ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Football (2-2, 1-1 MIAA) is back on the road this week for a critical MIAA test against No. 10 Emporia State (4-0, 2-0 MIAA).
Kickoff from Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas is set for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
The game is also being televised regionally on The Spot Kansas City 38 (Optimum Channel 17 in St. Joseph).
Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac will be on the radio call, with former Griffon quarterback Branden Berwald as analyst, and MoWest broadcast student Tucker Holden on the sideline. Radio pregame coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. with the East Ridge Car Wash Pregame Show.
A Big Saturday at Spratt
Quarterback Isaiah Tate set a single game program record with six touchdown passes and Griffon Football scored a 46-29 win over (RV) Fort Hays State this past Saturday night at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph.
Tate completed 28-of-40 passes for 429 yards, 6 TD and one pick. Crew Myers had a career night across the board with eight grabs for 189 yards and two scores. Malik Moore finished with a career-best nine catches for 147 yards.
Victor Taylor Jr. finished with two catches for 17 yards - both catches were for TDs. Rickie Dunn toted the rock a career-best 25 times for a career-best 124 yards and a TD. Dunn has scored a TD in every game thus far in 2026.
Mayes Doggan finished with two INTs, while Byson Vasquez had a season-best nine tackles to lead the defense. Tedrick Tate Jr. also logged an INT in the victory.
As a team, MoWest finished with 605 total yards on 79 plays, and were an outstanding 11-of-15 on third down. The Griffs also controlled time of possession 38:03 - 21:57.
Big Numbers Offensively
MoWest continues to be among the MIAA and D2 nation's leaders in offensive production, ranking third in the MIAA in scoring offense (39 ppg - No. 16 NCAA DII), second in total offense per game (478.3 - No. 11 NCAA DII), first in offensive efficiency (171.8) and first in passing yards per game (341.8 - No. 3 NCAA DII).
Meanwhile, Isaiah Tate ranks...
No. 1 in the MIAA in passing touchdowns (11 - t-7th NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA fewest interceptions (1).
No. 1 in the MIAA passing efficiency (171.8 - No. 12 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA passing yards per attempt (9.76 - No. 12 NCAA DII).
No. 2 in the MIAA passing yards per game (280.5 - No. 8 NCAA DII).
No. 2 in the MIAA in total offensive yards per game (301 - No. 10 NCAA DII).
No. 3 in the MIAA total passing yards (1122 - No. 15 NCAA DII).
No. 3 in the MIAA total offense (1204 - No. 20 NCAA DII).
Receiving Crew
Crew Myers has an MIAA-leading 443 receiving yards (No. 14 NCAA DII), 24 catches (t-5th MIAA) and three touchdown receptions (t-2nd MIAA). Malik Moore sits No. 3 in the MIAA with 389 receiving yards (No. 24 NCAA DII), No. 7 with 21 receptions and is tied for second in the MIAA with three TD catches.
Getting it Dunn
Running back Rickie Dunn ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in total rushing yards (346), No. 7 in yards per carry (5.4) and No. 3 in rushing scores (5). Dunn had a rush for 53 yards at Central Missouri - the third longest rush of any player in the MIAA so far this season.
Heralding Hatfield
Freshman WR Peyton Hatfield has made quite the name for himself already. The Lee's Summit High School alum leads the MIAA and ranks No. 4 in NCAA Division II with 332 kick return yards. He also leads the league with 526 all-purpose yards and sits No. 3 in the MIAA with 31 punt return yards.
Special Teams Stars
Special teams continue to be a bright spot for MoWest. Since 2019, Griffon Football has returned seven kickoffs for touchdowns - two in 2019 (Trey Vaval), one in 2020 (Sam Webb), one in 2021 (Cooper Burton), one in 2024 (Javerius McGuinn), one in 2025 (Jaelon Dixon) and again in 2026 with Peyton Hatfield doing so against Augustana.
MoWest currently ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 18 in NCAA Division II with 409 kick return yards. As of now, MoWest is the only team in the MIAA to have a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2026.
Elsewhere, Mason Grove continues to set the standard in kickoffs, leading the league with 15 touchbacks. In 131 career kickoff attempts, Grove has tallied 80 career touchbacks with only three attempts going out of bounds.
Ball Hawks
The defensive backfield is completely new for MoWest this season. The Griffons lost seven starting DBs from the 2025 roster. MoWest reloaded, adding 19 new DBs, including seven transfers. There are now 24 defensive backs on the Griffon roster, including true freshmen.
This position group is performing very well with eight passes intercepted so far in 2026 - tied for most in the MIAA and tied for third most in NCAA Division II. The Griffs have intercepted in a pass in three of their first four games in 2026.
Strength in O-line numbers
MoWest dealt with numerous injuries on their offensive line last season, with four players suffering season-ending ailments, including starters Keegun Daniels and Joe Turner.
MoWest shored up some strength here as well with now 21 offensive linemen on the roster, including six returners with starting experience. Chief among them is third team all-MIAA right tackle Connor Holt, who's played in 27 games and made 23 starts over the last four seasons.
Left tackle Quentin Garrett and center Adam Sotelo also bring ample starting experience. Garrett has made 22 starts since 2024, while Sotelo now owns 10 career starts.
Emporia Eval
No. 10 Emporia State (4-0, 2-0 MIAA) sits tied for first place in the MIAA standings and are coming off of their own bye week this past week. The Hornets own wins at Minot State, at then No. 10 Pittsburg State, and then home wins over then No. 20 Michigan Tech and winless Nebraska-Kearney.
