Game Facts Date: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 Time: 1 p.m. CST Location: Emporia, Kan. Stadium: Jones Field/Welch Stadium (7,200) Series History: ESU leads 51-48-6 Streaks:  WU has won the last five in the series

Washburn Ichabods (7-3, 5-3 MIAA) Polls NR in AFCA Poll #23 in d2football.com Poll Leaders Rushing: Vershon Moore 143 att/807 yds/7 TD/80.7 ypg Passing: Dane Simoneau 168-282-8/2,631 yds/23 TD/263.1 ypg Receiving: Drameagon Powers 39 rec./679 yds/5 TD/67.9 ypg Tackles: Zach Watkins 100 TT / 10.5 TFL / 1 INT / 3 FF

Emporia State Hornets (2-8, 1-7 MIAA) NR in AFCA Poll NR in d2football.com Poll Leaders Rushing: Kevin Smart 98 att/599 yds/11 TD/65.3 ypg Passing: Andre SloanEl 92-192-13/1080 yds/9 TD/135.0 ypg Receiving: Danny McEvoy 34 rec./489 yds/5 TD/48.9 ypg Tackles: Nathan Linsey 77 TT/ 6.5 TFL / 2 INT

Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM Web Stream Live Stats: through emporia.edu Live Video: Through b2tvlive.com Washburn Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Web Site Emporia State Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Web Site

Setting the scene. . .
The Washburn Ichabods will wrap up the regular season as they travel down the interstate for the Turnpike Tussle with Emporia State on Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff from Welch Stadium. The Ichabods (7-3, 5-3 MIAA) have won the last five in the series with the Hornets, who enter the game with a 2-8 overall mark with a 1-7 record in conference play. The Ichabods are ninth in the NCAA Super Region 4 rankings dropping from eighth to ninth after the win over Truman 37-7 last time out. The Hornets fell to No. 23-ranked Missouri Western 29-6 last time out.

Ichabods on Radio . . .
The game will be broadcast live on KTPK 106.9. 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 53-37 (.575) in his eighth season as the Ichabod head coach and he is 41-30 (.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 6-1 against Emporia State.
Emporia State head coach Garrin Higgins has compiled a career record of 60-32 in his seventh year as a head coach combining his stops at Northwestern Oklahoma State and ESU. He is 9-23 in his third season at his alma mater. He had a 51-9 career record as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State, including two trips to the national championship game. Higgins was a quarterback for the Hornets from 1987-90 and was a member of the 1989 national runners-up team. He is 0-2 against WU in his career.

