First Look Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. Location: Topeka, Kan. - Yager Stadium (7,200) Internet: through America One Network online Radio: AM 580 WIBW and online at wusports.com The Series: Washburn leads the all-time series 39-23-3. Series Notes:  Washburn has won the last three meetings and the last five played in Topeka. The Tigers last win in Yager Stadium was on Oct. 26, 1985.

Washburn Ichabods (7-1, 5-1 MIAA) Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Website

Fort Hays State (3-5, 2-4 MIAA) Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Website

Radio: AM 580 WIBW Live Audio   Live Stats: Here Live Video: Here

Kickoff
The No. 12-ranked Washburn Ichabods will look to rebound from their first loss of the season as they return to Yager Stadium for Homecoming while facing Fort Hays State at 1 p.m. on Oct. 29. The Ichabods were topped 52-28 by then-No. 6 Northwest Missouri while the Tigers picked up their third win of the season in a 38-21 win over Central Oklahoma on the road.

Game story lines
• The Washburn Ichabods fell from No. 3 to No. 12 in the latest American Football Coaches top 25 poll which was released on Monday after their loss to Northwest Missouri.  The Ichabods also dropped from No. 6 to No. 15 in the d2football.com media poll this week.
• Washburn was ranked No. 4 in the first NCAA Super Region 4 rankings which came out earlier this week. The top six teams in the final regional rankings will qualify for the NCAA Division II Playoffs with the top two teams in each region receiving byes.
• Homecoming for former Ichabods - Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown and three other coaches on his staff either previously played or coached at Washburn in some capacity before turning in their blue and white colors for black and gold. Tiger coaches with Washburn ties include linebackers coach Zach Watkins, defensive coordinator Dion Meneley and offensive coordinator Justin Schreiber.

Game center: Washburn vs Fort Hays State
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.
Location: Topeka, Kan. - Yager Stadium (7,200)
Internet: through America One Network online
Radio: AM 580 WIBW and online at wusports.com
The Series: Washburn leads the all-time series 39-23-3.
Series Notes:  Washburn has won the last three meetings and the last five played in Topeka. The Tigers last win in Yager Stadium was on Oct. 26, 1985.

Coaches
Washburn head football coach Craig Schurig was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001. Schurig is 69-42 (.602) in his tenth season as the Ichabod head coach and he is 54-33 (.600) against the MIAA. He has led the Ichabods to two NCAA Playoff appearances and two bowl appearance championships as well as the 2005 MIAA regular season outright championship as well as recording seven straight winning seasons for the first time in the program's history. Schurig's 69 wins are the most in school history passing Dick Godlove (1946-58) with a 42-14 win over Truman on Oct. 8, 2011.
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown is 3-5 in his first season on the Tigers' sidelines after spending the 2002 to 2010 seasons as Washburn's defensive coordinator working under Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig. Brown is a 1996 graduate from Pittsburg State where he was a three-time All-American pick at safety for the Gorillas.

Notebook
Remembering Jermon
This week wearing No. 20 against Northwest Missouri in remembrance of Jermon Watson is Jahmil Taylor, who normally wears No. 23. Last week against Northwest Missouri, McPherson had six carries for 21 yards and one catch for 13 yards.

Quick Starts Key for Ichabods
Under head coach Craig Schurig, the Ichabods are 52-10 when leading after the first quarter and they have gone 47-11 when they score the first points of the ball game. This season Washburn has outscored its opponents 121-21 in the first quarter. Last week the Bearcats were the first team in seven games to score any points as they scored 21 in the first 15 minutes of the game on Oct. 22.

October Action
The Ichabods are 28-16 under head coach Craig Schurig in October. Since the 2005 season, the Ichabods are 20-8 in the month of October.

