#19 EMPORIA STATE FOOTBALL HOSTS MISSOURI WESTERN ON HOMECOMING

HOMECOMING TIME  
The #19 Hornets entertain Missouri Western on Emporia State's 25th Homecoming contest as members of the MIAA.

LAST TIME OUT
The #13 Hornets came back twice in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback as Fort Hays State posted a 27-24 victory. The Hornets scored the first ten points of the game and led 10-6 at the half.  The Tigers took their first lead with 4:43 left in the third quarter on a 41 yard touchdown run by Treveon Albert.  Emporia State answered with a 16 yard touchdown pass from Brent Wilson to Mitchell Foote with 14:05 left.  Shaquille Cooper put the Tigers up 20-17 with 7:51 left on an 89 yard run.  With 2:48 remaining Foote had his second punt return for a touchdown of the season, going 66 yards to give the Hornets a 24-20 lead. Fort Hays State then went on an eight play, 75 yard drive capped by Albert's 20 yard pass to Evan Jennings that gave the Tigers a 27-24 lead. Brock Long made a shoe string catch to intercept Wilson and seal the win for Fort Hays State with one second left. Wilson was 27 of 41 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Foote had a career high 12 receptions for a career high 137 yards and two touchdowns

THE COACHES
Garin Higgins has compiled a career record of 99-57 in 14 seasons as a head coach. He is 48-48 in his ninth season at his alma mater and is 39-24 since the start of the 2010 season. He led the Hornets to the NCAA playoffs in 2013. 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 2-6 against Missouri Western.
Jerry Partridge is 143-74 in his 19th year at Missouri Western. He is 11-8 against Emporia State.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The #19 Hornets are sixth in the nation in passing offense and seventh in total offense and lead the MIAA in total offense, passing offense, and passing efficiency. Brent Wilson is leading the MIAA in passing efficiency,  passing yards, touchdown passes, and points responsible for while ranking in the top 10 nationally in all of those categories. The Hornets are ranked second in the MIAA and 11th in the nation in sacks, and lead the MIAA in net punting and punt returns.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western is 4-3 on the season. They are second in the MIAA in scoring defense, total defense and pass efficiency defense. Michael Jordan leads the nation in passes defended with 15 break ups and three interceptions.

THE SERIES
This is the 38th meeting between the schools with Missouri Western holding a 24-13 advantage. This is the first meeting in Emporia since 2012. The Hornets have won two straight in St. Joseph.

LAST TIME AGAINST MWSU
Emporia State took advantage of four Missouri Western turnovers and posted a 30-10 win over the Griffons in St. Joseph, Mo. Braxton Marstall was 24 of 38 for 233 yards with two touchdowns. Marstall connected with six different receivers led by Kavaski Ervin with nine catches for 100 yards and Austin Willis with nine receptions for 72 yards.  Jason Tetuan had a game high ten tackles. Deveon Dinwiddie had six tackles, 1.0 TFL and an interception to earn MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors while Austin Morton hit three field goals to earn MIAA Special Teams honors.
 
UP NEXT
Emporia State takes on Washburn in a Halloween Turnpike Tussle.  Kick-off in Welch Stadium is set for 2:00 p.m.

YOU HAVE TO SCORE TO WIN
The Hornets are 37-8 under coach Higgins when scoring 28 or more points with a 32-3 record in their last 35 games in which they have scored at least 28 points.  Emporia State averaged 45.1 points per game in their 20 wins between a 13-0 win over Lindenwood in the 2012 season and their 20-13 win at Lindenwood this season.

WILSON!
Quarterback Brent Wilson (Sr./Ponca City, Okla.) is ranked third among active players in passing efficiency and completion percentage in NCAA Division II, is ranked fifth in total offensive yards per play and eighth in touchdown passes. He is second in the nation in completions percentage, fourth in completions per game, fifth in passing touchdowns, sixth in passing yards and points responsible for, ninth in total offense, 11th in passing efficiency and 27th in yards per pass attempt. He is leading the MIAA in passing efficiency, touchdown passes, passing yards, completion percentage and points responsible for, and is second in yards per attempt and total offense.
He has thrown a touchdown pass in 22 straight games, the last 21 as a starter, and has 14 games with at least three touchdown passes, eight games with at least four scoring passes, four games with at least five touchdown passes and holds the MIAA record with seven touchdowns against Central Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2013.
He went 27 of 41 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions at Ft. Hays State. He was 26 of 43 for 336 yards and four touchdowns and added 108 rushing yards on ten carries with a touchdown against Pittsburg State. He became the first Hornet quarterback to gain 100 rushing yards since Sheldon Smith had 111 against Washburn in 2010 and is the first Hornet to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game since Emporia State joined the MIAA. He was 43 of 58 for 386 yards with three touchdowns at Lindenwood.  The 43 completions are an Emporia State school record. He was 12 of 18 for 285 yards with five touchdowns in the first half against Northeastern State and earned his second MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honor. He was 31 of 43 for 316 yards with a touchdown at Central Oklahoma. He was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week after going 35 of 46 for 446 yards with five touchdowns in the Hornets 45-34 win over Central Missouri and was named the USA College Football National Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He became the first Hornet quarterback to lead Emporia State to wins in three straight season openers when he went 25 of 36 for 330 yards with three touchdowns at Missouri Southern.
He was named to the USA College Football NCAA Division II Preseason All-American watch list this year. In the first four games before getting injured last year he averaged 320.0 yards per game with a 60.6% completion rate and ten touchdowns. He was injured in the fourth quarter of the Hornets 42-35 double overtime win at Northeastern State. He finished the game, tossing a game tying touchdown in the first OT and scoring the game winner on a rush in the second extra period. He finished 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 in 2013.
He was named second-team All-MIAA at quarterback as a sophomore.   As a sophomore 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 and finished the game 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 as a sophomore.  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 535 of 806 for 6,723 yards with 67 touchdowns passing in his career.  He has added 755 rushing yards to record 7,478 yards of total offense in 30 career games. He is third among active Division II players in completion percentage and eighth in touchdown passes. He holds the Emporia State career record for touchdown passes, is second in career total offense and career passing. He holds two of the top five single season marks at Emporia State in total offense and touchdown passes and two of the top eight single season passing yardage marks.