Last time out for the Ichabods . . .
(Oct. 31, 2009) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods picked up 510 total yards in offense while holding the Truman State Bulldogs to 136 yards of offense in a 37-7 win on senior day in Yager Stadium.
The Ichabods needed only 88 seconds to take the lead for good as they marched 46 yards in five plays as senior Brad Haug scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns of the day. Haug was wearing Ben Muir's No. 40 as Muir's mother Marion along with two younger brother Fabion and Dillon were honored. Muir passed away last March and his memory was honored with 13 other Ichabod seniors in pregame festivities.
The Ichabods added to the lead with Steve Ivanisevic connecting on a 34-yard field goal capping a 9-play, 51-yard drive putting Washburn up 10-0 with 1:50 to play in the opening quarter. Ivanisevic kicked a 41-yard field goal on the Ichabods' next drive with 11:52 to play in the first half tying the single-season Washburn field goal record wrapping up a 34-yard drive in nine plays.
Vershon Moore stretched the lead to 20-0 on a 1-yard run with 8:11 to play in the second quarter and Justin Cooper added a 1-yard plunge of his own on Washburn's next possession set up by a 71-run Moore scamper. Cooper's scoring run put the Ichabods up 27-0 with 5:09 to play in the first half.
On the opening drive of the second half for the Bulldogs, Zach Watkins became Washburn's all-time leader in tackles recording his 460th of his career and the 100th of the season for the senior. Watkins has had at least 100 tackles in each of his four years for the Ichabods. He snapped Grant Gould's career mark of 459 set between 2002-05 seasons.
Ivanisevic kicked a 33-yard field goal on Washburn's first drive of the second half. The field goal was his 19th of the season breaking Nick Kresic's single-season record of 18 set in 1986. Coupled with his three field goals and four extra points, Ivanisevic's point total for the season moved to 101, only the third time in school history an Ichabod player has been responsible for at least 100 points in a season joining Troy Slusser with 128 and Trent Hearn with 120.
Haug scored from 1-yard out for his second score of the afternoon putting Washburn up 37-0.
Truman got on the board with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter when Anton Beranrd scored from the 2-yard line.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
Overall, Moore led the Ichabod rushing attack which tallied 363 yards with 227 of his own on 17 carries. His yardage was the second-highest single-game total in school history trailing Kevin McCormick's record of 241 set in 1971 against Missouri Valley. Moore averaged 13.4 yards per carry.
Dane Simoneau was 12 of 23 passing for 115 yards and Jake Iverson had three cathces for 26 yards and Cameron Knox had a team-high 37 yards receiving.
Watkins finished with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss. Senior Eric Lawrence had eight tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and Casey Curran had an interception return of 22 yards with four tackles.
Washburn piled up 24 first downs while holding the Bulldogs to nine with two coming via penalties. The Ichabods held Truman to 82 yards rushing on 42 carries and held the Bulldogs to 54 yards passing on eight completions.
Washburn averaged 6.9 yards per play while holding Truman to a 2.3 yards per play average.

About Emporia State . . .
Emporia State is 2-8 overall and 1-7 in the MIAA. The Hornets picked up their lone MIAA win over Truman last time out in overtime on Oct. 24 in Kirksville. As a team they are averaging 19.8 points per game while allowing 32.3 points per game. They have rushed for 1,757 net yards while giving up nearly an identical 1,706 yards this season. Through the air, ESU has averaged 173.1 yards per game while throwing 17 interceptions compared to 11 touchdowns and have given up 212.7 yards per game with 20 touchdowns. ESU is averaging 348 yards in total offense per game.
Kevin Smart is averaging 65.3 yards per game while scoring 11 touchdowns. La'Darrian Page has averaged 47.7 yards per game with four touchdowns. Andre SloanEl has passed for 135 yards per game completing 92 of 192 passes with 13 interceptions while throwing nine touchdowns. Danny McEvoy has recorded 489 receiving yards and five touchdowns on a team-high 34 catches.
Nathan Linsey leads the defense with 77 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss with two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Last time out for the Hornets . . .
(Oct. 31, 2009) Emporia, Kan. — Emporia State held the MIAA's second highest scoring offense scoreless in the first quarter and to their lowest first half output of the season but #23 Missouri Western scored 16 second half points for a 29-6 Griffon victory on Jones Field at Welch Stadium.
The two teams were scoreless after the first quarter as ESU held the ball for over ten minutes in the opening frame. Sheldon Smith had 37 of his 68 rushing yards in the first quarter for ESU as he became the fourth Hornet to start at quarterback this season.
Missouri Western broke the scoreless tie with a 35 yard field goal by Brad Beckwith with 7:09 left in the half. The Griffons would go up 10-0 on an eight yard pass from Drew Newhart to Cedric Houston with 2:21 to go in the half. MWSU went up 13-0 with a 41 yard field as time expired in the first half.
On the opening drive of the third quarter Western drove to the ESU one yard line but the Hornet defense held and forced Beckwith's third field goal of the game to go up 16-0.
ESU would drive to the MWSU 24 yard line to open the fourth quarter before Shane Simpon intercepted Andre Sloan El at the Griffon 16 yard line on fourth down. Three plays later Travon Brooks would intercept Newhart at midfield and returned it to the Griffon ten yard line. Kevin Smart would take it to the end zone on the next play to make it 16-6 with 12:07 left in the game.
MWSU then ate 8:46 off the clock on a 14 play, 71 yard drive capped by a Michael Hill five yard run. The extra point missed making the score 22-6 with 3:18 remaining. The final points would come with 2:07 left on a one yard Thomas Hodges run following Simpon's 51 yard return on his second interception.
Smith had 20 carries for 68 yards but was zero for six on pass attempts with one interception. Smart had 14 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Sloan El was seven of 14 for 87 yards and two interceptions with Matt Coursen hauling in four catches for 50 yards. Kameron Gee had a game high nine tackles and a pass break up while Nathan Linsey had seven tackles a fumble recovery for the Hornets.
Thomas Hodges had 96 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown for the Griffons. Drew Newhart was 21 of 32 for 232 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Cedric Houston led all receivers with seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Defensively Matt Glades and Sean Whiters each had eight tackles for the Griffons.