The Emporia State offensive line has paved the way for success on that side. The Hornets have allowed just two sacks this season (fewest MIAA, t-3rd fewest NCAA DII) and are averaging 151.8 yards per game on the ground (No. 4 MIAA). ESU has been strong on third down offensively, converting 46.4% of the time (3rd MIAA). Running back Camden Crooks has been their workhorse on offense with 309 yards rushing (4th MIAA) on 61 carries and two touchdowns.
Quarterback play has been split between two players. Returning starter Ben Harris, who missed four games in 2025 with injury, has missed the last two of 2026 with injury as well, but is expected to return soon. Possibly against MoWest. Jamison Sarver has started the last two games for ESU. Together, they've combined for 905 yards passing, 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
The Hornets have been strong defensively, holding teams to just 17.3 ppg (3rd MIAA, No. 22 NCAA DII). In the secondary, ESU is holding opponents to a measly 125.8Â passing yards per game (2nd MIAA, No. 6 NCAA DII), though ESU is allowing 202.8 rush yards per game (9th MIAA). But all told, Emporia State ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in defensive efficiency (84.4).
ESU has gotten after opposing QBs this year with nine total sacks (t-2nd MIAA). They've also recovered four fumbles (t-2nd MIAA) and have forced six turnovers on downs (most MIAA, 3rd most NCAA DII).
The headliner on ESU's defense is one Landon Boss - the senior linebacker of Osage City, Kansas lives up to the name. He earned five first team all-America honors in 2025 and was last year's MIAA Defender of the Year. The guy is a beast. Just since the start of last season, Boss has racked up 144 total tackles, 27 TFL and 11.5 sacks - 10 of those in 2025. He's also picked off three passes, including a pick six in 2025, and has recovered a pair of fumbles in his ESU career also. He's also now rushed for a pair of scores this season.
Series History
Saturday marks the 48th all-time meeting with Emporia State in a series that dates back to 1971. The Griffons lead the all-time series 28-19, though ESU has taken three of the last four. These teams have split the last eight meetings since 2018. MoWest seeks its first win in Emporia since 2018. Fun fact - the Griffons won each of the first 10 games against Emporia State from 1971 - 1985.
Griffs on TV
MoWest will be televised on Saturday, October 3 at No. 10 Emporia State (1 p.m.) and then at home on Saturday, October 10 vs. Nebraska-Kearney. That'll be a prime time kickoff at 6 p.m. It's also MoWest's Homecoming game. Viewers in St. Joseph can watch 38 The Spot on Optimum Channel 17, and Channel 38 on United Fiber, DirecTV and Dish Network. It's also broadcast free over-the-air on Channel 38.1. All MIAA football games will continue to be streamed live on The MIAA Network.
Trends and Tidbits
Since the start of the 2023 season, MoWest has played in 38 games - 19 of them decided by a single possession. The Griffons are 8-11 in those games. Dating back to November 2022, 12 of the last 22 losses for Griffon Football have come by eight points or less.
The Griffons are 9-19 in their last 28 games overall, with 10 of those 19 losses coming by eight points or less. The Griffs are just 5-9 in their last 14 at home and 4-10 in their last 14 on the road. While Griffon Football has scored 24 wins over ranked opponents since the year 2000, MoWest looks to break what's now an eight-game losing streak to ranked teams.
Workin' Overtime
MoWest has gone 0-5 in overtime games since 2022 and 0-6 since 2013. The last overtime victory was in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division II playoffs - a 57-55 3OT win at home vs. Minnesota-Duluth. The last regular season game that went to overtime and ended with a Griffon victory was the 2006 season opener - a 32-29 double OT win at Central Oklahoma.
Griffon Football History
Griffon Football has won 328 games entering what's now the 57th season, winning two conference titles and making the NCAA Division II playoffs four times. MoWest has competed in 12 bowl games throughout its history, going an impressive 9-3 in those contests. Since the year 2000, MoWest has had 18 winning seasons, six bowl victories, four playoff bids and two MIAA championships. In all, MoWest has had 29 winning seasons since the program's founding in 1970 and 93 All-Americans in that time as well.
Griffs in the NFL
There are four Griffon Football alumni who are active in the NFL in the 2026 season - defensive lineman C.J. Ravenell (Giants), tight end Cam Grandy (Vikings), fullback Grant Finley (Giants) and safety Jonathan Owens (Colts).
Four Griffons in history have been NFL draft picks - Vince Thomson (DE 1985), John Fisher (DB 1996), Greg Zuerlein (K 2012) and David Bass (DE 2013). Other former Griffs to have played in the NFL include Gijon Robinson (TE 2008-10), Roger Allen (OG 2009-2012), Michael Hill (RB 2013-14), Leonard Wester (OT 2016-18), Sam Webb (CB 2022-25), D.J. Stirgus (2023 CB) and Mike Jordan (CB 2016-18).
Tune Into the Griffons
The Griffon Sports Network will again provide live, free audio coverage all season for ALL home and away Griffon Football games.
Tommy Rezac is back as 'Voice of the Griffons' for a sixth season. All games can be heard for free on the Varsity Network App, and at GoGriffons.com/listen. To listen on the Varsity Network App, simply search "Missouri Western" once you have downloaded the app on your mobile device. Pregame coverage for each radio broadcast starts 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
All games are available to watch with a subscription on the MIAA Network as well. Rezac's radio broadcast is synchronized with Griffon home games broadcast on the MIAA Network.
