Mason Hart, ESU Athletics
24
winner
3:0, 2:0
21
2-1, 1-1
winner
3:0, 2:0
24
21
2-1, 1-1
| team | 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
|
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
Match Summary: Football |
Hornets get first win in Pittsburgh since 2016.
September 14, 2024 – Emporia State took advantage of three turnovers by Pittsburg State to grab a 24-21 Hornets victory on Saturday night at Carnie Smith Stadium.
The #4 Gorillas took the lead first with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Chad Dodson to Kuron Parchman with 8:19 minutes left in the first quarter. The #21 Hornets responded with a 25-yard field goal from Caden Dodson and increased the lead to 7:3 with 4:04 minutes left in the opening quarter.
Emporia State took the lead with its opening drive in the second quarter. Gunnar Gundy completed three straight passes to three different receivers, capped off by a 19-yard completion to Tyler Kahman With 12:26 minutes left in the half, they took a 10-7 lead. The Hornet defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession. ESU got to Pitt State’s 35-yard line, but was unable to convert a fourth attempt and gave the ball back to the Gorillas. Kobe Holley would intercept Dodson to give the Hornets the ball back at the Gorillas’ 41-yard line with 7:37 left in the half. Six plays later, Gundy hit Kahmann in the middle of the end zone from eight yards out to give the Hornets a 17-7 lead with 4:57 left in the half. The Gorillas would advance to the Hornets’ 13-yard line but missed a 30-yard field goal attempt as time expired, sending Emporia State to the locker room with a ten-point lead.
Neither team was able to score in the fourth quarter as the Hornet defense had two fourth down stops and an interception. The Gorillas cut the lead to 17-14 on a one-yard touchdown run by Noah Hernandez with 9:14 left in the game. Emporia State gained 29 yards in eight plays before being forced to punt with 5:51 left in the game. On the Gorillas’ next possession Cade Stephenson intercepted Dodson at the Pittsburg State 16-yard line. Gundy scored on the next play to give the Hornets a 24-14 lead with 5:38 left. The Gorillas responded with an eight-play, 75-yard run capped by a 13-yard pass from Dodson to Jack Roberts with 3:29 left. The PAT cut Pitt State’s deficit to 24-21.
A combination of Pittsburg State timeouts and an incomplete pass meant that Emporia State needed just 23 seconds on their next drive before returning the punt to the Gorillas with 3:06 left. Four consecutive incomplete passes later, the Hornets took the lead with 2:44 left. Before third-and-12 with less than a minute left in the game, Billy Ross Jr. gained 16 yards and gave Emporia State a first down with 41 seconds left. After a kneel-down, the Hornets were able to run out the clock.
Gunnar Gundy was 26 of 40 for 217 yards and two touchdowns while adding 36 rushing yards and a touchdown. Tyler Kahman had eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns and Billy Ross Jr added 66 rushing yards on 15 carries. Kobe Holley And Say Sieperda Each of them had nine tackles and Holley had more interceptions. Cade Stephenson had two picks.
The Hornets will be back in action on Saturday, September 21st when they host Missouri Western. Kickoff at Jones Field at Welch Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
NOTES
This was Emporia State’s first win in Pittsburg since a 41-36 victory in 2016.
This was the highest-ranked team to defeat Emporia State since a 22-20 win over then-No. 4 Pittsburg State in 2003 in Pittsburg.
Tyler Kahman moved up to fourth place in career receptions with 200 and eighth place in receiving yards with 2,415.