Number 9 . . . Number 9 . . . Number 9
Senior signal caller Dane Simoneau has started the last 37 games … has passed for a school-record 9,711 yards averaging 255.6 yards per game in his career passing … he has thrown for a school-record 91 touchdowns completing 58.6 percent of his career passing attempts … he has thrown for at least 300 yards in a game 16 times … he has recorded 9,579 career total offensive yards which is first on the all-time chart Washburn chart and ranks fifth on the MIAA's career total offense chart … Simoneau can moved into third place on the MIAA career passing chart on Saturday against Fort Hays State by passing for 315 yards … Simoneau needs 289 yards to reach 10,000 career passing yards.

MIAA Career Passing Chart              Yards    Att-Comp    Pct     TD's
1.    Eric Czerniewski, UCM 2006-10    12,847   1678-1043   62.2    107
2.    Drew Newhart, MWSU 2007-10       10,691   1348-817    60.1    95
3.    Kasey Waterman, MWSU 1998-2001   10,025   1304-730    56.0    98
4.    Dane Simoneau, WU 2008-pr.       9,711    1086-636    58.6    91
5.    Eric Howe, TSU 1998-2001         9,097    1203-687    57.1    70

MIAA Career Total Offense Chart        Yards    Passing    Rushing    
1.    Eric Czerniewski, UCM, 2006-10   12,978    12,847    131
2.    Drew Newhart, MWSU 2007-10       10,594    10,691    -97    
3.    Neal Philpot, PSU 2001-04        10,168    5831      4337
4.    Kasey Waterman, MWSU 1998-2001   10,056    10,025    31
5.    Dane Simoneau, 2008-pr            9,579    9711      -132
6.    Blake Bolles, NWMSU 2007-10       9,254    8537      717

Hanging with Mr. Cooper
Senior running back Justin Cooper has rushed for 2,237 career yards and 24 career touchdowns … he moved into fourth on the all-time chart passing Lee Williams (1986-90) who rushed for 2,209 yards at Washburn … this season, Cooper is averaging a career-best 5.0 yards per carry - better than his career average of 4.4 per carry … Cooper is one of only seven Ichabod running backs to go over the 2,000-yard rushing mark in a career and one of five to have at least 500 rushing attempts.

Washburn Career Rushing Chart    Yards    Attempts    YPC    TD's    
1.    Ra'Shawn Mosley, 2004-07   3,416    602         5.7    34
2.    Trent Hearn, 2003-06          3,154    679         4.6    48
3.    Dino DeLisa, 1983-85       2,794    665         4.2    29
4.    Justin Cooper, 2008-10     2,237    511         4.4    24
5.    Les Williams, 1986-90      2,209    522         4.2    19

Fear the Beard
Ichabod sophomore DeJuan Beard leads the team with 38 receptions for 615 yards (which is second on the squad) and also leads the team with 11 touchdown receptions … he is averaging 76.9 receiving yards per game this season …  Beard has 11 touchdown receptions which is nearly double the Washburn sophomore record of six set by Sam Sissom during the 2003 season … the sophomore receiving yards record is 742 set by Michael Dritlein in 1993 and the sophomore pass reception record is 51 also set by Dritlein in 1993.

Garnering Attention
Ichabod sophomore wide receiver Ronnell Garner is second on the team with 35 receptions while leading the team with 678 receiving yards averaging 19.4 yards per catch and 84.8 yards per game … he is second on the team with seven touchdown receptions … he needs 65 receving yards to snap the sophomore class record of 742 set by Michael Dritlein in 1993.

Ichabods in Non-conference Action
Since joining the NCAA ranks, the Ichabods are 23-17 in non-MIAA games. Under head coach Craig Schurig, the Ichabods are 15-6 in non-conference games since the 2002 season during the regular season following the loss to Abilene Christian in their 2010 home opener. In non-conference regular season away games under Schurig, the Ichabods are 8-2 and in home games during the regular season against non-MIAA foes, the Ichabods are 7-4.

