Football | 8/25/2026 9:43:00 PM

Game #1
Emporia State Hornets (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
at Minot State Beavers (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)
Thursday, August 27 • 6:00 p.m.
Herb Parker Stadium • Minot, N.D.
Series Record: ESU leads 1-0 Last Meeting: at ESU 27, MSU 7 (August 28, 2025)
Radio: KFFX-FM (104.9) Pregame 5:00 p.m. 
Internet (Audio): www.kvoe.com Internet (Video): MidCo Sports + Television: None
Officials: Announced on Game Day
Live Stats | Ticket Info | Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at #4 Pittsburg State
Saturday, September 5 • 7:00 p.m.
Carnie Smith Stadium • Pittsburg, Kan.

LET'S GET THINGS STARTED
Emporia State opens their 128th season of football on the road at Minot State. It is the first time the Hornets have opened the season on the road since 2021 when they defeated Northeastern State 38-7 in Tahlequah, Okla.

SEASON OPENERS
Emporia State is 74-48-5 all-time in season openers and have started the season 1-0 in 21 of the last 24 years.  Coach Garin Higgins is 15-3 with the Hornets and 20-3 in his career in season openers. Two of the three losses were to teams ranked in #1 in the nation at the time. Emporia State has won their last seven season openers by an average score of 40-11. The Hornets are 6-2 when opening the season on the road under Coach Higgins.

HORNETS IN THE NON-CON
Emporia State is 40-14 in non-conference action since joining the MIAA with a 20-4 record under coach Garin Higgins.  Two of Coach Higgins four losses to non-MIAA teams have come in the post season.
 
THE COACHES
Garin Higgins is the winningest coach in Emporia State history with a record of 118-90 in 19 seasons at his alma mater. He has a career record of 169-99 in his 25th year as a head coach. He is the winningest active coach in the MIAA and has the fifth most wins among MIAA coaches in history. He has led the Hornets to the post season in eight of the last 13 seasons with three NCAA Playoffs and a national semifinal appearance in 2015. He had a 51-9 career record at Northwestern Oklahoma, including two trips to the national championship game. Higgins was a quarterback for Emporia State from 1987-90 and was on the 1989 national runners-up team.  He is 1-0 against Minot State.
Ian Shields is 9-24 his fourth season at Minot State and is 49-71 in his 12th season overall. He is 0-1 against Emporia State.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is the only MIAA team to have a returning First-Team All-MIAA selection on both offense and defense and added the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Year from the transfer portal. Linebacker Landon Boss was the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year last season and is a First-Team selection to the CFBNetwork and D2Football.com Preseason All-American lists while defensive back Tyler Schultze was named second-team preseason All-American by CFB Network and honorable mention by D2Football.com. Malik O'Atis was a first-team All-MIAA pick last year. Brandon McCary was the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Year at Minot State and is on the Fred Mitchell Award preseason watch list as the top non-FBS place kicker. Both Ben Harris and Jamison Sarver started and won multiple MIAA games at quarterback for the Hornets last season. 

THE SERIES
This is just the second meeting between Emporia State and Minot State and the first time the two have met in North Dakota.

LAST TIME VS. MINOT STATE
Emporia State rolled to a 27-0 lead early in the third quarter on their way to a 27-7 season opening win over Minot State in Welch Stadium. 
In his first start for the Hornets Ben Harris went 37 of 52 for 292 yards and connected with ten different receivers. Malik O'Atis was the top receiver with a career high 12 catches and 90 yards with a touchdown.  Kinglsey Bennett had five catches for 68 yards and a score. 

UP NEXT
The Hornets travel to #4 Pittsburg State on Saturday, September 5 for their MIAA opener. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. It is the first time since 2011 Emporia State has opened the season with back to back road games.

Complete Notes available here
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