FHSU Athletics
#25/21 Fort Hays State (2-0, 1-0 MIAA) at
Northwest Missouri State (0-2, 0-1 MIAA)
Saturday, September 14 - 6 p.m.
Maryville, Mo. - Bearcat Stadium
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Fort Hays State will face its first road test of the season on Saturday evening when it takes on Northwest Missouri State in Maryville at 6 p.m. The Tigers are ranked No. 25 (AFCA)/No. 21 (D2Football.com) in the latest national polls. This is the first time since FHSU joined the MIAA in 2006 the Bearcats will not have a national ranking when facing the Tigers after starting the season 0-2. The Tigers are one of four teams in the MIAA currently with a 2-0 record on the season, and one of four teams in the MIAA currently holding an AFCA Top 25 ranking.
Fort Hays State won last year's meeting in Hays by a score of 17-6 over a then No. 15 ranked Bearcat team. That snapped a three-game losing skid to the Bearcats. FHSU won two of the last three meetings between the teams in Maryville, winning in 2017 and 2018 on its way to back-to-back MIAA titles. The Bearcats won the last game contested between the teams in Maryville by a count of 33-19 in 2022. The teams have split the last six meetings going back to 2017.
Fort Hays State has returned to the Top 25 of the AFCA and D2Football.com Polls since the 2019 season. This is the first time these teams are meeting when the Tigers hold a national ranking and the Bearcats do not.
Success for the Tigers so far this year has been a combination of solid defense and balanced offense. The Tigers have five players with 12 or more tackles on the season, led by Makel Williams with 18. Sam Brandt and Benyon Williams each have 15. Myles Menges has 2.0 sacks to pace a Tiger team with five on the season. Kobe Rome has the team's lone interception of the season. Offensively, Shane Watts leads the Tigers in both rushing (221) and receiving yards (96), averaging 158.5 all-purpose yards per game. Jack Dawson has thrown for 429 yards overall.
The Bearcats started the season with losses to then No. 13 Minnesota State (now ranked 11th) and Nebraska-Kearney. They have struggled to run the ball in the early going, with just 15 rushing yards as a team for the season. Chris Ruhnke has 579 passing yards on the season, and his top target Luke Mathews has 207 receiving yards. The Bearcats have four players with double-figure tackles on the season, led by Shane Fredrickson with 14.
The Tigers are seeking their first 3-0 start since the 2017 season, while the Bearcats are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since the 1994 season.
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