The Washburn University Ichabods (1-5, 0-5 MIAA) came up short against the Emporia State University Hornets (4-2, 3-2 MIAA) 38-23 on a windy Saturday afternoon.
Washburn’s first drive stalled out to begin the game, and the Hornets capitalized on it with a 70-yard drive to give the Hornets a 7-0 lead with 9:54 left in the first quarter.
The Bods were stalled once again for their first three-and-out of the game. Then, the Hornets struck on a 39-yard touchdown pass on a 72-yard drive to extend their lead to 14 with 5:22 remaining.
Washburn tried to capitalize on their early offensive mistakes, but on a critical 4th and 2, Taylon Peters, senior running back, was stopped short of the line of gain for a turnover on downs. However, Washburn’s defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs of their own to get the ball back. Unfortunately, the Ichabods couldn’t get points on the board before the quarter ended, trialing the Hornets 0-14.
As the second quarter began, Washburn got into Emporia State territory, but after Sam Van Dyne, freshman quarterback, was sacked, the Ichabods were forced to punt. The Hornets kept their foot on the gas with a 9-play 80-yard drive to extend the ESU lead to 21 with 9:08 left in the first half.
The Bods started off their next drive strong after a 30-yard punt return by Sophomore Teondre Carter. Then, Van Dyne connected with Connor Searcy, junior fullback, for 39 yards to get Washburn into the red zone for the first time in the afternoon. Five plays later, the Ichabods got on the scoreboard courtesy of a 3-yard touchdown run by Searcy to make it a 21-7 Hornet lead with 6:47 left in the half.
Not even one minute later, the Hornets quickly answered back with a 4-play, 75-yard drive to give Emporia State a 28-7 advantage.
The Ichabods couldn’t respond quickly, but pinned ESU at their own 1-yard line courtesy of a 66-yard punt by Gavin Wilhelm, sophomore placekicker. The Washburn defense stepped up, forced ESU to punt deep in their territory, and got it back at midfield. Seven plays and 30 yards later, Trenton Brehm, junior kicker, added three points to the Washburn total with a 34-yard field goal at the end of the half as Washburn trailed Emporia State 28-10.
The defense stepped up big to start the second half, forcing the Hornets to a three-and-out. The offense would get back on the board after an 11-play, 34-yard drive capped off by a 40-yard field goal from Trenton Brehm to make the score 28-13 with 9:43 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
After the defense forced a second straight three-and-out, the Ichabod answered in a blink of an eye thanks to a 69-yard touchdown pass from Sam Van Dyne to D.J. Bell, freshman wide receiver, to cut the Hornet lead to 8 with 7:35 remaining in the third.
Washburn would keep the momentum going and force a third straight three-and-out. However, Emporia State would have a sign of life and forced a Washburn three-and-out. This would allow the Hornets to start moving the ball into Washburn territory as the time expired in the third quarter.
Washburn would stall the Hornets’ drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter and hold them to a field goal as ESU would extend their lead to 11. Unfortunately, Washburn would not be able to answer on their next possession.
The Hornets would keep the scoring going after an 8-play 47-yard drive to bring their lead back up to 18 with 10:43 remaining in the game. However, Washburn would answer right back with a 26-yard field goal from Brehm to cap off a 14-play 69-yard drive to make the score 38-23 with 5:27 remaining in the game. The Ichabods tried for an onside kick, and although they initially recovered, the Ichabods were given a crucial penalty that gave the Hornets the ball back.
The defense did their part and forced a Hornet punt. However, after being pinned at their 2-yard line, Washburn was forced to punt. Emporia State used up the rest of the game clock to pull away victorious.
After the game, Head Coach Craig Schurig shared his thoughts on the loss but was pleased with how his team kept fighting through adversity.
“They had us on our heels,” Schurig said. “I thought our kids did a really good job responding and kind of getting back into it in the third quarter.”
Schurig was a bit disappointed in the defense but still had high hopes for the remainder of the season.
“We kind of miscommunicate sometimes and leave guys uncovered and open,” Schurig said. “I felt like once we got our eyes and legs under us a lot better, we played pretty decent on defense and we just got to keep that consistent going forward.”
Van Dyne led the Ichabods’ passing game with 18 completions for 256 yards and one touchdown. He was very fond of his 69-yard touchdown pass to Bell.
“I had a clean pocket and it was a great job by our offensive line,” Van Dyne said. “D.J. outran his man, the safety was bound, and I just hit him over the top.”
Van Dyne was also very vocal about improving and being more consistent through all four quarters.
“We’ve been digging ourselves too deep of a hole sometimes and not finishing out games well,” Van Dyne said. “If we can just build positive plays on top of each other, I think we can be a really good football team.”
The Ichabods will return home for their next two contests. First, Oct. 21, as they take on Fort Hays State, and then Oct. 28 for homecoming as the Ichabods will host Northwest Missouri State University. Both kickoff times are at 1 p.m.
