EMPORIA, Kan. – Griffon Football (2-3, 1-2 MIAA) put up 610 yards of offense and
Isaiah Tate set a school record with 494 passing yards, but MoWest's missed chances in the red zone cost them in a 34-22 loss at No. 10 Emporia State on Saturday at Welch Stadium.
The Hornets (5-0, 3-0 MIAA) scored in the first 62 seconds of the game to take an early 7-0 lead, and never trailed at any point.
MoWest answered with field goals from
Latrell Armstrong on consecutive drives to cut it to 7-6 with 3:13 left in the first quarter.
Later trailing 14-6, the Griffons put up their first touchdown of the day when Tate found
Crew Myers for a 57-yard strike. The Griffs went for two points to try and tie the game, but missed and trailed 14-12 entering the second quarter.
MoWest trailed 24-15 at halftime and got the ball to start the second half, but came up empty. In fact, the Griffons had four possessions in the third quarter alone, but they all ended with a punt.
Emporia State then pushed its lead to 34-15 with 13:41 left in the game, but the Griffons kept fighting. Less than two minutes later, Tate found
Emmanuel Ellison on a 31-yard throw to the end zone, cutting the lead to 34-22.
The Griffons got the stops they needed late in the fourth quarter, but the offense, once again, came up empty. MoWest's last two drives ended with a turnover-on-downs on a fourth-and-goal, and then an interception in the end zone in the game's final 30 seconds.
MoWest went 3-for-5 in the red zone and had 'goal-to-go' on four total possessions, but none of those ended in touchdowns.
Tate completed 28-of-55 attempts for a record 494 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with two INTs. The Griffons turned the ball over three times in all, but finished with 610 total yards on 87 snaps.
Crew Myers had a career-best nine catches for 175 yards and a score.
Austin Adair had career-highs in catches (five) and receiving yards (102).
Peyton Hatfield also hit new career marks with six catches for 92 yards. Ellison had three snags for 71 yards and a score.
Rickie Dunn led the way on the ground with 18 carries for 99 yards.
Ken Pierre-Charles led the defense with 11 tackles.
Andon Carpenter recorded a sack. Armstrong hit a career-best three field goals and accounted for 10 of the Griffons' 22 points.
MoWest is back home on Saturday, October 10 to face Nebraska-Kearney (0-5, 0-3 MIAA) on Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen), the MIAA Network and The Spot Kansas City 38 (Optimum Channel 17 in St. Joseph).
