Emporia State redshirt-sophomore quarterback Braxton Marstall led the #9 Hornets to another 4th-quarter comeback as ESU scraped by Missouri Western 27-14 last Saturday in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The Hornet defense allowed an opponent to score on their opening drive for the first time all season. Missouri Western went 70 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a 9-yard touchdown pass to put them up 7-0 with 9:37 left in the first quarter.
After empty possessions by both teams, the Hornets got on the board with a 34-yard field goal from junior kicker Austin Morton. The kick cut the Griffon’s lead to 7-3 with 1:54 remaining in the opening period.
Western grabbed a two-score lead with a 25-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Neither team could do much to put a dent in the scoreboard from then on, as the next six possessions ended with punts on drives of 25 yards or less.
Finally, with 47 seconds remaining in the half, Marstall found Mitchell Foote, senior receiver, with a 3-yard pass to cap an 83-yard touchdown drive. The score saw the Hornets heading into the locker room down only 14-10.
Both offenses struggled in a scoreless third quarter. Emporia State would bring the ball as deep as the Western 23 before a Marstall pass was tipped and intercepted to end their best scoring threat.
The game was decided in the fourth as strong play on both sides of the ball allowed the Hornets to outscore the Griffons 17-0 in the final 11 minutes.
Marstall went 5-5 passing on the Hornets’ second drive of the quarter, hitting Justin Brown, redshirt-sophomore receiver, with a 37-yarder to take a 17-14 lead with 10:42 remaining. On the Griffons next play from scrimmage, Josh Monteagudo, senior linebacker, intercepted the ball and returned it to the Western 22.
Three plays later, the Hornets went up 24-14 as Marstall again connected with Brown for a 19-yard touchdown. The defense held steady as Morton added a 32-yard insurance field goal with 3:34 left to ice a 27-14 victory.
The Hornets (9-1, 9-1) in the MIAA) will look for a strong showing against archrival Washburn at 2 p.m. this Saturday in Topeka. With a victory, the Hornets will likely secure a home NCAA Division II Playoff game for the first time in program history.