Series Notes . . .
Saturday's meeting is the 106th in the series between the Ichabods and the Hornets. Emporia State and Washburn have met every year since 1899 with the exception of 1943 through 1945 because of World War II and 1989 and 1990 after Washburn moved to NCAA Division II and the Hornets remained in NAIA until 1991. The teams also played twice during the 1966 season. Emporia State leads the all-time series 51-48-6. The Ichabods have won six of the last seven meetings and the last five overall The Ichabods have won the last four games played in Topeka and the last two in Emporia. The Ichabods are looking for their sixth-straight win in the series -- something which has not happened since a run between the 1973 to 1978 seasons.
Series Record: ESU leads 51-47-6
First Meeting: ESU 11, WU 0 (1899)
Last Meeting: WU 14-6 (10/11/08) in Topeka
Last WU win: 14-6 (10/11/08) in Topeka
Last ESU win: 35-28, OT (9/20/2003) in Emporia
Largest WU win: 41-7 (10/1/83) in Topeka & (1913)
Largest ESU win: 45-6 (1928)

Longest NCAA Division II Series Rivalries . . .
Entering this season, the WU/ESU series is the most played in NCAA Division II after North Dakota and North Dakota State and South have played 110 times, but not since the 2003 season after North Dakota State has moved up to NCAA I-AA in football. South Dakota and South Dakota State have played 104 times, but not since the 2003 season after South Dakota State moved up to NCAA I-AA in football.
Games Opponents    
110     North Dakota-North Dakota St.%
105     Emporia St.-Washburn
104     South Dakota-South Dakota St. %
99     Virginia St.-Virginia Union    
97     Tuskegee-Morehouse    
95     Presbyterian-Newberry    
93    Truman-Central Mo.    
92    North Dakota St.-South Dakota St.&    
91    South Dakota-Morningside#    
89     Pittsburg St.-Emporia St.    
88     Colorado Mines-Colorado Col.#    
88     Truman-Northwest Mo. St.    
87     Catawba–Lenoir-Rhyne    
85     Central Ark.-Arkansas Tech^    
84     Virginia Union-Hampton#    
#Have not met since 2000. &Both teams are reclassifying to Division I-AA. %Have not met since 2003. ^Did not play in 2006.

