Game Facts Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 Time: 1 p.m. CST Location: Omaha, Neb. Stadium: Caniglia Field (9,500) Series History: UNO leads 15-13-1 Series Note: UNO has won the last four meetings

Washburn (5-1, 3-1 MIAA) Polls 12th in AFCA Poll 15th in d2football.com Poll Leaders Rushing: Vershon Moore 92 att/399 yds/5 TD/66.5 ypg Passing: Dane Simoneau 91-151-5/1511 yds/15 TD/251.8 ypg Receiving: Drameagon Powers 19 rec./317 yds/3 TD/52.8 ypg Tackles: Zach Watkins 57 TT / 5.0 TFL / 1 INT / 3FF

Nebraska-Omaha (4-2, 3-1 MIAA) Polls NR in AFCA Poll NR in d2football.com Poll Leaders Rushing: Levi Terrell 78 att/384 yds/3 TD/192.0 ypg Passing: Greg Wunderlich 102-163-7/1500 yds/14 TD/250.0 ypg Receiving: Brian Miller 23 rec./402 yds/3 TD/100.5 ypg Tackles: Bobby Stroup 41 TT/ 3.5 TFL / 1 BU

Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM Web Stream Live Stats: omavs.com Live Video: Through b2tvlive.com Washburn Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Web Site Nebraska-Omaha Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Web Site

Setting the scene. . .
The No. 12-ranked Washburn Ichabods will begin a stretch of three straight homecoming games when they travel to face Nebraska-Omaha to take on the Mavericks. Washburn (5-1, 3-1 MIAA) is coming off a 28-14 win over Fort Hays State. The Mavericks (4-2, 3-1 MIAA) topped Emporia State 33-14 in Emporia. The Ichabods and Mavericks are in a four-way tie for second place in the MIAA with 3-1 records with Missouri Western and Central Missouri. Washburn will return home on Oct. 17 to face Pittsburg State for the Washburn homecoming game beginning at 1 p.m.

Ichabods on Radio . . .
The game will be broadcast live on KTPK 106.9 FM. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.wusports.com by following the “Live Audio” link under football. Bruce Steinbrock will be the play-by-play voice of the Ichabods and former WU quarterback Mark Elliott will be the color analyst. Jan Lunsford will provide sideline insight for listeners on the field.

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head football coach Craig Schurig was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001. Schurig is 51-35 (.575) in his eighth season as the Ichabod head coach and he is 39-28 (.580) against the MIAA. He has led the Ichabods to two NCAA Playoff appearances in the last four seasons and to the 2005 MIAA Championship. Schurig is 3-2 against the Tigers and 2-0 in games played in Topeka.
Nebraska-Omaha head coach Pat Berhns is now in his 16th season leading the Mavericks. The 1972 graduate of Dakota State College earned his 150th career win on Sept. 12 against Truman and has led the Mavericks to an overall record of 116-59 during his tenure. UNO has had 13 consecutive winning seasons under Behrns and made eight appearances in the NCAA playoffs. The Mavs have also won seven conference titles. Behrns, a native of David City, Neb., has a career record of 152-86 in 21 seasons as a head coach at both UNO and North Dakota.

