In the lead again, Head Coach Garin Higgins speaks to a huddle of Hornets during their final regular season victory over Washburn Nov. 10. Higgins coached ESU football to victory in the 2012 Kanza Bowl and finished with an overals record of 10-2 for the season, ranking them 25th nationally among Division II.
Will Austin/The Bulletin

When the Hornets football team hoisted the Kanza Bowl trophy in the air after their 45-38 championship victory over Texas A&M – Kingsville on Sunday, not only were they celebrating an unforgettable season, but also their first double-digit winning season since 1989.

The last time Emporia State had a double-digit winning record, Head Coach Garin Higgins was on the other side of the field – he was quarterback for the 1989 11-2 Hornet football team.

“The last time we won at least 10 games was back when I was playing,” Higgins said. “That is a very long time, (and) I was very excited to experience Sunday.”

But a lot has changed since Higgins was quarterbacking for the team he now coaches.

After four years of being a student athlete from 1987-1990, Higgins began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Northeastern State in 1992.

He moved up the ranks from quarterback coach for Northwestern Oklahoma State in 1994, to offensive coordinator in 1997, until he finally began his head coaching career in 2000.

He compiled a 51-9 record as a head coach over a five year span. Then, he landed annual offensive coordinator jobs at Minnesota State and Northeastern State before landing a spot as the 21st head coach at his alma mater in 2006.

“Any coach wants to have the opportunity to be the head coach at his alma mater, and I was fortunate to get this job,” Higgins said.

But his return to ESU didn’t start out the way he hoped. The Hornets went 3-8, 4-7 and 2-9 in the first three years under Higgins.

“I knew coming in this was the best conference in sports, that we were going to have to be patient, but it was tough because it was my alma mater, and it dug deeper,” Higgins said. “I’ve always been a believer that you can’t quickly fix anything, especially in football.”

Things got better with what Higgins described as his first real recruiting class led by this year’s offensive line, including senior quarterback Tyler Eckenrode, senior tight end Adam Schiltz and senior wide receiver Shjaun Richardson.

“I knew he was a great coach,” Richardson, recreation major, said. “One of my teammates played here – that’s why I came to Emporia State.”

This recruiting class entered their final year with their careers on the line, looking for what Higgins promised them back when they were just freshman.

“He always preached to me that we will get to 10 wins…we just had to stick to it, and he delivered on his promises,” Eckenrode, management information systems major, said.

This year’s team was led by 22 seniors and a coach who not only barked orders on the football field, but also busted a few moves off of it.

“I remember after the Lindenwood victory everyone was dancing, and there was Coach Higgins leading the dance,” said Ben Carlson, business administration major and senior linebacker. “It was great to see the joy on his face.”

Higgins and his team danced their way to a 10-2 season.

“It’s well-deserved because of the time and effort he puts into it with film and practice,” Schiltz, health promotions major, said. “It is very rewarding to get to 10-2 for this guy.”

A few days after winning the 2012 Kanza Bowl, senior quarterback and Hornet football MVP Tyler Eckenrode stood with his teammates in White Auditorium at halftime of the women’s basketball game Nov. 26. The crowd celebrated the Hornets’ exceptional performance this season with a standing ovation.
Will Austin/The Bulletin

Late in the fourth quarter on Sunday, with Kingsville nipping on their heels, 35-31, senior quarterback Tyler Eckenrode connected with senior wide receiver Shjuan Richardson on a 75-yard statement pass. That touchdown was heard ‘round Topeka as it helped the Hornets move to 10-2 as the Kanza Bowl Champions. Emporia State beat the 6-6 Texas A&M – Kingsville Javelinas, 45-38.

“That wasn’t the route he was supposed to run, but Shjuan saw the corner gliding, so he ran by him, and Eck put it in his hands,” said Head Coach Garin Higgins.

But what turned into an offensive juggernaut didn’t look so good in the beginning, as neither team was able to get much going.

“There were some nerves in the beginning,” Eckenrode, management information systems major, said. “I didn’t play too well, but like we have done all year, we did a great job picking each other up.”