WITHIN REASON
Quarterback Ty Reasnor (So./Cashion, Okla.) was five of seven for 50 yards and had a four yard touchdown run in the second half against Northeastern State.
He threw for a career high 258 yards with four touchdowns on 29-49 passing at Neb.- Kearney last season. 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.   

RIDING SCHOOL
Quarterback Braxton Marstall  (So./Emporia, Kan.) got the starting nod at Missouri Western after subbing in for an injured Reasnor against Ft. Hays State. Against the Tigers, Marstall led the Hornets to 21 second half points as he was 10 for 19 for 102 yards after the break. In his first start the following week at Missouri Western, he was 24 of 38 for 233 yards and two touchdowns as he became the third Hornet quarterback of the season to get a victory in a start. He completed one pass for 29 yards against Northwest Missouri.   

DEPTH
The Hornets have had 16 players catch a pass this season, 12 of them with a reception of 15 yards or more. Four players have at least four touchdown catches - Mitchell Foote leading the league with eight while Kavaski Ervin, Morris Williams II and Justin Brown are all tied for third with four each. Emporia State has two running backs - Antonio Brown and Landon Nault - in the top 15 of the MIAA in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards while a third - Denzel Strong - has the fifth longest run from scrimmage in the MIAA this year. The threesome of Brent Wilson, Ty Reasnor and Braxton Marstall all posted wins at quarterback last year in games where they threw for at least 196 yards while completing at least 60% of at least 30 throws with multiple touchdown passes. Emporia State has used 12 offensive linemen in games so far this season. The Hornets have a rush of 70 yards and a pass completion of 80 yards in the same season for the first time since 2005.

MAGIC
Receiver Kavaski Ervin (Sr./Mesquite, Texas) is third in the MIAA in receiving yards and touchdown catches and receptions. He is 35th in the nation in receptions per game and 42nd in total receiving yards. He had seven catches for 65 yards at Ft. Hays State. He had six catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburg State. He had a career high ten receptions for 140 yards at Lindenwood, his third 100 yard game of the season. He had 106 receiving yards on eight catches at Central Oklahoma. He had seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown against Central Missouri. He was a second-team All-MIAA performer at wide receiver last year. He was named to the USA College Football NCAA Division II Preseason All-American watch list this year.
He was the leading receiver for the Hornets last season with 64 catches for 623 yards and five touchdowns. He led the MIAA in receptions per game last season. He had nine receptions for 75 yards at Neb.-Kearney. He had a team high six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown at Washburn. He had nine receptions for 100 yards at Mo. Western. He had eight catches for 93 yards against Ft. Hays State. He caught five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns at Northeastern State, including a 30 yarder in the first overtime. He had five catches for 61 yards at Central Missouri. He had four catches for 27 yards against Missouri Southern.
He earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors as a sophomore. 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 in 2013.  He had then career highs of seven receptions for 129 yards including a Hornet season best 74 yard touchdown against Washburn in 2013. 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 as a sophomore.
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.
He has 143 catches for 1,743 yards and 18 touchdowns in 40 career games.

BIG FOOTE
Mitchell Foote (Jr./Enid, Okla.) is leading the MIAA and ranked tenth in the nation in touchdown catches with eight and is 12th in the nation in receptions. He is leading the nation with two punt returns for touchdown. A total of 38 of his 51 catches on the season have gone for either a first down or a touchdown, with 22 of his 26 catches on third or fourth down resulting in a first down or touchdown. He had a career high 12 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns at Ft. Hays State and had a 66 yard punt return for a TD that gave the Hornets a fourth quarter lead. He had six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburg State. He had 11 receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns at Lindenwood. He had two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown against Northeastern State. He caught nine passes for 78 yards at Central Oklahoma. He had eight catches for 94 yards and a touchdown against Central Missouri. He had three catches for 50 yards and set a school record with an 88 yard punt return for a touchdown at Missouri Southern.  
He had 35 receptions for 378 yards in ten games with four touchdowns last year.  He had five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown at Neb.-Kearney. He had five catches for a then 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.  
As a freshman he caught five passes for 61 yards against Washburn. He had two catches for 43 yards against Northwest Missouri. He had five catches for 50 yards at Lindenwood in 2015. He had four receptions for 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 as a freshman.  
He has 112 receptions for 1,232 yards and 14 touchdowns in 27 career games.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM
Receiver Drake Smithon (Sr./Woodward, Okla.) is 19th in the MIAA in receptions per game. He has been targeted eight times on third or fourth down and has caught six passes, converting five into first downs. He was injured on an 11 yard catch against Ft. Hays State and is questionable for the Missouri Western game. He had 40 yards on three catches against Pittsburg State including a key fourth down conversion. He had three caches for 50 yards against Northeastern State. He caught two passes for 12 yards at Central Oklahoma. He had five catches for 48 yards against Central Missouri. He had four receptions for 27 yards at Missouri Southern.
He pulled in 27 catches for 239 yards last season. He had three receptions for 30 yards at Neb.-Kearney. He had a 23 yard reception at Missouri Western. He 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 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 as a sophomore. He had five catches for 37 yards as a freshman after transferring from Oklahoma State.
He has 56 receptions for 528 yards in 39 career games.