Red Zone Success
In the 2009 and 2010 seasons the Ichabods have been outstanding in the red zone converting on a combined 101 of 113 trips into the red zone scoring 74 touchdowns with 27 field goals. This season the Ichabods are continuing that trend scoring on 32 of 36 trips into the red zone with 26 touchdowns and six field goals. Washburn was 3 of 3 in scoring opportunities against Northwest Missouri scoring three touchdowns. Opponents have scored 22 of 24 times in the Ichabod red zone collecting 16 touchdowns with eight field goals.

In the Middle
In the middle of the defensive line is senior defensive tackle Ian Williams who has started 30 of the last 33 games. He has appeared in 39 games recording 79 tackles with six for loss and 3.5 sacks. He has also blocked three field goal and extra point attempts in his career including one against Emporia State on Oct. 1.

Folk hero
Senior offensive lineman Brian Folkerts has started the last 34 games appearing in 39 for the Ichabods at left tackle and at right tackle. As a junior he started all 12 games on the left side of the line after starting 14 on the right side as a sophomore and freshman. He was named preseason All-American by the Consensus Draft Service.

Man of Steel
Senior linebacker Marty Pfannenstiel has played in 44 career games at Washburn and has started the last 29 games. He has 203 total career tackles after tying for the team lead with 91 tackles as a junior in 2010 … he recorded his team-high third interception against Lincoln after picking off two passes against Sioux Falls in the season opener.

Taylor Made
Junior linebacker Jahmil Taylor started the final eight games of the 2010 season and has made 25 career starts appearing in 33 games recording 198 tackles with 17 tackles for loss. He recorded his first career interception against Truman on Oct. 8.

Showing the Way
Senior fullback Greg Schoenberg has started 19 games at Washburn rushing for 128 yards with 23 catches for 364 yards and three touchdowns with two coming against Truman on Oct. 15. His 53-yard reception against Missouri Western was a career long. He has cleared the way for one of Washburn's six single-season 1,000-yard rushers at Washburn while recording 30 tackles on special teams appearing in 41 career games. He recorded his second rushing touchdown of his career against Lincoln. He set a career-high with four receptions last time out against Northwest Missouri for 60 yards.

No Fear
Redshirt freshman Sean McPherson (pronounced Mc-Fear-son) recorded his first 100-yard game against Central Oklahoma on Oct. 8. McPherson has averaged 6.8 yards per carry this season collecting 513 yards on 76 attempts with four touchdowns averaging 64.1 yards per game.

Bryce as nice
Sophomore inside linebacker Bryce Atagi had his string of four-straight double-figure tackle games come to an end after suffering a first half injury against Central Oklahoma. Atagi has started all eight games this season after starting two as a redshirt freshman. This season he is second on the team with 66 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss.

Willie Will or Willie Won't
Sophomore outside linebacker Willie Williams is coming off back-to-back career-high tying games of 10 tackles each against Missouri Western and Emporia State recording four solo stops in each game with six assisted tackles. This season he has 55 total tackles which is third on the team.

Casey's Countdown Chart Climber
Senior free safety Casey Curran has recorded 281 career tackles playing in 41 career games making 33 career starts. His tackle total is seventh on the Ichabod all-time tackle chart as he became one of only seven Ichabods to record at least 275 tackles in a career. His 154 solo tackles rank fifth all-time for the Ichabods and his 127 career assisted tackles is seventh all-time.

Young Bods in play this season
The Ichabods had five true freshmen appear in the game against Sioux Falls in the season opener. Left guard Dylan Ready and punter Aaron Hummert made starts while safety Calvin Kenney, wide receiver Connor Crimmins and quarterback Mitch Buhler all saw action. Buhler is the first true freshman to see action at quarterback for the Ichabods since Aaron Battle in the 1994 season. Against Lincoln, freshman defensive tackle Tyler Ewy saw his first action and recorded three tackles with one for loss. Against Truman and Central Oklahoma, Kenney and Ewy both made their first starts of their Washburn career.

