EMPORIA, Kan. – It's that time Beaver fans: Kick-off to a new season as the Minot State football team hits the field Thursday night in Kansas to battle the Emporia State Hornets.

And while the excitement is high surrounding a Minot State team coming off its best season in its NCAA history, it's also a milestone moment as the Beavers celebrate their 100^th season of football this fall.

"We're excited to go play, regardless of who we're playing or the other color uniform," Minot State head coach Ian Shields said. "I'm excited to go watch us play. … I'm thankful we get the opportunity to go down there and go play; you know, we'll turn it loose and play hard; have fun."

The first-ever meeting between the Beavers and Hornets should be a battle when the game kicks off Thursday, August 28, at 7 p.m. at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas.

ABOUT EMPORIA STATE
The Hornets come in after a 7-4 season in 2024, and have been a top team in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), posting a 25-10 mark over the past three seasons under long-time head coach Garin Higgins. Starting his 18^th season as the head man at his alma mater, Higgins is 14-3 in season openers with the Hornets, boasts a 113-84 record at Emporia State, and in 22 seasons holds a career coaching mark of 164-93.

While the Hornets' coach boasts impressive numbers, he looks to reload his Emporia State team as the Hornets return 4 starters on offense and 4 on defense.

Leading the way on offense is last year's No. 2 receiving target, Trenden Collins, a 6-foot junior wide receiver who earned All-MIAA honors in 2024 with 76 catches for 791 yards and 4 TDs.

Defensively, 6-0 junior defensive back Tyler Schultze and 6-2 senior defensive lineman C.J. Adams lead the way, as both were All-MIAA picks last fall. Schultze, who had 59 tackles and a team-high 5 interceptions last season, also was named to the D2.football.com Elite 100 Watch List this season. Adams had 20 tackles, including 7 for a loss with 3 sacks, last season for the Hornets.

That leaves room for newcomers to make an impact, and one of the key spots for a new face will be at quarterback as the Hornets will look to junior transfer Ben Harris to lead the way. A transfer from North Alabama, the 6-0 Harris player in 16 games during three seasons with the NCAA Division I Lions, who are part of the FCS.

He leads an offense that averaged 30 points and 440.5 yards per game last season as the Hornets threw for 3,902 yards and rushed for 943 yards, with 41 touchdowns on offense.

Defensively, Emporia State allowed opponents 433.5 yards per game, including 172.3 yards per game on the ground. The Hornets defense did rack up 25 quarterback sacks and forced 24 turnovers.

MINOT STATE OFFENSE
The Beavers set single-season school records for rushing yards with 2,886 last season, for rushing touchdowns with 30, and rushing yards per game, averaging 244.9.

Leading Minot State's ground game are 3 of the team's 5 returning offensive starters in senior quarterback Carson Chrisman and senior running back Evan Lovett, along with junior offensive lineman Aidan Shumate. Lovett, who ran for a team-high 958 yards, and Shumate, both earned 1^st Team All-NSIC honors in 2024. Chrisman led the Beavers with 15 rushing TDs, and he threw for 655 yards and ran for 655 yards, as well.

Also back are starting junior slot back Tyler Stonebraker and junior wide receiver Jonathan Noriega.

"Everywhere, the familiarity within our systems – we're very unique offensively … so to have some guys know their way around the systems and now we're all speaking the same language, that certainly helps," Coach Shields said of the team's experience on offense.

"I think the guys can totally buy into what we're doing, and that's critical as well," he added. "And they enjoy it, they enjoy the style. We've definitely developed an identity here, which I think is critical in building a program and building the culture."

MINOT STATE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Beavers return 7 starters – 6 of whom are slated to start in Kansas tomorrow – senior defensive lineman Julian Kameristy (34 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks), junior linebacker Conner Raetzman (40 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks), junior cornerbacks Nalu Cordeiro (30 tackles, team-high 4 INT) and Brayan Augustin (41 tackles, 1 INT, 9 pass break-ups, junior safety Cody Raetzman (team-high 52 tackles, 1 INT), and 1^st Team All-NSIC safety Kevin Speed. Speed, a junior who had 45 tackles, 4 pass break-ups, and 1 interception, also was named to D2.football.com Elite 100 Watch List prior to this season.

The Beavers also add Don Hansen and D2CCA All-American Wilfredo Diaz, a junior safety and transfer from Penn West Edinboro who led all of college football with 150 tackles last season.

"It's tricky," Shields said of the team's defense. "The best thing is we have more depth than we ever had before. We've got some key guys coming back. So, pretty excited about where we're at there, and the depth.

"Now we've got to go play and make it happen."

KEYS TO THURSDAY NIGHT
Playing on the road and for the first time against a talented opponent like Emporia State with a tradition of winning, and in front of a hostile crowd – the Hornets averaged more than 4,300 fans per game last fall – all will big challenges for the Beavers.

"We just need to be us and go play," Shield said. "Go play hard, play smart, have fun; it's college football and we're blessed."

And being opening day, with both teams looking to new players to make an impact, Coach Shields outlined what he thinks could be the difference in the game's outcome.

"We talk about our keys to victory every week with our squad and that's a big one, the turnover battle," said Minot State's coach, whose team came up with 16 takeaways last season. "…Typically, early season games come down to (turnovers) and the kicking game."