Last time out for the Ichabods . . .
(Oct. 3, 2009) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods held the Tigers to 124 yards of total offense in the second half as the Ichabod defense pitched a shutout in the second half of their 28-14 win over Fort Hays State. With the win, the Ichabods improve to 5-1 and 3-1 in the MIAA.
After the Tigers scored on a 30-yard touchdown strike from Mike Garrison to O.J. Murdock to take a 7-0 lead, the Ichabods responded with a 6-play 33 yard drive with Steve Ivanisevic connecting on a 44-yard field goal with 31 seconds to play in the first half.
James Walker pushed Fort Hays State up 14-3 on a 1-yard run capping the Tigers' second 80-yard drive of the first half.
Washburn cut the lead to 14-10 on a 1-yard plunge by Vershon Moore on a fourth and goal from the Tigers' one. Moore had 27 yards on the ground during the 10-play, 54-yard drive with 5:18 to play in the opening half.
The Tigers were forced punt leaving the Ichabods with 1:13 on the clock and Dane Simoneau was 4 of 7 on the drive guiding the Ichabods from their own 20 to the Tigers' 2-yard line. Ryan Mertz collected the final pass of the drive setting up a Ivanisevic 19-yard field goal to end the half with Washburn trailing 14-13.
The Ichabods took the first possession and turned the ball over on a pick by Michael Walker at the Tigers' 2-yard line. After two rushing plays for 1-yard each by James Walker, the Tigers Mike Garrison dropped back to pass and was sacked in the end zone by Eric Lawrence for a safety with 11:14 on the third quarter clock and putting Washburn in front for good 15-14.
The Ichabods would add two more scoring strikes through the air - both from Simoneau to Drameagon Powers. The first was a 5-yard strike with 9:46 to go in the third quarter. The second was a 51-yard connecting with 10:36 to go in the game.
Simoneau finished with 398 yards passing, the fourth-highest single-game total in Washburn history. He was 20 of 36 with two interceptions and two touchdowns. Powers recorded five catches for 109 yards with the two scores. On the ground, Moore had 23 carries for 89 yards and one score.
Zach Watkins had 16 total tackles to lead the Ichabod defense with eight solo stops and a tackle for loss. Michael Krajicek had 13 stops. Lawrence finished with six stops and the sack and Ben Bianchino had four stops with two sacks for 14 yards.
Washburn recorded 23 first downs in the game with 15 coming through the air. The Ichabods had 517 yards of total offense and averaged 7.0 yards per play. The Tigers had 320 yards of total offense with 221 coming through the air.

About Nebraska-Omaha . . .
Nebraska-Omaha is 4-2 on the year, 3-1 in the MIAA. The Mavericks have the top-ranked passing defense in the MIAA allowing 177.9 yards per game and in first downs with 142 with 75 of those coming through the air. Greg Wunderlich is third in the MIAA in passing yards at 250.0 yards per game. Levi Terrell, a true freshman who saw his first action of the season against Missouri Southern two games ago, has carried the ball for 192 yards in each game while averaging 4.9 yards per carry with three touchdowns.

Last time out for the Mavericks . . .
(Oct. 3, 2009) EMPORIA, Kan. - Levi Terrell had another 192-yard rushing day with a pair of touchdowns as the Mavericks won on the road for the second straight week, 34-14 Saturday afternoon at Emporia State. A pair of quick drives for touchdowns in the first half, combined with a pair of field goals by Greg Zuerlein gave UNO a 20-6 lead at halftime. The Mavericks then out-scored ESU, 14-7 in the second half to get the win.
Terrell ran the ball 34 times for 192 yards to match his yardage total from last week at Missouri Southern. Greg Wunderlich threw 14 completions for 179 yards and he connected with Mike Higgins for a touchdown pass.
Overall, the Mavericks had 383 total yards of offense while ESU had 295. Emporia State, the leading rushing team in the MIAA, ran the ball for just 70 yards.
After Zuerlein hit a 19-yard field goal at 5:24 in the first quarter to open scoring, the Mavericks forced ESU to punt and got the ball back on their own 33. Terrell then rushed the ball 67 yards for a touchdown on the first and only play of the 10-second drive. Zuerlein made the extra point to make the score 10-0, Nebraska-Omaha.
The 67-yard rush was the longest of the year for a Maverick and longest since Zach Miller had a 76-yard rush against Washburn last year.
The Hornets got their lone first-half score late in the first quarter when Kevin Smart completed a three-play, 80-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run.
Zuerlein later hit a 26-yard field goal with 4:26 remaining in the second quarter to make the score 13-6, UNO and then the Mavericks capped the first half scoring with another touchdown drive that took less than a minute.
Higgins' 20-yard reception for a touchdown finished a six-play, 68-yard drive that took just 57 seconds and gave UNO a 20-6 lead going into the locker room.
Nebraska-Omaha had 16 first downs in the first half and held the Hornets to seven. The Mavericks were 5 of 9 on third downs while ESU was 0 for 4.
Terrell had 125 rushing yards in the first half and Zuerlein threw the ball for 162 yards.
The Mavericks added another quick touchdown in the third quarter when Jason Zabka blocked an ESU punt and Marcus Hall-Oliver picked it up on the ESU five-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown.
The Hornets later scored on a one-yard run from Kevin Smart and then Terrell punched the ball in from the two-yard line in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring.
The Maverick defense got to ESU quarterback Tyler Eckenrode with four sacks. Ben Vanderslice got two of them and A.J. Williams and Evan Martin each had one.
Danny Pelster led the defense with eight tackles and Justin Sindelar had seven.
The Mavericks finished the game with 34 first down while ESU had 13. UNO was 4 for 4 in the red zone.

