EMPORIA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYS AT MO. WESTERN IN MIAA-TV GAME

Football | 10/22/2014 5:05:00 PM

Game #8
Emporia State Hornets (3-4, 3-4 MIAA)
at Missouri Western Griffons (5-2, 5-2 MIAA)
 Sat., Oct. 25, 2014 • 2:07 p.m. • Spratt Stadium • St. Joseph, Mo. (7,200) • St. Joseph, Mo.
Series Record: MWSU leads24-12
Last Meeting: ESU 35, at MWSU 30 (Nov. 2, 2013)
Radio: KFFX-FM (104.9), 1:00 p.m. Pregame  TV: MIAA Network
Internet (Audio): www.kvoe.com Internet (Video): portal.stretchinternet.com/esu
Live Stats
Officials: Announced on Game Day
Up Next: at Washburn • Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 • 1:00 p.m.
Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl (7,200) • Topeka, Kan.

GAME OF THE WEEK  
Emporia State takes on Missouri Western in the MIAA Television Game of the Week in St. Joseph, Mo. It is the first of two Hornet games that will be shown on the MIAA Network this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Behind true freshman Braxton Marstall, Emporia State outscored Ft. Hays State 21-3 in the second half but could not overcome four turnovers in a 24-21 Hornet loss on Saturday at Welch Stadium in Emporia. The Hornets trailed 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. Starting quarterback Ty Reasnor was injured on the second to last series of the half and was replaced by Marstall after going 13 of 18 for 128 yards.  A trio of true freshmen led the Hornet offense. Marstall was 11 of 22 for 115 yards and a touchdown while Kai Callins had 24 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Justin Brown caught five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown and two point conversion. Junior Kavaski Ervin had a team high eight receptions for 93 yards.  Lyndell Johnson had nine tackles and a fumble recovery while Eddie Vinson had eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass break up.

THE COACHES
Garin Higgins has compiled a career record of 92-53 in his 13th season as a head coach. He led the Hornets to the NCAA playoffs last year. He is 41-44 in his eighth season at his alma mater and is 31-20 over the last four 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 1-6 against Missouri Western.
Jerry Partridge is 137-69 in his 19th year at Missouri Western. He is 11-7 against Emporia State.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 3-4 overall and 3-4 in the MIAA. The Hornets are second in the MIAA in passing offense despite using three quarterbacks this season. Austin Willis is second in the MIAA in receptions and touchdown receptions. Antonio Brown is averaging 74.4 yards per game to rank fifth in the MIAA in rushing. The Hornets have a +5 turnover margin in their three wins and are -5 in their four losses.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western is 5-2 on the season and 5-2 in the MIAA. They are ranked second in the MIAA in scoring defense are third in total defense and lead the league in sacks. Raphael Spencer averages 110.3 yards rushing per game to rank third in the league.

THE SERIES
This is the 37th meeting between the schools with Missouri Western holding a 24-12 advantage. The Griffons had won eight straight in the series before last year's win by the Hornets.

LAST TIME AGAINST MO. WESTERN
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.  Brent Wilson hit Ray Ray Davis from one yard out to give the Hornets a 35-24 lead. Travis Partridge pulled MWSU within 35-30 on a two yard run with 2:46 left. The Griffs got one last chance but Gary Fortune picked off Partridge in the endzone with 11 seconds left to seal the win.
 
UP NEXT
Emporia State travels to Washburn for the 111th Turnpike Tussle. Kick-off from Moore Bowl in Topeka, Kan. is set for 1:00 p.m.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE
Emporia State is second in the MIAA in passing offense despite using three different quarterbacks this season. They have had a 100 yard rusher in three straight games for the first time since 2006. It is the first time since 2003 that two different running backs have been involved in a streak of at least three straight 100 yard rushing games. The Hornets are 31-7 under coach Higgins when scoring 28 or more points with a 25-2 record in their last 27 games in which they have scored at least 28 points.   

WITHIN REASON
Quarterback Ty Reasnor (Fr.-RS/Cashion, Okla.) is ranked fifth in the MIAA in passing efficiency. He was 13 of 18 for 128 yards against Ft. Hays State before getting knocked out of the game in the second quarter. He is questionable for the Missouri Western game. He was nine for 19 for 103 yards at Pittsburg State.  He was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week after completing 30 of 37 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns against Lindenwood in his first career start. He has played in every game this season with three exclusively as a punter. He played most of the fourth quarter against Mo. Southern at quarterback with one carry for 13 yards. He earned first-team All-State honors as he threw for 3,562 yards and 48 touchdowns with just three interceptions to lead Cashion (Okla.) HS to a 13-1 record as a senior.