Last Meeting with the Hornets . . .
(Oct. 11, 2008) TOPEKA, Kan – The Washburn Ichabods won their fifth straight game over the Emporia State Hornets in a 14-6 homecoming victory in Yager Stadium. With the win, the Ichabods improve to 5-2 overall and 2-3 in MIAA action.
The Ichabods scored first in the game after Garret Cummings kicked a 23-yard field goal capping a 15-play, 73-yard drive.
The Ichabods added another field goal in the second quarter when Cummings connected on a 34-yard field goal with 2:17 remaining in the first half. The Ichabod special teams unit set the offense up after Austin Hills' 45-yard punt was muffed by Xavier Smith and Cameron Knox recovered at the ESU 25. It was the second of three muffed punt return by the Hornets in the first half. The final one, came after a 56-yard punt by Hills at the end of the half which ESU recovered at their own 9-yard line and recovered at the ESU 2.
Neither team would score in the third quarter after the Ichabods held the Hornets to -7 yard rushing. The Ichabods picked up 69 yards on 39 carries.
The Ichabods used a 60-yard, 11-play drive for the games first touchdown as Terrence Lowe scampered 4-yards to put Washburn up 13-0 with 14:19 to go in the game. Ichabod quarterback Dane Simoneau, making his first start of the season, hit Drameagon Powers on the two-point conversion to put the Ichabods up by two touchdowns.
After the Hornets and the Ichabods traded punts, ESU scored when Andre Sloan EL completed a 42-yard pass to Danny McEvoy capping a 96-yard drive covering 2:44 on the clock. The extra point attempt was missed following a bad snap.
After four consecutive punts by the teams, the Ichabods wrapped up the game with two first downs.
The Ichabods' had two interceptions with Naji Shinskia and Nathan Gaswick picking off the Hornet passes. For Gaswick, who moved from fullback to linebacker last week against Missouri Southern, it was his second career interception.
Casey Curran had eight tackles with a sack for 10 yards. Zach Watkins also had eight tackles and a tackle for loss. As a team, the Ichabods recorded 10 tackles for loss for 30 yards.
Washburn' Justin Cooper hit the century mark for the second straight game as he rushed for 115 yards on 22 carries. Lowe rushed for 63 on 17 carries and the one score.
Simoneau was 10 of 29 for 115 yards. Joe Hastings had 50 yards on three catches.
Hills averaged 40.6 yards per punt including four inside the 20 with a career-long 56 yard punt.
Sloan El had 15 carries for 32 yards and passed for 188 completing 16 of 27 with the one touchdowns and two interceptions.
ESU's defense was led by Chris Poston who had nine tackles. Katrel Larkins also had nine tackles with one sack.
Washburn had 293 total yards compared to 267 for the Hornets. Washburn gained 178 yards on the ground.  

Washburn Football History . . .
Washburn is 496-545-44 in the 119th year of Ichabod football.

A win for Washburn would . . .
lift the Ichabods to 497-545-44 in their football history … move the Ichabods to 8-3 on the wrapping up the regular season and 6-3 in the MIAA … be the sixth straight win for the Ichabods in the series … give the Ichabods' their first eight-win season since the 2007 season when the Ichabods went 8-4 falling in the first round of the NCAA playoffs … the Ichabods also had eight-win seasons during the 1906, 1907, 1964, 1974, 1983, 1986 and 2004 seasons.
A loss for Washburn would . . .
drop the Ichabods to 496-546-44 in their football history … drop the Ichabods to 7-4 overall and 5-3 in MIAA play … snap a five-game winning streak over the Hornets in the series history.

The Ichabods in the National Polls . . .
Nov. 1 -- The Washburn Ichabods remained outside the AFCA Top 25 after their 37-7 win over Truman last time out on Oct. 31. The Ichabods are ranked No. 23 in the D2football.com media poll this week up from No. 24.

The Ichabods in the NCAA regional rankings . . .
As of Oct. 31 -- The top six teams reach the NCAA playoffs with the top two teams in the region receiving first round byes. The Ichabods dropped from eighth to ninth after their win over Truman and Central Missouri jumped from ninth to sixth The Ichabods beat the Mules in a head to head win on Sept. 26th in Topeka. Central Washington remained on top and Northwest Missouri remained second. Tarleton State jumped from sixth to third. Abilene Christian was seventh last week and Midwestern State dropped from fourth to seventh this week. Texas A&M-Kingsville fell from fifth to eighth and Angelo State stayed at No. 10. Games between regionally ranked opponents this week include #6 UCM @ #2 NWMSU; #4 ACU @ #7 MSU; #10 ASU @ #8 TAMUK and West Texas A&M @ #3 Tarleton.
1. Central Washington 10-0 8-0
2. Northwest Missouri State 9-1 9-1
3. Tarleton State 9-1 9-1
4. Abilene Christian 8-2 8-2
5. Missouri Western State 8-2 8-2
6. Central Missouri 8-2 8-2
7. Midwestern State 8-2 8-2
8. Texas A&M Kingsville 8-2 8-2
9. Washburn 7-3 7-3
10. Angelo State 6-4 6-3