Series Notes . . .
Saturday's meeting will be the 30th in all-time series with UNO holding a 15-13-1 lead. It will be only the second meeting since a Sept. 29, 1973 contest in Topeka which the Mavericks won 13-7. The Mavericks won the metting last season in Topeka 34-14 on Nov. 8. The lone tie in the series came on Nov. 14, 1970 in a 15-15 game in Omaha. The last win for the Ichabods in the series came on Oct. 25, 1969 when the Ichabods won 24-21 in Topeka. The two teams have not played in Omaha since Sept. 30, 1972 40-14. Overall the Mavericks have won the last four meetings.
Series Record: UNO leads 15-13-1
First Meeting: WU 31, UNO 0 (1933)
Last Meeting: UNO 34-14 (11/8/08) in Topeka
Last WU win: 24-21 (10/29/66) in Omaha
Last UNO win: 34-14 (11/8/08) in Topeka
Largest WU win: 31-0 (1933)
Largest UNO win: 47-0 (10/26/68) in Omaha

Last Meeting with the Mavericks . . .
(Nov. 11, 2008) TOPEKA, Kan. -- Two Ichabod turnovers inside the 2-yard line spelled disaster for Washburn as they fell 34-14 to Nebraska-Omaha in the regular season finale. Washburn ends the season at 6-5.
The Mavericks scored first in the game with 10:30 to go in the opening quarter as they marched 54 yards on seven plays on their first drive. After the teams traded drives with a Washburn fumble sandwiched in between, the Ichabods drove down to the UNO 1-yard line, but a Washburn fumble was recovered in the endzone by UNO ending the Ichabod scoring opportunity.
In the second quarter, UNO's Zach Miller rushed 76 yards around the right side for a score putting UNO up 14-0. It was 76 of Miller's 239 rushing yards on the afternoon.
The Ichabods scored on their ensuing possession as they drove 76 yards on 11 plays when Dane Simoneau plunged over from 1-yard out cutting the Maverick lead from 14-7. The Mavericks added to their lead when Miller scampered 46-yards pushing the UNO lead to 20-7 after the extra point attempt was fumbled.
In the third quarter, UNO's Brian McNeill rushed for 22 yards capping a 65-yard drive. After the teams traded three-and-outs, the Ichabods' Brad Haug blocked a Maverick punt and the Ichabods took control at the UNO 1 yard line. Justin Cooper pushed it across drawing Washburn within 13 points at 27-14.
Again the teams traded possessions and the Ichabods' Austin Hills boomed an 87-yard punt from the Washburn 10 yard line down to the UNO 3 yard line. The punt tied the school record held by Randy Davey, who recorded an 87-yard punt against Missouri Western in 1982. The punt was one-yard shy of the MIAA record.
On UNO's possession, the Ichabods Michael Hollins picked off MIller at the UNO 15 and returned it to the Maverick 9 yard line early in the fourth quarter. After Cooper rushed the ball to the UNO 1-yard line, an Ichabod fumble on the next play ended the drive.
UNO put the game out of reach as Miller rushed for his fourth touchdown on the afternoon capping a 95-yard, nine-play drive.
The Ichabods drove down to the Maverick 15 yard line, but UNO picked off the next pass at their own 3-yard line. UNO would run 6:15 off the clock before turning it back to the Ichabods on a punt. Two plays after gaining possession, the Ichabods tossed another interception, their sixth turnover of the day and UNO took a knee to run out the clock ending the Ichabod season.
Cooper led the Ichabods with 79 yards rushing on 23 carries with one touchdown and Simoneau finished 13 of 21 passing for 140 yards. Lloyd Bias led the Ichabod receivers with 54 yards on three catches.
Miller finished with 239 yards on 21 carries and McNeill finished with 142 yards on 22 carries. Tony Kush had two catches for 25 yards. Miller added 80 yards passing hitting 8 of 14 attempts.
Zach Watkins led the Ichabods with 15 tackles giving him 119 on the season. Bruce Ringwood had 14 pushing him over the 100-tackle mark with 102. Jeff Souder had nine tackles to lead UNO.
UNO finished with 509 yards of total offense on 71 plays. They had 429 yards rushing. The Ichabods finished with 246 yards overall and 106 yards on the ground.

