FHSU Athletics
PUEBLO, Colo. — In a wild and thrilling contest decided by a dramatic finish, Fort Hays State knocked off No. 5/6 ranked CSU Pueblo 36-35 on Thursday night at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl. Down 15 early, the Tigers put together a furious rally just before halftime to get within one, then battled their way past the Thunderwolves at the 1:47 mark of the fourth quarter. A blocked extra point by Taderian Partee with 27 seconds remaining preserved the FHSU lead by one point. A recovered onside kick secured the win.
CSU Pueblo is the highest ranked AFCA Top 25 team the Tigers have ever defeated in their NCAA Division II history. The previous high marks were wins over No. 8 Pittsburg State in 2014 and No. 8 Northwest Missouri State in 2017.
After falling to Angelo State the week prior, the Tigers picked up a split of their non-conference games against nationally ranked teams before entering the always grueling MIAA schedule that lies ahead. It could also prove to be a big win for the Tigers within Super Region 4 once the dust settles at the end of the season, but there is still plenty of football to play.
The win gave Chris Brown his 90th win leading the Tigers. He is already the all-time wins leader at FHSU and this season makes him the longest-tenured coach in the history of football at FHSU.
CSU Pueblo held a 12-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. FHSU struggled to slow down the CSU Pueblo aerial attack early as quarterback Roman Fuller went 9-for-9 with 101 passing yards in the frame. FHSU's score of the quarter occurred when Caleb Heavner connected with Ethan Hilliman for a nine-yard touchdown, completing a nine-play, 75-yard drive. The Thunderwolves were responsible for 35 of those yards with penalties, which aided a sputtering Tiger offense early.
The Thunderwolves extended their lead to 15 eventually in the second quarter with a field goal and then Fuller's second touchdown pass of the game. But, the Tiger offense came alive in the final three minutes before the break to close the gap to 22-21. Heavner led the charge with two touchdown passes, including a thrilling 43-yard strike to Cale Cormaney with 1:39 left in the half. Moments later a key strip sack by Gaven Haselhorst and fumble recovery by Jaden Barker set up another scoring opportunity. The Tigers lined up for a field goal inside the CSU Pueblo 10-yard line, but Wyatt Spexarth had to take off with the ball after a troubled snap and found Noah McDoulett for another touchdown on what looked like a fake field goal with no time remaining, stunning the Thunderwolves with an unexpected play.
The defenses tightened up in the third quarter and both teams went scoreless, setting up a dramatic fourth quarter. CSU Pueblo broke the second half stalemate with a touchdown just seconds into the quarter and pushed its lead to 29-21. But a pivotal moment was when Heavner pivotal found Tariq Logan for a 59-yard pass, which eventually set the stage for a Travis Dixon two-yard touchdown run with 12:03 remaining. Heavner found Cormaney for a well designed 2-point conversion play, knotting the game at 29-29.
CSU Pueblo's next drive reached the FHSU 36-yard line, but a pass breakup by Darell Jones created a turnover on downs in a 4th-and-3 situation. The Tigers got the ball back with 8:53 and Heavner went to work, willing the Tigers toward the endzone with his legs. He scampered for four first downs, helping the Tigers trim the clock all the way inside two minutes. Dixon then pushed the Tigers into the lead with a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:47 remaining. David Arriaga knocked through the crucial extra point. Rain was coming down steady during the Tiger drive and unfortunately lightning showed up in the area, delaying the game for about 40 minutes.
Out of the break, CSU Pueblo marched down the field and reached the endzone with 27 seconds remaining as Fuller notched his third touchdown pass of the game, this time from just two yards out. But, after missing their first two PAT tries of the game (one kick, one 2-point try), Taderian Partee created the third failure of the night by the Thunderwolves blocking Evan Lyons' extra point attempt to preserve the one-point lead and Tiger win after an onside kick recovery moments later.
Heavner finished with 296 yards of total offense, going 19-of-27 passing for 226 yards, while leading the team in rushing with 70 yards. Logan led the Tigers in receiving yards with 90, while Ethan Hilliman had a team-high four catches. Dixon pounded out crucial yards on the ground for the Tigers when they needed it, finishing with 57 yards. John Johnson was a rock for the Tigers on defense all night, finishing with 13 tackles, while Gavin Meyers picked up eight and Jaxon Kolzow had seven.
Fuller led the Thunderwolves with 34 completions on 45 attempts, amassing 351 passing yards, while also rushing for a touchdown. Andrew Cook had 90 receiving yards on six catches. On defense Gary Seidenberger led with nine tackles and one sack.
Both FHSU and CSU Pueblo are now 1-1 overall on the season. The Thunderwolves go play their other non-conference game next week at Central Missouri after picking up a blowout win within conference play in their season opener.
Looking ahead, Fort Hays State opens up MIAA play by hosting Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, September 13 in Hays at Lewis Field Stadium. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.