THE TIME
Morris Williams II (So./Nashville, Tenn.) is third in the MIAA in receiving touchdowns and 13th in receiving yards per game despite not catching a pass against Pittsburg State and being held to one catch for negative yardage at Ft. Hays State. He had five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown at Lindenwood. He had a break out game with four catches for 147 yards, all in the first half, against Northeastern State.  His 80 yard touchdown reception against the RiverHawks is the second longest in the MIAA this season and the longest by a Hornet receiver since Shjuan Richardson had an 81 yard catch against Truman in 2012. He had 28 yards on four receptions at Central Oklahoma. He had a 14 yard touchdown against Central Missouri. He had two catches for 36 yards including a season long reception of 39 yards at Missouri Southern.
He transferred to Emporia State from Kilgore College. He had 30 receptions for 509 yards and five touchdowns for the Rangers as a freshman in 2013. His 17.0 yards per catch ranked 19th in the NJCAA in 2013. He had six catches for 152 yards and two scores against Southeast Prep Academy and eight catches for 149 yards and a TD against Cisco.

LEANER
Receiver Anthony Buffalomeat (Jr./Lawrence, Kan.) had two receptions for 21 yards at Ft. Hays State. He had two catches for 15 yards against Pittsburg State. He had a career high nine catches for 55 yards at Lindenwood. He made his first career start against Northeastern State and caught two passes for 22 yards with a five yard touchdown catch. He had a 14 yard reception at Missouri Southern after getting his first career reception last year against Northwest Missouri for ten yards.

OVER THE MIDDLE
Receiver Jordan Reed (Fr./Edmond, Okla.) had a 56 yard touchdown against Pittsburg State and ended with two catches for 64 yards and one five yard rush against the Gorillas. He had two catches for 12 yards at Lindenwood. He took off his redshirt and had a 16 yard reception against Northeastern State in his first game with the Hornets. He was an all-city and all-league wide receiver for Edmond Memorial HS where he had 35 catches for 954 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He ran a 21.78 in the 200m to place third at Oklahoma Class 6A State Championships as a junior.

SIMPLE AS A-B-C 1-2-3
Receiver Jordan Jackson (Fr.-RS/Bonner Springs, Kan.) saw his first action of the year against Northeastern State and caught two passes for 25 yards, including a 21 yard touchdown on his first play from scrimmage. He was a first-team All-Kaw Valley League quarterback at Bonner Springs HS as he threw for 4,230 yards and 43 touchdowns in his career while gaining 1,468 yards and running for 15 touchdowns on the ground.

LOGAN'S RUN
Receiver Logan Clothier (Sr./Topeka, Kan.) had a 15 yard reception against Northeastern State. He has three catches in 15 career games. He was an all-state and all-league selection his senior season at Topeka HS where he caught 94 passes for 1,055 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career with the Trojans.

TARGET RICH
A total of 16 different Hornets have at least on reception this year, 12 of them have at least one catch of ten yards or more and seven Hornets have caught a touchdown pass.

SQUIER OF BACKS
S-back Brock Squier (Jr./Sanger, Texas) had a six yard reception at Ft. Hays State. He is a transfer from North Texas where he was a defensive back for two years.  He rushed for over 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns while picking up 600 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a senior at Sanger HS.

THEY'RE OFF
Tight end Connor Theirolf (Sr./Marion, Kan.) made his first career reception against Central Missouri with a seven yard completion. He saw action in the last three games last season. He is in his third season at Emporia State after transferring from Hutchinson CC. He was a first-team All-Heart of America League pick on the offensive line for Marion HS.

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE
Tight end Trenton Ball (Fr.-RS/Midwest City, Okla.) had his first reception as a Hornet against Pittsburg State, going for four yards. He was rated a three star recruit by ESPN.com and listed as the #21 tight end prospect in the country coming out of Carl Albert HS. He was the 14th rated player overall in the state of Oklahoma.

CALM
S-Back Jaylon Raydel (So./Gardner, Kan.) had four catches for 18 yards against Lindenwood last year.

JUST IN CASE
Receiver Justin Brown (So./El Reno, Okla.) is still third in the MIAA in touchdown catches and he is 21st in total receiving yards in the league despite missing four games with a broken leg. He had seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown at Central Oklahoma. He was lost for the season when he broke his leg on a 12 yard reception down to the Bronchos two yard line on third down. He had seven receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns against Central Missouri. He caught a team high five passes for 61 yards at Missouri Southern.
As a true freshman last year he had four of his 14 catches go for touchdowns. He had a breakout game with a career high six catches for 77 yards and three touchdowns at Neb.-Kearney. He had a 29 yard reception against Northwest Missouri. He had a 17 yard run against Washburn. He had one reception for five yards at Mo. Western. He caught five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown and added a two point conversion against Ft. Hays State. He averaged 15.5 yards in the 23 times he touched the ball last season. He also lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation last season.
 