Bods and Ends . . .
Watkins needs one more tackle to sweep tackle category charts - Ichabod senior linebacker Zach Watkins has a career tackle total of 460, which pushed him passed Grant Gould (2002-05) who 459 career tackles for the Ichabods. Watkins' 236 career assisted tackles is second all-time at Washburn trailing Gould's 254. Watkins' is already the school's all-time solo tackles leader with 226 for his career passing Gould's total of 205 solo stops.

Watkins on the NCAA all-time tackle charts - Zach Watkins' 460 career tackles rank fourth in the NCAA (since 2000 when tackles became an official NCAA statistic). John DiGiorgio of Saginaw Valley recorded 462 tackles from 2002-05. In the career solo tackles category, Watkins' 226 tackles are ninth all-time. He is 11 solo tackles from moving into third place all-time. 

No need for paper or plastic - This season, the Ichabods have allowed only 11 sacks this season for 72 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.

Speaking of sacks - This season, Ben Bianchino has recorded seven sacks for 46 yards which is tied for third on the single-season yards from sack chart. The school record is 56 set by John Miller in 1992.

Record Breaker - Eric Lawrence has recorded 45.5 tackles for loss for his career breaking the previous record of 37 held by Tony Scollieri (1994-97). His 20 career sacks are tied for second with Dan Remboldt who recorded 20 from 1982-84 The school record is 29.5 by Jim Butler (1985-87). In the NCAA statistics, Lawrence's 44.5 career tackles for loss are tied for 28th all-time.

Quick Kicks - Washburn's Steve Ivanisevic has connected on 19 of his 21 field goal attempts this season in his first ten games in an Ichabod uniform topping the most attempted by a Craig Schurig-led team at Washburn. He has twice tied the school's single-game field goal record hitting four in games against both Northwest Missouri and New Mexico Highlands. Prior to this season, the most field goals made under Schurig had been six in 2007 when the Ichabods were 6 of 10 that season. Ivanisevic broke the previous single-season record for made field goals of 18 set by Nick Kresic in 1986. Kresic still also holds the single-season attempt record with 24 set that same year. Ivanisevic has scored 101 points for the Ichabods this season, which is third on the school's single chart and is the most points scored by a kicker in school history. His 44 PAT's are third on the WU single-season chart as well as his 47 attempts.

Red Zone is Blue Zone for Ichabods - This season the Ichabods have scored in 49 of 54 trips inside their opponents redzone and have scored on their last 47 of 51 trips into their opponents 20 yard line.

Second quarter has been owned by the Ichabods - This season, the Ichabods have outscored their opponents 181 to 45 in the second quarter including out bursts of 28-0 against Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State; 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.

Power Performances - Drameagon Powers has moved into 10th on the all-time receiving chart at Washburn with 1,587 yards passing Jake Lebahhn (2003-07) who had 1,384 yards. Powers' 15 career touchdown receptions is fifth on the all-time chart at Washburn and his 97 career receptions is 10th at Washburn. He needs 52 more yards to move into the ninth on the chart which would pass Mike Keeley (1975-78) who recorded 1,638 yards on 104 catches.

