Game #13
#18 Emporia State Hornets (10-2, 9-2 MIAA)
at Henderson State Reddies (11-1, 10-1 GAC)
Sat., Nov. 28, 2015 • 1:00 p.m. • Carpenter/Haygood Stadium (9,600) • Arkadelphia, Ark.
Series Record: First Meeting Current Streak: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Radio: KFFX-FM (104.9) Pregame 12:00 p.m. TV: None
Internet (Audio):
www.kvoe.com Internet (Video):
youtube.com/ReddieAthleticsLive Stats Complete Notes in pdfOfficials: Announced on Game day
Up Next: winner vs. winner of Humboldt State at Northwest Mo. • Saturday, Dec. 5 • TBA
UNCHARTERED TERRITORY
The #18 Hornets travel to #8 Henderson State for the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. Both teams are coming off their first NCAA Division II playoff win.
LAST TIME OUT
Austin Morton hit a 33 yard field goal as time expired to give #18 Emporia State a 51-49 win over #6 Minnesota State. The Hornets scored first on a 46 yard scoop and score by JP Lohrentz on the second play of the game. The Mavericks answered with a 45 yard pick six and would go up 28-10 with 6:09 left in the half. Emporia State scored the next 35 points to take a 45-28 lead with 5:42 left in the third. The Mavs changed quarterbacks and came back to take a 49-48 lead with 8:27 left in the game. Lohrentz picked off an MSU pass with 1:51 left setting up Morton's heroics. Brent Wilson was 27 of 47 for 437 yards and five touchdowns and added 11 yards on nine carries. For the first time in school history, three players had over 100 yards receiving in a game. Morris Williams had eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, Mitchell Foote had eight catches for 116 yards and Kavaski Ervin had six catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Morton connected on three field goals from 32, 41 and 33 yards out. Defensively Jason Tetuan had 14 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles. Lohrentz had 12 tackles and three interceptions to go with his 46 yard fumble return for a score. Eddie Vinson and Donovan Walker each had fumble recoveries for the Hornets.
THE COACHES
Garin Higgins has compiled a career record of 103-58 in 14 seasons as a head coach. He is 52-49 in his ninth season at his alma mater and is 43-25 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. This is his first meeting with Henderson State.
Scott Maxfield is 80-39 in his 11th year at Henderson State and 109-50 in 15 years as a head coach. This is his first meeting with Emporia State.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The #18 Hornets are 10-2 and ranked in the top 20 in the nation in third down conversions, completion percentage, first downs, team passing efficiency, passing offense and total offense. Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Brent Wilson is leading the MIAA in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions, total offense, points responsible for and passing efficiency and ranked in the top 15 nationally in all of those categories. The Hornets are second in the MIAA in scoring offense and fifth in scoring defense. They are third in the MIAA and are 27th in the nation in sacks. Austin Morton leads the MIAA and is ranked fifth in the nation in field goal percentage. The Hornets are 1-2 in NCAA Playoff action with all three games on the road.
SCOUTING THE REDDIES
Henderson State is 11-1 on the season and ranked #8 in the AFCA National Poll. They picked up their first NCAA Playoff win last week with a 23-16 win over Sioux Falls. They are 1-2 all-time in the NCAA Playoffs with all three games played at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium. They are ranked third in the nation in scoring defense at 14.8 points per game and lead the nation with 27 interceptions on the year. They will be the third team ranked in the top ten in the nation in scoring defense the Hornets have played in the last four weeks. Jaquan Cole has gained 1,116 yards rushing on the season.
THE SERIES
This will be the first meeting between Emporia State and Henderson State in football. The two schools did meet in the NCAA Central Regional Baseball Tournament last spring. The third seeded Hornets fell to the sixth seeded Reddies 4-2 in an elimination game. The Hornets are 8-8 all-time against schools from the state of Arkansas on the gridiron, including a 32-9 Emporia State victory over Harding in the 1989 NAIA National Playoffs at Welch Stadium.
UP NEXT
The winner will advance to play the winner of the game between Northwest Missouri and Humboldt State next weekend in the regional championship game at the site of the highest remaining seed.
