EMPORIA, Kan. (Sept. 1, 2022) – Emporia State scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and Northeastern State proved unable to close the gap while falling 42-17 to the Hornets on Thursday night at Welch Stadium in the season opener for both football teams.
Junior receiver
Dashawn Williams led NSU with eight catches for 59 yards and two touchdowns, on passes of 7 and 27 yards from senior
Jacob Frazier, who earned the starting nod at quarterback for the RiverHawks. NSU (0-1, 0-1 MIAA) finished with 262 yards of offense, while Emporia State's high-octane offense rolled up 451 yards.
Emporia State quarterback Braden Gleason, one of 10 starters back from an offense that finished 16th in NCAA Division II in passing last season, completed 23 of 37 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
After falling behind 14-0, Northeastern State twice pulled within seven points and came within 11 points at 28-17 after
Tyler Crawford's 44-yard field goal with 1:12 left in the third quarter. But Emporia State (1-0, 1-0) answered with a strong fourth quarter.
Jaylen Varner made a leaping catch of a pass by Gleason on the first play of the quarter to complete a 14-yard scoring play. The Hornets scored again after an interception by Khalil Rasheed, with Billy Ross Jr.'s 35-yard touchdown run making it 42-17.
Emporia State opened the game with a pair of 10-play touchdown drives, capped by an 8-yard run by Canaan Brooks and a 6-yard pass from Gleason to Tyler Kahmann, respectively. Kahmann had six catches for 94 yards.
The RiverHawks' first score of the 2022 season came on the 7-yard pass from Frazier to Williams with 2:11 left in the first quarter. Gleason's 1-yard touchdown run pushed Emporia State's lead to 21-7. NSU defensive end
Blake Corn recovered a bobbled snap by Gleason at the Emporia State 25 to set up the RiverHawks' second touchdown, which came with 7:08 left in the second quarter on a third-and-12 play.
After NSU's defense forced a punt, the RiverHawks had a chance to tie the game before Emporia State safety Derrick Maxwell intercepted a pass by Frazier. The Hornets took advantage, as Gleason hit Cole Schumacher on a 37-yard touchdown pass just seven seconds before halftime.
Frazier completed 14 of 26 passes for 105 yards with two interceptions before giving way to
Ben Ward in the fourth quarter.
Darius Salters led NSU in rushing with 64 yards on 16 carries, while
Isaiah Davis had 12 carries for 44 yards. John Joseph had nine tackles for the RiverHawks and
Jordan Lamotte had eight.
Emporia State is 11-8-1 all-time against NSU and has beaten the RiverHawks in 10 straight matchups.
NSU will host Missouri Southern at Gable Field in Tahlequah, Okla., on Sept. 10. The RiverHawks beat Missouri Southern 21-17 last season in Joplin, Mo.
