FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (0-1, 0-0 MIAA) at
#5/6 CSU Pueblo (1-0, 1-0 RMAC)
Thursday, September 4 ā¦ 7 p.m. (6 p.m. MT)
Pueblo, Colo. ā¦ CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl
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Fort Hays State Football will play its first road game of the 2025 season on Thursday at nationally ranked CSU Pueblo. It will be the second-straight game for the Tigers against a ranked opponent. The Thunderwolves, ranked No. 5 in the AFCA and No. 6 in the D2Football.com Top 25 Polls, enter this game at 1-0, while the Tigers enter at 0-1. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (6 p.m. MT) in Pueblo, Colo.
CSU Pueblo moved up one spot this week in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, while FHSU dropped out after holding the No. 20 ranking in the preseason. CSU Pueblo won its season opener over South Dakota Mines 43-0 in a conference matchup, while Fort Hays State fell 28-7 at home to then No. 13/12 ranked Angelo State. The Rams moved up to No. 10 in both top 25 polls this week after their win over the Tigers.
Fort Hays State and CSU Pueblo are meeting in football for the first time since 1978, so this will be their first-ever meeting as members of NCAA Division II. CSU Pueblo, then known as Southern Colorado, discontinued its football program following the 1984 season. The sport did not come back until 2008, after FHSU had left the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2006. CSU Pueblo has enjoyed a successful run in football since reinstating the program in its NCAA Division II era. The Thunderwolves won the NCAA Division II national title in 2014.
The Thunderwolves hold a 9-7 advantage in their all-time series with Fort Hays State. The last meeting occurred in 1978. The CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves were then known as the Southern Colorado Indians. The school changed its mascot in the 1990s to the Thunderwolves and then its school name in 2003. CSU Pueblo won that 1978 contest 29-6 in Hays, which extended their current win streak in the series to four games. The last three games have been non-conference games between the school, but seven-straight meetings from 1969-1975 were conference contests, the first three in the RMAC and then the next five in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). FHSU moved to the Central States Intercollegiate Conference in 1976.
This will be the first meeting between the teams in Pueblo since 1977. CSU Pueblo won the last two meetings between the schools in Pueblo. FHSU's last win in Pueblo was its last win in the series overall in 1974 by a score of 28-13. This will be the first time CSU Pueblo meets an MIAA opponent in its NCAA Division II history. The Thunderwolves will be meeting MIAA schools in back-to-back weeks since they head to Central Missouri the following week.
Fort Hays State looks to get its offensive attack going after just 268 yards of total offense in the season opener against Angelo State. Ethan Hilliman had the only Tiger touchdown of the game, a highlight reel 22-yard leaping reception on a pass from Caleb Heavner. Hilliman led the Tigers with 49 receiving yards, while Heavner finished with 175 passing yards. Joshua Clark led the ground game with 55 yards on 15 carries. Defensively, Gavin Meyers had 10 tackles in his debut as a Tiger, while fellow Hays native Gaven Haselhorst had six tackles and two sacks. Michael Chavez recorded an interception for the Tigers as well.
Quick Hits
ā¦ FHSU is tied for 9th nationally in sacks per game (4.0) and tied for 1st in the MIAA. CSU Pueblo is one of two national leaders in the category after generating seven sacks in their season opener.
ā¦ Head coach Chris Brown seeks his 90th career win at FHSU, now in his 14th season at FHSU.
ā¦ CSU Pueblo head coach Phil Vigil was an assistant coach at FHSU from 2015-2018. This is his 3rd year leading the Thunderwolves.
ā¦ This will be CSU Pueblo's first-ever meeting with an MIAA school in its NCAA Division II football history, which began back in 2008 when it reinstated its football program.
ā¦ FHSU punter Logan Russell ranks 7th in NCAA Division II for punting average after one week (45.9).