Sizzlin' Simoneau - Dane Simoneau has passed for the fourth- and fifth- and sixth-highest single-game passing totals in school history this season with 398 against Fort Hays State on Oct. 3 and 392 at Nebraska-Omaha and 362 against Pittsburg State on Oct. 17. He has moved into seventh on the school's all-time career touchdown passing list with 28 and he is eighth on the career completions chart with 230 and ninth in attempts with 412. He is fifth in the MIAA in total offense with 259.9 yards per game. Simoneau has passed for 2,631 yards this season which is second on the single-season chart and he needs 165 yards in the final game to break the Ichabod single season passing record of 2,775 held by Jordan Brill set in 2005. His 23 touchdown passes this season is fourth on the single-season chart trailing both Barry Griffiths (1988) and Jordan Brill (2005) who passed for 24. The single-season leader is Tyler Schuerman who passed for 28 in 2004. His 168 pass completions this season is tied for second on the single-season chart. Mike Atkins (1980) holds the single season record with 183. On the single-season total offense chart, Simoneau has 2,599 yards and the single season record is 2,691 yards needing 93 yards to set the record. As far as the single-season completion percentage record goes, Simoneau enters the ESU game with a percentage of .596 connecting on 168 of 282 passes. The school's single season record is held by Mark Elliott who completed 80 of 133 passes (not the 135 attempts listed in the 2009 media guide) for a percentage of .602.

Ichabods in the national individual statistics . . .
Category    Name    National Rank    Statistic
Rushing    Vershon Moore    54    80.70
Passing Efficiency    Dane Simoneau    9    159.19
Total Offense    Dane Simoneau    31    259.90
Receiving Yards     Drameagon Powers    75    67.90
Interceptions    Pierre Desir    T-11    .60
Punt Returns     Casey Curran    46    8.94
Field Goals    Steve Ivanisevic    2    1.90
Scoring    Steve Ivanisevic    11    10.10
All-Purpose Runners    Vershon Moore    66    113.10
Sacks    Ben Bianchino    T-35    .70        
Eric Lawrence    T-76    .55
Tackles    Zach Watkins    T-27    10.00        
Casey Curran    T-68    8.40
Tackles For Loss    Eric Lawrence    T-68    1.25
       
Ichabods in the national team statistics . . .
Category    National Rank    Statistic    National Leader
Rushing Offense    35     182.50    Carson-Newman
Passing Offense    12     289.00    Eastern N.M.
Total Offense    7     471.50    West Liberty St.
Scoring Offense    10     39.30    Northwest Mo. St.
Rushing Defense    52     121.70    Abilene Christian
Pass Efficiency Defense    74     122.07    Albany St. (GA)
Total Defense    79     348.10    Albany St. (GA)
Scoring Defense    32     20.10    Albany St. (GA)
Net Punting    10     35.00    Northeastern St.
Punt Returns    86     8.62    Fort Hays St.
Kickoff Returns    46     21.34    Bowie St.
Turnover Margin    18     .80    Minn. St. Mankato
Pass Defense    108     226.40    Miles    Passing
Efficiency    8     159.21    Midwestern St.
Sacks    87     1.80    Neb.-Kearney
Tackles For Loss    T-106     5.80    Albany St. (GA)
Sacks Allowed    19     1.10    Ouachita Baptist

Schurig moving up the coaching ranks . . .
Eighth-year head coach Craig Schurig has compiled a 53-37 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 Nov. 7 . . .
Since the 1961 season, the date of when games were available in media guides, the Ichabods are 3-2 on Nov. 7.
1964 - W 42-0 at Peru State
1970 - W 34-21 at Emporia State
1981 - L 52-0 at Missouri Western
1987 - W 49-12 vs Fort Hays State
1992 - L 48-28 at Pittsburg State

Up next . . .
It's a long story … with a win over the Hornets on Saturday, the Ichabods are still in the running for an NCAA playoff berth as they are in ninth in the latest regional rankings. There are three games in the final week between teams who are both ranked in the regional rankings. Should the Ichabods top the Hornets and not be selected for the NCAA playoffs, the Ichabods would still be in the running for postseason bowl play either in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo., or the Kanza Bowl which would be played in Topeka with both games being scheduled for Dec. 5. The Ichabods played in the 2004 Mineral Water Bowl defeating Northern State 36-33.