The Emporia State offense scored three-straight touchdowns in the second half on the way to a 30-14 victory over Washburn at Welch Stadium in Emporia to open the season Thursday night. Both offenses struggled early as ESU managed just two field goals from Caden Dodson in the first half to lead 6-0. Dodson added another field goal early in the third quarter to extend the lead before Washburn scored the game’s first touchdown to pull within 9-7. First-year Emporia State quarterback Gunnar Gundy then engineered a 17-play 91-yard drive and capped it with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kahmann to make it 16-7 Hornets. He added a 27-yard score to Ethan Schutlze and a 57-yard touchdown to Trenden Collins to make it 30-7 with just over six minutes to go. The Ichabods scored with under two minutes to go to make the final score. Gundy talked after the game about staying poised when the offense sputtered early.
Head coach Garin Higgins said finding the rhythm offensively will take time.
ESU moves to 1-0 on the season and wins their fourth-straight Turnpike Tussle. The Hornets return to action Saturday, September 7th to play Angelo State. Their game Thursday at Fort Hays State was moved to Friday at 1:30 p.m. Coverage for ESU and ASU is set for noon on Mix 104.9
