No Such Luck
TD pass from backup placeholder helps Griffons down Hornets
By Jesse Newell
Monday, October 23, 2006
Emporia State defensive back Brandon Stribling stood with his head down, promising he knew exactly what the Hornets needed to do to switch their fortunes around.
“We need to learn how to get lucky — find a four-leaf clover or something,” Stribling said. “We need to get lucky real fast.”
At this point, clovers, horseshoes and rabbit’s feet might not be enough to counteract the streak of luck the Hornets have run into this season.
ESU dropped its fourth straight game on Saturday, losing 24-12 to No. 16 Missouri Western at a chilly and sometimes sleety Spratt Stadium.
This time, though, it was a freakish set of possibilities that went against the Hornets in a back-breaking third-quarter play.
ESU led 6-0 at the time, and the defense had stood strong after Western had earned a first-and-goal at the Hornet 10. In fact, over the span of three plays, the Griffons had been pushed back a yard, forcing a field-goal attempt from the 11.
After a bobbled snap, MWSU’s Daniel Eidson set the ball down for the kick. Placekicker Dustin Strickler connected with it, but Stribling came from around the right side to block it clean in the backfield.
It was ESU’s fourth block of the game.
“It’s just about effort,” Stribling said. “That’s what we wanted to do.”
Or so the Hornets thought.
The ball bounced back to Eidson, who scooped it up and began to run. Forced into action because of an injury to the first-string holder earlier in the season, the 6-foot-2 freshman ran a few steps left before reversing field, running backwards and heading to the right sideline.
The Hornets could have never known that Eidson just so happened to be the Missouri Class 4 State Championship quarterback at Camdenton High School last season.
Just before reaching the sideline, Eidson untucked the ball and lofted a throw to the end zone that found its way between two ESU defenders. Tight end Gijon Robinson made a leaping attempt at it, falling to the end zone with the ball in his arms as the Western players went into a frenzy.
And just like that, the Hornets had lost their lead. After a successfully-blocked field goal.
ESU coach Dave Wiemers argued the call to no avail, receiving no explanation from officials.
“There really wasn’t any,” Wiemers said. “I don’t agree with the play. It’s not my call that matters.”
Though the coach wouldn’t discuss what he argued, his best beef might have been on an ineligible receiver call.
According to rule 7-3-10 of the NCAA rulebook, an interior lineman cannot go one yard past the line of scrimmage before a pass is delivered. Though Robinson is legal to go out on a pass route, video replays showed center Patrick St. Louis to be standing three yards past the line when Eidson threw the ball.
Because it was blocked behind the line of scrimmage, the ball was legal to be run or passed by the offense. If Stribling would have only partially-deflected it and if the ball would have landed past the line of scrimmage, Western would have been unable to advance it.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Stribling said. “It’s just one of those freaky plays in football.”
ESU would never recover from the blow.
The Hornet offense went three-and-out on the next possession, leading to a 34-yard Strickler field goal that made it 10-6 with 9.4 seconds left in the third quarter.
ESU quarterback Ben Purkeypile took his team completely out of it on the next drive, throwing a pass right to Western linebacker John Matthew Fisher, who returned it to the ESU 13 before a 15-yard facemask penalty was enforced on the Griffons.
Western’s Jeremiah White capitalized five plays later on a five-yard touchdown run, helping to put the Griffons up 17-6.
Wiemers stuck with Purkeypile, and four plays later the quarterback was picked off again by defensive back Greg Carbin.
MWSU scored on the subsequent possession to make it 24-6.
Purkeypile did lead the team down for a throwaway touchdown at the end of the game but had just 49 yards passing before that point. The ESU starter failed to complete his five passes in the first half during the winter-like conditions.
Backup Justin Whitworth was 3-of-7 for 40 yards passing in the first half but never re-entered the game.
For the second straight week, ESU failed to take advantage of all its opportunities in the first half. In the first 30 minutes alone, the Hornets had two blocked punts, a forced fumble, an interception, a five-play goal-line stand from the four-yard-line, and a subsequent blocked field goal that preserved a 6-0 lead into the break.
Add to that a 104-yard rushing performance by running back Seville Ko in the first 30 minutes, and ESU was left to wonder how it only held a six-point lead.
“Right now we’re running uphill,” Wiemers said, “and it doesn’t seem like we’re going anywhere.”
ESU also failed to take advantage of a gutsy play by punter Johnny Torres on the first possession of the second half.
After being told by Wiemers to punt on a fourth-and-3 from his own 39, Torres received the ball but didn’t feel any pressure around him.
“I was never meant to run it or anything. Coach never told me anything,” Torres said. “It was just my instinct.”
This time, his instinct was right on. After seeing all the Western players take off to set up a punt return, Torres cautiously started walking towards the line of scrimmage, ready to punt if he saw anyone coming.
Nobody did, so the 5-foot-8, 140-pounder took off in a mad dash for the first down.
“I heard from the sideline, everyone said, “Run!” I just ran it,” Torres said. “I noticed where the first-down marker was. It just happened.”
The punter ran for 13 yards, then had the presence of mind to act a little when shoved by Western’s Jarrett Brooks while out of bounds.
The dramatics drew a 15-yard late hit penalty, and ESU took back possession on the Western 33.
In three plays, the Hornets lost seven yards, forcing an actual Torres punt.
Western drove the length of the field to set up its blocked-punt-touchdown on the subsequent possession.
Ko led the Hornet offense with 24 carries for 122 yards. He ran for only 18 yards in the second half after suffering from cramps.
As a team, ESU rushed for just 38 yards in the final 30 minutes — with 13 of those coming from Torres, who ended as the team’s second-leading rusher.
Stribling and Jake Richter sparked the special teams, as both blocked a pair of kicks.
ESU (3-5, 2-4) travels to Topeka next week to take on Washburn.
“I will say this again. We will have our time,” Wiemers said. “If we just hang in there, and people stick with us, we’re going to have our time.
“It’s coming, and it’s not too far away.”