Kickoff
The No. 16 Washburn Ichabods return home for a homecoming battle against the No. 5-ranked Northwest Missouri Bearcats. Washburn is coming off a 19-16 come-from-behind win at Lindenwood while the Bearcats beat Missouri Southern 38-14 in Joplin. The Ichabods will be looking to snap a seven-game winning streak by the Bearcats in the series and a nine-game slide to the Bearcats in Topeka.
Game story lines
• The Ichabods are 45-40-1 all-time on Homecoming at Washburn and have won seven of the last eight Homecoming games in Yager Stadium.
• The Ichabods are 0-1 against the Bearcats on Homecoming in Yager Stadium in their only meeting on Oct. 23, 2010.
• The Ichabods have not beat the Bearcats in Topeka since Oct. 8, 1994 - a streak of seven straight games including a 2005 NCAA Second Round Playoff game.
• Over the Ichabods are 4-12 against the Bearcats in Topeka.
• The 19 points scored in the win was the fewest scored in a win by a Washburn team since scoring 14 in a 14-6 win over Emporia State on Oct. 11, 2008 in Topeka.
Coaches
Washburn head football coach Craig Schurig . . .
• Named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
• Is 79-45 (.602) in his 11th season as the Ichabod head coach.
• Is 61-35 (.600) against the MIAA.
• Has led the Ichabods to three NCAA Playoff appearances and two bowl appearance championships.
• Led the Ichabods to the 2005 MIAA regular season outright championship.
• Has recorded seven straight winning seasons for the first time in the program's history.
• Led the Ichabods to the program's first 10-win season and their first NCAA or NAIA playoff game victory in school history with a win over Abilene Christian on Nov. 19.
• Is Washburn's all-time winningest coach with 79 wins.
• Is 1-10 against the Bearcats.
Northwest Missouri head coach Adam Dorrel. . .
• Is 18-4 in his second season as the Bearcats head coach.
• Is 1-0 against Washburn.
• Spent the 2007-10 seasons as the Bearcats' offensive coordinator after spending the 2005-06 seasons as the offensive line coach.
• Was a freshman offensive lineman for the Bearcats the last time the Ichabods beat Northwest Missouri in Topeka.
Ichabod Notebook
• Under head coach
Craig Schurig, the Ichabods are 56-11 when leading at the end of the first quarter.
• Washburn is 55-12 when they score the first points of the ball game.
• The Ichabods are 32-16 in October action under head coach
Craig Schurig.
• The Ichabods are 29 of 33 in the redzone this season scoring 23 touchdowns while kicking six field goals. Against Lindenwood the Ichabods were four of four in the redzone.
• Defensively the Ichabods are allowing opponents to score on 21 of 26 trips into the redzone allowing 14 touchdowns.
• Washburn had been above a 50 percent third down conversion rate in the first two games, but during the last five, the Ichabods have gone 7 of 19 against Northeastern, 7 of 18 against Central Oklahoma, 4 of 15 against Southwest Baptist, a season-low 1 of 9 on third downs against Lincoln and they were 7 of 19 against Truman. Against Lindenwood the Ichabods were 7 of 18 on third down.
• Washburn is 32-2 when they have over 200 yards rushing.
• Washburn is ranked No. 3 in the nation in pass efficiency defense.
• Washburn is 15th in the nation in net punting at 37.7 yards per attempt.
• The Ichabods are the No. 20-ranked team in the nation and first in the MIAA in pass defense allowing 174.8 yards a game.
• Sophomore punter
Aaron Hummert is ninth in the nation in punting averaging 43.3 yards per punt.
• In the come back win over Lindenwood, the Ichabods improved to 4-36 when trailing after three quarters under
Craig Schurig.
Individual Notebook
Taylor Made
• Senior linebacker
Jahmil Taylor is the most-experienced Ichabod returning.
• His streak of games started ended at Central Oklahoma with an ankle injury at 26 straight appearances. He has started 37 games while appearing in 45 overall.
• He has 296 career tackles which is seventh all-time at Washburn.
• Was a second team all-MIAA pick in 2011.
• He is the fourth-highest active player in NCAA Division II with the 296 career total tackles.
• He is also sixth in solo tackles (155) and sixth in assisted tackles (141).
Atagivision
• Junior inside linebacker
Bryce Atagi finished third last season with 101 tackles.
• He has started the last 23 consecutive games.
• A second team all-MIAA pick and third team all-region selection in 2011.
• He had a career-high 14 tackles against Southwest Baptist.
• He leads the team with 76 tackles with 25 solo stops and also is second on the team with 8.0 tackles for loss.
Hey Steve
• Senior offensive tackle
Steve Dieckhaus has started the last 36 games at Washburn - currently the longest streak on the team.
• Has started two games at right guard, 13 at right tackle and 13 at left guard and eight starts this season at left tackle.