In the trenches
For the five Ichabod offensive line starters, Washburn averages 6-foot-3 and 301.2 pounds while the four Tiger defensive linemen - in a 4-3 scheme - average 6-foot-3 and 262.5 pounds. When the Tigers have the ball, their five offensive linemen average 6-foot-3 and 276 pounds while the Ichabods four defensive linemen average 6-foot-3 and 264.3 pounds.

Contemplating Conversions
For the Ichabods this season, it has been a tale of two halves as far as third down conversions go. In the first half this season, Washburn has converted 52 percent of its 34 of 66 third down plays. While in the second half of games this season in the first two games, Washburn was only 1 of 13 on third down conversions moving the chains. Against the Lions in week No. 3, the Ichabods were 7 of 10 including an 6 of 6 fourth quarter third down conversions. Against Missouri Western, Washburn was 7 of 9 in the second half and last week against Emporia State the Ichabods were 6 of 9 in the second half and against Truman Washburn was 0 for 5 and against Central Oklahoma the Ichabods were 3 of 7 on third down and against Northwest Missouri last time out Washburn was 0 for 4 to make the Ichabods 24 of 57 (42 percent) overall on third down conversions this season. Opponents are 18 of 58 (31 percent) in first half conversions while they are completing 25 of 69 (36 percent) third down conversions in the second half.

About Fort Hays State
The Tigers are 3-5 this season while going 2-4 in MIAA play after picking up a non-conference win over Central Oklahoma 38-21 on the road on Oct. 22 in their last game. The Tigers have one of the leading ground-gainers in the MIAA in Andre Smith who is averaging 82 yards a game. The Tigers are averaging 156.1 yards a game as team through the air with Anthon Sheppard passing for 227 of his 462 season yards last time out against Central Oklahoma. Leading the Tigers' receiving corps is Anthony Smith with 32 catches for 402 yards with five touchdown catches. Alex Whitehall has recorded a MIAA-leading 119 tackles with five tackles for loss.  
 
Last time out for Fort Hays State
Oct. 22, 2011 -- The Tigers used big offensive plays on Saturday (Oct. 22) to defeat Central Oklahoma by a score of 38-21 in non-conference action on the road in Edmond, Okla. Four of the five touchdowns the Tigers scored were from over 35 yards out and they posted their best offensive performance of the season with 529 yards of total offense. The win puts FHSU at 3-5 on the season.
Anthony Sheppard sparked the Tigers early with a 60-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive. It capped a 4-play, 85-yard drive that took just a minute and 32 seconds. Tyler Kimbrough put the Tigers up 10-0 later in the first quarter with a 42-yard field goal.
After the Bronchos tallied their first touchdown of the afternoon early in the second quarter, the Tigers struck with two more big plays. Sheppard found Keaton Callins for a 36-yard touchdown pass to go back up by 10. The Tigers extended their lead to 17 with just 1:11 remaining in the first half when Sheppard connected with Anthony Smith on a 49-yard touchdown pass.
Central Oklahoma looked to be making a run at the Tigers in the third. The Bronchos cut the lead to 10 with a touchdown at the 5:25 mark. The Tigers came up with a big fourth-down stop on the next possession for UCO, thwarting the Broncho drive at the FHSU 32-yardline. The Tigers capitalized with a 7-play, 68-yard drive capped by a 10-yard run by Edward Smith, pushing the lead back to 17 with 14:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Edward Smith put an exclamation point on his biggest rushing performance as a Tiger, scoring from 74 yards out with 6:49 remaining to put the game away for FHSU. Smith finished the day with 163 yards and two touchdowns. He helped the Tigers churn out 302 rushing yards in the game.
Anthony Sheppard, after struggling throwing the ball in the two previous games, finished 15-of-24 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He also had the one rushing touchdown to go with 93 rushing yards, giving him 311 yards of total offense.
Anthony Smith posted the first 100-yard receiving game by a Tiger since last year with 112 yards on five catches. The 49-yard touchdown catch was his fifth of the season.
Zach Nash led the Tigers in tackles with nine. Jeff Balkenbush, Ricky Jacques, and Nick Dreitz all forced fumbles, while Layton Hickel and Kedron Paul each recorded fumble recoveries. Sherod Murdock and Marquies Richardson each had one interception in the game.
The win marked the first ever for Fort Hays State over Central Oklahoma. UCO held a 6-0 all-time advantage entering the game.
The Tigers are now 2-2 on the road this year, which matches their high since joining the MIAA in 2006. FHSU also recorded two road wins back in 2009 when they finished 6-5.