Washburn Football History . . .
Washburn is 494-543-44 in the 119th year of Ichabod football.

A win for Washburn would . . .
lift the Ichabods to 495-543-44 in their football history … move the Ichabods to 6-1 on the season and 4-1 in the MIAA … snap a four-game winning streak by the Mavericks over the Ichabods … be the first win in Omaha for the Ichabods since Oct. 29, 1966 (they are 0-2-1 in three match ups since then).

A loss for Washburn would . . .
drop the Ichabods to 495-544-44 in their football history … drop the Ichabods to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play … be the fifth straight loss to the Mavericks.

The Ichabods in the National Polls . . .
Oct. 5 -- The Washburn Ichabods jumped from No. 17 to No. 12 in the AFCA Top 25 coaches poll. The No. 12 ranking is the highest the Ichabods have been tabbed since the second regular season poll of the 2008 season when they were ranked No. 13 in the final poll of 2005.  The Ichabods are ranked No. 15 in the D2football.com media poll this week.


Bods and Ends . . .
Watkins climbing tackle charts - Ichabod senior linebacker Zach Watkins has a career tackle total of 419, which is second on the all-time Washburn chart. Watkins trails Grant Gould (2002-05) who had 459 career tackles on the top of the charts. Watkins' 220 career assisted tackles is second all-time at Washburn trailing Gould's 254. Watkins' 199 solo tackles for his career is second all-time at Washburn trailing Gould's 205. He passed Tony Scollieri (1994-97) for second on the all-time solo tackle chart against Fort Hays State last time out.

A one-sided coin?? - The Ichabods won the opening coin toss of the 2009 season against Colorado Mines and Missouri Western and deferred and did the same against Fort Hays State. The Ichabods lost the coin toss with New Mexico Highlands and Missouri Southern and Central Missouri. Washburn was 1-10 last season and a combined 4-13 over the last two seasons. The only coin flip the Ichabods won last season was against Pittsburg State and they deferred to the second half.

No need for paper or plastic - This season, the Ichabods have allowed only five sacks this season for 33 yards. The Ichabod offensive line allowed only 17 sacks last season including only three in the last three games against Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State (which is when all three occurred) and Nebraska-Omaha.

Record Breaker - Eric Lawrence has recorded 40.5 tackles for loss for his career breaking the previous record of 37 held by Tony Scollieri (1994-97). His 19 career sacks is tied for third all-time at Washburn. The school record is 29.5 by Jim Butler (1985-87). He is currently tied for third with Mark Remboldt. He needs one more sack to move into a tie for second with Dan Remboldt who recorded 20 from 1982-84.

Quick Kicks - Washburn's Steve Ivanisevic has connected on 10 of his 12 field goal attempts this season in his first six games in an Ichabod uniform. The most attempts a Craig Schurig-led team at Washburn has attempted in a season has been 13 in 2004 and the most field goals made under Schurig had been six in 2007 when the Ichabods were 6 of 10 that season. The school's single-season record for made field goals is 18 set by Nick Kresic in 1986. Kresic also holds the single-season attempt record with 24 set that same year.

Red Zone is Blue Zone for Ichabods - This season the Ichabods have scored in 28 of 29 trips inside their opponents redzone and have scored on their last 29 straight trips into the redzone with 21 touchdowns and eight field goals. Statistically, the Ichabods were 3 of 4 in the game with Fort Hays State because on the final play of the game, the Ichabods stopped the Tigers on their own 19, turning the ball over on downs giving the Ichabods possession inside their opponent's redzone with no time on the clock.

