaugwu had a career high 123 yards on a career high 19 carries. Defensively Jordan Sanders and Tariq Allen each had 13 tackles. Allen had a sack and Sanders was in on a key fourth down tackle for loss. Chris Poston and Gary Fortune both picked off a pass.
THE?COACHES
Garin Higgins has compiled a career record of 82-47 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 31-38 in his seventh season at his alma mater and is 22-14 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 2-0 against UCO.
Nick Bobeck is 2-10 in his second year at UCO and is 0-1 against Emporia State.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is ranked second in the MIAA in both total offense and total defense after two conference games. Brent Wilson is ranked eighth in the nation in passing efficiency and is fourth in the nation in points responsible for with seven touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. Austin Willis is fourth in the nation in receiving yards per game and eighth in scoring.
SCOUTING?THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma is 0-2 on the year and have lost seven of their last eight since a 35-20 win over Washburn last year. Josh Birmingham is leading the MIAA and ranked tenth in the nation in rushing at 160.5 yards per game.
THE SERIES
This will be the 15th meeting between the two schools with UCO leading 9-4-1. This is just the fourth meeting since 1963. The Hornets have won the last two games, 42-14 last year in Emporia and 17-7 in Edmond in 2007.
LAST TIME AGAINST UCO
Emporia State jumped out to a 21-0 lead in a 42-14 win over Central Oklahoma. The Hornets rolled up 538 yards of total offense as Tyler Eckenrode was 22 of 39 for 310 yards and four touchdowns through the air and added 57 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Shjuan Richardson finished with seven catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Tice had 12 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown to lead the Hornets on the ground. Jordan Sanders had ten tackles and a fumble recovery.
UP NEXT
The Hornets host Northeastern State on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the tenth annual Football Traditions event after the game.
RED DIRT
Emporia State has 14 players from the state of Oklahoma on the roster with seven players on the two deep from the Sooner State.
LAST LOOKS AT NEB.-KEARNEY
The Hornets rolled up 469 yards of offense in their first nine possessions against Neb.-Kearney as Emporia State opened a 34-7 third quarter lead. One of the top passing teams in the nation, the Hornets only threw six passes after taking the 34-7 lead, going two for six for 45 yards. The Lopers were held to just 208 yards through their first nine possessions as the Hornets took the 27 point lead and had 226 yards in their final six times with the ball.
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THE POLLS SAY
The Hornets are one of six MIAA teams receiving votes in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Poll. If the poll was carried out, Emporia State would be ranked #27 with 49 points. Emporia State began the season receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Preseason Poll. The last time Emporia State was in the AFCA Preseason Poll was prior to the 2004 season. Â
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 is ranked in the top 15 nationally in total offense, passing efficiency, time of possession and first downs. The Hornets lead the MIAA in time of possession and are ranked second in total offense and first downs.
LEADING THE WAY
Quarterback Brent Wilson (So./Ponca City, Okla.) is leading the MIAA in points responsible for and is second in the league in total offense. He is ranked fifth in the country in total touchdowns responsible for and is eighth in the nation in passing efficiency. He went 23 of 34 for 297 yards with four touchdowns against Neb.-Kearney. He was 18 of 24 for 232 yards and all four touchdowns in the first half as Emporia State built a 31-7 halftime lead. He also netted 39 yards on 16 rushes against the Lopers. 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 threw for 2,747 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior at Ponca City HS.
THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Quarterback Corben Jones (Fr.-RS/Yukon, Okla.) was one for three for 19 yards in his Hornet debut. 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.
WHAT YOU TALKIN' ABOUT
Receiver Austin Willis (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is leading the MIAA and ranked fourth in the nation in receiving yards. He is second in the league and eighth in the nation in scoring and ranked 25th in the nation in all-purpose yards. 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 had four catches for over 25 yards including 64 and 30 yard touchdowns. He also had a rush for 18 yards to give him 234 all-purpose yards. The 216 yards are the most by a Hornet since Shjuan Richardson caught 11 passes for 217 yards against Truman last season. Seven of his 15 receptions on the year have gone for more than 25 yards. He has already passed his yardage total for last season when 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 is the only junior to be elected team captain.
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TARHEEL TORNADO
Receiver Ray Ray Davis (Sr./Indian Trail, N.C.) is fifth in the MIAA in receptions. 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. He is a versatile athlete who caught and threw a touchdown pass in the Kanza Bowl. He had five catches for 50 yards and two carries for 19 yards at Washburn, including his second straight rushing touchdown off a direct snap. He had a 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. He had five catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns at Truman. He caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown against Lindenwood. He had 97 yards on six catches at Northeastern State following a six reception, 91 yard day against Central Oklahoma. 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 124 catches for 1,568 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two plus seasons with the Hornets. He is one of four team captains.
