The first year of the Bart Tatum era came to a close as the Lions narrowly escaped Emporia State University with a 34-33 win over the Hornets at Welch Stadium.

The Lions (5-6, 3-6) scored 28 points and led going into halftime, but stalled coming out of the blocks in the second half.

“We never really started,” said Tatum, Lions’ head coach. “It was slow to say the least. We had two or three series that we couldn’t get anything going on offense in particular and Emporia was making plays. We didn’t hold our lead very well.”

The defense made several huge plays, including a block of a Hornet field goal attempt and an interception in the final seconds of the game by senior cornerback Moses Manga.

“Those type of plays are huge,” Tatum said. “You can’t put a price tag on B.J. Russow’s sack, and on the block kick and the interception at the end. Those are all game-winner type plays.”

The running game also made a statement as junior running back Freddie Colbert scored two touchdowns on 21 carries for 68 yards.

“Our running game was below average,” Tatum said. “There wasn’t a game this year where we didn’t run the ball like we should of. It’s something we’ve got to improve on.”

The season for the Lions has seen a few close games slip away.

“We were not far off from being a very competitive team,” Tatum said. “You have to be realistic and consider everything and we weren’t far off from being 2-9.

“It’s literally a year when we could have been 1-10 and we were a few games away from 9-2.”

One highlight from the season was Colin Bado passing Rod Smith’s career mark of receptions at Southern.

“He is one of the hardest workers we’ve got,” Tatum said. “He sets the pace of the work ethic and the fact he’s breaking records and being productive on the field is a byproduct of his work ethic and the type of person he is. He’s just a fine young man.”

For next season, Tatum looks to continue to build.

“We hope to continue establishing a work ethic,” he said. “It’s not established yet, but we are trying to build one.”

Another task for Tatum is replacing the seniors that will be moving on.

“We are losing 15 seniors,” he said. “Our seniors were extraordinary. They were good leaders. They did everything we asked. They were a real positive group of young men. We are going to miss Devin Rutledge. He was an impact player who was just voted first team all conference in a league with premier defensive lineman. Kyle Mayden we’re gonna miss. Jake Long, we’re gonna miss his leadership big time. Moses Manga, Ben Augustin, Allen Barbre was a three time unanimous all-MIAA tackle. We are losing some impact players as long as some real good players, such as Justin Reynolds, who was a real good player for us. We’ve got some holes to fill.”

Along with Barbre, Rutledge picked up a first team all-MIAA nod while Bado earned a position on the second team. Manga, Augustin, Russow, Mayden, and Elbert Johnson finish their Southern careers with an All-MIAA honorable mention. Sophomore quarterback Adam Hinspeter also picked up a honorable mention nod.

Although there are positions opening up because of the departure of the seniors, Tatum is looking to possibly fill some positions through recruiting.

“We always look comprehensive, there’s not any one position we aren’t recruiting for,” he said. “We really need depth in the offensive line.”