YOU HAVE TO SCORE TO WIN
The Hornets are 40-8 under coach Higgins when scoring 28 or more points with a 35-3 record in their last 38 games in which they have scored at least 28 points. Emporia State has averaged 42.0 points per game in their 27 wins and 19.5 points in their 13 losses since the Hornets last posted a shutout - a 13-0 win over Lindenwood in 2012. They have played three of the top 25 scoring defenses in the nation this year and averaged 26.0 points in those three games, going 2-1 against Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri and Minnesota State.
WILSON!
Quarterback Brent Wilson (Sr./Ponca City, Okla.) was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the MIAA and first-team All-MIAA. He is ranked second among active players in NCAA Division II in in passing yards per attempt, fourth in touchdown passes and completion percentage, fifth in passing efficiency, eighth in total offensive yards per play, ninth in total touchdowns responsible for, 11th in completions, 12th in passing yards, and 13th in total offense despite missing seven games last season. He is ranked second in the nation in touchdown passes & passing yards, third in completions per game, fourth in poinst responsible for, sixth in total offense and 12th in passing efficiency. He is leading the MIAA in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions per game, total offense, points responsible for and passing efficiency.
He has thrown a touchdown pass in 26 games, 25 as a starter, and has 17 games with at least three touchdown passes, 11 games with at least four scoring passes, six games with at least five touchdown passes and holds the MIAA record with seven touchdowns against Central Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2013.
He was 27 of 48 for 437 yards with five touchdowns against Minnesota State. It was his third fourth quarter comeback this season, all of which have come against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time. He was 18 of 30 for 353 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks against Neb.-Kearney. He went 25 of 36 for 267 yards with four touchdowns against Washburn. He was 22 of 38 for 274 yards and two touchdowns against Missouri Western. 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 in a game since 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. He was 31 of 43 for 316 yards with a touchdown at Central Oklahoma. He was 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 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 missed the Hornets NCAA Playoff game with a broken collarbone. 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 644 of 990 for 8,234 yards with 83 touchdown passes and has gained 894 yards with nine touchdowns rushing for 9,128 yards of total offense in 35 career games. He is the Emporia State school record holder in single game, season and career touchdown passes, total offense, and passing yards. He is fifth in MIAA history in career touchdown passes and ninth in career passing yards. He needs 434 yards to tie Northwest Missouri's Blake Bolles for eighth on the conference career passing list and 127 yards to pass Bolles for seventh on the MIAA career total offense list. He is sixth in single season passing yards in the MIAA and needs 15 to pass Pittsburg State's Anthony Abenoja for fifth and with 288 yards could move up to second. He is third in MIAA history in single season touchdown passes and total offense.
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 of 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 his first start at Missouri Western and was 24 of 38 for 233 yards and two touchdowns and became the third Hornet quarterback of the year to get a victory. He led the Hornets to 21 second half points against Ft. Hays State as he was 10 for 19 for 102 yards after the break. He completed one pass for 29 yards against Northwest Missouri.
BIG FOOTE
Mitchell Foote (Jr./Enid, Okla.) was a first-team All-MIAA pick at receiver. He is leading the MIAA in touchdown catches and receptions per game and is ranked fifth in yards per game. He ranks 17th in the nation in receiving touchdowns and receptions per game and is second in the nation with two punt returns for touchdown. A total of 57 of his 75 catches on the season have gone for either a first down or a touchdown, with 29 of his 33 catches on third or fourth down resulting in a first down or touchdown.
He sat out the Neb.-Kearney game with a foot injury and came back with eight receptions for 116 yards at Minnesota State. He had a team high 67 yards on four catches at Northwest Missouri. He had six receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns against Washburn, including an acrobatic one handed grab in the corner of the end zone. He caught six passes for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Missouri Western. 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 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 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 in 2013. 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 as a freshman against Neb.-Kearney.
He has 136 receptions for 1,538 yards and 18 touchdowns in 31 career games.
MAGIC
Receiver Kavaski Ervin (Sr./Mesquite, Texas) was a second-team All-MIAA performer at wide receiver. He is leading the MIAA in receiving yards and catches and ranks second in touchdown catches. He is tenth in the nation in receiving yards, 21st in touchdown catches and 29th in receptions per game.