RIDING SCHOOL
Quarterback Braxton Marstall  (Fr./Emporia, Kan.) made his Emporia State debut against Ft. Hays State and led the Hornets to 21 second half points. It was the most points scored in a half against the Tigers this year. He was 11 of 22 for 115 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He earned honorable mention All-State as a junior. He missed several games with an injury as a senior and earned all-league honors. He threw for over 4,000 yards with 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his career.
 
WILSON!
Quarterback Brent Wilson (Jr./Ponca City, Okla.) is out with a broken collar bone suffered in the fourth quarter against Northeastern State. Despite the injury he finished the game, throwing a 30 yard touchdown pass and scoring the game winning touchdown on the ground in the second overtime. He was 20 of 36 for 292 yards and four touchdowns at Northeastern State. He was 40 of 62 for 489 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions at Central Missouri. The 40 completions broke Pete Jelovic's school record of 39 set against Truman in 1995 and the 489 yards are second in Emporia State history to his own 522 yards against Central Oklahoma last year. He was named second-team All-MIAA at quarterback. He was named to preseason All-American watch lists by BSN and USA College Football.  Last year he set the Emporia State single season touchdown passes record with 33, was just the second Hornet to go over 3,000 yards of total offense with 3,381 yards, and was third in passing with 2,985 yards in just ten games on the season. 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 drive. He went 21 of 31 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against the Griffons. 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 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 and also ran for 74 yards on 13 carries with a pair of rushing touchdowns. He is 336 of 521 for 4,377 yards with 44 touchdowns passing in his career.  He has added 579 rushing yards to record 4,956 yards of total offense in 23 career games. He is ranked fourth in career passing yards and touchdown passes and ranks fifth in total offense at Emporia State.

WHAT YOU TALKIN' ABOUT
Receiver Austin Willis  (Sr./Topeka, Kan.) is second in the MIAA in receptions and touchdown catches and ranks third in receiving yards. He is 31st in the nation in touchdown receptions, 30th in receiving yards and 59th in receptions per game. He caught six passes for 51 yards against Ft. Hays State. He has at least one catch of 25 yards or more in 12 of his last 16 games and at least one of 50 yards or more in nine of the last 16 games he has played in. He had three catches for 31 yards at Pittsburg State with a long of 26 yards. He was held to 26 yards on five catches against Lindenwood. He had 90 yards on four catches with two touchdowns at Northeastern State. He had seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown against Central Okla. He had eight catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns at Central Missouri including a 53 yard touchdown, his eighth career touchdown catch of at least 50 yards. He had 126 yards on five receptions with a touchdown against Missouri Southern and got Emporia State on the board with a 54 yard touchdown catch. He was a second-team All-MIAA pick last year despite missing two games with an injury. He was on the USA College Football preseason All-American watch list. Willis caught 45 passes for 911 yards and ten touchdowns in nine games last year.  Five of his ten touchdown receptions last year went for over 50 yards, including a 55 yarder against Minn.-Duluth in the NCAA Playoffs. Of his 45 receptions last year, 15 went for more than 25 yards including seven catches for over 50 yards. He was injured early in the Mo. Western game last year and had just one catch for one yard against the Griffons.  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 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 last season.  His 74 yard touchdown catch gave Emporia State the lead at Southwest Baptist in 2012 and was the fourth longest play from scrimmage for the Hornets that year. He has 1,875 yards on 110 receptions with 18 touchdowns in his career for an 17.0 yards per catch average.
 
MAGIC
Receiver Kavaski Ervin (Jr./Mesquite, Texas) is fourth in the MIAA in receptions per game and touchdown catches, and is ranked eighth in receiving yards.  He had eight catches for 93 yards against Ft. Hays State. He had two receptions for 19 yards at Pittsburg State. He had five catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns against Lindenwood. He caught five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns at Northeastern State, including a 30 yarder in the first overtime. He had eight catches for 39 yards against Central Oklahoma after catching five passes for 61 yards at Central Missouri. He had four catches for 27 yards against Missouri Southern. He earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors last season. He caught six of the last ten touchdown passes thrown by Emporia State and had 18 catches for 324 yards and five touchdowns in his four games against nationally ranked teams last year.  He had career highs of seven receptions for 129 yards including a Hornet season best 74 yard touchdown against Washburn. He had five catches for 114 yards and two scores against Northwest Missouri. He had four receptions for 45 yards and two touchdowns at Missouri Western. 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 played at both receiver and corner back as a freshman. He was the only Hornet to have a rush of over 25 yards and a reception of over 40 yards in 2012. He averaged 17.2 yards per catch as a freshman including a 42 yard touchdown reception against Central Oklahoma.

JUST IN CASE
Receiver Justin Brown (Fr./El Reno, Okla.) caught five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown and added a two point conversion against Ft. Hays State. He also lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation for one play against the Tigers. He had his first career catch against Central Oklahoma, gaining seven yards. He scored touchdowns by receiving, rushing, kickoff return, punt return and interception return on his way to 22 touchdowns his senior year at El Reno HS.