After a scoreless first quarter in front of a record setting Kanza Bowl crowd, Kingsville got on the board first with a 31-yard rushing touchdown.

Then, after a fumble recovery that set them up at the 47-yard line, Eckenrode connected with senior tight end Adam Schiltz three plays later for a 23-yard score to knot it up.

The Hornets’ next and final series just before half secured their first lead of the game when junior receiver Ray Ray Davis showed off his arm in the red zone, finding Shiltz for a 7-yard touchdown.

Richardson and Eckenrode connected on their first deep play of the game coming out of the half for a Kanza Bowl record 77-yard touchdown pass with thirteen minutes to go, boosting the Hornets up 21-7.

Both teams put points on the board in the third quarter, starting with a 31-yard touchdown pass for Kingsville to pull within seven points of the Hornets.

Senior defensive back Jeff Richards returned the ensuing kickoff to the opposing 21. That set up the Hornets up for a two-play drive that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown pass between Eckenrode and Davis.

The Javelinas responded with 10 straight points to close out the third, finding themselves down just 28-24.

On just the second play of the fourth quarter, junior defensive back Chris Poston picked off Kingsville and returned it 41 yards before being brought down at the opposing 21.

This set the Hornets up again on another scoring drive, this one aided by a few penalties that kept the drive alive but resulted in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Eckenrode to Shiltz.

In the longest scoring drive of the game, Kingsville marched down the field in 13 plays, taking three minutes to set up a 6-yard touchdown pass to pull within 35-31.

That’s when Richardson changed his route in mid-stride. Eckenrode saw and placed the ball right in his hands for the 77-yard score with four minutes to go to. That was the icing on the cake as the Hornets went on to win the fourth Kanza Bowl.

Kingsville’s backup senior quarterback Ben Ehrlich went 36-65 and 418 yards, in a losing effort, in large part because of his four interceptions.

“We just put some pressure on him,” said Jordan Sanders, junior linebacker and sociology major. “That just goes back to players doing what they are supposed to be doing.”

Sanders hauled in one of those interceptions and led the team with 15 tackles. Poston recorded one as well and came in second with 11 tackles.

Offensively, Eckenrode tied a school record for most touchdowns in a game with five of those coming off a 25-32 for 303-yard performance. Shiltz led the way in receptions with eight catches for 65 yards and three scores. Richardson ended his career with a 193-yard performance and two touchdowns.

The Hornets suffered their second loss this season, 55-10, against the Northwest Missouri Bearcats on Saturday in Maryville, Miss.

“It was a punch in the gut,” said Head Coach Garin Higgins. “Momentum is vitally important playing on the road, and it was a huge factor.”

The Hornets set up a 43-yard field goal for the freshman kicker Eli Kuhns with just under seven minutes to go in the first quarter. The score put Emporia State up 3-0 for their first and only lead of the game. But five seconds later, Jordan Simmons of the #4-ranked Bearcats took an 85-yard kick return for their first score of the game to put the Bearcats up 7-3 over the #20-ranked Hornets.

Simmons ran in another score before the end of the quarter, this one coming off a 1-yard run to put them up 14-3.

The Bearcats opened with a field goal with 12 minutes to go in the half to put them up 17-3. Within two and half minutes, James Franklin scored two quick touchdowns to continue the Bearcats offensive showing.

Just before the half, Simmons ran in another 1-yard score, pushing the score to 38-3.

After a 45-yard Bearcat field goal, senior quarterback Tyler Eckenrode led the offense to the Bearcats’ 4-yard line, trying to put a touchdown on the board. But Eckenrode was denied and intercepted in the end zone.

Coming off an interception, the Bearcats went 80 yards and struck again on the scoreboard with another Simmons run.

Eckenrode connected on all three of his passes for 70 yards as he marched the Hornets down on a 75-yard scoring drive, which resulted in a 5-yard direct snap-rushing touchdown for Ray Ray Davis, junior receiver.

That was the only touchdown of the game for the high octane offense of the ESU Hornets.

Eckenrode threw for 267 yards off of 34 pass attempts as he surpassed Tad Hatfield for the record of most passing yards in a season with 3,075 and counting.