He had six catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns at Minnesota State for his sixth 100 yard receiving game of the year. He had five catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns against Neb.-Kearney. He had seven receptions for 57 yards at Northwest Missouri. He had six catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns against Washburn. He caught eight balls for 99 yards against Missouri Western. 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. 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 led the MIAA in receptions per game last season. He was the leading receiver for the Hornets last season with 64 catches for 623 yards and five touchdowns. 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. 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 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 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.
He has 175 catches for 2,283 yards and 25 touchdowns in 45 games. He is sixth on the Emporia State single season chart for receiving yards and needs 56 yards to pass JJ Richards for fifth.
THE TIME
Morris Williams II (So./Nashville, Tenn.) is fourth in the MIAA in receiving touchdowns, tenth in receiving yards and 15th in yards per catch. He has three touchdown catches of over 50 yards this year, a 73 yarder at Minnesota State, a 51 yarder against Neb.-Kearney and an 80 yarder against Northeastern State.
He had a career high eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown at Minnesota State. He had four catches for 67 yards with a touchdown against Neb.-Kearney. He had three receptions for 48 yards at Northwest Missouri. He had four catches for 45 yards against Washburn. 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 fourth 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 a 39 yard reception 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 a career high 99 yards on three receptions against Neb.-Kearney. His 65 yard touchdown against the Lopers is tied for the 15th longest reception in the MIAA this season. He had two catches for 17 yards against Washburn. He 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. His first career reception came 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.) had three catches for 40 yards with a 24 yard touchdown against Neb.-Kearney. Two of his five catches this year have gone for touchdowns. He 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 one catch for seven yards against Missouri Western. He 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.
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM
Receiver Drake Smithon (Sr./Woodward, Okla.) has not played the last six games and is out against Henderson State with a shoulder injury. He was targeted eight times on third or fourth down and caught six passes, converting five into first downs. He was injured converting a first down catch against Ft. Hays State. 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.
JUST IN CASE
Receiver Justin Brown (So./El Reno, Okla.) is still 14th in the MIAA in touchdown catches despite missing nine 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.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection at running back. He is 15th in the MIAA in rushing at 48.8 yards per game and his five touchdowns rank 12th in the league.
He had a 13 yard touchdown catch on a shovel pass at Minnesota State. He had nine carries for 36 yards and a touchdown against Neb.-Kearney. He had a season long 41 yard kick off return at Northwest Missouri. He had nine carries for 43 yards against Washburn and added 33 yards on three receptions. 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. 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 1,802 yards and 20 touchdowns with 58 catches for 365 yards and a score in 34 career games.
LONG HILL
Running back Landon Nault (Fr.-RS/Kinfisher, Okla.) is ranked 18th in the MIAA in rushing and is tied for 22nd with three rushing touchdowns. He had 69 yards on 14 carries against Neb.-Kearney. He was the leading rusher for the Hornets with 21 yards on six carries at Northwest Missouri. 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 tied for 13th in the MIAA in yards per carry among players with at least 50 rushes on the season. He is 20th in the league in total rushing yards. He had 13 carries for 41 yards against Neb.-Kearney. He averaged 3.8 yards per carry against Northwest Missouri. He had 12 carries for 51 yards against Washburn. He had 88 yards on 15 carries with a long rush of 41 yards against Missouri Western. 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 Missouri on 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.
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.
NICK OF TIME
Tight end Nick Oliver (Fr.-RS/Overland Park, Kan.) has two receptions for 16 yards in six games. He was All-Sunflower League pick at tight end for Shawnee Mission South HS and had 330 yards with seven touchdowns on 24 receptions.
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.
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE
Tight end Trenton Ball (Fr.-RS/Midwest City, Okla.) had an 18 yard reception against Missouri Western. He got 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.
REESE'S PIECES
S-back Reese Richards (Jr./Azle, Texas) had three catches for 15 yards in the first half against Central Missouri before suffering a season ending neck injury. He had three catches for 49 yards at Missouri Southern.
