Football | 6/10/2014 5:54:00 PM
Complete Release in pdfJune 10, 2014-The preseason football magazine's are showing up and Emporia State's trip to the NCAA Playoffs last year is being recognized. The Hornets are ranked #22 in the Sporting News NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25.
Emporia State returns nine starters from an offense that ranked 15th in the nation in scoring offense and 20th in total offense. Quarterback Brent Wilson was sixth in the nation in passing efficiency and ranked seventh in the nation touchdown passes. Austin Willis was 23rd in the nation in receiving yards per game at 101.2 yards per game. Five of his ten touchdown receptions went for over 50 yards. Emporia State is set to return four of their five starters on the offensive line, including honorable mention All-American Jarrett Statsny.
Defensively the Hornets have seven starters returning on defense. Emporia State led the MIAA in interceptions last season with 22 and have have the players responsible for half of them returning. Four of the top five tacklers from a year ago return led by linebacker Deshawn Dinwiddie.
Emporia State is one of three MIAA teams and eight teams from Super Region-3 in the top 25. The Hornets have gone 19-4 over the last two seasons and have not lost to an unranked team since a 22-16 loss to a then unranked Missouri Western on Oct. 15, 2011. Emporia State is 8-2 over their last ten games on Jones Field at Welch Stadium with both losses coming to teams ranked in the top 15 at the time.
The Hornets will have five home games during the 2014 season, starting with a Thursday night game against Missouri Southern on September 6 at 7:00 p.m. Central Oklahoma will be the opponent on Saturday, September 20 before the annual Football Traditions event. October will start with a visit from Lindenwood on October 4. Homecoming will take place on October 18 against Ft. Hays State. Senior Day will be against defending national champion Northwest Missouri on November 8. All of the Saturday games are set for a 2:00 p.m. kick-off.
Season tickets are on sale now through the Athletic Ticket Office in the Emporia State Memorial Union. Reserved season tickets are just $66, a $10 savings over purchasing the tickets on a game by game basis. Adult general admission season tickets are $41 with season tickets for children and people over 65 years old can be picked up for just $26.
Sporting News NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25
1. Northwest Missouri 15-02. Grand Valley State 12-3
3. CSU-Pueblo 11-1
4. Minn. State-Mankato 11-15. Lenoir-Rhyne 13-2
6. West Chester 13-2
7. North Alabama 10-3
8. Minn.-Duluth 11-29. West Texas A&M 11-3
10. Henderson State 11-111. Shepherd 11-1
12. Winston-Salem State 10-2
13. Ohio Dominican 10-1
14. Pittsburg State 10-215. St. Cloud State 12-216. Indianapolis 10-2
17. Bloomsburg 10-2
18. Carson-Newman 10-3
19. Delta State 7-3
20. American International 9-3
21. Tuskegee 8-3
22. Emporia State 9-223. Newberry 9-3
24. East Stroudsburg 7-4
25. Azusa Pacific 10-2MIAA Teams in Bold
Super Region 3 Teams in Italics