BROWN AND SERVE
Running back Antonio Brown (Jr./St. Louis, Mo.) is 11th in the MIAA in rushing at 64.9 yards per game and his four touchdowns rank seventh. He had 60 yards on 15 carries against Pittsburg State with a touchdown. He had 47 yards on 11 carries at Ft. Hays State. He had 16 carries for 75 yards at Lindenwood. He had 11 carries for 50 yards against Northeastern State. He gained 54 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown at Central Oklahoma. He had 88 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown against Central Missouri. He had 80 yards on 17 carries at Missouri Southern.
He was tenth in the MIAA in rushing at 61.8 yards per game last year. He had 64 yards on 12 carries at Missouri Western. He became the first Hornets since Seville Ko in 2006 to have back to back 100 yard rushing days when he had a career high 134 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown at Pittsburg State following a 104 yard effort 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. 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 in 2013. His nine rushing scores that year 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. His nine touchdowns were the most by a Hornet freshman since joining the MIAA. He rushed for 66 yards against Washburn last year with 60 of them coming on ten carries in the fourth quarter. He had 13 carries for 68 yards against Northwest Missouri last season. He had 109 yards on 14 carries at Missouri Western.  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.  
He has rushed for 1,670 yards and 19 touchdowns in 29 career games.

LONG HILL
Running back Landon Nault (Fr.-RS/Kinfisher, Okla.) is ranked 14th in the MIAA in rushing and is tied for 15th with three rushing touchdowns. He gained 49 yards on 14 rushes at Ft. Hays State. He had 16 carries for 38 yards against Pittsburg State. He had a game high 88 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown against Northeastern State. He got his first start and had 69 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries at Central Oklahoma. He had a 44 yard gain against Central Missouri and finished the game with nine carries for 75 yards against the Mules. He had nine carries for 33 yards at Missouri Southern.
He was the Oklahoma Offensive Player of the Year after gaining 2,199 yards and 45 touchdowns on 249 carries as a senior. He also had 72 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 catches. He was a Wendy's High School Heisman National Finalist.

STRONG ENOUGH
Running back Denzel Strong (So./Independence, Mo.) is ranked 15th in the MIAA in yards per carry. He had 24 yards on ten carries at Ft. Hays State. He had four carries for 19 yards against Pittsburg State. He 42 yards on 11 rushes against Northeastern State. He had a team high 80 yards on seven carries at Central Oklahoma thanks to a season long 70 yard rush. It is the longest run from scrimmage by a Hornet since a 74 yard run by Seville Ko against Ft. Hays State on August 27, 2005. He had two carries against Central Missourion back to back plays that gave the Hornets a key first down on the way to the go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. He transferred from Hutchinson CC and had over 1300 yards at Van Horn HS.
 
OFF THE ICE
Guard Jarrett Stastny (Jr./Sanger, Texas) earned his third Squarehead Award of the year as the Hornets top offensive lineman against Pittsburg State. He also earned the honor against Northeastern State and in the opener against Missouri Southern. He is a two-time All-MIAA performer after earning third-team honors last season. He was named to the USA College Football NCAA Division II Preseason All-American watch list this year.
He was named the Squarehead Award winner against Northeastern State and Missouri Southern last year as well. He was a consensus preseason All-American, earning D2Football.com, Lindy's, BSN, and USA College Football honors last year.
In 2013 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 as a freshman. His first honor was against Neb.-Kearney and he won the award in the Hornets wins over nationally ranked Missouri Western and Washburn.

SCOOBY DOO
Tackle Jordan McAdoo (Sr./Piedmont, Okla) was named the Squarehead Award winner in two straight games against Central Oklahoma and Central Missouri. He missed several games with a hamstring injury last year. He has played four of the five line spots with ten starts in his career. He was named Squarehead Award winner off the bench against Northwest Missouri as a sophomore. He started eight games as a freshman and earned Squarehead honors against Lindenwood.

IN THE TRENCHES
Eric Pruitt (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) was the Squarehead Award winner against Lindenwood. He has started every game at right guard this season. He returned to guard against Lindenwood last year after moving to center against Central Oklahoma and again at Northeastern State with the injury to Dan Goodman.

BUILDING BRICKS
Center Jake Warehime (So./Choctaw, Okla.) was named the Squarehead Award winner against Ft. Hays State. He went from not on the depth chart to the starting position in the space of a week heading into the Missouri Southern game.  

BIG STEVE
Tackle Steve Williams (Fr./St. Louis, Mo.) started as a true freshman for the Hornets against Central Missouri. He was a first-team all-conference performer on the offensive line for Clayton HS and a four-year letter winner. He also earned honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore and second-team honors as a junior.

GERRON WITH IT
Tackle Gerron Anthony (Jr./Tyler, Texas) started against Missouri Southern before missing the Central Missouri game with a leg injury. He missed all of last year with a broken arm suffered just before training camp when a car fell on him as he was changing a tire. He was a second-team junior college All-American at Kilgore College. He was ranked the #89 overall high school recruit in the state by InsideTexas.com and was the #37 ranked guard at John Tyler HS.

IN THE CENTER OF IT ALL
Centers Joe Pomatto (So./Paola, Kan) had taken the top spot at center out of training camp before his injury. He returned to action against Lindenwood. He is in his third year with the Hornets after being the first lineman in history to be named Tri-County Spotlight Football Offensive Player of the Year his senior season at Paola HS.