He missed the final three games last year but still earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors at tight end. He was named to the USA College Football NCAA Division II Preseason All-American watch list this year. He finished the season with 14 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown last year. He caught three passes for 45 yards at Pittsburg State. He had three receptions for 33 yards against Lindenwood. He had a career high 104 yards receiving on six catches with a touchdown at Central Missouri.
He had his first career start against Northwest Missouri as a freshman. He had two catches for 31 yards against Southwest Baptist in 2013. He caught a 37 yard touchdown pass at Lincoln. He had five catches for 93 yards, an average of 18.6 yards per catch, as a freshman.
OFF THE ICE
Guard Jarrett Stastny (Jr./Sanger, Texas) was a third-team All-MIAA selection this year. He earned his third Squarehead Award of the year as the Hornets top offensive lineman against Pittsburg State when he had a season high 11 knockdowns. 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 Squarehead 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 a second-team All-MIAA selection this season. He was named the Squarehead Award winner at Minensota State after earning it in two straight games earlier in the season 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 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.) earned honorable mention All-MIAA status this year. He was named the Squarehead Award winner for the second time this season against Neb.-Kearney. He was also 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 the Squarehead Award winner at Northwest Missouri. He was first 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.
BUYERS AND SELLERS
Tackle Kenneth Sellers (Sr./Wichita, Kan) was named the Squarehead Award winner against Missoruri Western. He was a honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference performer at Coffeyville CC before transferring to Emporia State last year.
BOYS IN THE HALL
Guard Dylan Hall (So./Topeka, Kan.) was named the Squarehead Award winner against Washburn. He got his first career start against Missouri Western. He is in his third year with the Hornets and is working at both center and guard. He was an All-Centennial League first-team pick, helping Seaman HS reach the 5A playoffs as a senior.
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.
GREAT DANE
Tackle Dane Riley (So./Azle, Texas) got to start against Northeastern State last year and saw considerable action over the final four games of the season. He was a first-team All-District pick at left tackle for Azle HS. He was credited with 14 pancake blocks as a senior.
BIG STEVE
Tackle Steve Williams (Fr./St. Louis, Mo.) was injured against Missouri Western and missed the Washburn game but returned against Northwest Missouri. He 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) is out with a knee injury. He 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.
OFFENSIVE DEPTH
The Hornets have had 18 players catch a pass this season, 15 of them with a reception of 11 yards or more. Eight players have a touchdown reception and four have at least four touchdown catches - Mitchell Foote leading the league with 12 while Kavaski Ervin is second with 11, Morris Williams II is fourth with six and Justin Brown is still tied for 14th with four touchdowns. Four of the top eight receivers have missed at least one game due to injury. Emporia State has three running backs - Antonio Brown, Landon Nault and Denzel Strong - in the top 20 of the MIAA in rushing. The threesome of Brent Wilson, Ty Reasnor and Braxton Marstall all posted wins at quarterback last year. 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. The Hornets used 13 offensive linemen in games this year and have used seven different starting lineups on the line. No starting offensive lineman was on the field during the Hornets third quarter scoring drive against Central Oklahoma.
ON THE DEFENSE
The Hornets are third in the MIAA and ranked 27th in the nation in sacks with 34.0 sacks for 214 yards worth of losses. They are second in the MIAA and are 44th in the nation in tackles for loss with 88.0 TFL for 355 yards. They forced Minnesota State into a three and out or turnover in the first three possessions of the game and then again on six straight possessions from midway through the second quarter to midway through the third quarter. They had back to back MIAA Defensive Players of the Week in linebacker Kole Schankie and corner back AJ West. Emporia State is fifth in the league in scoring defense at 27.4 points per game.
BLOODLINES
Linebacker Jason Tetuan (Sr./Topeka, Kan.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick. He is ranked sixth in the MIAA in tackles for loss with 14.5 TFL, is tenth in sacks with 5.5 and is ranked 21st in total tackles with 81 stops on the year.
