Gorillas Continue Domination

October 9, 2004 #2 Pitt State Erupts Past Emporia State, 72-27 EMPORIA, Kan. -- Pittsburg State University raced out of the blocks to a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter, watched Emporia State University close to 35-27 with midway through the third period then took control of the game with 37 unanswered points in a 72-27 victory Saturday afternoon (Oct. 9). The second-ranked Gorillas (7-0 5-0 MIAA) piled up 774 yards of total offense in the game -- 425 yards rushing (on just 42 carries) and 349 yards passing. Harlon Hill Trophy hopeful Neal Philpot rushed 20 times for 172 yards (8.6 ypc) and four touchdowns, scoring on runs of 40, 23, 10 and 52. He also completed 6 of 13 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, firing a pair of 79-yard scoring passes to Jermaine Carpenter to finish with a PSU record 401 yards of total offense. Pitt State did hurt itself with miscues and turnovers in the game. Up 35-0 with 1:30 to play in the second quarter, PSU was held on downs at its own 1 yard line after long snapper Brandon Twito snapped the ball over punter Jimmy VanBecelaere`s head and he was tackles deep in Gorilla territory. The play originated on the PSU 38 yard line. ESU punched the ball in on a 1-yard run by Tad Hatfield with 18 seconds to play in the half. The Hornets added 20 more unanswered points to open the second half. Hatfield engineered a 13-play, 83-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard scoring connection to J.J. Richard. ESU then hit a 3-play, 78-yard drive, which was highlighted by a 58-yard pass play from Hatfield to Ryan Hulings. Lantrez Jones scored from five yards out to make it a 35-20 game at the 11:19 mark. ESU drew blood again when Philpot fumbled at the PSU 23 on the Gorillas` next offensive play and Jared Swafford picked the ball up and ran it in from 12 yards out to make it 35-27 with 7:54 remaining in the period. From that point in time, however, it was all PSU down the stretch. Philpot quickly tossed a 79-yard touchdown to Carpenter, who finished the game with four catches for a career-high 195 yards, 50 seconds after ESU`s score. Philpot then cashed in on a 52-yard run at the 4:22 mark, before opening the fourth quarter with a second 79-yard hook-up with Carpenter to stretch it to 56-27. Defensive tackle Ike Eguae tackled ESU punter Taylor Williams in the end zone for a safety and a 58-27 advantage with 12:57 to play. Tyler Collums and Justin Bean added TD runs of 3 and 18 yards in the final 10 minutes to close out the scoring for the Gorillas. Germaine Race rushed just nine times for a career-high 207 yards, including a 69-yard TD run. He also caught a 21-yard TD pass from No. 2 quarterback Andy Majors. Carpenter registered the second-highest receiving total in school history with his 195-yard effort. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving total with 40 receptions for 1,161 yards and 16 TDs. Philpot moved into ninth place on the MIAA`s all-time rushing chart with 3,517 career yards.