Series history with Fort Hays State
Saturday's meeting is the 66th meeting between the Ichabods and the Tigers. The Ichabods lead the all-time series 39-23-3. The Ichabods have won 11 of the last 17 meetings and five of the last six contests including the last two. The largest victory margin for the Ichabods is 46 points set in a 46-0 win on Nov. 9, 1963 in Topeka. The largest Tiger win came on Oct. 14, 1967 in a 35-0 win over the Ichabods in Topeka. Since 1961, the Ichabods are 15-7 and have won the last six games played in Topeka. The Ichabods are 7-10 in games played in Hays since the 1961 season. The last win for the Tigers in Topeka was on Oct. 25, 1985 in a 30-0 win. The Tigers won the last meeting in Hays, 17-7 on Sept. 23, 2008.

Last meeting between Washburn and Fort Hays State: Ichabods 38, Tigers 27 • Oct. 2, 2010
HAYS, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods snapped a three-game losing slide with a 38-27 win over Fort Hays State Saturday night at Lewis Field in Hays.
The Tigers took the opening drive and marched 79 yards on 10 plays to take the early 7-0 lead with 9:52 to go in the first half. The Ichabods (2-3, 1-2 MIAA), who deferred after winning the coin toss, returned serve and scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Vershon Moore capping a nine-play, 55-yard drive covering. The drive started in great field position after Joe Ulmer took the opening kickoff as an up back and returned it to the Washburn 45-yard line.
The Tigers (3-2, 1-2 MIAA) scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Mike Garrison to James Walker with 1:52 to go in the opening quarter finishing a seven-play, 75-yard drive.
Steve Ivanisevic cut the Tiger lead to four at 14-10 on a 27-yard field goal with 12:31 to go in the first half. The Ichabod defense held the Tigers forcing a punt and Washburn would take possession and go 71 yards on seven plays as Dane Simoneau hit the first of his two first half touchdown pass hooking up with Joe Hastings from 17-yards out on a crossing route putting Washburn up 17-14.
Again the Ichabods forced the Tigers to punt and would wrap up the scoring in the first half on a Simoneau to Toré Hurst 5-yard touchdown pass. The drive covered 90 yards in 12 plays putting Washburn up 24-14 with 42 second to play in the half. The Tigers would drive to the Ichabod 21-yard line, but a 38-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Kimbrough sailed left and the Ichabods would take a knee to end the first half.
Fort Hays State and the Ichabods moved the ball in the first half with Washburn outgaining the Tigers 279 to 242 in the half.
To open the second half, the Ichabods pushed the lead to 31-14 on a 5-yard run by Moore wrapping a drive taking 63 yards on six plays. However the Tigers would come back on a 36-yard field goal by Kimbrough with 8:06 to go in the third quarter.
On the ensuing drive, the Ichabods went deep into the playbook as Simoneau hit a streaking Brody Schuler across the middle on a reverse pass out of the Raven formation putting Washburn up 38-17.
The Tigers would score near the end of the third quarter on a 40-yard field goal and add a touchdown as the only points scored in the fourth quarter on Mike Garrison to O.J. Murdock 6-yard reception.
The Ichabods would then run out the clock and wrap up the game with the 11-point win.
Moore finished with 171 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns to take game honors. Simoneau finished 11 for 21 for 222 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Hastings went over the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season with six receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown. Schuler had six catches for 67 yards and the touchdown reception.
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by Jared Brawner who had 13 tackles with seven solo stops and a half sack. Jahmil Taylor had 11 tackles with nine solo stops on his 22nd birthday. Dakota Palan-Johnson had two tackles for loss and four solo tackles.
Garrison had 304 yards passing for the Tigers and he led the team in rushing as well with 76 yards. Beau Gadwood had 103 yards receiving on nine catches.
Washburn and Fort Hays State each had 26 first downs with 16 coming on the ground for the Ichabods. Washburn outgained the Tigers 465 yards to 449 yards ad 243 to 145 on the ground. Washburn was whistled for three penalties for 30 yards while the Tigers were called for two for 10 yards.