He had a game high 14 tackles, 3.5 for a loss with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles at Minnesota State. He had ten tackles against Northwest Missouri. He had five tackles with two for a loss and was credited with two quarterback hurries against Missouri Western. 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 92 solo tackles and 178 total tackles with 20.0 TFL in 46 career games. His 46 games played are the most by a Hornet on this year's team and tie the school record for most games played by a Hornet.
REVOLUTIONARY
Nickel Josh Monteagudo (Jr./Cape Coral, Fla.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick. He is 12th in the MIAA in tackles and is tied for 32nd in tackles for loss.
He was credited with ten stops at Minnesota State. He had five tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He was credited with five tackles, four of them solo, at Northwest Missouri. He had five tackles and a pass break up against Washburn. He had 14 stops against Missouri Western. 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 192 total tackles, 120 of them solo, in 33 career games and is averaging 9.0 tackles in two playoff games.
VICTORY OF THE PEOPLE
Linebacker Kole Schankie (Jr./Madison, Kan.) was named third-team All-MIAA. He is seventh in the MIAA in tackles for loss, eighth in sacks and ranked 13th in tackles.
He recorded 12 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack at Minnesota State. He had three tackles and an interception that led to Emporia State's first score against Neb.-Kearney. He had a game high 12 tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss at Northwest Missouri. He had five tackles with a TFL that included a forced fumble and recovery against Washburn. He was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week after recording 14 tackles, a forced fumble and a recovery against Missouri Western. He 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.) was credited with five tackles against Washburn, three of them solo. He had two solo tackles against Missouri Western. He 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.
A GOOD MAN
Linebacker Brandon Goodman (Jr./Paola, Kan.) had three tackles at Northwest Missouri. He 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.
REMINGTON STEELE
Linebacker Remington Whitley (So./Olathe, Kan.) is out with a leg injury. He 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.
CLEANHEAD
Defensive lineman Eddie Vinson (Jr./Omaha, Neb.) was named third-team All-MIAA. He is tied for 23rd in the MIAA in sacks and 35th in tackles for loss.
He had seven tackles, forced the first fumble of the game and later recovered a fumble at Minnesota State. He recorded three tackles and half a tackle for loss against Neb.-Kearney. He had three tackles at Northwest Missouri. He forced a fumble on a sack against Washburn. 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 98 total tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 23 career games.
DOMINATE AT THE LINE
Defensive end Dominique Jones (Sr./Kilgore, Texas) is 23rd in the MIAA in sacks per game and 35th in tackles for loss per game.
He was credited with three tackles at Minnesota State. He recorded six tackles and a sack at Northwest Missouri. He had three assisted tackles against Missouri Western with half a sack and another assisted tackle for loss. 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.
MR. ROBINSON
Defensive end Jordan Robinson (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) is tied for 23rd in the MIAA in sacks. He had four tackles at Minnesota State. He was credited with three solo tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had four tackles and half a sack against Washburn. He recorded five tackles and a sack against Missouri Western. He had seven solo tackles and forced a fumble against Pittsburg 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.
LEARJET
Defensive lineman Lear Schrader (Sr./Irvine, Calif.) recorded two solo tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had four tackles at Northwest Missouri in his first start since the Lindenwood game. He recorded three solo stops against Washburn. He 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 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) is tied for 23rd in the MIAA in sacks. He had three tackles at Minnesota State. He had three tackles, two of them for a loss including a sack and forced fumble against Neb.-Kearney. He had two solo stops including a tackle for loss against Washburn. He 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 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 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) is tied for 23rd in the MIAA in sacks. He had two solo tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He was credited with three tackles at Northwest Missouri. He had four tackles and 0.5 TFL against Washburn. He had four tackles at Ft. Hays State. He had 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 forced a fumble at the Hornets one yard line that was recovered in the endzone against Central Missouri. He had 35 tackles and an interception from his defensive end position at Ellsworth CC last season.
WALKER, TEXAS RANGER
Defensive lineman Donovan Walker (So./Cottleville, Mo.) had three tackles and a 16 yard fumble recovery at Minnesota State. He 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 TFL 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.