BIG FOOTE
Mitchell Foote (Fr.-RS/Enid, Okla.) caught a five yard touchdown pass the first time he set foot on the field for the Hornets. He finished with two catches for seven yards and a touchdown against Neb.-Kearney. 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) played at both receiver and corner back last season and will start the year on the offensive side of the ball. 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 and had a 42 yard touchdown reception against Central Oklahoma before moving over to defense against Truman. He had two tackles and a pass break up against the Bulldogs.
MORE TARGETS
Eight players caught at least one pass against Fort Hays State. Drake Smithon (So./Woodward, Okla.) had four catches for 34 yards last season after transferring from Oklahoma State. Dyland Walker (So./Schertz, Texas) had a 44 yard touchdown at Washburn last season. Dewayne Sanford (Fr.-RS/Lawton, Okla.) was an All-District performer for MacArthur HS as a senior. Â
HIGHWAY 99 ALL-STAR
H-back Josh Klumpe (Sr./Olpe, Kan.) has pulled in three receptions in each of his first two games. 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 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.
THAT'S A DOZIE
Running back Dozie Iwuagwa (Sr./Pittsburg, Calif.) is ranked fourth in the MIAA and 40th in the nation in rushing yards. 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 is the first Hornet to rush for over 85 yards in each of the first two games of a season since LaDarrian Page had 153 against Southwestern Oklahoma and 96 against Augustana in 2009. 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. Â
TICE IS NICE
Running back Jordan Tice (Jr./Osage City, Kan.) 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.
BROWN AND SERVE
Running back Antonio Brown (Fr.-RS/St. Louis, Mo.) 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. He had four games with over 200 yards rushing as a senior.
JOSHING AROUND
Running back Josh Matthews (Sr./McKinney, Texas) 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) 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.) was the Squarehead winner at Neb.-Kearney last season after transferring from Iowa Central CC.
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.
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 leads the MIAA and is ranked 25th in the nation in red zone defense. They held Neb.-Kearney on downs twice inside the Hornet 25 yard line and forced an interception on another trip to the red zone. They are second in the MIAA in total defense, interceptions and turnovers gained and are tenth in the nation in interceptions.
THE POST MAN
Safety Chris Poston (Sr./Oklahoma City, Okla.) returns for his final season and has been on several preseason All-American watch lists. 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 is one of four team captains.
IT'S IN THE BAG
Safety Kadeem Satchell (Jr./Princeton, Texas) 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 six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack at Truman. He had seven tackles, including a tackle for loss against Lincoln in his first career start. He recorded six total tackles in ten games as a freshman.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Brandon Gentz (So./Emporia, Kan.) has 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.
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS
Cornerback Deveon Dinwiddie (Jr./Hutchinson, Kan.) had eight tackles against Neb.-Karney with a pass break up. He made an impact in his first game after transferring from NCAA Division I-FCS Champion North Dakota State. 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 played running back and gained 206 yards on 29 carries in ten games as running back 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) 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 35 games until his injury.
SPARTACUS
Cornerback Jarrett Strode (So./St. Charles, Mo.) 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 was credited with four tackles at Washburn. He had three tackles at Truman. 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.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Cornerback Gary Fortune (Sr./Indian Head, Md.) 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.
THE COLONEL
Linebacker Jordan Sanders (Sr./Warner Robins, Ga.) is eighth in the MIAA in tackles. 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 recorded ten tackles at Truman. He had eight tackles with a sack against Lindenwood. 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.
STRIKER
Linebacker Tariq Allen (Jr./Irving, Texas) is ranked ninth in the MIAA in tackles. 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 in his Hornet debut. He was rated among the top 20 inside linebackers in the country as a senior at MacArthur HS before joining the Texas Longhorns. He was rated #4 by ESPN and #16 by rivals.com. Â
THE GOVERNOR
Linebacker Deshawn Dinwiddie (Jr./Hutchinson, Kan.) 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.
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. Â
PUNKED
Linebacker Ashton Reichmann (Jr./Maize, Kan.) 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.) 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. Â
WILSON!
Defensive lineman Justin Wilson (So./Luther, Okla.) recorded four tackles with half a tackle for loss agaisnt 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.
LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Neil Shortell (Sr./Mission Hills, Kan.) 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) is the lone returning starter on the defensive line and he led the Hornets with four sacks and nine tackles for loss. He had four solo tackles, including one for a loss at Washburn. He had three tackles with half a sack at Northwest Missouri. He had two TFL including a sack and was credited with four quarterback hurries against Lindenwood. He had four tackles at Southwest Baptist with a half a sack. He had three solo stops at Northeastern State. He had five tackles with 2.0 TFL including assists on two sacks at Neb.-Kearney. He was the top tackler from the line against Ft. Hays State with five stops, including 1.5 TFL. Â
LOUIE, LOUIE
Defensive lineman Ryan Louia (Sr./Burlington, Kan.) 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 is able to use his size to break up four passes and block two kicks at the line of scrimmage. A fifth year player, he is one of the four Hornet team captains.
A TREE
Defensive lineman James Junious (So./Arlington, Texas) 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.
BRING THE LUMBER
Defensive lineman Nick Schutte (Jr./Elk Run Heights, Iowa) 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. Â
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
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 five of six on field goal attempts to tie for the league lead in makes. The Hornets hit two of three field goals against Neb.-Kearney with the one miss getting blocked. Emporia State hit three of three field goals and four of five PAT and blocked a PAT against Ft. Hays State. The Hornets had a punt blocked by the Tigers that led to the first score for FHSU. Emporia State is ranked 14th in the MIAA in net punting and kickoff returns. Â
BOOK OF ELI
After sharing duties last season kicker Eli Kuhns (So./Copperas Cove, Texas) will handle all kicking for the Hornets this year. He leads the MIAA and is second in the nation in made field goals with his five makes. 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 was ranked seventh in the MIAA and 53rd in the nation in made field goals despite only attempting ones of over 35 yards. He was nine of 12 on field goals last season, with eight of them over 35 yards, including a school record tying 51 yarder against Lincoln. 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. 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.
DID YOU CATCH IT
For the fourth year in a row, the Hornets will have a home game featured on the MIAA Television Network when they play host to Southwest Baptist on October 12 for Homecoming. 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. The Thursday, Oct. 25 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, however the Kanza Bowl is not part of the package. Audio of all ESU games are available at www.kvoe.com with Greg Rahe, Chuck Samples and Ron Thomas providing the call. Â
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 32-6 outside the league over the last two seasons with five losses coming in postseason play and the sixth by Southwest Baptist against former MIAA member Truman. Four MIAA schools are in the AFCA Division II Preseason Top 25 with two others receiving votes.
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 two 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.
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 82-47 as a head coach with a 31-38 record at his alma mater. He is 22-13 over the last three seasons and 16-4 over the last 20 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. Â
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.
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 has a 3.78 GPA in computer operating systems.
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.
QUALIFYING
Offensive tackle Jake Roepke (So./Fort Polk, La.) is setting out while an eligibility issue is 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. Had he been able to enroll at that time, he would have been eligible this semester by passing the required hours at Emporia State. Because he was not able to enroll at that time because of his military commitment, he needed to be declared eligible based on his status coming out of Royal Valley HS back in 2007. He originally signed with Kansas State out of Royal Valley HS and was a partial qualifier. He played at Butler CC one semester before enlisting in the Army and serving our country in Afghanistan. Â
INJURY REPORT
Trey Rodgers (Sr./Collinsville, Okla.) started the first five games at guard last year before a season ending injury. He reinjured the knee during training camp and is out for the foreseeable future.
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A Hornet win would...
•make Emporia State 3-0 overall, 3-0 in the MIAA;
•make Emporia State 5-9-1 all-time against Central Oklahoma;
•be Emporia State's third straight win over Central Oklahoma;
•be Emporia State's 12th straight win over a team from the state of Oklahoma;
•be Emporia State's ninth straight win in the state of Oklahoma dating back to a 17-12 loss to Cameron in the 1987 NAIA Playoffs;
•be Emporia State's fifth straight win overall dating back to last season;
•make Coach Higgins 32-38 at Emporia State and 83-47 overall.
A Hornet loss would...
•make Emporia State 2-1 overall, 2-1 in the MIAA.
•make Emporia State 4-10-1 all-time against Central Oklahoma;
•snap a two game winning streak by Emporia State over Central Oklahoma;
•snap Emporia State's 11 game winning streak over teams from Oklahoma;
•snap Emporia State's eight game winning streak in the state of Oklahoma;
•snap Emporia State's four game winning streak overall dating back to last season;
•make Coach Higgins 31-39 at Emporia State?and 82-48 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. ESU came from 17-0 at the end of the first quarter to defeat Ft. Hays State 24-17 to open the 1992 season.