THE WEIRDNESS
Lineman Thomas O'Grady (So./Topeka, Kan.) played at Butler CC last season after redshirting at Emporia State in 2013.  He was a first-team All-Topeka pick and second-team All-Centennial League selection for Hayden HS.

BOYS IN THE HALL
Guard Dylan Hall (So./Topeka, Kan.) is in his third year with the Hornets and is workign at both center and guard. He was an All-Centennial League first-team pick, helping Seaman HS reach the 5A playoffs as a senior.

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

BUYERS AND SELLERS
Tackle Kenneth Sellers (Sr./Wichita, Kan) has seen action at the tackle spot after missing the first two games with back issues. He was a honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference performer at Coffeyville CC before transferring to Emporia State last year.

DEPTH ON THE LINE
The Hornets used 12 offensive linemen in games this year and have had three different starting combinations. No starting offensive lineman was on the field during the Hornets third quarter scoring drive against Central Oklahoma.

ON THE DEFENSE
The Hornets are ranked second in the MIAA and 11th in the nation in sacks with 24.0 sacks for 154 yards worth of losses. They are second in the MIAA and are 15th in the nation in tackles for loss with 60.0 TFL for 251 yards. Emporia State is fifth in the league in scoring defense at 25.4 points per game, giving them the second best point differential in the league.

BLOODLINES
Linebacker Jason Tetuan (Sr./Topeka, Kan.) is ranked sixth in the MIAA in tackles for loss with 9.0 TFL, is 16th in sacks and ranks 32nd in the league in total tackles.
He was credited with seven tackles and one TFL at Ft. Hays State. He had six stops with one tackle for loss against Pittsburg State. He was credited with just three tackles at Lindenwood, including an assist on a third down sack with the Lions inside the Hornet ten yard line that helped hold them to a field goal. He recorded four tackles and half a sack against Northeastern State. He was credited with nine tackles including two tackles for loss and a forced fumble at Central Oklahoma. He had two sacks against Central Missouri and 3.0 tackles for loss. He had a team and career high 12 tackles at Missouri Southern. He was an honorable mention All-MIAA performer last year and was named to the USA College Football NCAA Division II Preseason All-American watch list this year.
He was ranked 22nd in the MIAA in total tackles with 73 last year. He had five tackles, four of them solo, against Northwest Missouri. He was credited with seven tackles at Washburn. He had ten tackles at Mo. Western. He had seven stops and 1.5 TFL against Ft. Hays State. He recorded seven tackles at Pittsburg State. 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 as a sophomore. 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, brother Jarod was an All-MIAA performer for Washburn in 2007 and brother Jacob is a reliever for the Hornet baseball team.  Jacob was 2-1 in 15 games last spring with 20 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.
He has 75 solo tackles and 143 total tackles with 14.5 TFL in 41 career games. His 41 games played are the most by a Hornet on this year's team.

REVOLUTIONARY
Nickel Josh Monteagudo (Jr./Cape Coral, Fla.) is 18th in the MIAA in tackles. He was credited with ten total tackles , seven of them unassisted, at Ft. Hays State. He had four solo tackles and five total stops against Pittsburg State. He recorded 11 tackles at Lindenwood. He had five tackles and a pass break up against Northeastern State. He was credited with eight tackles at Central Oklahoma with 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass break up. He had eight tackles with a sack against Central Missouri. He had seven tackles and an interception return of 14 yards at Missouri Southern. He has moved to linebacker after playing at safety his first two years at Emporia State.
He was credited with 11 tackles and a forced fumble at Pittsburg State last year. 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 his freshman year with 46 of his 52 tackles in the final seven games of the year. He had eight tackles at Minn.-Duluth in the playoffs. He was credited with eight solo tackles including two for a loss against Northwest Missouri in 2013. He had a career high 12 tackles, nine of them solo, and an interception at Missouri Western.  He had seven solo stops, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble at Lincoln.  He is a transfer from Hutchinson CC where he redshirted as a freshman after originally committing to Ole Miss.
He has 153 total tackles, 99 of them solo, in 28 career games.

VICTORY OF THE PEOPLE
Linebacker Kole Schankie (Jr./Madison, Kan.) was credited with eight tackles, 2.5 for a loss, two pass break ups and a sack at Ft. Hays State. He had six tackles against Pittsburg State. He was credited with nine tackles at Lindenwood. He had seven tackles and 1.5 TFL against Northeastern State. He was credited with three tackles at Central Oklahoma. He had a career high ten tackles including a sack against Central Missouri. He had three tackles at Missouri Southern. He moved into the starting lineup after an outstanding training camp. He has been a key contributor on special teams during his first two years with the Hornets and had eight solo tackles last year.

CLEVELAND ROCKS
Linebacker Gabe Cleveland (So./Eudora, Kan.) had a fumble recovery on special teams for the Hornets against Pittsburg State. He had three tackles at Lindenwood. He had seven tackles and a sack for a loss of ten yards against  Northeastern State. He had a tackle for loss inside the Hornets five yard late in the fourth quarter that helped hold Central Missouri to a field goal with 5:35 left. He is in his third year with Emporia State. He was named First-Team All-Class 4A and was a two-time first-team All-Frontier League performer for Eudora HS.