LETHAL WEAPON
Defensive linemen DeAndre Glover (Jr./Hempstead, Texas) recorded four tackles at Northwest Missouri. He was credited with two tackles against Missouri Western. He 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 had a tackle and a pass break up against Washburn. He was a second-team All-State performer for Gardner-Edgerton HS as a senior in 2013.
SPEEDY
Cornerback A.J. West (So./Yukon, Okla.) earned third-team All-MIAA honors. He is tied for 20th in the MIAA in interceptions and has a total of four take aways this season. His 59 yard interception return is the fourth longest in the MIAA this season.
He had four tackles at Minnesota State. He had a career high nine tackles with two pass break ups and two tackles for loss against Neb.-Kearney. He had five tackles at Northwest Missouri. He was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week after returning and interception 59 yards for a score and adding a ten yard fumble recovery against Washburn. He had two tackles and a pass break up against Missouri Western. He 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 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 made 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) earned honorable mention All-MIAA status. He is tied for fifth in the MIAA in interceptions and is eighth in passes defended.
He had seven tackles at Minnesota State. He had five tackles and an interception against Neb.-Kearney. He had two tackles, two pass break ups and returned a fumble 23 yards at Northwest Missouri. He had four tackles, an interception and a pass break up against Washburn.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 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 at Ft. Hays State and was in on half a tackle for loss. He 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 a season's best 68 yard kick-off return against Neb.-Kearney. He had two tackles at Northwest Missouri. He had three solo tackles against Washburn. He was credited with two tackles including half a tackle for loss against Missouri Western. He had four interceptions for Kilgore College last season to go with 22 tackles.
DESTINY
Cornerback Kumani Armstead (So./North Richland Hills, Texas) started the season as a receiver after playing corner last season and recently moved back to the defensive side of the ball. He had four tackles at Pittsburg State last year. He was credited with four tackles against Lindenwood. He saw his first action as a Hornet against Central Oklahoma and had three tackles.
BIDING TIME
Safety J.P. Lohrentz (Jr./Buhler, Kan.) is tied for fifth in the MIAA in interceptions and is 12th in the MIAA in passes defended with ten.
He had a career high 12 tackles and three interceptions with a fumble recovery for a score at Minnesota State. It was the first three interception game by a Hornet since Derke Lohman had three against Southwest Baptist in 2011. He had seven tackles and a forced fumble at Northwest Missouri. He recorded seven tackles with an interception and a pass break up against Mo. Western. He 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 ten tackles against Central Missouri. He had six tackles and a forced fumble at Mo. 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.
GRINDING DOWN
Safety Brandon Gentz (Sr./Emporia, Kan.) was credited with three tackles at Minnesota State. He had two tackles and an interception against Neb.-Kearney. He recorded three tackles at Northwest Missouri. He had five tackles and a quarterback hurry against Missouri Western. He 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 suffered 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 75 tackles, six pass break ups and four interceptions in 36 career games. He was recruited as a quarterback and played receiver before making the switch to safety
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Safety Marcus Houghton (So./McPherson, Kan) had two tackles at Minnesota State. He had five tackles against Neb.-Kearney. He had a pair of solo tackles at Northwest Missouri. 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. He had a fumble recovery that led to a Hornet field goal at Central Okla. He was credited with two tackles at Mo. 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.
WHAT'S COOKING
Safety Drew Cook (Fr.-RS/Oklahoma City, Okla.) was credited with two tackles against Washburn. He 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) was honorable mention All-MIAA. He leads the MIAA and is fifth in the nation in field goal accuracy and is ranked 12th in the nation in field goals made. He is ranked second in the MIAA in kick scoring with 100 points. He is 52 for 55 on PATs and 16 of 18 on field goals so far this year.
He was perfect against Minnesota State going six of six on PATs and three of three on field goals, including a game winning 33 yarder as time expired. It is the first time Emporia State has kicked a field goal to win a game as time expired in 25 years as a member of the NCAA. He was two for two on field goals against Washburn and had a 14 yard reception for a first down on a fake field goal. He was two for two on field goals against Pittsburg State. 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 was 45th in the country in field goals per game. He was MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week after going three for three on field goals at MWSU. He went 35 of 38 on PATs and ten of 13 on field goals with a long of 43 yards.
