FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (5-2, 3-2 MIAA) at
#7/4 Pittsburg State (5-1, 4-1 MIAA)
Saturday, October 19 – 2 p,m.
Pittsburg, Kan. – Carnie Smith Stadium
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Fort Hays State heads to Pittsburg, Kan. on Saturday for a matchup with No. 7/4 ranked Pittsburg State. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium. The Tigers enter at 5-2 overall, 3-2 in the MIAA, while the Gorillas are 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State enters the game winners of its last two games, which included wins over Central Missouri and Washburn in Hays. The Tigers are still seeking their first road win of the season, while they are perfect at home so far this season. This marks the second-straight ranked opponent the Tigers will be facing in a road game. The last road contest was against a No. 23 ranked Central Oklahoma squad back on September 28.Pittsburg State is currently riding a three-game win streak. The Gorillas' only loss this year was in their third game of the season against Emporia State in Pittsburg. The Hornets left with a 24-21 win. Emporia State was ranked No. 21 in the AFCA Top 25 for that game, while PSU was ranked No. 4. The Gorillas are in their first season under head coach Tom Anthony.
Pittsburg State claimed the last three meetings with Fort Hays State. Prior to that, the Tigers had a four-game win streak in the series. FHSU head coach Chris Brown is 5-5 against his alma mater. Fort Hays State has won three of the last four meetings between the schools in Pittsburg, which included three-straight wins (2014, 2016, 2019).
Pittsburg State is nationally ranked in the AFCA Top 10 for the third-straight meeting with Fort Hays State. The Gorillas held a No. 5 ranking in 2022 and a No. 3 ranking in 2023.The winner of the Fort Hays State vs. Pittsburg State matchup has scored at least 30 points in seven of the eight meetings since 2015. The only exception was a 21-17 win by the Tigers in 2017. The winner has reached 40 in that stretch four times.
Caleb Heavner has started the last two games at quarterback for the Tigers and has produced three-straight games with at least 300 yards of total offense. His season-high in total offense was 399 against Central Missouri on October 5 when he had 302 passing yards and 97 rushing yards. He threw for a season-high 319 yards last week against Washburn.
Shane Watts continues to lead the Tigers in all-purpose yards, averaging 129.7 per game. He had over 100 all-purpose yards in six of seven games this season. He has 575 rushing, 316 receiving, and 17 kick return yards this season. He leads the MIAA in scoring with 60 points, all on 10 touchdowns (8 rushing, 2 receiving).
Defensively, Makel Williams continues to lead the MIAA in tackles with 58 this season. Myles Menges leads in sacks with 4.0, followed closely by Jaden Barker with 3.0. Sam Brandt leads the team in interceptions with two. Six different Tigers have forced fumbles this season, while Mason Perez has a pair of blocked kicks.