If the spring football game is for the fans, the Emporia State players and coaches must not have gotten the memo.
Not that the Hornets didn’t put on a show Friday night at Welch Stadium, but bragging rights appeared to be what the players and coaches were most concerned about.
The game matched up the defense against the offense, and the defense held a slight lead in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. That’s when ESU head coach Garin Higgins decided to extend the game with timeouts in between almost every play.
“It got a little ridiculous there at the end,” safety Chris Poston said. “I didn’t know what was going on. They’re real competitive over there so they were doing everything they could to get the W, just like we would if we could call timeouts.”
Higgins added: “I figured being the head coach in the spring game, you can make the rules up as you go along.”
Higgins stopped short of ignoring the clock, and the game ended on what appeared to be a pass interference that went uncalled, giving the defense a 37-36 victory.
“I wish we would have gotten a flag here at the end of the game,” said quarterback Zach Rampy, who was on the sidelines for the final play. “I was down there trying to get the ref to call it.”
The scoreboard gave the win to the defense, but both sides had their moments on Friday.
With quarterback Andre Sloan El sitting out the spring to retain a year of eligibility, Rampy started at quarterback and looked to be in midseason form. Rampy completed his first five passes and finished 9-for-11 with a touchdown.
Rampy’s favorite target early on was Brian Murphy. Murphy made the transition from running back to receiver this spring and caught a game-high six passes for 60 yards.
Rampy moved the offense but failed to find the end zone on the first three possessions he was in the game. Rampy started the second half and moved the offense down the field in 10 plays for the game’s first touchdown.
Rampy scrambled out of the pocket, rolled out to his left and lobbed a pass just over the fingertips of a defensive back to Adrian Abner for a 22-yard touchdown.
“It was designed for me to stay in and block, but I guess me and Rampy have a connection, so I just went out on the pass and ended up with the catch,” Abner said.
When Rampy wasn’t in the game, Tyler Eckenrode took most of the snaps and impressed his coaches and teammates. Eckenrode redshirted this season and Friday marked his first time under the lights in Emporia.
The freshman didn’t seem fazed. He completed 8-of-18 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown pass went for 61 yards to fellow redshirt freshman Shjaun Richardson. The pass was thrown deep down the middle and Richardson came back to the ball and then sprinted in for the only other touchdown of the game.
“I thought Tyler Eckenrode made some good throws and moved around in the pocket to buy some time,” Higgins said.
Eckenrode also showed a strong arm with the ability to make throws down the field with accuracy and put some zip on his short passes.
“He’s got a cannon,” linebacker Katrel Larkins said. “I know he’s got a cannon. I tried to catch one and hurt my finger.”
Eckenrode and Sheldon Smith, the Hornets’ third-string quarterback in the spring, also showed their youth. Both quarterback threw one interception. Smith had a deep pass float 10 yards past his intended target and into the hands of Travon Brooks. Poston jumped the route and picked off one of Eckenrode’s passes in the red zone, returning it 48 yards.
“Chris Poston has had so many picks on us this spring,” Higgins said. “I would say he might be the leading interception guy for spring football since I’ve been coaching. He makes a lot of plays back there.”
Poston’s interception was one of several highlights for the winning defense.
While the offense moved the ball in the first half, the defense did not allow a touchdown, forced a Matt Coursen fumble inside the five-yard line and also forced two three-and-outs. Larkins, who led the Hornets with 80 tackles last season, was the star of the first half, recording two sacks.
“I only had one in the season so to get two tonight in the first half is lovely,” Larkins said.
The defense led 24-15 at half, according to Higgins modified scoring system. The offense won the second half, but other than the two long touchdown passes, the defense rarely gave up any big plays, which was a problem last season.
“Two too many,” Larkins said of the touchdowns. “Those were on blown plays. They shouldn’t have even had those. We’ve got to correct that by the time the season starts.”
Higgins main concern was not getting anyone injured, and he got his wish. Other than that, he wanted to see both sides of the ball play a competitive game, and he got his wish there as well.
Both sides talked a fair share of smack leading up to the game, and the final minutes showed they truly cared about the scoreboard.
“I saw that the competitive nature in our kids come out tonight,” Higgins said. “Even though we battled against each other all week, it was good to see after the game we still understand that we are a team and we still have a long ways to go.”
Friday at Welch Stadium
ESU defense 37, ESU offense 36
Spring game statistics
Rushing — Abner 9-37, Smart 8-26, Murphy 6-32, Smart 8-26, Eckenrode 5-13, Rampy 9-4, Smith 3-8, Turner 3-15.
Passing — Rampy 9-11-0, 87 yards, TD; Eckenrode 8-18-1, 137 yards, TD; Smith 2-6-1, 25 yards.
Receiving — Murphy 6-60; McEvoy 5-42; Richardson 4-87, TD; Coursen 3-55, Abner 1-22, TD.