BIG FOOTE
Mitchell Foote (So./Enid, Okla.) had two catches for 22 yards against Ft. Hays State after being held without a catch against Pittsburg State. He  caught four passes for 22 yards including a 13 yard touchdown against Lindenwood. He had five catches for a career best 93 yards including a career long 40 yarder at Northeastern State He had four receptions for 28 yards against Central Oklahoma. He caught three passes for 51 yards at Central Missouri. He had a 12 yard reception down to the Central Missouri nine yard line. He had five receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown against Missouri Southern. Last year he caught five passes for 61 yards against Washburn. He had two catches for 43 yards against Northwest Missouri. He had a catch of at least 15 yards in five of the last eight games. He had five catches for 50 yards at Lindenwood. He had four receptions for a then career best 82 yards against Southwest Baptist. 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. Twelve of his 16 receptions last year were good for either a first down or a touchdown.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM
Receiver Drake Smithon (Jr./Woodward, Okla.) had two catches for 24 yards against Ft. Hays State. He was the Hornets leading receiver with six catches for 43 yards against Lindenwood. He caught one pass for 12 yards at Northeastern State. He had three catches for 17 yards against Central Oklahoma. He had four receptions for 37 yards at Central Missouri. He had two catches for 21 yards against Missouri Southern. He caught three passes for 22 yards against Southwest Baptist last year. He had five catches for 52 yards on the year with a long of 17 yards. He had four catches for 34 yards as a freshman after transferring from Oklahoma State.

MORE TARGETS
A total of 11 Hornets have a catch this season and seven players have a reception of at least ten yards. Jaylon Raydel (Fr./Gardner, Kan.) had four catches for 18 yards against Lindenwood. He was a first-team All-State selection for Gardner-Edgerton HS and was a two-time All-Eastern Kansas League pick.

REESE'S PIECES
H-back Reese Richards (So./Azle, Texas) caught three passes for 45 yards at Pittsburg State. He had three receptions for 33 yards against Lindenwood. He had just one catch for six yards against Central Oklahoma after getting a career high 104 yards receiving on six catches with a touchdown at Central Missouri. He had his first career start against Northwest Missouri last season. He had two catches for 31 yards against Southwest Baptist last year. He caught a 37 yard touchdown pass at Lincoln. He had 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.

DOMINATE AT THE LINE
H-back transfer Dominique Jones (Jr./Kilgore, Texas) has split time at h-back and defensive endthe last two games. He had a 21 yard reception against Central Oklahoma. He played in 18 games with six starts as the primary blocking tight end in two years at the University of Texas. He had a touchdown reception in the Longhorns 2010 game at Kansas State. He was a three-time all-district performer and starter at tight end and defensive end for Kilgore HS He was tabbed one of the top 10 defensive ends in Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football as a high school senior.

TRIUMPHANT
Running back Kai Callins (Fr./Guthrie, Okla.) had 101 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown against Ft. Hays State after missing two games with an ankle injury. He led Emporia State with 107 yards on 11 carries including a 57 yard touchdown run against Missouri Southern. He is averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 42 rushes this season. He was the MVP of the Oklahoma Class 5A state championship game after rushing for 245 yards and four touchdowns. He was named VYPE Magazine Mr. Football in Oklahoma his senior year.

BROWN AND SERVE
Running back Antonio Brown (So./St. Louis, Mo.) is fifth in the MIAA in rushing at 74.4 yards per game.  He was held to 18 yards on eight carries against Ft. Hays State. He had a career high 134 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown at Pittsburg State. He became the first Hornets since Seville Ko in 2006 to have back to back 100 yard rushing days. He had 104 yards with a touchdown on 17 carries against Lindenwood. He had 76 yards on 17 carries at Northeastern State with a touchdown. He had 51 rushing yards on 16 carries against Central Oklahoma and added 12 yards on three receptions. He had 103 yards from scrimmage against Central Missouri with 21 carries for 60 yards with a rushing touchdown and a career high 12 receptions for 43 yards. He had 77 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown against Missouri Southern. He was the Offensive Freshman of the Year in the MIAA and was named honorable mention All-MIAA last season. His nine rushing scores were the most by a Hornet since Kevin Smart had 11 touchdowns in 2009. He had 536 rushing yards last year with 463 coming in the final seven games of the year. It was the most rushing yards by a Hornet freshman since Seville Ko gained 559 in 2005 and his nine touchdowns are the most by a Hornet freshman since joining the MIAA. He rushed for 66 yards against Washburn with 60 of them coming on ten carries in the fourth quarter. He had 13 carries for 68 yards against Northwest Missouri. 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 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 has 905 yards in 16 career games. He was a first-team All-State selection at Christian Brothers HS in St. Louis where he scored 46 touchdowns with over 2600 rushing yards combined as a junior and senior.