Second quarter has been owned by the Ichabods - This season, the Ichabods have outscored their opponents 122 to 24 in the second quarter including out bursts of 28-0 against Missouri Southern and 37 to 7 against New Mexico Highlands and 20-0 against Central Missouri. Washburn outscored Colorado Mines 13 to 0 in the second quarter of the opening game of the season.

Odd years lead to successful seasons - In both the 2005 and 2007 seasons, the Ichabods reached the NCAA playoffs and they are looking to continue that trend in 2009.

Ichabods on Homecoming both home and away - Saturday's game will be the Ichabods' first of three homecoming games this season. The Ichabods have won 20 of their last 26 homecoming match ups played on the road and in Yager Stadium. The Ichabods have won eight straight homecoming games on the road and at home after going 2-0 last season with wins at home against Emporia State and on the road at Truman. The last time the Ichabods fell in a homecoming game in Topeka was on Oct. 26, 2002 in double overtime loss to Missouri Western 34-28.
Ichabods in the national individual statistics . . .

Category    Name    National Rank    Statistic
Rushing    Vershon Moore    93    66.50   
Passing Efficiency     Dane Simoneau    7    170.48
Total Offense    Dane Simoneau    37    250.83
Interceptions    Pierre Desir    T-9    .67
Punt Returns     Casey Curran    56    7.73
Field Goals    Steve Ivanisevic    T-7    1.67
Scoring    Steve Ivanisevic    18    9.83
Sacks    Ben Bianchino    T-30    .83
     Eric Lawrence    T-38    .75
Tackles    Zach Watkins    T-31    9.50        
Michael Krajicek    T-68    8.50        
Casey Curran    T-81    8.33
Tackles For Loss    Eric Lawrence    T-73    1.25    

Ichabods in the national team statistics . . .
Category    National Rank    Statistic    National Leader
Rushing Offense    32     182.17    Lenoir-Rhyne
Passing Offense    14     287.00    Eastern N.M.
Total Offense    7     469.17    Eastern N.M.
Scoring Offense    1     43.50    Washburn
Rushing Defense    70     135.50    Bowie St.    
Pass Efficiency Defense    63     119.10    Albany St. (GA)
Total Defense    87     366.33    Albany St. (GA)
Scoring Defense    62     23.00    Albany St. (GA)
Net Punting     8    36.68    Northeastern St.
Punt Returns     84    8.44    Fort Hays St.
Kickoff Returns    97    18.73    Morehouse
Turnover Margin    12     1.33    Albany State
Pass Defense    106     230.83    Newberry
Passing Efficiency    3     177.65    Charleston (WV)
Sacks    35     2.50    Albany St. (GA)
Tackles For Loss    78     6.33    Albany St. (GA)
Sacks Allowed    9     .83    Ouachita Baptist

Schurig moving up the coaching ranks . . .
Eighth-year head coach Craig Schurig has compiled a 51-35 all-time record at Washburn. He passed Ernest Bearg for fourth on the all-time win chart. Next on the coaching win chart is Larry Elliott who recorded 58 wins in two stints as the Ichabods' head coach from 1974-78 and 1984-89.

Ichabods on Oct 10 . . .
Since the 1961 season, the date of when games were available in media guides, the Ichabods are 3-3 on Oct. 10.
1964 - W Southern Colorado 12-7
1970 - L at Fort Hays State 27-8
1981 - W Emporia State 17-10
1987 - W Nebraska-Kearney 28-0
1992 - L Emporia State 18-25
1998 - L at Truman 28-38

Up next . . .
Following the match up with the Mavericks, the Ichabods will return home to Yager Stadium to face Pittsburg State on Oct. 17 for Washburn's homecoming in a game which will be carried live on Cox 22 in Kansas with a kickoff time of 1:08 p.m. The Ichabods will then travel to Maryville, Mo., to face Northwest Missouri for the Bearcats' homecoming game at 1:30 p.m. The Ichabods will then return home for senior day festivities when they will entertain Truman State at 1 p.m. on Oct. 31. Washburn will wrap up the regular season at arch-rival Emporia State at 1 p.m. in the 106th edition of the Turnpike Tussle in Welch Stadium.