FHSU Athletics
Washburn (1-4, 1-3 MIAA) at
Fort Hays State (4-2, 2-2 MIAA)
Saturday, October 12 – 7 p.m.
Hays, Kan. - Lewis Field
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: Equity Bank
Game Promotions: Players wearing pink accents for Breast Cancer Awareness / Friends and Family Day
Fort Hays State and Washburn meet for the 78th time in football on Saturday night at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Tigers enter the game at 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the MIAA, receiving votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 Poll, and the Ichabods enter at 1-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Fort Hays State is coming off a 31-21 win over then No. 12 ranked Central Missouri last week in Hays. The result knocked the Mules out of the Top 25 of both the AFCA and D2Football.com Polls. It was Fort Hays State's third-straight win over an AFCA Top 25 ranked team in Hays, going back to last season.
Washburn fell in a home contest to Northwest Missouri State last week by a score of 51-34. Washburn's lone win this season was over Missouri Western on the road two weeks ago by a score of 24-16. The Ichabods' 1-4 record can be a bit deceiving though since all four of their losses have been to teams that have seen time in the AFCA Top 25 this season. Two of the four losses have been one-score games. This will be the fifth contest for the Ichabods against a team that has seen time in the AFCA Top 25 this season after FHSU was inside the Top 25 earlier this season.
Fort Hays State won last year's meeting between the schools in Topeka by a score of 31-28. The Tigers held a 31-14 lead going to the fourth quarter before the Ichabods tightened the margin with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Washburn won the last meeting between the schools in Hays back in 2022, but the Tigers had won three-straight games over the Ichabods at home prior to that.
Fort Hays State has played well at home so far this season going 4-0, while limiting opponents to an average of just 11 points per game. The Tigers held the opposition to seven or less points in two of the four wins at home this season. The winning team in this series has scored at least 30 points in 11 of the last 13 meetings. Fort Hays State has scored at least 20 points in all six of its games so far this season with 37 as the season high.
Caleb Heavner has led the Tiger offense at quarterback over the last seven quarters of play. He entered the game at Central Oklahoma late in the first quarter and has been thriving in his role ever since. He threw for 275 yards and rushed for 55 yards in the contest at UCO, then backed that with 302 passing yards and 97 rushing yards in the win over Central Missouri last week.
Also giving the Tigers strong offensive production is Shane Watts, averaging 129 all-purpose yards per game. He has produced at least 100 all-purpose yards in five of six games this season. He is tied for the MIAA lead in scoring with nine touchdowns (54 points), which includes seven rushing touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Makel Williams was named the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week for a career-high 14 tackles in the win over Central Missouri last week. He continues to lead the MIAA in tackles this season, now with 53. He averages 8.8 per game. The Williams combo on defense (no immediate relation), which includes Benyon Williams, both have exactly 214 tackles in their careers. Makel has all of his tackles at FHSU, while Benyon played his first three years at North Carolina Wesleyan.
Both John Johnson (189) and Mason Perez (183) are nearing 200 tackles in their careers as well. Myles Menges leads the Tigers with 4.0 sacks for the season, while Sam Brandt leads in interceptions with two.