“All those stats are great, but at the end of the day, the only stat I care about is wins and losses,” Eckenrode, a management information systems major, said.

Davis had a season high nine catches for 138 yards on top of his touchdown. Josh Taylor, senior cornerback, led the way for the Hornets defensively with 15 tackles, while Chris Poston, junior defensive back, gained his third interception for the season.

Despite dropping their second straight game, the Hornets are still ranked #25 in the nation and have a possibility of making the playoffs. Their record now stands 8-2.

But before they can do anything in the playoffs, they must first win their final regular season game on the road in the Turnpike Tussle against Washburn.

“It’s Washburn week, time to put the screws down,” Higgins said. “We have an opportunity – this is where we wanted to be at the end of the year, (and) now it’s time to execute.”

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday in Topeka.

Senior receiver Shjaun Richardson caught a pass from senior quarterback Tyler Eckenrode and raced down the field 81 yards to take an Emporia State lead against Truman State in Kirksville, Mo. on Saturday. This was the first lead in the game for the Hornets, coming with just over three minutes left in the opening quarter, pushing the score to 10-7. The Hornets didn’t look back as Richardson and Eckenrode hooked up 10 other times, and ESU ultimately won 52-26.

“We saw that they were going to give us a lot of cover, so we knew where we were going to have to attack, and we took advantage of it,” Eckenrode, management information systems major, said.

The Hornets executed perfectly as they racked up 616 total yards in offense, 340 of those coming through the air for Eckenrode in the first half.

But the Hornets had to battle back from the start to maintain their perfect season. At Truman’s Homecoming game, the Bulldogs started with momentum as sophomore running back Garrett White ran in an 11-yard score to open up the game.

“We have had to deal with adversity all year and battle back,” said Garin Higgins, head coach. “This is just the makeup of our team.”

To answer the Bulldogs’ opening statement, ESU responded with 10 straight points, the first three coming off a 43-yard field goal by the freshman kicker Eli Kuhns.

Truman tied it up just before the end of the first quarter with a 29-yard field goal nailed by junior kicker Derek Koon.

On the very first play of the second quarter, the Hornets had a miscue on special teams as they gave up a safety. Truman took a 12-10 lead with 14:55 to go in the second.

From there, ESU scored 21 unanswered points before the end of the half. Two of the touchdowns came from the ground game as junior running back Dozie Iwuagwa ran in both for 16 yards combined.

“The previous weeks we haven’t been running the ball as well, so we did extra drills, put an emphasis on running the ball,” Iwuagwa, sociology major, said. “I just went out there and did my job.”

In between those rushing touchdowns, junior receiver Ray Ray Davis hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Eckenrode. The Hornets went into the half with a decisive 31-12 lead.

The Hornets kept the foot on the pedal as senior running back Derwin Hall ran himself in for a score from the 1-yard line, coming off a huge interception by senior linebacker Ben Carlson.

The Bulldogs came back with a score of their own as backup senior quarterback Taylor Breen ran in a 15-yard touchdown to pull within 19 points, 38-19.

ESU answered right back on the very next drive as Eckenrode and Davis connected again, this time from a 38-yard dagger. The Hornets went into the fourth quarter with a 45-19 lead.

Iwuagwa landed another score off a 15-yard scamper with 12:07 left to go.

Before it was all said and done, the Bulldogs made one last dip in the scoreboard with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Breen to sophomore tight end Chico Orlando.

Eckenrode stole the show with another viscious performance as he went 26-39 for 422 yards and three passing touchdowns. Richardson remained the go-to guy as he hauled in 11 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown. Iwuagwa made his mark as he ran in three scores coming off 14 carries.

Defensively, the Hornets picked off the Bulldogs four times. Carlson hauled in one of those to set up a score and led the way with 17 tackles. Senior defensive back Derek Lohmann, who came into the year tied for most interceptions in a career at ESU, hauled in an interception mid way through the second quarter.

The Hornets remain the only undefeated team in the MIAA, 8-0.

“The biggest difference this year is our chemistry,” Eckenrode said. “A lot of us are seniors – we are just getting old, and we just want to go out with a bang.”