#18 Emporia State Football has 599 yards of total offense in 49-30 win at Mo. Southern

October 12, 2024-In his first career start Chase Ricke threw for a career high 485 yards as #18 Emporia State picked up a 49-30 win at Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon in Joplin, Mo.
 
Getting the start in place of Gunnar Gundy, who missed the trip with an illness, Ricke took the Hornets 75 yards on eight play on their opening drive.  The drive was highlighted by a 42 yard completion to Tyler Kahmann before Billy Ross Jr. ran it in from a yard out with 12:27 left in the opening quarter. After giving up a Southern field goal with 7:12 left, Emporia State scored the next 14 points on a 39 yard pass from Ricke to Kahmann with 11:13 remaining in the second quarter and a six yard  score from Ricke to Trenden Collins with 3:35 left in the half.  The Lions would get on the board with 29 seconds left on a 21 yard pass from Luke Sampson to Draper Parker as they trailed 21-10 at the break.
 
Ross made it 28-10 on another one yard run with 9:27 left in the third quarter.  Southern used a six play, 66 yard drive capped by a seven yard pass from Sampson to Isaiah Padello, however their two point attempts failed to make it 28-16.  Emporia State would score the next two touchdowns to go up 42-16.  Ricke hit Kahmann for a four yard score with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter before running it in himself from four yards out with 8:52 remaining.  The Lions would score twice in under four minutes to get back within 12 points.  A 10 yard pass from Sampson to Alex Martini made it 42-23 with 6:46 left before Sampson hit Dayne Herl on an 80 yard bomb with 3:06 left to get the Lions within 42-30.   The Hornets iced it with a five play, 42 yard drive following an unsuccessful on side kick with Ross scoring on an 11 yard run with 1:05 left for the final score of 49-30.
 
Chase Ricke was 37 of 46 for 485 yards with three touchdowns while adding seven yards and a touchdown on the ground.  Tyler Kahmann had seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns while Trenden Collins had seven catches for a career high 156 yards and a touchdown.  Billy Ross Jr. had 77 rushing yards on 22 carries and a career high three touchdowns while adding seven receptions for 56 yards. 
 
Kobe Holley had nine tackles and a pass break up while Jaaron Joseph and Danarius Hollywood each had an interception.
 
Emporia State will head into their bye week 6-1, 4-1 in the MIAA. Their next action will be on Saturday, October 26 at Neb.-Kearney.
 
NOTES
Ricke's 485 passing yards rank fifth in a single game for Emporia State.
The Hornets had two players with at least 100 receiving yards for the 25th time in school history and the first since last year against Fort Hays State.