Last time out for Washburn: #6 Northwest MIssouri 52, #3 Ichabods 28 • Oct. 22, 2011
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 5 Washburn Ichabods lost for the first time this season snapping an 11-game winning streak in a 52-28 loss at No. 6 Northwest Missouri.
The Bearcats scored on their first two possessions of the game jumping out to a 14-0 lead, but Just Cooper cut the lead in half with a 17-yard touchdown run with 7:49 to play in the first quarter capping a three-play, 58-yard drive. After forcing a Bearcat punt, Washburn knotted the score at 14 when Dane Simoneau hit DeJuan Beard on a 40-yard pass play which wrapped up a 90-yard drive taking 2:23 off the clock.
The Bearcats regained the lead right before the end of the first quarter putting Northwest back infront 21-14. However on the Ichabods' next possession Beard again hooked up with Simoneau tying the score at 21 after a 6-yard scoring strike. Northwest added 10 more points before the end of the half to take a 31-21 lead into the locker rooms at the break.
Northwest pushed its lead to 38-21 before Simoneau again found Beard for their third touchdown connection on the afternoon pulling Washburn within 10 at 38-28 with 3:11 to play in the third quarter but would be the final points Washburn would score the remainder of the game as the Bearcats added two fourth quarter touchdowns en route to the win.
Simoneau finished the game 25 of 34 with three touchdowns passing for 372 yards. Beard finished with seven catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Cooper had 11 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Casey Curran had 17 tackles with 10 solo stops to lead Washburn. Marty Pfannenstiel had 11 tackles with five solo tackles. Jahmil Taylor and Willie Williams each had nine stops for Washburn.
Washburn netted 442 yards of offense averaging 8.2 yards per play. The Bearcats tallied 605 yards overall with 425 coming through the air.

Bod notes ... three dot thoughts ...
Fort Hays State has not won a game in Topeka since Oct. 26, 1985 - streak of five games. (And for you movie fans out there - it's also the original date of Marty McFly's first trip into the past in the very first Back to the Future movie) … Dane Simoneau has completed 51 of 81 passes on third down this season for a 52 completion percentage while converting 39 first downs and nine touchdowns … on plays of at least third and 10 - Simoneau is 45 of 69 for 33 first downs and eight touchdowns … both Ronnell Garner has been thrown to 18 times on third down and has 13 catches with 11 of them going for first downs and three receptions for touchdowns … DeJuan Beard has been thrown to 17 times on third down and he has pulled down 14 passes with 12 going for first downs and four touchdowns and 31 of Beard's 38 receptions have gone for first downs this season … Sean McPherson has averaged 8.1 yards a carry on first down, 4.0 yards per carry on second down and 9.5 yards per carry on third down this season … … of Bryce Atagi's 66  tackles, 43 have come against the run … Casey Curran leads the team with a team-high 30 tackles on passing plays … Washburn's average starting field position this season has been its on 34  while opponents are averaging a starting field position of their own 31 …  on kickoffs this season Washburn's average starting field position has been the 32 compared to opponents 30 but against Northwest Missouri, the Bearcats average drive start following a kickoff was on the 38 while Washburn's was on the 23.

