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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Daron Bryden
Todd Gottula
20
Emporia State ESU 1-2 , 0-1
34
Winner Neb.-Kearney UNKFB 3-1 , 1-1
Emporia State ESU
1-2 , 0-1
20
Final
34
Neb.-Kearney UNKFB
3-1 , 1-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ESU Emporia State 7 6 7 0 20
UNKFB Neb.-Kearney 7 13 7 7 34

Game Recap: Football |

Lopers Run Past the Hornets, 34-20

Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney football team ran for 347 yards and five touchdowns, and the defense slowed down fast-paced Emporia State as the Lopers posted a 34-20 win Saturday afternoon at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium.

UNK (3-1, 1-1) leads the all-time series with the Hornets (2-2, 0-1) by a 15-14 margin and gets ready for four road games over the next five weeks.

"The win feels good. Last week we were disappointed with the overall performance, and I challenged these guys to come back and that's exactly what we did. We played complimentary football and I knew we had to be physical against this team. When you ran the ball like we did today, that gives you a great chance against that offense. Emporia does a great job in what they do and are very hard to defend," said UNK head coach Ryan Held. 

Redshirt senior back Isaiah Harris (Millard South) battled some leg cramps throughout the day but totaled 270 yards and four TD's on 24 carries. He scored from 30, two, three and 75 yards out with backup Jahmez Ross (Omaha Westside) at 66 yards and a score on 13 totes.Loper Defense

"When you rush the ball 47 times for 347 yards in today's college football world; that's physical football. We have a nice running back stable in this program," said Held. "We made the plays and were a lot better offensively. We had some long drives and that's what we needed to hold this outfit to 20 points. And getting that turnover at the end of the third was huge."

The 269 yards is the sixth most in school history, fourth best in the Division II era (since 1990) and the most in a MIAA game (since 2012). Luke Van Matre, a 2025 UNK Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, holds the Loper record with 307 yards in a 1982 win at Washburn. Finally, Harris became the 10th Loper to have four rushing scores in a contest; back Mike Lodcie (five) set the standard in a 1995 win at Colorado Mines.

UNK started scoring with a 12-play, 98-yard drive in the first quarter that took 7:41 off the clock and was capped by Harris' first scoring run. However, E-State led 13-7 early in the second but the advantage was short lived. The Lopers went 75 yards in 13 with Harris scoring again. He added another right before half to make it a 20-13 cushion. That drive was set up by a nifty 43-yard pass from junior quarterback Daron Bryden (Enfield, Conn.) to junior receiver Jaden Jude (Athens, Ala.).

"Daron did a nice job of managing the game and making the throws when he needed to. Taking care of the football and running when we needed him to. Abe (Scholting) came in and had some nice plays as well," said Held.

The Lopers failed to convert 4th & 1 from the Hornet 4-yard line to start the second half and the visitors promptly flipped the field with a 95-yard scoring drive. A pass interference all on 3rd & 11 kept the drive alive; it was one of several PI calls, for both teams, on the day.

 
CJ Horton
TE C.J. Horton
The Blue & Gold responded six minutes later as they converted 4th & 1 from the Emporia 26-yard line with Bryden then finding senior tight end C.J. Horton (Ft. Scott, Kan.) for a 27-yard gain. That set up an easy score by Ross. It was then the defense's turn for a "game changer" as sophomore backer Caden McGruder (Gardendale, Ala.) came in untouched to sack QB Ben Harris on 2nd & Goal. Senior end Xavier Morrow (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) recovered the fumble at the 14-yard line, the Lopers seventh turnover of the year.

Three plays later, Harris returned to action after an injury break and rambled 75-yards on 3rd & 9. Late in the fourth, the defense forced a punt and got a red zone stop.

"Having tight ends that can block, gives us some good stuff and balances defenses out. They came out in a whole different defense than we thought," said Held. 

Bryden, who spent the spring and summer of 2024 at Emporia, completed his first nine passes and ended up 16 of 21 for 180 yards. He completed seven passes to seven teammates and had a couple of first down runs. Jude and senior Zane Schawang (Waverly) both had four receptions with junior receiver Dwayne Moorehead (Chicago) at three. Finally, UNK out gained ESU by a 527-448 margin while running six fewer plays but having the ball 17 minutes more.

Facing a hurry up and quick Hornet attack, the Loper "D" was led by senior corner Ife Current (Kennedale, Texas) with six solo tackles, junior backer Parker Wise (Kearney) who also had six stops, a QB hurry and a half sack and senior end Josh Davies-Balogun (Richmond, Texas). He had a six-yard solo sack and three other tackles. On special teams, junior punter Marty Mormino (Omaha Westside) had a 50.0 average with two of his four efforts landing inside the 20-yard line. 

"Marty did a great job of flipping the field and our kick cover unit held them in check," said Held. 

Emporia was led by Harris (34 of 55 for 382 yards & three TD's), receivers Malik Otis (10 recep., 107 yards) and Ethan Schultze (five recep., 101 yards, one TD) and backer Landon Boss (13 tackles). 

UNK is at Washburn (1-2) next Saturday. The Ichabods were at Central Oklahoma on Saturday night. 
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