Emporia State faces daunting task in NCAA Division II football quarterfinals

It’s not that the Emporia State football team is being asked to do the impossible in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals on Saturday, it just kind of seems like it.

That’s what happens when you square off with the undefeated, No. 1 team in the nation in Northwest Missouri (12-0), at its place, and riding a 21-game losing streak against the Bearcats that stretches back to the mid-1990s.

“We just feel lucky to get another shot at them,” Emporia State senior linebacker Jason Tetuan said. “Especially after the disappointment of how we played in the loss to them this season. We didn’t execute, we didn’t compete when we played them the first time.”

It’s been a long time since Emporia State (11-2) was able to compete with Northwest Missouri, which has won four national championships and played in the NCAA Division II championship game eight times since going 0-11 in 1994, the last time Emporia State beat the Bearcats.

Northwest Missouri beat Emporia State, the MIAA runnerup, 44-10 on Nov. 7 in Maryville, Mo., where kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. Northwest Missouri has won its last five games against Emporia State by an average of 35 points, with the closest game being a 48-21 loss in 2013.

This is Emporia State’s first trip to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, and fifth time that two MIAA teams have met in the quarterfinals. All five games have featured Northwest Missouri.

“We put ourselves in this position, to get another chance to play (Northwest Missouri) again, by taking care of the objective in front of us,” Emporia State senior quarterback Brent Wilson said. “We know we have to play our best football to have an opportunity to beat them, because they’re the best. That’s the level they play at.”

Any upset by the Hornets will have to come with the soft-spoken Wilson, a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist, playing at his best. Wilson, the MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, has thrown for 3,920 yards and 39 touchdowns. Wilson was just 17 of 33 passing for 180 yards and no touchdowns in the loss to Northwest Missouri on Nov. 7.

“All his teammates know what (Wilson) is all about,” said Tetuan, who has 85 tackles and leads Emporia State with 14 1/2 tackles for loss. “He’s our leader, and when we hear stuff, like about the Harlon Hill, he acts like it’s no big deal but we all know that he deserves everything that comes his way. He’s just incredibly humble.

“We all know that he’s going to give it everything he has, every time we play. ”

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Emporia State faces daunting task in NCAA Division II football quarterfinals."