ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Picking up steam with a three-game winning streak, Griffon Football squares off with No. 11/10 Emporia State this Saturday at 4 p.m. on Homecoming at Spratt Stadium.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Football will grace the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer on the call. The game will air 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 4 p.m., with pregame starting at 3. Game admission and parking tickets are available in the "Tickets" tab.

ABOUT WEEK FOUR
MWSU
Missouri Western (3-1, 2-1 MIAA) stays home at Spratt Stadium after putting on a defensive spectacle last Saturday. The Griffons sacked Fort Hays State seven times in a 28-7 win, forcing five turnovers along the way. Thanks to an early interception and blocked punt by junior linebacker Jaden Brown, the Griffons capitalized on short-field opportunities and went up 14-0 in the first quarter. Later leading 21-7 with under three minutes to play and Hays threatening to make it a one-score game, senior defensive back Brayden Wright slammed the door shut with a 101-yard pick-6 to ice the game, officially going in the record books as the third 100-yard interception return in MWSU history.

ESU
Taking the best the Bronchos had to offer, Emporia State (4-0, 3-0 MIAA) survived Central Oklahoma in a 38-27 win in Emporia, Kansas. The Hornets went up 10-0 after a 57-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Braden Gleason to junior wide receiver Tommy Zimmerman. Central Oklahoma eventually made it a 17-14 game in the second, but 21 straight Hornet points put ESU ahead for good despite losing the time of possession battle 38:18 to 21:42. The Hornets were also held to 30% on third down (4-for-13). The Bronchos also outgained ESU 578-437, rushing for 215 yards, the second-most rushing yards the Hornets have given up all season.

PROLIFIC POSITION PREVIEWS
Coaches
Head Coach Tyler Fenwick is currently 3-1 with MWSU and 56-49 overall as a head coach. In his time with MWSU as offensive coordinator from 2007-12, the Griffons went 6-0 vs. Emporia, beating the Hornets by an average margin of 20.8 points. Fenwick is 1-1 vs. the Hornets as a head coach, splitting games at Southeastern Oklahoma State in the 2021 (W, 37-34) and 2022 (L, 48-27) Live United Bowls.

Now in season 16 with ESU, Garin Higgins is 101-77 as a Hornet and 152-86 overall since starting his DII career in 2000. Higgins' Hornets are 6-9 vs. MWSU, losing the first six matchups when he first started at ESU in 2007. The Hornets won five games in a row vs. the Griffs once Fenwick left MWSU after the 2012 season. He is 1-1 vs. Fenwick in head-to-head matchups.

Quarterbacks
Fully cemented as MWSU's starting QB, senior Armani Edden is off to a 3-1 start after playing for the first time since 2019. He is third in the MIAA with a completion percentage of 66.7%, and his efficiency rating of 146.6 ranks him fourth. Edden passed for 111 yards last Saturday, completing 16-of-24 attempts. He zipped an 8-yard TD pass to senior wide receiver Caleb Martin in the third quarter vs. Hays and threw two interceptions overall. 

A Harlon Hill watch list candidate, Braden Gleason is perfect throwing the pigskin this season. Slinging for the second-most TDs in the conference and the nation with 15, he is the only MIAA signal caller not to throw a pick. Gleason's 77.8% completion percentage, 301.8 passing yards per game, long of 80 yards and efficiency rating of 189.5 all rank first in the conference. His rating also ranks third in DII, and his 1,207 passing yards rank him sixth across the country.

QB STATS VS. OPPONENT

• MWSU - Reagan Jones: 0-1 starting record | 17-of-34, 50%, 165 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, long pass of 38 yards. Rushing: 13 attempts, 45 yards, 1 TD, long rush of 9. 
• MWSU - Armani Edden: N/A
• ESU - Braden Gleason: 1-2 starting record | 67-of-105, 63.8%, 690 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs, 0 sacks, long pass of 72 yards. Rushing: 24 attempts, 139 yards, 2 TDs, long rush of 30 yards.

