Emporia State has tried not to talk much about last year’s 19-18 loss to Missouri Southern, but coach Garin Higgins said it’s come up on the practice field a couple of times this week.
“I think the guys remember it,” Higgins said.
It’s a tough loss for the returning Hornets to forget. They led throughout the game until late in the third quarter, when running back Seville Ko fumbled the ball and Southern’s Terrance Scott returned the ball to the ESU 2-yard line, setting up the Lions’ game-winning touchdown.
The Hornets also wasted many scoring opportunities. They settled for a school-record four field goals from former kicker Matt Perry, and also missed out on some points in the kicking game. Perry missed his only extra point attempt and also missed a field goal.
“Deep down, a lot of us know we should have won that game,” linebacker Nathan Linsey said.
The loss last year might have served as more motivation this week if not for the way the Hornets lost last week to Central Missouri.
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