Ichabods on homecoming both home and away . . .
Saturday's game against Fort Hays State will be the third homecoming game for the Ichabods this season. The Ichabods have won 25 of their last 33 homecoming match ups played on the road and in Yager Stadium. At home, the Ichabods have won their last eight homecoming games played in Topeka. 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. Washburn topped Truman on its homecoming earlier this season on Oct. 8 by a score of 42-14 and fell last week on Northwest Missouri's homecoming game.

First NCAA Regional rankings released . . .
The Washburn Ichabods, who earlier today were ranked No. 12 in the American Football Coaches Association top 25 coaches poll, was tabbed at No. 4 in the NCAA Super Region Four rankings which came out on Monday afternoon. The top six teams in the final regional rankings will make the NCAA Division II  24-team playoffs with the top two teams in each of the four regions receiving byes.
The Ichabods were behind Midwestern State from the Lone Star Conference, Pittsburg State at No. 2 and Northwest Missouri at No. 3 in the first regional rankings of the season. Abiliene Christian follows the Ichabods and West Texas A&M is sixth in the regional poll. Currently sitting on the outside is Missouri Western at No. 7 with Ouachita Baptist at No. 8, Humboldt State at No. 9 and Central Missouri at No. 10. Ouchita Baptist is out of the newly-formed Great American Conference and Humboldt State is out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Neither of those two conference have automatic berths to the NCAA Tournament meaning the two schools need to be in the top six in the final regional poll to reach the postseason.
        In Region    Overall
1     Midwestern State     7-0         7-0
2     Pittsburg State     8-0         8-0
3     Northwest Missouri State     6-1         7-1
4     Washburn     6-1         7-1
5     Abilene Christian     5-1         5-2
6     West Texas A&M     5-2         5-2
7     Missouri Western State     5-2         6-2
8     Ouachita Baptist     5-2         5-2
9     Humboldt State     5-1         6-1
10     Central Missouri     5-3         5-3

Hello again . . . hello . . .
In addition to Tigers head coach Chris Brown returning to coach against the Ichabods for the first time, he is also bringing three assistant coaches who either played for or coached for the Ichabods previously. Washburn's all-time leading tackler Zach Watkins is the Tigers inside linebackers coach. Waktins finished his career with 473 tackles at Washburn earning all-American honors and MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. Justin Schreiber is Fort Hays' offensive coordinator was a graduate assistant coach at Washburn the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Defensive coordinator Dion Meneley spent four seasons at Washburn coaching outside linebackers, cornerbacks and defensive linemen for the Ichabods.

Washburn Football History
Washburn is 512-554-44 (.478) in the 121st year of Ichabod football.

A win for Washburn over Fort Hays State ...
lift the Ichabods to 513-554-44 in their football history … move the Ichabods to 8-1 on the season for second time under head coach Craig Schurig and for first time since 2005 - when the Ichabods won the MIAA and finished the season 9-3 … would be the third straight win over the Tigers and the sixth-straight overall in Topeka.

A Loss for Washburn would ...
drop the Ichabods to 512-555-44 in their football history … snap a two-game winning streak over the Tigers … be Fort Hays State's first win over Washburn since the 1985 season - a streak of five games.

The loss at Northwest Missouri revisited ... the loss
dropped the Ichabods to 512-554-44 in their football history … snapped an Ichabod 11-game winning streak dating back to last season … dropped the Ichabods to 7-1 on the season and 6-1 in MIAA play … was the seventh-straight win for the Bearcats over the Ichabods … snapped a nine-game winning streak away from Yager Stadium.

The Ichabods in the national polls
The Washburn Ichabods fell from No. 3 to No. 12 in the latest American Football Coaches top 25 poll which was released on Monday after their loss to Northwest Missouri.  

Up next
The Ichabods will return to the road for their final regular season away game as they will take on No. 3-ranked Pittsburg State at 1 p.m. on Nov. 5 and then return home to wrap up the regular season facing Central Missouri at 1 p.m. on Nov. 12 in Yager Stadium.