ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Griffon Football aims for its first 3-0 start since 2013 with its second consecutive road trip, taking on Emporia State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN

Griffon Football is once again gracing the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac, color commentator Paul Smith and sideline reporter Derek Zimmerman-Guyer. The game can be heard on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream.

The game is also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. with pregame starting at noon. Game admission can be found by clicking on the "Tickets" tab. 

ABOUT LAST WEEK'S GRIFFON WIN

Last Thursday's 35-19 triumph over the Fort Hays State Tigers marked Missouri Western's (2-0, 2-0 MIAA) fifth win in a row dating back to 2021. The Griffons once again showed out in the ground game, garnering 311 rushing yards against FHSU (0-2, 0-2 MIAA) after netting 341 in week one vs. Central Oklahoma. Including the final three games of 2021, Thursday tallied the Griffons' fifth-straight game with 300 rushing yards or more — a program record dating back to 1994.

The Griffon backfield had another field day in Hays, Kansas, with running backs Jared Scott (125) and Brandon Hall (101) both going over the century mark, the team's second time posting two 100-yard rushers in as many weeks. Scott's career night saw him rush for 100 yards for the first time since going for 113 against Northeastern State on Sept. 28 of 2019. Griffon quarterback Reagan Jones completed 7-of-16 passes for 106 yards but made his mark on the turf, rushing for 71 yards and one touchdown on 13 attempts.

Griffon Defensive Coordinator Justin Richter's unit remained solid once again, holding FHSU to just seven points in the first half. The Tigers started 2-for-4 on third downs but went 0-for-7 after the first quarter. Linebacker Isaac Wallace led the teams with eight tackles, while cornerback Desmond Green's first career interception was snared in the end zone, stifling a key FHSU drive with 48 seconds left in the half. 

ABOUT LAST WEEK'S HORNET LOSS

Despite leading 13-7 for the majority of the second half, Emporia State fell to Central Oklahoma last Thursday in a 21-13 defensive slugfest at Chad Richison Stadium in Edmond, Oklahoma. The Bronchos took advantage of the ground game vs. the Hornets, rushing for 194 yards and two touchdowns thanks to a 103-yard, two-score night by UCO QB Stephon Brown. His second touchdown came way of a 20-yard run with 5:15 left in regulation. Emporia drove all the way down to the UCO five-yard line but stalled on fourth-and-five, as quarterback Braden Gleason's pass to Cole Schumacher fell incomplete, taking the ball away from the Bronchos for the final time of the night.

Gleason slung the ball for 417 yards, completing 29-of-45 passes for one touchdown and a long of 79 that opened the scoring in the second half. The Hornet running attack, however, only mustered 51 yards on 31 attempts for one touchdown — a six-yard run by Gleason in the first quarter. Brown also passed 17-for-26, netting 154 yards and a touchdown against Emporia. 

PROLIFIC POSITION MATCHUP PREVIEWS

Coaches
Missouri Western Head Coach Matt Williamson is 28-20 overall and 26-20 in the MIAA. In his time at MWSU, Williamson is 3-1 vs. Emporia State, which matched his FHSU tally before improving to 4-1 vs. the Tigers last week. Emporia Head Coach Garin Higgins is 89-75 overall and 78-69 in MIAA play after joining in 2007, putting him in the top ten of the MIAA's all-time wins list and moving him up as the second winningest active coach in the league. He is 5-9 vs. Missouri Western.

Quarterbacks
Saturday night's QB matchup puts Reagan Jones' 5-0 record as a starter to the test against Emporia State's Braden Gleason. The Hornet QB is 9-7 as a starter and led the MIAA last season in yards with 3,393 and touchdowns with 30. He has thrown for 400 yards in a game twice but lost both of those contests. Gleason's first collegiate start came against the Griffons in 2019 when MWSU shut out Emporia 28-0 at Spratt Stadium. Gleason is 0-2 vs. Missouri Western.

Running Backs
With Brandon Hall running like Brandon Hall and the second coming of Jared Scott benefiting MWSU's backfield, the Griffons boast the best rushing attack in the MIAA and the fourth best in the DII nation with 326 yards per game. The attention then turns to Emporia's All-MIAA Second Team star Canaan Brooks and an ESU backfield with no rushers over 100 yards. The Hornet senior rushed for 771 yards and eight TDs on 154 attempts in 2021 but only has 58 yards and one score on 14 attempts this season. All of Brooks' stats came in week one vs. Northeastern State, as he did not play last Thursday at Central Oklahoma. Billy Ross, Jr. has taken over the workload with 82 yards and one trip to paydirt on 14 attempts of his own.

DE-JA-VU: LAST SEASON'S SHOOTOUT AT THE SPRATT

Not counting 2019's 28-0 shutout of ESU at Spratt Stadium, the Griffons tend to have high-scoring affairs with the Hornets. Week three of 2021 saw ESU blow a 31-7 halftime lead that resulted in a 38-31 MWSU win. Thanks to milestone nights highlighted by Traveon James' 124 receiving yards and Brandon Hall's then career-high of 130 rushing yards, Missouri Western rattled off a 31-3 run to take a 38-31 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Gleason hit Ross, Jr. for a three-yard score with 89 seconds left to play in regulation to bring the game within one, but Higgins' decision to go for the win on a two-point conversion with the same passing hookup as before failed. Emporia later got the ball with 22 seconds left in the fourth but ultimately ran out of time. 

RIVALRY HISTORY

Missouri Western is 27-16 all-time vs. Emporia State and has won the last three matchups. While MWSU plays well vs. ESU at Spratt Stadium with an 11-9 home record, the Griffons kick things into another gear when at Francis. G. Welch Stadium, as they are 16-7 on Emporia's home turf. Missouri Western's last game at Emporia on Oct. 20 of 2018 resulted in a 42-28 Griffon win, snapping a fthen our-game skid vs. their conference rival. 

The last five matchups have been split at 5-5.While playing the Hornets under Williamson, the Griffons' offense averages 33.3 points per game, while the defense gives up just 21.3. Williamson's only career loss vs. ESU was on Nov. 4 of 2017 in a 30-27 final in favor of the Hornets. 

THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY: SEPT. 17

Missouri Western's last win on Sept. 17 was way back when in 2011 in a 47-0 final over Langston University at Spratt Stadium. Quarterback Travis Partridge threw 12-for-24 for 199 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. Michael Hill rushed the ball 19 times for 91 yards and the first score of the game. The Griffon defense came alive with five sacks and three interceptions. Missouri Western also recorded a shutout on Sept. 17 of 1994 in a 20-0 victory over Northwest Missouri in Maryville in a game where the Griffon defense held the Bearcats to just five first downs.