Linebackers
Not suffering from any run-stuffer shortage, the Griffons are led by sophomore linebacker Kienen Gaskin. The Kansas State transfer is sixth in the MIAA with 29 tackles and eighth with 14 solo stops. Meanwhile, Jaden Brown is tied for third in the conference with two interceptions, picking off a pass in consecutive weeks. On top of that, senior backer Anthony Villanueva is 22nd in the MIAA with three tackles for a loss.

For Emporia State, the Hornets are led by senior Chance Rodriguez and his 28 total tackles, the eighth most in the MIAA. Rodriguez, alongside junior Sarge Sieperada, has three tackles for a loss to lead the Hornets and rank within the MIAA top 20. However, the Hornets give up 175 rushing yards per game, the second most in the MIAA and 122nd-worst average in the country.

RIVALRY RECORD RABBIT HOLE
By the Numbers
Heading into the 45th all-time meeting in a rivalry that dates back to 1971, the Griffons lead the Hornets 27-17. Missouri Western is 11-9 when hosting ESU in St. Joseph, winning the last two bouts at home in 2021 and 2019. That 2021 game featured a 21-point comeback by MWSU, the largest Griffon comeback this century in the modern era. Emporia is 6-4 vs. MWSU in the last 10 matchups.

Last Time Out
The Hornets earned their first win over MWSU since 2017 last season in a 36-12 final on Sept. 17 in Emporia. Starting the game by forcing a safety, the Hornets went up 16-0 and led 22-6 at halftime. Reagan Jones ran for a 3-yard touchdown to put MWSU on the board, and tight end Ty Harvey hauled in a 38-yard TD pass from Jones later in the third quarter. Last fall's ESU win marked Gleason's second overall victory vs. MWSU since he first enrolled at ESU back in 2017, and it was his first win over the Griffons in three games as a starter.

GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A GRIFF AFTER MIDNIGHT)
Forcing 12 turnovers so far this season, Missouri Western ranks first in the MIAA and fourth all across the nation. The Griffons have picked off seven passes, second in the MIAA and tied for eighth in DII. Senior defensive back Taylor Williams leads MWSU with three interceptions, the second-most picks in the conference.

STREETER STANDS ALONE (SORTA)
Nobody has stopped senior defensive lineman Dakari Streeter this season. Not only does he lead the MIAA in sacks, but he is tied for the nation lead with seven quarterback takedowns. His 43 sack yards also lead the conference. Streeter sacked Fort Hays QB Jack Dawson a career-high three times last Saturday, ranking his performance fifth all-time in a single Griffon game. Streeter's three-sack day also gives him 13 in his career and moves him past fellow senior D-lineman CJ Ravenell (12.5) for 10th in Griffon history.

BLITZKRIEG BOP
Far and away, the Griffons have the No. 1 pass rush in the MIAA. Missouri Western's 15 sacks rank No. 1 in the conference and fifth in the country. The next closest sack total to MWSU within the conference is six by five different teams. The Griffons also have taken up real estate in the backfield, burying ball carriers 39 times this fall, ranking MWSU first in the MIAA and fifth in the nation.

GRIFFS PUT IT IN SIXTH GEAR
The Griffon offense is outpacing nearly everyone this season, putting up 42 points per game. This average ranks MWSU second in the MIAA behind Central Missouri's 45.3 PPG and 12th in the country.

CROMWELL CRUNCH
Scoring two more touchdowns this past Saturday vs. Hays, freshman running back Seth Cromwell is tied for the MIAA lead and eighth in DII with six trips to the end zone.

CLEAN AS A WHISTLE
The Griffon offensive line has only given up two sacks all year, ranking the unit first in the MIAA with Emporia and fourth in the country.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY
Sept. 30 | Box Score
The Griffons were all business on this day in 2017, beating down Northeastern State 65-17 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Thanks to 299 rushing yards and 470 overall, the Griffs led the RiverHawks 34-0 at halftime. Josh Caldwell led MWSU with 101 yards on 15 totes, gracing the end zone on a 5-yard run in the third quarter. Now a Canadian Football League star, Brandin Dandridge picked off NSU and ran it back 33 yards, leading him to make the All-MIAAA Third Team. Tyrell Robison highlighted MWSU's defensive effort with a 38-yard pick-6 in the third.