TICE IS NICE
Running back Jordan Tice (Sr./Osage City, Kan.) had 21 yards on 11 carries at Pittsburg State. He had 12 carries for 46 yards against Lindenwood. He had 62 yards on 11 rushes with a touchdown against Missouri Southern. He has averaged 4.0 yards per carry in his career with just two fumbles in 200 career rushes in 39 games. He had a season high 43 yards on eight carries at Central Oklahoma last year. He had 320 yards on 82 carries as a sophomore 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 88 yards from scrimmage on 14 carries and four catches with a touchdown against Ft. Hays State. He had six carries for 43 yards against Pittsburg State as a freshman. He averaged 9.6 yards per carry with a touchdown as a freshman.

JOSHING AROUND
Running back Josh Matthews (Sr./McKinney, Texas) had 11 carries for a career high 53 yards against Lindenwood. He had two carries for 14 yards against Central Oklahoma. He had 81 yards on 14 carries last season including a career high 52 yards on eight carries against Lincoln last year. He had six carries for 29 yards in his Hornet debut at Ft. Hays State. He transferred from Drake where he played in 22 games as a defensive back.

ON THE LINE
Emporia State returned four of five starters on the offensive line from last year and has five players with at least nine career starts.  The Hornets are the only team to return three offensive linemen that earned All-MIAA honors last year and two players have been named to preseason All-America watch lists. As a unit they paved the way for 163 yards on 35 carries at Pittsburg State, the most rushing yards against the Gorillas this year, and an average gain of 6.5 yards per rush against Missouri Southern.  

OFF THE ICE
Guard Jarrett Stastny (So./Sanger, Texas) was named the Squarehead Award winner against Northeastern State and Missouri Southern. He is a consensus preseason All-American, earning D2Football.com, Lindy's, BSN, and USA College Football honors. He was named First-Team All-MIAA on the offensive line and was the only freshman tabbed First-Team. He was a second-team Daktronics All-Region pick and earned third-team all-region honors from Hansen's Football Gazette. He earned the Squarehead Award three times last season. His first honor was against Neb.-Kearney and he won the award in the Hornets wins over nationally ranked Missouri Western and Washburn.

PUTTING IT BLUNTLY
Tackle Aaron Blount (Sr./Garland, Texas) was the Squarehead winner against Pittsburg State. He was named Third-Team All-MIAA last season. He was named to the USA College Football preseason All-American watch list. He earned Squarehead Award honors for the Northeastern State and Lincoln games last year. He was the Squarehead winner for the Truman and Northwest Missouri games as a sophomore.  

A FEW GOOD MEN
Center Dan Goodman (Sr./Emporia, Kan.) returned to the line-up against Lindenwood after missing the Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State games with an ankle injury and was named the Squarehead Award winner against the Lions. He played 90 of 91 snaps against Central Missouri despite an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter. He stepped in for four year starter Lance Uhles at center and earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors as a junior last season. He was named the Squarehead Award winner against Ft. Hays State last season.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU
Tackle Clayton Brown (Sr./Braymer, Mo.) was named the Squarehead Award winner against Central Oklahoma. He earned Squarehead honors against Lindenwood and Central Oklahoma last season. He was the Squarehead winner at Neb.-Kearney as a sophomore after transferring from Iowa Central CC.

IN THE TRENCHES
Eric Pruitt (Jr./Chicago, Ill.) returned to guard against Lindenwood. He worked his way into the starting line-up at guard to begin the season. He moved to center against Central Oklahoma and again at Northeastern State with the injury to Dan Goodman. He worked out on the defensive side of the ball last season after transferring from Ellsworth CC.

GETTING JENKY WITH IT
Guard Beau Jenkins (So./Corsicana, Texas) moved into the starting line up at guard with Eric Pruitt's move to center against Central Oklahoma. He was a first-team All-State Class 2A performer for Mildred (Texas) HS.

GREAT DANE
Tackle Dane Riley (Fr.-RS/Azle, Texas) got to start against Northeastern State and has seen considerable action over the last three games. He was a first-team All-District pick at left tackle for Azle HS. He was credited with 14 pancake blocks as a senior.

