Emporia, Kan. – The Missouri Southern football team held the Emporia State Hornets to 141 yards fewer than they average and fought to the final whistle, but the Lions fell 24-21 inside Welch Stadium today.
 
Southern (3-5, 3-5 MIAA) out gained the Hornets 362-341, but the Lions picked up just 72 yards on the ground and fell behind early in the game after the Hornets (4-4, 4-4 MIAA) led 10-0 after one.
 
"A first quarter like that against a good football team is hard to overcome," said head coach Atiba Bradley. "We have to find a better way to match that energy."
 
The Lions got a 44-yard field goal from Nick Williams in the second quarter and held the Hornets scoreless as Southern trailed 10-3 at the break.
 
The Lions' defense came up strong again in the third and shutout the Hornets in the quarter. A 22-yard field goal from Williams made the score 10-6 heading to the fourth. Southern held the Hornets to just 87 yards in the third quarter and 223 over the second and third quarters, but one of the drives stalled inside the Southern seven-yard line after the Lions' defense had stopped the Hornets on a fourth-down try.
 
The Hornets picked up a score to start the fourth, going up 17-6 after Baden Gleason hooked up with Tyler Kahmann, one of two the pair would get in the fourth.
 
Southern got within three (17-14) after the Lions marched down the field and went 58 yards on 11 plays to get a score from Brian Boyd, Jr. on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Dawson Herl. The Lions went for two and Herl and Boyd hooked up again to make the score 17-14.
 
Gleason and Kahmann connected for a four-yard pass to make the score 24-14 with 5:45 to go, but the Lions didn't stop.
 
After the Lions forced a punt from the Hornets, Southern got the ball back with a minute to go. Herl hit JarMichael Cooper for 13 yards to start the drive and a lateral to Stoshak and eventually Glades put the ball at the Southern 33-yard line. Herl then hit Cooper again for 17 yards and an unsportsmanlike penalty moved the ball another 15 yards to give the Lions the ball on the ESU 27-yard line. After another penalty for the Hornets, Herl and Stoshak connected for an 18-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24-21 after the point after.
 
The Lions tried for the onside kick but couldn't recover and ESU ran out the clock.
 
"When you watch our team, we always fight," Bradley said. "We may not be the tallest or biggest, but we'll fight through the very end."
 
Herl finished the day with 308 yards on 21-of-37 and two touchdowns. Boyd and Stoshak caught a touchdown each, while Williams had a pair of field goals from 44 and 22 yards. Cooper caught six passes for 98 yards, while Boyd had 53 yards and a score and Stoshak had 34 yards and a score.
 
Herl becomes the first freshman since Adam Hinspeter (ESU, 2005) to throw for 300 plus yards in a game.
 
Richard Jordan Jr. led the Lions with 11 tackles and a sack, while Derrion Fountain had eight stops. Coleman Booker had six stops, while Solomona Fetuao had five tackles and a tackle for a loss.
 
Jordan moved into 10^th place on the career tackle list at MSSU, passing Jay Pride with 258 now in his career in the Green and Gold.
 
The Lions limited the Hornets to 219 passing yards and just 341 overall, the second-fewest in each occurrence all season.
 
Southern will be back in action next weekend when the Lions play host to Missouri Western for the Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is set for 2 pm.