REMINGTON STEELE
Linebacker Remington Whitley (So./Olathe, Kan.) was credited with two tackles against Northeastern State. He had two tackles at Central Oklahoma. He recorded four tackles at Pittsburg State last year. 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 (Jr./Paola, Kan.) had two tackles against Northeastern State. Last season he had two solo stops against Neb.-Kearney. He 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 with 150 tackles his senior year at Paola HS.

CLEANHEAD
Defensive lineman Eddie Vinson (Jr./Omaha, Neb.) is 24th in the MIAA in sacks and 26th in tackles for loss.
He was credited with four tackles at Ft. Hays State. He had five tackles and a sack against Pittsburg State.  He had three tackles, 1.5 TFL with half a sack at Lindenwood. He was credited with two quarterback hurries against Northeastern State. He had seven tackles with half a sack at Central Oklahoma after being held to one tackle against Central Missouri. He had eight tackles, 2.0 TFL and half a sack at Missouri Southern.
He was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick last year. He was named to the USA College Football NCAA Division II Preseason All-American watch list this year. He recorded six tackles, five of them solo, at Neb.-Kearney. He had four tackles against Northwest Missouri. He recorded seven tackles against Missouri Western. 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 Pitt State. 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 as a freshman.  
He has 82 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in 18 career games for the Hornets.
 
DOMINATE AT THE LINE
Defensive end Dominique Jones (Sr./Kilgore, Texas) is 28th in the MIAA in tackles per game. He was credited with a team high 11 tackles, nine of them unassisted, with 2.5 TFL and a sack at Ft. Hays State. He led Emporia State with seven tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception against Pittsburg State. He had five tackles with half a tackle for loss at Lindewood. He was credited with three tackles against Central Missouri. He had nine assisted tackles at Missouri Southern and was in on a sack and another tackle for loss.
He was moved to defensive end last year after starting the season at H-Back. He had five tackles at Neb.-Kearney. He had four solo stops against Northwest Missouri. He had a sack and forced fumble at Washburn for a loss of eight yards. He had a solo tackle and quarterback hurry in his first full action on defense at Mo. Western. He had a 21 yard catch 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.
 
MR. ROBINSON
Defensive end Jordan Robinson (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) had seven solo tackles and forced a fumble against Pittswburg State. He recorded five tackles at Lindenwood. He had five tackles, including one for a loss, and a forced fumble against Northeastern State. He had eight tackles and 2.0 sacks at Central Oklahoma, and had a part on the Hornets sack on the Bronchos final offensive play of the game. He had four tackles and two quarterback hurries against Central Missouri.
He had three solo tackles at Mo. Western last year while playing linebacker. He had four tackles at Northeastern State. He opened the season with five stops against Missouri Southern. He played in nine games for the Hornets as a freshman after transferring from Butler CC.

WALKER, TEXAS RANGER
Defensive lineman Donovan Walker (So./Cottleville, Mo.) had four tackles and a solo sack for a loss of nine yards at Lindenwood. He had five solo tackles with three of them for a loss including a sack of ten yards against Northeastern State. He was credited with three tackles and half a tackle for loss at Missouri Southern.
He had three tackles at Neb.-Kearney last year. He was credited with two solo stops against Northwest Missouri. He had six tackles at Washburn and five tackles at Pitt State. He was a unanimous first-team All-GAC South Division pick at defensive end and earned first-team All-District and second-team all-state honors at Francis Howell HS.

LEARJET
Defensive lineman Lear Schrader (Sr./Irvine, Calif.) had three tackles at Central Oklahoma from his down lineman position. He had three solo tackles against Central Missouri.
He was third in the MIAA with two fumble recoveries last year. He had three assisted tackles against Lindenwood last season. 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 saw action in seven games as a sophomore for Orange Coast College in 2013 with 17 tackles, four TFL and an interception.  
 
A TREE
Defensive end James Junious (Sr./Arlington, Texas) was credited with one solo sack for a loss of 11 yards at Ft. Hays State. He recorded four tackles, three of them solo, and 1.5 TFL and a sack at Lindenwood. He had two tackles and a quarterback hurry against Central Missouri.  He was credited with half a sack at Missouri Southern.
He had six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble against Northwest Missouri last year. He 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 half a tackle for loss against Central Oklahoma. He recorded four tackles and a sack at Central Missouri last year.

A TON OF ABS
Defensive lineman Larenz Abston (Jr./Des Moines, Iowa) had four tackles at Ft. Hays State. He had a career high six tackles with 1.5 sacks and a pass break up at Lindenwood. He had three tackles, two of them for a loss against Northeastern State. He had two assisted tackles at Central Oklahoma. He forced a fumble at the Hornets one yard line that was recovered in the endzone against Central Missouri. He is in is first season with the Hornets. He had 35 tackles and an interception from his defensive end position at Ellsworth CC last season.

LETHAL WEAPON
Defensive linemen DeAndre Glover (Jr./Hempstead, Texas) had a pair of solo tackles against Pittsburg State. He was credited with two tackles at Lindenwood. He had two tackles and half a sack at Central Oklahoma. He had a sack against Central Missouri. He had 38 tackles with a sack at Kilgore College last year.
 
LINE DEPTH
Defensive linemen Brandon Allen (Sr./Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Logan Powell (Fr.-RS/Gardner, Kan.) will provide depth on the defensive line. Allen had three tackles against Northeastern State and is in his second year with the Hornets after transferring from Iowa Western CC.  Powell was a second-team All-State performer and had 51 tackles, six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for Gardner-Edgerton HS as a senior in 2013.

