Redemption was on the line for the Lopers against Emporia State on Saturday. Redemption, more specifically, for senior running back Isaiah Harris.
Last year, when the Lopers faced Emporia State, Harris had a big game, scoring three touchdowns. However, in the third quarter, he developed leg cramps and had to sit out the rest of the game. The Lopers lost by seven points.
“I had a chip on my shoulder from last year,” Harris said. “I just came into this thinking about that the whole time and how I really wanted to prove to my team that there’s still hope all the time.”
On Saturday, Harris ran for 270 yards and four touchdowns in UNK’s 34-20 win over the Hornets. Harris knew what he needed to do playing Emporia State this time around. UNK ran for 347 yards and passed for 180, for 527 on the day.
There were a few key drives that helped the Lopers stay alive and tick time off the clock. Mainly, a 74-yard rushing touchdown from Harris to extend UNK’s lead to two scores early in the fourth quarter.
“I knew we needed to be able to run the ball. We had to be efficient throwing the ball,” Held said.
However, the Hornets would answer back with long passes in the air for touchdowns to take the lead.
One pass was 55 yards, and another pass was 45 yards to keep them running down the field. But even after these long passes, Emporia State wasn’t able to capitalize and get in the endzone.
After the 45-yard pass for Emporia State, UNK followed that with a drive of 13 plays for 75 yards, ending with another Harris touchdown to put the Lopers up 20-13 heading into halftime.
“He (Bryden) was disappointed last week, and we just wanted to put him into a position to be successful. I thought he did a really nice job managing the game,” Held said.
After a tough weekend in Kansas, the offensive and defensive lines bounced back and gave Harris the confidence he needed to soar.
“My confidence is all based off the line,” Harris said. “Once I see them actually move the dudes even just three yards up the field, I have so much time to think and figure out what I am going to do next.”
Caden McGruder, redshirt sophomore safety, had one of the plays of the day.
At the end of the third quarter, there was a gap just perfect enough for McGruder to get back around the Hornets quarterback and blindside sack him, forcing a fumble.
“It had almost looked like they (Emporia State) had false-started right to begin with,” McGruder said. “I think the quarterback was anxious to throw right there because he didn’t know what he was going to do either.”
UNK is back in the win column with a record of 3-1. The Lopers prepare for a road-heavy section of the season, with four of the next five games on the road. First up is the Washburn Ichabods in Topeka, Kansas, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27. Washburn is 1-3 and is coming off a 34-28 loss to Central Oklahoma.