SCOOBY DOO
Guard Jordan McAdoo (Jr./Piedmont, Okla.) was named Squarehead Award winner off the bench against Northwest Missouri last year. He has rotated in at several positions along the line last season. He started eight games between the guard and tackle position as a freshman and earned Squarehead honors against Lindenwood.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Emporia State is second in the MIAA and is ranked 29th in the nation in fumbles recovered and are third in the conference in turnovers gained. They have recovered eight of 16 fumbles by their opponents. The Hornets have forced a turnover in 33 of their last 35 games. They have three defensive scores this year, the most since getting four defensive touchdowns in 2007. Emporia State forced four turnovers against Missouri Southern and scored two defensive touchdowns.  It was the first defensive score for the Hornets since Sept. 8, 2012 when they had a fumble and interception return for touchdowns at Neb.-Kearney. The Hornets are last in the MIAA in total defense allowing 437.7 yards per game, but are fourth in the league in red-zone defense allowing 17 scores on 25 opponent trips to the red-zone.

THE GOVERNOR
Linebacker Deshawn Dinwiddie (Sr./Hutchinson, Kan.) missed the Ft. Hays State game after aggravating an ankle injury at Pittsburg State. He is questionable for the Missouri Western game. He had 11 tackles and a forced fumble at Pittsburg State after missing the previous two games with the ankle injury. Despite playing in jsut four of seven games, he has four forced fumbles to rank second in the nation in total forces. His 10.8 tackles per game would rank fourth in the MIAA if he had played in enough games to qualify for the leaders. He had a career high 17 tackles, 11 of them solo, with 2.5 TFL and a forced fumble against Central Oklahoma. He had five tackles and an interception return of 23 yards at Central Missouri. He was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Missouri Southern. He had a game high ten tackles, two forced fumbles and returned a defensive PAT for a score against the Lions. He was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection last year. He was the second leading tackler for the Hornets last year with 70 stops in ten games. He had seven tackles, a pass break up and a forced fumble with the recovery against Northwest Missouri. He was credited with 11 tackles including a tackle for loss at Missouri Western. He cracked double figures in tackles for the first time against Northeastern State, ending with 11 total including one for a loss. 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.

BEDLAM
Linebacker Lyndell Johnson (Sr./Plano, Texas) leads the MIAA and is fourth in the nation with three fumbles recovered and is second in the league and 53rd in the nation in forced fumbles with two as well. He had nine tackles and a fumble recovery against Ft. Hays State. He blocked a field goal and returned it 77 yards to give the Hornets a 10-0 lead in the first quarter at Pittsburg State.  He also had seven tackles, a sack and a pass break up at Pitt State. He is the first Hornets since Ryan Hulings in 2005 to score two special teams touchdowns. He had five tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass break up against Lindenwood. He was credited with four tackles and a pass break up at Northeastern State. He had four solo tackles against Central Oklahoma and returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown. It was the first non-blocked punt return for a TD by the Hornets since Brian Murphy went 82 yards against Western State in 2008. He had six tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss and half a sack at Central Missouri. He had six tackles, including two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries against Missouri Southern. He knocked down a pitch and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown against the Lions. He transferred to Emporia State from Oklahoma State for his senior year.  He was the fifth leading tackler with 54 tackles and made three starts for the Cowboys last year. He had two fumble recoveries to rank sixth in the Big 12 and 34th in NCAA Division I-FBS last year. As a sophomore he was tied for the team lead with two interceptions and his seven tackles for loss were the fourth most for Oklahoma State. He was ranked as the #39 overall player in the state of Texas by Scout.
 
BLOODLINES
Linebacker Jason Tetuan (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is ranked 22nd in the MIAA in total tackles. He had seven stops and 1.5 TFL against Ft. Hays State He recorded seven tackles at Pittsburg State. He had four solo tackles and a pass break up against Lindenwood. He recorded nine tackles at Northeastern State. He was credited with ten tackles and 1.5 sacks at Central Missouri. He had seven tackles, three of them unassisted against Missouri Southern. He had three tackles in his first career start at Central Oklahoma last year. He was credited with four tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had seven tackles, six of them solo, as a freshman for the Hornets. 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.  

ON THE SPOT
Linebacker Seth Culp (So./Temple, Texas) had two interceptions and five tackles against Ft. Hays State. He had five tackles and a forced fumble at Pittsburg State. He was credited with two tackles against Lindenwood. He got his first start at linebacker for the Hornets at Northeastern State and led Emporia State with 11 tackles. He transferred in during training camp from Trinity Valley CC.  He had 47 tackles in 12 games as a freshman at Trinity Valley. He originally signed with West Texas A&M. He was a first-team All-District performer and defensive MVP for Temple HS.

REMINGTON STEELE
Linebacker Remington Whitley (Fr.-RS./Olathe, Kan.) had two tackles and a pass break up against Ft. Hays State. He recorded four tackles at Pittsburg State. He began the season with four stops against Missouri Southern. He was named First-Team All-Sunflower League, earned Sunflower League Football Blog Defensive Player of the Year honors and was an honorable mention all-state pick as a senior for Olathe South HS.

