EMPORIA, Kan. – Emporia State returns to Jones Field at Welch Stadium to take on Washburn in the 116th edition of the Turnpike Tussle. It is the only active NCAA Division II rivalry where each team has at least 50 wins.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State was shut out for the first time in 15 games in a 28-0 loss at Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon. Defensively the Hornets held the Griffons nearly 16 points below their season average.
Trailing 14-0 in the second quarter Dalton Cowan appeared to hit Wil Amos for a 41 yard touchdown with 3:53 left. that would have pulled the Hornets within 14-7.  However ESU was flagged for an illegal shift and the play was called back.  The Hornets advanced to the 30 but turned the ball over on downs with 2:43 left in the half. Western answered with a nine play, 70 yard drive capped by a three yard pass from Wyatt Steigerwald to Luke Vang to give the Griffons a 21-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the half.
Braden Gleason went 10 of 18 for 122 yards with an interception and added 45 rushing yards on 12 carries in the second half.  Jordan Birch was the top ground gainer for the Hornets with 46 yards on six carries. Gee Stanley had ten tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss while Lawson Holbert had nine solo stops, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

THE COACHES
Garin Higgins has a career record of 131-76 in his 18th season as a head coach. He is 80-67 in his 13th season at his alma mater and is 71-43 since the start of the 2010 season. He has led the Hornets to the post season in five of the last seven years with three NCAA Playoffs and a national semifinal appearance in 2015. He had a 51-9 career record as the head coach 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 6-6 against Washburn.
Craig Schurig is 118-85 in his 17th year at Washburn. He is 10-7 against Emporia State.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 2-6 on the year but have been within one score in the fourth quarter of four of their six losses. They are ranked second in the MIAA in pass defense and are third in total defense. They have kept their last four opponents to over 10 points below their season scoring average. The Hornets have allowed an MIAA low nine touchdown passes on the season and are 15th in the nation in third down defense. Jace McDown is second in the MIAA in total and solo tackles.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 3-5 on the year with wins over Lincoln, Northeastern State and Missouri Southern. James Letcher, Jr. is second in the MIAA in all purpose yardage at 165.0 yards per game with over half of those yards coming on kick returns.

THE SERIES
The Turnpike Tussle is the second most played active rivalry in NCAA Division II and the only one in which both teams have 50 wins. This is the 116th meeting in a series that began in 1899. The Hornets lead the series 57-52-6. Emporia State has won six of the last seven meetings.

LAST TIME VS. WASHBURN
Justin Brown blocked a potential game winning field goal on the last play of regulation and then scored the game winning touchdown in overtime as Emporia State defeated Washburn 34-31. Emporia State went up 28-21 in the third quarter and Washburn tied it at 28 with 14:51 left in the game. WU drove to the ESU seven yard line with 29 seconds left and then ran the clock down to :03 before setting up for the field goal that was blocked by Brown. After the Bods converted a field goal in their half of the OT, Braxton Marstall hit Brown for an eight yard touchdown for the walk-off win. Marstall finished the game 32 of 51 for 373 yards with three touchdowns while adding 40 yards on the ground on 12 carries with two scores.  Brown had seven catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.  Jace McDown had a career high 14 tackles and forced two fumbles.

UP NEXT
The Hornets head to Mo. Southern for their final road trip. Kick-off in Joplin, Mo. is set for 3:00 p.m.

KNOW THE FOE
The Turnpike Tussle between Emporia State and Washburn is the second most played active rivalry in NCAA Division II history now that Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines have joined D2. It is the only series in Division II in which both teams have won 50 games. The Hornets have won 57 while the Ichabods have picked up 52 wins and there have been six ties. Emporia State has scored a total of 1,967 points while Washburn has scored 1,937 points, a difference of just 0.26 points per game over 115 contests. In MIAA only games, Emporia State leads the series 18-10. The Hornets have averaged 29.89 points and the Ichabods 26.54 points per game in the 28 MIAA meetings, however the average margin of victory in each game has been 18.54 points. Only eight of the 28 MIAA contests between the two have been decided by eight points or less with the Hornets holding a 7-1 advantage in close games. Emporia State won a series best 11 straight games from 1991-2001 before Washburn won eight straight from 2004-11.  The Hornets have now won six of the last seven meetings.
When competitions in football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and women’s soccer are added together Emporia State has a 565-407-8 all-time advantage heading into this weekend’s action.

Game #9
Emporia State Hornets (2-6, 2-6 MIAA) vs. Washburn Ichabods (3-5, 3-5 MIAA)
Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2:00 p.m. • Jones Field at Welch Stadium (7,000) • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 57-52-6 Current Streak: ESU 4 Wins
Last Meeting: ESU 34, at WU 31 OT (October 27, 2018)
Radio: KFFX-FM (104.9) Pregame 1:00 p.m. TV: None
Internet (Audio): www.kvoe.com Internet (Video): themiaanetwork.com/esuhornets
Live Stats • Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Officials: Announced on Game Day
Up Next: at Missouri Southern • Sat., Nov. 9 at 3:00 p.m.
Hughes Stadium (7,000) • Joplin, Mo.