# 2018 Emporia State Hornets football team

The 2018 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2018 was the 121st season in school history. The Hornets are led by head coach Garin Higgins, who is in his 17th season overall, and 12th season at Emporia State as head coach. Emporia State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.

## Preseason

The Hornets enter the 2018 season after finishing with a 6–5 overall and in conference play last season under Higgins. On July 31, 2018 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Hornets were chosen to finish fifth in both the Coaches Poll and Media Polls.

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

Along with Higgins, there are 9 assistants.
| Name | Position | Seasons at ESU | Alma mater |
| Garin Higgins | Head coach | 12 | Emporia State (1992) |
| Mike LoPorto | Co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach | 9 | Emporia State (2010) |
| Bryan Nardo | Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers Coach | 7 | Ohio (2008) |
| Cayden Cochran | Passing Game/recruiting coordinator/running backs | 1 | Valdosta State (2013) |
| Nathan Linsey | Defensive Secondary/special teams coordinator | 8 | Emporia State (2010) |
| Tony Koehling | Running game coordinator/offensive line coach | 4 | Ohio (2013) |
| Austin Willis | Running backs/strength and conditioning coach | 2 | Emporia State (2015) |
| Jarrett Stastny | Graduate Assistant/offensive line | 1 | Emporia State (2017) |
| Brock Burrows | Graduate Assistant/linebackers | 1 | Emporia State (2018) |
| Darius Hicks | Graduate Assistant/defensive backs | 1 | Lincoln (MO) (2017) |
| Reference: ||||

### Roster
## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 7:00 pm | at Northeastern State | Doc Wadley StadiumTahlequah, Oklahoma | W 34–7 | 2,109 |
| September 6 | 7:00 pm | Pittsburg State | Francis G. Welch StadiumEmporia, KS | L 34–13 | 5,764 |
| September 15 | 2:00 pm | at Nebraska–Kearney | Ron & Carol Cope StadiumKearney, Nebraska | W 20–17 | 6,217 |
| September 22 | 2:00 pm | Lindenwood | Francis G. Welch StadiumEmporia, Kansas | L 48–41 | 4,987 |
| September 29 | 1:30 pm | at No. 17 Northwest Missouri State | Bearcat StadiumMaryville, Missouri | L 41–0 | 6,141 |
| October 6 | 2:00 pm | No. 18 Fort Hays State | Francis G. Welch StadiumEmporia, Kansas | W 28–24 | 3,087 |
| October 13 | 1:00 pm | at Central Missouri | Audrey J. Walton StadiumWarrensburg, Missouri | W 41–23 | 5,835 |
| October 20 | 2:00 pm | Missouri Western | Francis G. Welch StadiumEmporia, Kansas | L 42–28 | 4,714 |
| October 27 | 2:00 pm | at Washburn | Yager Stadium at Moore BowlTopeka, Kansas (Turnpike Tussle) | W 34–31 $^{OT}$ | 6,340 |
| November 3 | 2:00 pm | Missouri Southern | Francis G. Welch StadiumEmporia, Kansas | W 48–0 | 3,056 |
| November 10 | 2:00 pm | Central Oklahoma | Wantland StadiumEdmond, Oklahoma | W 35–28 | 5,118 |
| December 1 | 2:00 pm | Arkansas–Monticello | Corsicana StadiumCorsicana, Texas | W 30–22 | 4,000 |
| HomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||

### Game notes, regular season
#### Northeastern State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Emporia State | 13 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 34 |
| Northeastern State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

#### Pittsburg State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Pittsburg State | 3 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 34 |
| Emporia State | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

#### Nebraska–Kearney

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Emporia State | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 20 |
| Nebraska–Kearney | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

#### Lindenwood

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Lindenwood | 0 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 48 |
| Emporia | 13 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 41 |

#### Northwest Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Emporia State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • #17 Northwest Missouri | 7 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 41 |

#### Fort Hays State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #18 Fort Hays State | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| • Emporia State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |

#### Central Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Emporia State | 7 | 20 | 0 | 14 | 41 |
| Central Missouri | 3 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 23 |

#### Missouri Western

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Missouri Western | 7 | 13 | 0 | 22 | 42 |
| Emporia State | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |

#### Washburn

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| • Emporia State | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
| Washburn | 0 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 31 |

#### Missouri Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Missouri Southern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Emporia State | 0 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 48 |

#### Central Oklahoma

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Emporia State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Central Oklahoma | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |

#### Corsicana Bowl: Arkansas–Monticello

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Arkansas–Monticello | 6 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 22 |
| • Emporia State | 6 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 30 |