A GOOD MAN
Linebacker Brandon Goodman (So./Paola, Kan.) had two tackles with one for a loss at Pittsburg State. He was credited with two tackles at Northeastern State. He had five tackles against Missouri Southern. He was a first-team All-State selection from the Kansas Football Coaches Association, Topeka Capital Journal and Wichita Eagle after recording 150 tackles his senior year at Paola HS.

MR. ROBINSON
Linebacker Jordan Robinson (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) had four tackles at Northeastern State. He opened the season with five stops against Missouri Southern. He played in nine games for the Hornets last year after transferring from Butler CC.

STRIKER
Linebacker Tariq Allen (Sr./Irving, Texas) registered four tackles against Central Oklahoma in his only action of the season so far. He is doubtful for the Missouri Western game with a back injury. He was third on the team last year with 64 tackles. He had nine tackles against Minn.-Duluth in the NCAA Playoffs. He had 12 tackles, a sack and an interception at Missouri Western. 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 signed with Texas out of high school. 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.

IT'S IN THE BAG
Safety Kadeem Satchell (Sr./Princeton, Texas) is second in the MIAA and is tied for 17th in the nation in fumble recoveries with two on the season and is seventh in the league in interceptions with two. He had six tackles against Ft. Hays State. He had six tackles and two interceptions against Lindenwood. He had a total of 81 return yards including a 39 yard touchdown against the Lions to become the first Hornet since Travis Lee and Emmanuel Howard in 2007 to have two defensive scores in the same season. He was credited with ten tackles at Northeastern State. He recorded five tackles and a fumble recovery at Central Missouri. He had five solo tackles and six total against Missouri Southern. He scooped up a Lion fumble and returned 31 yards for a touchdown. He started all 11 games last year, finishing the season with 40 tackles and three interceptions. He recorded four solo tackles, one for a loss and had an interception against Washburn. He had four tackles and an interception at Lindenwood. He had nine tackles at Central Oklahoma. He had 45 tackles as a sophomore including a career high ten stops with a pass break up against Missouri Western.   

REVOLUTIONARY
Safety Josh Monteagudo (So./Cape Coral, Fla.) was credited with 11 tackles and a forced fumble at Pittsburg State. He recorded nine tackles at Northeastern State. He had ten tackles with nine of them unassisted against Central Oklahoma. He was credited with seven tackles and an interception at Central Missouri. He had four tackles against Missouri Southern. He came on strong at the end of the year with 46 of his 52 tackles in the final seven games of the year. He had eight tackles at Minn.-Duluth. He was credited with eight solo tackles including two for a loss against Northwest Missouri. He 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 is a transfer from Hutchinson CC where he redshirted as a true freshman after originally committing to Ole Miss.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Safety Marcus Houghton (Fr.-RS./McPherson, Kan) got his first career start against Lindenwood and had three solo tackles, including one for a loss. He was a first-team All-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League performer for McPherson HS.

THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS
Cornerback Deveon Dinwiddie (Sr./Hutchinson, Kan.) recorded five tackles, including an assisted tackle for loss against Ft. Hays State. He had five tackles, four of them solo, at Pittsburg State. He returned to action with one tackles in limited play against Lindenwood after missing two games with an ankle injury. He had a career high 12 tackles, ten of them solo, and an interception against Central Missouri. He also had two punt returns for 16 yards and a kick-off return of 17 yards that he injured his ankle on. He had two solo tackles, an interception and blocked a PAT against Missouri Southern. He earned honorable mention honors as a punt/kick returner. He also had 58 yards on three kick returns. He was the top tackler among corners last season with 50 total, including 44 solo stops. He averaged 32.5 yards on two interception returns and 12.5 yards per return on 12 punt returns last season. He recorded seven solo and an assisted tackle against Washburn. He had eight tackles and pass break up against Northwest Missouri. He had a 21 yard interception return at Lindenwood.  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.-Kearney with a pass break up. He had 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 rushed 143 times for a team-high 860 yards and 12 touchdowns for Hutchinson CC.  

ACE OF MAYZE
Cornerback Ace Mayze (So./Arlington, Texas) had three tackles against Ft. Hays State. He recorded five tackles at Northeastern State. He had a pair of solo tackles against Central Oklahoma. He had one tackle and was credited with two pass break ups at Central Missouri. He was credited with five tackles against Missouri Southern. He saw action in all 11 games last year with 11 tackles. He had a season high five tackles, four of them solo stops, against Southwest Baptist. He was a mainstay on special teams as a true freshman and saw his first extended action on defense against Southwest Baptist. 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.

