FHSU Athletics
RV/#20 Fort Hays State (2-1, 1-0 MIAA) at
#18/10 Pittsburg State (1-2, 0-1 MIAA)
Saturday, September 20 ⦁ 4 p.m.
Pittsburg, Kan. ⦁ Carnie Smith Stadium
Note: All seats in the stadium are sold out. Pittsburg State will be selling Standing Room Only Tickets on game day.
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTENV
ideo: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Fort Hays State is set to battle Pittsburg State on Saturday (Sept. 20) in its first conference road contest of the season. The Tigers are ranked No. 20 in the latest D2Football.com Top 25 Poll and receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 Poll, while the Gorillas are ranked No. 18 in the AFCA Top 25 and No. 10 in the D2Football.com Top 25. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium.
The Tigers are coming off a 26-7 win over Nebraska-Kearney in their MIAA opener this past Saturday in Hays. David Arriaga picked up MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors after going 4-of-4 on field goal attempts and making both of his PAT tries, accounting for 14 of the team's 26 points in the game. Michael Polley had a big 78-yard interception return for a touchdown, while Travis Dixon provided the other score for the Tigers with a short run.
The Gorillas are coming off a 17-14 win over a then No. 3/5 ranked Grand Valley State squad last week in Pittsburg. PSU played three-straight ranked teams to open the year and Fort Hays State will make that four in a row on Saturday. The Gorillas lost their season opener to No. 1/1 ranked Ferris State, then dropped their MIAA opener at No. 19/17 Central Oklahoma before the win over Grand Valley State last week.
Both teams are similar in that they played a pair of ranked teams in non-conference play and both went 1-1 in those games.
Pittsburg State is currently riding a four-game win streak in its series with Fort Hays State. The Gorillas squeaked out an 18-17 victory in Pittsburg last year after the Tigers led the majority of the game. PSU took the lead for the first time in the contest with a minute remaining. The Gorillas have won the last two meetings in Pittsburg, but the Tigers won the three prior to that in Pittsburg (2014, 2016, 2019).
Offensively, Caleb Heavner has thrown for 535 yards and three touchdowns this year, while adding 86 rushing yards. Travis Dixon is the team leader on the ground with 167 rushing yards. Tariq Logan leads the Tigers in receiving yards with 99, followed by Ryan Allen with 98 and Ethan Hilliman with 89. Defensively, John Johnson leads the Tigers at 22 tackles, while Gaven Haselhorst leads in sacks with 3.0.
For Pittsburg State, Jackson Berry has thrown for 777 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 77 yards. Cleo Chandler Jr. leads PSU in rushing with 85 yards, while Kuron Parchmon leads in receiving yards with 244. Jordan Rogers is the PSU leader in tackles with 22, while James Smith has a team-best 2.0 sacks.