Emporia, Kan. - The Lions were back on the road Saturday afternoon, taking on the Emporia State Hornets on their home turf. Although not currently ranked, the Hornets have been in the top 25 this season, and were picked third in both preseason MIAA polls. ESU went on to win Saturday's contest 63-28, dropping MSSU to 4-6 (3-6 MIAA).
After finding themselves down early, the Lions responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from
Luke Sampson to
David Bethune. That play was set up by a 45-yard completion to
Daion Gaston on a 3rd and 9 earlier in the drive.
On the opening drive of the second half,
Anthodius Ashley made his way into the end zone to make the score 42-14. That drive featured back-to-back 37-yard passes to
Jaedon Stoshak and
Ezekiel Lang. Later in the third, Stoshak returned a kickoff 46 yards to set MSSU up for an eventual 27-yard touchdown pass from Sampson to
David Bethune once again.
Sampson connected with
Deontay Campbell for 35 yards early in the fourth, then hit another tight end in
Dmitri Lloyd for the touchdown, 56-28 ESU.
Redshirt Sophomore quarterback
Luke Sampson had a career high in passing yards (315) and completions (22), while tying his career high touchdown passes (3). His passes were spread to eight different receivers, with
Daion Gaston leading the way with 77 yards on 4 receptions.
David Bethune made the most of his receptions, scoring on both catches.
Colton Bass led the Southern defense, recording double digits with 10 tackles. A trio of Lions finished with eight tackles,
Evrin Hawkins,
Carmelo Hollingsworth, and
Dillon Ramella.
The Lions will wrap up their 2023 schedule with a home contest next Saturday, November 11 as they play host to the Missouri Western Griffons for Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 PM at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
