Emporia State (4-4, 4-4 MIAA) at
Fort Hays State (4-4, 4-4 MIAA)
Saturday, October 30 – 1 pm
Hays, Kan. – Lewis Field Stadium
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
LISTEN LIVE
Game Sponsor: City of Hays & KSU Watershed
Game Promotions: Kids (K-12th grade) wearing a Halloween costume get into the game FREE
Costume Parade Lap - Kids in costume will meet by the videoboard at halftime to walk a parade lap around the track
Trunk or Treat - After the parade lap, kids can participate in Trunk or Treat provided by various FHSU student organizations and game sponsors City of Hays/KSU Watershed
Fort Hays State Football is back at home this week to take on in-state rival Emporia State on Saturday (Oct. 30) at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. Both teams enter the contest at 4-4 on the season. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.
Fort Hays State and Emporia State meet for the 94th time. Fort Hays State has met Emporia State in football more than any other opponent in program history. The Hornets lead the all-time series 54-37-2, but the teams are perfectly split 7-7 in MIAA meetings since FHSU joined the conference in 2006. Both are 6-1 on their home field in the MIAA series between the teams. FHSU won the last meeting 19-3 during the 2019 season in Hays.
The Tigers are coming off a 21-17 win on the road at Central Missouri. The Tigers began their game-winning touchdown drive with 3:04 remaining on the clock and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 26 seconds remaining, a 3-yard pass from Chance Fuller to Hayden Wiltfong. That touchdown pass brought Fuller within one of the school record of 60, held by Jacob Mezera, his predecessor at quarterback who played from 2015-2018.
Fuller is also nearing the top of the all-time passing yards list at FHSU, chasing down a record also set by Mezera in 2018. Fuller is currently fourth on the list, but can move up to second with 97 passing yards on Saturday. He currently has 6,918 yards in his career and looks to become the fourth Tiger quarterback in history to reach the 7,000-yard mark. He has the opportunity to pass Robert Long (7,002) and Mike Garrison (7,014) on Saturday. Mezera's record is 7,682.
This game features the top two passing offenses in the MIAA. Emporia State leads the conference at 324.3 yards per game through the air, while FHSU is right behind at 320.6. Braden Gleason of ESU averages 316.5 yards per game, while Fuller averages 298.6 per game.
Manny Ramsey is one of the most reliable receiving targets in the nation, averaging 6.9 receptions per game to lead the MIAA and rank ninth in NCAA Division II. His 55 receptions top the MIAA and he's second in receiving yards (692) and receiving yards per game (86.5). Hunter Budke has also been a big asset in Fuller's list of receiving options, leading MIAA tight ends in receiving yards with 514. He is averaging 14.7 yards per catch on his 35 receptions this season.
Myles Menges continues to lead the Tigers in tackles with 57, averaging 7.1 per game. Jhimon Preston is second on the team with 46 stops, while still providing pass coverage at cornerback with a team-best four pass breakups. Jordan Starks is right behind Preston in tackles with 45 and has one of the team's two interceptions this season. John Johnson, the reigning MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week, has 34 tackles over the last three weeks at linebacker. Up front on the line, Dalton Kuhn, Naszir Mallory, and Javaris Sanders all have a team-leading three sacks this season.
FHSU Athletics