PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University football team dropped a 21-10 decision to Emporia State University Saturday (Sept. 5) at Carnie Smith Stadium.
The visiting Hornets (2-0, 1-0 MIAA) piled up 275 yards of offense in the first half to built a 21-7 advantage and Emporia State capitalized on a pair of red zone turnovers and a fourth down stop in the second half to preserve the win over the No. 10 ranked Gorillas (0-2, 0-1 MIAA) before 8,788 Family Day fans.
Freshman running back
Syre Padilla, who rushed 13 times for a game-high 87 yards in the contest, scored Pitt State's lone touchdown on a three-yard run with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter to help the Gorillas slice into a 14-0 deficit.
Austin Schmitt added a 23-yard field goal to cap a 13-play, 76-yard drive and provide the game's final 11-point margin, 21-10, with 12:50 to play in the game.
The Hornets held Pitt State on downs at the ESU 4 yard line with 5:23 to play and ESU effectively sealed the win with an interception at the ESU 38 with 2:44 remaining in the game. The Gorillas had one final chance to gain possession, but ESU recovered a muffed punt return with 50 seconds left and ran out the remainder of game clock.
Jake Wolff completed 12 of 22 passes for 136 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked five times on the night.
Diego Cearns carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards and
T.J. Starks caught four passes for 102 yards.
The Pitt State defense limited the Hornets to 137 yards of offense in the second half, forcing ESU into five punts and an interception in the final 30 minutes of play.
Blake Carr posted a team-leading 10 tackles.
Aabiyas Wakes and
Paxton Wehner each logged interceptions.
The Gorillas will his the road for a non-conference match-up against the University of West Alabama next Saturday (Sept. 12) at Livingston, Ala. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon (CDT).
