Quarterback Tyler Eckenrode looks to pass Saturday afternoon at Welch Stadium. The Hornets beat Missouri S&T 23-7 bring their record to 2-0. Alissa Miller/ The Bulletin
The Hornets won their home opener against the Missouri Science & Technology Miners 23-7 last Saturday, improving their record to 2-0 on the year. With the victory, Head Coach Garin Higgins remains unbeaten in non-conference play.
For the second straight week, the strength of the Hornets was the defense, which created four turnovers on Saturday leading to all 23 points.
Back-to-back interceptions in the first quarter led to touchdowns by running back Kevin Smart and quarterback Tyler Eckenrode. The Hornets settled for a field goal off another turnover making the score 17-0 at halftime.
The second half saw several missed opportunities due to penalties, and the Hornets increased the lead by only six points on an Eckenrode touchdown pass late in the third.
The offense had a day in which it was 4-14 on third downs but 4-4 in the red zone. Smart rushed for over 100 yards on the game alleviating what was a tough day through the air.
Senior Linebacker Nathan Linsey, among the leading tacklers of the day, had a couple tipped passes, a fumble recovery and a hit on the quarterback, which helped create the first turnover of the game.
“It was just important to get this non-conference win so that we can hopefully build some momentum,” Linsey said. “I just felt we played pretty smart again this week, and guys were really stepping up.”
While the coach thought there were positive things to take from the game, he still had some concerns after the game.
“We just need to finish drives,” Higgins said. “We had a couple of opportunities there in the second half to put something together offensively, and because of penalties and moving backwards, we weren’t able to punch it in.”
Higgins believes effort is what separates this year’s team from teams of the past. This competitiveness is what will make the team get better and be ready for a new game each week.
“In years past we maybe had some guys here that really liked winning. Now we have a bunch of men that absolutely hate to lose, and that is what is going to be the difference. These guys are really buying into the system,” Higgins said.
The Hornets travel to Warrensburg, Mo., next Saturday to take on Central Missouri in what will be the first game of the MIAA Broadcasting Network TV Package. Game time has been moved to 2:20 p.m. to accommodate the telecast.
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