SPEEDY
Cornerback A.J. West (Fr.-RS./Yukon, Okla.) had three tackles at Pittsburg State. He had two tackles and a pass break up against Lindenwood. He had a career high six tackles with two pass break ups at Northeastern State. He had a 17 yard kick return and a tackle against Central Oklahoma. He had a 20 yard kick return against Central Missouri. He had one tackle against Missouri Southern after making the move from running back to corner during training camp.  He earned All-American honors last spring as a member of Emporia State's men's 4x400m relay team that placed eighth in the nation. He gained 1,702 yards on 195 carries as a senior for Yukon HS in his only year of high school football.

DESTINY
Cornerback Kumani Armstead (Fr.-RS./North Richland Hills, Texas) had four tackles at Pittsburg State. He was credited with four tackles against Lindenwood. He saw his first action as a Hornet against Central Oklahoma and had three tackles. He was a second-team All-District performer for Richland HS.

TRE BIEN
Cornerback Tre Dickerson (So./Corinth, Texas) had three tackles and a pass break up against Lindenwood. He had four tackles and an interception at Northeastern State. He is a member of the Hornet track and field team and placed ninth in the triple jump at the MIAA Outdoor Championships last spring. He had 39 catches for 625 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at Lake Dallas HS. He also averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 64 rushes with five touchdowns.

GRINDING DOWN
Brandon Gentz (Jr./Emporia, Kan.) suffered a season ending injury against Central Missouri as his liver was damaged while making a tackle on special teams. He had six starts at the end of last year and recorded 26 of his 29 tackles in those starts. He had a career high two interceptions at Lincoln that he returned a total of 39 yards.  

CLEANHEAD
Defensive lineman Eddie Vinson (So./Omaha, Neb.) is ninth in the MIAA in sacks with three and ranks 14th in the league in tackles for loss. He had eight tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack and a pass break up against Ft. Hays State. He had six tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss at Pittsburg State after missing the Lindenwood game with concussion like symptoms. He had three tackles and a quarterback hurry at Northeastern State. He had four solo tackles against Central Oklahoma. He had six tackles, five of them solo, at Central Missouri. He had five tackles and a sack in his Hornet debut against Missouri Southern. He had 32 tackles and eight tackles for loss for Iowa Western CC last season.   

BRING THE LUMBER
Defensive lineman Nick Schutte (Sr./Elk Run Heights, Iowa) recorded three tackles, was in on a sack and had a quarterback hurry against Ft. Hays State. He had two tackles at Pittsburg State. He was credited with three tackles and a sack against Lindenwood. He had two tackles and two quarterback hurries at Northeastern State. He was credited with four tackles against Central Missouri. He is the only senior on the defensive line. He had three tackles against Washburn. He was credited with two tackles and a pass break up at Missouri Western. He had four tackles at Lindenwood. He had a sack and a forced fumble at Lincoln. He had his first career sack against Northeastern State. He had 36 tackles, 3.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks for Ellsworth CC in 2012.  
 
A TREE
Defensive lineman James Junious (Jr./Arlington, Texas) had four tackles, half a tackle for loss, a pass break up and a quarterback hurry against Ft. Hays State. He recorded two tackles against Lindenwood and at Northeastern State. He had three tackles and was in on half a tackle for loss against Central Oklahoma. He recorded four tackles and a sack at Central Missouri. He had two tackles against Missouri Southern. Last year he played in ten games with three solo tackles and a fumble recovery.

LEARJET
Defensive lineman Lear Schrader (Jr./Irvine, Calif.) had three assisted tackles against Lindenwood. He was credited with two tackles at Northeastern State. He blocked a field goal attempt by Central Oklahoma and recovered a fumble against the Bronchos. He transfered to Emporia State from Orange Coast CC. He saw action in seven games as a sophomore for OCC with 17 tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception. He played in eight games as a freshman in 2012 and totaled 23 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss.

MAN OF STEELE
Defensive lineman Steele Flemming (Jr./Pratt,Kan.) had three tackles at Pittsburg State. He had three tackles, an assisted tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry against Lindenwood. He was credited with three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack at Northeastern State. He had two solo tackles against Missouri Southern. He was named Lifter of the Year for the Hornets this fall.

ISN'T THAT SPECIAL
The Hornets lead the MIAA and are ranked 22nd in the nation in blocked kicks with four and are second in the league in blocked punts with one to rank 34th in the nation. Emporia State leads the MIAA and are ranked 28th in the nation in punt returns.
Kicker Austin Morton (Fr.-RS/Rockwall, Texas) is 25 of 27 on PATs and six of eight on field goals with a long of 39 yards. Justin Marcha (Fr./Edmond, Okla.) is averaging 56.7 yards with seven touchbacks on 38 kick-offs and is averaging 37.6 yards per punt on 22 punts. He has placed four inside the 20 and only had one touchback.
Quarterback Ty Reasnor is averaging 38.7 yards on 22 punts with five inside the opponents 20 yard line while forcing five fair catches.
Lyndell Johnson is leading the MIAA and ranked fourth in the nation averaging 16.0 yards per punt return. He had Emporia State's first punt return for a touchdown off a non-blocked punt since 2008 with his 69 yard return against Central Oklahoma. Deveon Dinwiddie averaged 18.8 yards per kick return and 8.0 yards per punt return on the season before his injury against Central Missouri. He blocked a PAT against Missouri Southern. He earned honorable mention All-MIAA recognition as a returner last year.
A.J. West had a 20 yard kick return against Central Missouri and a 17 yard return against Central Oklahoma. Austin Willis is averaging 22.0 yards per kick return this season and had a 63 yard kick return last year against Lindenwood.