GRINDING DOWN
Safety Brandon Gentz (Sr./Emporia, Kan.) was credited with six tackles at Ft. Hays State. He recorded five solo tackles and an interception against Pittsburg State. He had four tackles and a pass break up against Northeastern State. He recorded four tackles against Central Oklahoma. He had five tackles, four of them solo, against Central Missouri. He had five tackles at Missouri Southern.
He is back for his senior season after suffering a season ending spleen injury at Central Missouri last year. He had six starts at the end of his sophomore 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.  
He has 62 tackles, five pass break ups and three interceptions in 31 career games.

BIDING TIME
Safety J.P. Lohrentz (Jr./Buhler, Kan.) was credited with six tackles, five of them unassisted at Ft. Hays State. He had six solo tackles and three pass break ups against Pittsburg State. He had six tackles and two pass break-ups at Lindenwood. He had a career high ten tackles against Central Missouri. He had six tackles and a forced fumble at Missouri Southern.
He is in his fourth year with the Hornets and has found a home at safety after bouncing back and forth between receiver and the defensive secondary for his first three years. He had four tackles against Northwest Missouri last season. He was a first-team All-State Class 4A selection and earned first-team All-AVCTL selection at receiver and defensive back for Buhler HS.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Safety Marcus Houghton (So./McPherson, Kan) is third in the MIAA and 14th in the nation in fumbles recovered with two in seven games. He had two solo tackles at Ft. Hays State. He had a solo tackle against Pittsburg State. His recovery against Northeastern State led to an Emporia State touchdown and 35-0 lead in the second quarter. He had a key fumble recovery that led to Hornet field goal at Central Oklahoma. He was credited with two tackles at Missouri Southern.
He had a career high eight tackles with a tackle for loss at Washburn last year. He had three tackles at Missouri Western. He got his first career start against Lindenwood and had three solo tackles, including one for a loss.
 
SPEEDY
Cornerback A.J. West (So./Yukon, Okla.) had five tackles against Pittsburg State. He was credited with seven tackles, six of them solo, with a tackle for loss at Lindenwood. He had three tackles and an interception against Northeastern State. He had seven tackles and a pass break up at Central Oklahoma. He recorded five tackles and a fumble recovery in the endzone against Central Missouri. He had five tackles at Missouri Southern.
Last year he intercepted a pass in the endzone at Missouri Western. He 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 as a true freshman member of Emporia State's men's 4x400m relay team that placed eighth in the nation in 2014.

TRE BIEN
Cornerback Tre Dickerson (Jr./Corinth, Texas) is tied for 11th in the MIAA in interceptions. He had six tackles and a pass break up at Ft. Hays State. He had two interceptions, two tackles and a pass break up against Pittsburg State. He had a career and team high 12 tackles at Lindenwood. He was credited with five solo tackles against Northeastern State. He had six tackles at Central Oklahoma, five of them solo. He had an assisted tackle and two pass break ups at Missouri Southern.
He had three tackles and a pass break up against Lindenwood last year. He had four tackles and an interception at Northeastern State. He earned a provisional NCAA qualifying mark in the triple jump in the spring for the Hornet track and field team.

ACE OF MAYZE
Cornerback Ace Mayze (Jr./Arlington, Texas) had three tackles and a pass break up against Northeastern State. He recorded three tackles and a pass break up at Central Oklahoma. He had five tackles and a key fourth quarter pass breakup against Central Missouri. He was credited with seven tackles at Missouri Southern.
He had three tackles and a fumble recovery at Missouri Western last season. 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 as a freshman. He had a season high five tackles, four of them solo stops, against Southwest Baptist.

JET ENGINE
Cornerback M.J. Mathis (Jr./Crosby, Texas) had three tackles against Northeastern State. He had four interceptions for Kilgore College last season to go with 22 tackles.

WHAT'S COOKING
Safety Drew Cook (Fr.-RS/Oklahoma City, Okla.) recorded three tackles against Northeastern State. He was an all-conference performer at Casady HS who had 32 receptions for 495 yards and four touchdowns as a senior receiver before moving to the defensive side of the ball for the Hornets.

SALTY
Kicker Austin Morton (So./Rockwall, Texas) leads the MIAA and is eighth in the nation in field goal accuracy and has the seventh longest made field goal of the year in the league. He is ranked third in the MIAA in kick scoring with 31 PATs and eight field goals. He is 31 for 33 on PATs and eight of nine on field goals so far this year.
He was two for two on field goals against Pittsburg State. He missed his first PAT of the season at Lindenwood when he was blocked and missed his first field goal attempt of the year wide right. He was the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week after going seven of seven on PAT and two for two on field goals against Northeastern State.  
Last year he led the MIAA and was 26th in the nation in field goal percentage and is ranked fifth in the league and was 45th in the country in field goals per game. He was the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week after going three for three on field goals at Mo. Western. He went 35 of 38 on PATs and ten of 13 on field goals with a long of 43 yards.
He is tied for sixth in single season made field goals at Emporia State and one of just five players to make at least ten in a season. He is 18 of 22 in his career on field goals at Emporia State and has made 66 of 71 PAT attempts.