He is ranked second in career field goals made with 26 makes in just two years. His 16 field goals made rank second in single season made field goals at Emporia State and is one of two Hornets with multiple seasons of ten plus made field goals. He is 26 of 31 in his career on field goals at Emporia State and has made 87 of 93 PAT attempts. He is one of just three sophomores in the top 35 of career made field goals among all active D-II players.
MARCHING ON
Kicker/punter Justin Marcha (So./Edmond, Okla.) was an honorable mention selection at punter. He is sixth in the MIAA in punting average at 39.4 yards per punt. As a team the Hornets are second in the MIAA and are ranked 29th in the nation in net punting at 35.5 net yards per punt. Four of his 48 punts have gone at least 50 yards with long of 64 yards at Central Oklahoma and he has forced ten fair catches. He also kicks off for the Hornets and averages 59.3 yards per kick with 16 touchbacks on 76 kick offs.
He averaged 41.5 yards on six punts at Minnesota State with on blocked. He averaged 39.1 yards on eight punts at Northwest Missouri, forcing three fair catches, and had one blocked. He averaged 39.7 yards on three punts against Missouri Western. All five of his kick-offs went into the endzone at Ft. Hays State. 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.
THE POLLS SAY
The MIAA has two teams ranked in the top 25 in the AFCA national poll and D2Football.com polls this week. Northwest Missouri, Emporia State and Central Missouri are ranked in both polls.
INJURY REPORT
Tight end Reese Reichards (neck), receiver Justin Brown (leg), offensive lineman Gerron Anthony (knee) and receiver Drake Smithton (shoulder) are out for remainder of the season. There were no new injuries reported in the Minnesota State game.
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 had three different starting quarterbacks produce a win in MIAA play last year.
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.
HEAD COACH GARIN HIGGINS
Former Hornet Garin Higgins is the 21st head football coach at Emporia State and is the first to lead the Hornets to ten wins in two different seasons. 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 103-58 as a head coach with a 52-49 record at his alma mater. He is 42-25 in the last five seasons and 36-15 over the last 51 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 31-13 over the last four years after going 19-36 in his first five seasons. The 19 wins in 2012-13 were the most in back to back seasons 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.
DID YOU CATCH IT
The Emporia State football game at Northwest Missouri on Saturday, November 7 was selected for the DII Football Showcase on the American Sports Network, giving the Hornets three televised games this season. For the sixth year in a row, the Hornets 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 Hornets have played 21 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.
OUTSIDE THE CONFERENCE
The Hornets have gone 11-2 in non-conference games under Garin Higgins and are 22-7 outside the MIAA in the 21st century. Since joining the MIAA, ESU is 31-12 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 34-14 in the NCAA Playoffs and 10-5 in bowl games for a combined post season record of 44-19 against non-conference opponents. Emporia State became the sixth MIAA team to win an NCAA Playoff game.
A Hornet win would...
•make Emporia State 11-2 overall, 9-2 in the MIAA;
•give the Hornets two wins in the post season for the first time since going to the NAIA Championship game in 1989;
•give the Hornets a 14th game in a season for the first time in school history;
•make Coach Higgins 53-49 at Emporia State and 104-58 overall.
A Hornet loss would...
•make Emporia State 10-3 overall, 9-2 in the MIAA.
•make Coach Higgins 52-50 at Emporia State and 103-59 overall.
CONVERSIONS
The Hornets lead the MIAA and are 14th in the nation in third down conversions at 48%, converting 100 of 210 third downs. They are 43 of 64 or 67.2% on third and three yards or less. Brent Wilson is 95 of 144 for a completion percentage of 66.0% on third and fourth down with 74 first downs and 11 touchdowns on the season. His final two touchdown passes at Minnesota State were on third and ten.
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.
• 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.
• The 18 point deficit (28-10) in the second quarter at Minnesota State is the largest deficit Emporia State has overcome to win a game as an NCAA school.
• 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.
• Emporia State came from 17-0 down at the end of the first quarter to defeat Ft. Hays State 24-17 to open the 1992 season.