DID YOU CATCH IT
For the fifth year in a row, the Hornets will have a home game featured on the MIAA Television Network when they play host to Northwest Missouri on November 8. It will be the second of two scheduled appearances on television for Emporia State with their game at Missouri Western on October 25 also scheduled to be on. Last year 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 four years. 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 Stretch Internet as part of the conference wide webcast agreement. Each MIAA school receives credit for the games accessed through their portal.
Audio of all Emporia State games are available on KFFX 104.9FM and at www.kvoe.com with Greg Rahe, Chuck Samples and Ron Thomas providing the call. KFFX is in their 27th straight year as the radio home of Hornet Athletics, the longest active streak between a commercial station and an MIAA school.

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 just the second coach to take the Hornets to the NCAA Playoffs and is one of just six Emporia State coaches to take the Hornets to a post season game of any type. He is 92-53 as a head coach with a 41-44 record at his alma mater. He is 32-20 over the last four seasons and 26-10 over the last 36 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.  
He has built the Hornets the right way over his seven seasons and orchestrated one of the great turnarounds in Emporia State history. The Hornets went 19-4 in 2012 and 2013 after going 19-36 in his first five seasons.  The 19 wins in back to back seasons are the most 19-5 in 1988-89, while Higgins was a quarterback for Emporia State.
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 four of the last five 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.

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 was on the Tennessee Titans practice squad last year and a member of the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad this year. Chris Poston was at mini-camp with the New York Jets last spring. Harold Ayodele was a part of the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp and saw action in exhibition games 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 Patrick Crayton with the Cowboys and San Diego Chargers.

THE POLLS SAY
For the first time in school history, the Emporia State football team began the season ranked in the top 25 of both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D2Football.com NCAA Division II Preseason Polls.  The Hornets went 2-2 against nationally ranked teams last season defeating then #12 Missouri Western 35-30, #23 Washburn 34-23 and falling to then #2 Northwest Missouri 48-21 and #5 Minn.-Duluth 55-13. The MIAA has two teams ranked in the top ten of the AFCA and D2Football.com polls this week and three more teams receiving votes in the AFCA poll.

OUTSIDE THE CONFERENCE
The Hornets have gone 10-2 in non-conference games under Garin Higgins and are 21-7 outside the MIAA in the 21st century. Since joining the MIAA, ESU is 30-12 in non-conference games and has lost only three games to unranked non-conference D-II opponents since 1996.  The MIAA has sent eight 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 was 15-5 outside the league last year and are 44-10 outside the league over the last three seasons with two wins and a loss against NCAA Division I-FCS teams while six of the losses came in postseason play. Two MIAA schools are ranked in this week's AFCA and D2Football.com National Polls.

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 six national championships and had a representative in 13 of 23 national championship games.  The MIAA has been represented in eight of the last ten national championship games.  In that time the MIAA is 32-12 in the NCAA Playoffs and 9-4 in bowl games for a combined post season record of 41-16 against non-conference opponents.

A Hornet win would...
•make Emporia State 4-4 overall, 4-4 in the MIAA;
•make Emporia State 13-24 all-time against Missouri Western;
•be Emporia State's second straight win against Missouri Western;
•be Emporia State's first two game winning streak over Missouri Western since winning three straight from 2001-03;
•make Coach Higgins 42-44 at Emporia State and 93-53 overall;

A Hornet loss would...
•make Emporia State 3-5 overall, 3-5 in the MIAA.
•make Emporia State 12-25 all-time against Missouri Western;
•make Coach Higgins 41-45 at Emporia State and 92-54 overall.

INJURY REPORT
Safety Brandon Gentz (liver) and quarterback Brent Wilson (shoulder) are out for the Ft. Hays State game.  Linebacker Tariq Allen (back) is doubtful.  Linebacker Deshawn Dinwiddie (ankle) and quarterback Ty Reasnor (concussion) are questionable.     

WORKING OVERTIME
• The Hornets are 4-8 in overtime games with wins in four of their last six after dropping their first four extra period contests.
• Three of ESU's 12 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.