MARCHING ON
Kicker/punter Justin Marcha (So./Edmond, Okla.) would be fifth in the MIAA in punting average at 39.3 yards per punt, but does not have the required 3.6 punts per game to qualify for the leaders. As a team the Hornets lead the MIAA and are ranked 32nd in the nation in net punting at 35.8 net yards per punt. Four of his 23 punts have gone at least 50 yards with long of 64 yards at Central Oklahoma. He also kicks off for the Hornets and averages 60.8 yards per kick with nine touchbacks on 41 kick offs.
He averaged 33.7 yards per punt at Ft. Hays State, but all five of his kick-offs went into the endzone. He had a 50 yard punt against Pittsburg State and averaged 37.8 yards on five punts. He averaged 49.0 yards per punt at Central Oklahoma with a career long of 64 yards. His lone touchback against the Bronchos was muffed inside the five yard line before UCO recovered it in the end zone.  He averaged 44.5 yards per punt with a long of 56 yards against Central Missouri. He averaged 43.8 yards on four punts at Missouri Southern.  He also hit a PAT against the Lions.
Last year he averaged 56.2 yards with nine touchbacks on 49 kick-offs. He successfully executed two on-side kicks against Neb.-Kearney and another one against Northwest Missouri. He averaged 36.7 yards per punt on 46 punts. He has placed 15 punts inside the 20 and only one touchback while forcing eight fair catches.
 
DID YOU CATCH IT
The Emporia State football game at Northwest Missouri on Saturday, November 7 has been selected for the DII Football Showcase on the American Sports Network. The game, originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m., has been moved back to a 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Mo. For the sixth year in a row, the Hornets have had a home game featured on the MIAA Television Network in their 45-34 win over Central Missouri in the home opener on September 10. It was the first of two scheduled appearances on television for Emporia State as they later defeated Lindenwood 20-13 on October 3 on MIAA TV as well. Last year the Hornets played twice on the MIAA Network, dropping a 42-14 decision to then #7 Northwest Missouri following a 30-10 win at Missouri Western. In 2013 they defeated Southwest Baptist 63-17 on October 12 for Homecoming. The Hornets are third behind Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri for the most appearances on the MIAA Network over the last five 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 20 games on live television since 1997 with nine of the games coming from Welch Stadium.
LISTEN & WATCH LIVE
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 28th straight year as the radio home of Hornet Athletics, the longest active streak between a commercial station and an MIAA school.

INJURY REPORT
Tight end Reese Reichards (neck) and receiver Justin Brown (leg) are out for the season. Receiver Drake Smithton (shoulder) is questionable for the Mo. Western game. The rest of the Hornets should be relatively healthy for the eighth game of the year.
 
LOOKING BACK AT 2015
The Hornets missed 54 combined games from players expected to be on the two deep at the beginning of last season. The two players Emporia State took to the 2014 MIAA Media Day, quarterback Brent Wilson and middle linebacker Tariq Allen, combined to play in just five games for the Hornets last season. The Hornets ended up using three different starting quarterbacks last year and all of them produced a win in MIAA play.

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. In 2013 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 99-57 as a head coach with a 48-48 record at his alma mater. He is 39-24 in the last five seasons and 33-14 over the last 47 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 orchestrated one of the great turnarounds in Emporia State history. The Hornets have gone 29-10 over the last four years after going 19-36 in his first five seasons.  The 19 wins in back to back seasons were the most since going 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 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 in 2013 and was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad last year. Schiltz saw action in exhibition games with the Chiefs this year while Austin Willis played in exhibition action for the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills. 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
The MIAA has two teams ranked in the top 25 of the AFCA national poll and three in the D2Football.com poll this week. Northwest Missouri and Emporia State are in both polls with Central Missouri appearing in the D2Football.com rankings.   Central Missouri and Missouri Western are both receiving votes in the AFCA poll, giving the MIAA four teams mentioned in the two major Division II national polls.

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 eight of the last 11 seasons.  

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 24 national championship games.  The MIAA has been represented in eight of the last 11 national championship games.  In that time the MIAA is 33-14 in the NCAA Playoffs and 10-5 in bowl games for a combined post season record of 43-19 against non-conference opponents.

A Hornet win would...
•make Emporia State 7-1 overall, 7-1 in the MIAA;
•make Emporia State 14-24 all-time against Missouri Western;
•be the third straight win against the Griffons for the Hornets;
•be the first win over the Griffons in Welch Stadium for the Hornets since 2003.
•make Coach Higgins 49-48 at Emporia State and 100-57 overall;

A Hornet loss would...
•make Emporia State 6-2 overall, 6-2 in the MIAA.
•make Emporia State 13-25 all-time against Missouri Western;
•snap a two game winning streak over the Griffons by the Hornets;
•be the sixth straight loss to the Griffons in Welch Stadium for the Hornets;
•make Coach Higgins 48-49 at Emporia State and 99-58 overall.

CONVERSIONS
The Hornets are fourth in the nation in third down conversions at 55.5%, converting 71 of 128 third downs.  They are 36 of 47 or 76.5% on third and three yards or less.   Brent Wilson is 66 of 89 for a completion percentage of 74.2% on third and fourth down with 51 first downs and nine touchdowns on the season.

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 Emporia State's 12 overtime games have come against Truman with Emporia State winning two of the three games.
• The quadruple overtime game in 2006 between Emporia State and Pittsburg State was the first MIAA regular season game to go to four overtimes and the first involving an MIAA team since Northwest Missouri's 4 OT win against Carson Newman in the 1999 National Championship Game.
• Emporia State's 17 point deficit at the half against Missouri Southern 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.
• Emporia State came from 17-0 at the end of the first quarter to defeat Ft. Hays State 24-17 to open the 1992 season.