EMPORIA, Kan. – Emporia State spoiled David Brown's debut as Missouri S&T's head coach, as it held the Miner offense in check for much of the afternoon to take a 23-7 win at Jones Field.

 

S&T had a solid showing on the defensive side of the ball, but was held to just 192 yards of total offense on the day and were victimized by four turnovers. ESU scored all 23 of its points off the turnovers.

 

The Hornets led 17-0 at halftime, with all three scoring drives starting in the red zone after Miner turnovers. The first came when Derek Lohmann intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 62 yards to the S&T 15-yard line, setting up a four-yard scoring run by Kevin Smart to put the Hornets in front.

 

Two plays into S&T's next possession, Watson was hit as he was making a throw and had the ball caught out of the air by ESU's Matt Rosenhamer at the Miner 19, leading to a 17-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tyler Eckenrode.

 

Emporia State's third score came after a Josh Taylor interception and return to the Miner 20; Zackaresy King kicked a 27-yard field goal early in the second quarter to close that drive.

 

The Miners had a couple of good scoring opportunities in the second period, driving from their own 30 to the Hornet 13-yard line, but Joe Drahos (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington)' 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

 

After the Miner defense got a three-and-out, a seven-yard punt gave S&T the ball back at the ESU 23. However, the Miner offense was unable to move the ball and then failed to convert on a fourth down pass to the end zone.

 

ESU used another Miner turnover inside its own 20 – this one coming on a fumble at the 17 – to score again with 5:26 left in the third quarter. Eckenrode threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Shjuan Richardson to give the Hornets a 23-0 lead.

 

Missouri S&T got on the scoreboard with 5:21 left in the contest when freshman Matt Elliott (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) connected with Chad Shockley (St. James, Mo./John F. Hodge) on a 13-yard scoring pass, capping the Miners' longest drive of the afternoon of 74 yards.

 

S&T had 123 of its 192 yards on the ground, with Bobby Pettis (Hickory Hills, Ill./Argo) leading the way with 51 yards. The Miner quarterbacks completed just nine of 30 passes on the afternoon, with Shockley hauling in five of the throws for 56 yards.

 

Shockley's five receptions moved him into 10^th place on S&T's all-time list with 124.

 

Defensively, linebackers Chris Horn (Tulsa, Okla./Booker T. Washington) and John Heineken (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) led the way with seven tackles apiece. Heineken also got the Miners their only turnover of the afternoon when he forced a fumble on a sack, one of two recorded by S&T.  Emporia State finished the day with just 260 yards of offense and completed only six of 20 passes against the S&T defense.

 

The Miners will open their home schedule next Saturday when they host Drake in a 7 p.m. game at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.