• An honorable mention all-MIAA pick in 2011.
Willie Will or Willie Won't
• Junior linebacker
Willie Williams is third-leading returning tackler with 83 in 2011.
• He led the team with six tackles against Fort Hays State putting him over the 100-mark in his career at Washburn.
• This season he is second on the team with 53 with 32 solo stops, which leads the team.
• He recorded his first career interception against Lincoln and returned one for a touchdown against Truman on Oct. 13.
Buhler . . . Buhler
• Sophomore quarterback
Mitch Buhler is the only signal caller returning from the 2011 season.
• He appeared in five games passing for 167 yards and one touchdown as a redshirt freshman.
• He passed for a career-high 368 yards in the loss at Central Oklahoma attempting a season-high 48 passing attempts completing a season-high 23.
It Hurst So Good
• Junior tight end
Tore' Hurst has started the last 22 games.
• Last season he had 38 catches or 591 yards.
• He tied for second on the team with eight touchdown receptions in 2011.
• He is second on the team in 2012 with 28 receptions and recorded his first touchdown reception of the season against Northeastern State and caught two more against Southwest Baptist.
• He has 1,117 career receiving yards with 17 touchdowns and 81 career catches.
• His 17 receiving touchdowns is tied for sixth on the all-time Washburn chart.
Washburn Walker
• Senior defensive end
Corey Walker has played in 34 games starting the last 20 games.
• He has played on both offensive and defensive lines.
• Had had eight tackles for loss last season.
• He is third on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and his 4.5 sacks is leading the team.
What Can Brown Do for You
• Wide receiver
Tyrell Brown is averaging 6.6 yards a carry this season and has 20 carries for 133 yards including a 53-yard run against Fort Hays State.
• He also had four catches for 71 yards averaging 17.8 yards per catch.
Something for a Fan to cheer about
• Junior wide receiver
Mark Fancher is second on the team with 694 all-purpose yards averaging 86.8 yards a game.
• He is tied for second on the team with four touchdown receptions.
• His 69-yard reception against Truman was a career-long.
• He leads the Ichabods in 2012 with a 20.6 yards per catch average.
The Hay Song
• Junior running back
Hayden Groves leads the team with six rushing touchdowns while averaging 14.3 yards per catch out of the backfield.
• He had a career-high 162 against Truman and he went over 100 yards for the second straight game against Lindenwood with 109 yards.
• In going over the 100 yard-mark for the second straight game, Groves became the first Ichabod since
Justin Cooper to accomplish the feat in back to back games against Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State during the regular season in 2011.
Mac Daddy
• Junior
Ryan Macken has started three of the last five games at linebacker and is third on the team with 48 tackles including 27 solo tackles.
Obi-wan Kobbeman
• Junior wide receiver
Matt Kobbeman leads the team with 29 catches for a team-high 430 receiving yards leading the squad with a 53.8 yards per game average.
• His four receiving TD's is tied for the team-lead.
Linn-sanity
• Senior placekicker
Jeremy Linn leads the team with 50 points scored this season hitting 32 of 35 extra point attempts and six of eight field goals.
• He has scored 143 points in his career at Washburn and connected on 18 of 24 field goals and 89 of 97 extra point attempts.
• His 75 percent accuracy rate on field goals is second all-time at Washburn and he is seventh in all-time field goals made for the Ichabods.
About Northwest Missouri
• The Bearcats are 7-1 and ranked No. 5 in the AFCA Top 25 coaches poll.
• They are 6-1 in MIAA play picking up a non-conference win over East Central in the season opener.
• They have outscored their opponents 344 to 105 including 107 to 27 in the fourth quarter.
• James Franklin leads the team with 63.6 yards per game as the Bearcats are averaging 190.0 yards per game on the ground as a team.
• Trevor Adams is 111 of 178 for 1,540 yards and 14 touchdowns passing for 192.5 yards per game with eight interceptions.
• Tyler Shaw leads the receivers with 623 yards with seven touchdowns.
• DJ Gnader leads the defense with 54 tackles and Matt Longacre has seven tackles for loss with six sacks.
Series history with Northwest Missouri
Series Record: NWMSU leads 25-6
Streak: NWMSU has won the last seven
First Meeting: NWMSU 27-0 (9/1/1944) in Maryville
Last Meeting: NWMSU 52-28 (10/22/2011) in Maryville
Last WU win: 31-28 (10/8/05) in Maryville
Last NWMSU win: 52-28 (10/22/2011) in Maryville
Largest WU win: 48-14 (10/8/1994) in Topeka
Largest NWMSU win: 47-0 (9/8/1984) in Maryville
Series Notes with Northwest Missouri
• Saturday's meeting is the 33rd in the series.
• Washburn has lost the last seven games in the series.
• Washburn's last win over the Bearcats was on Oct. 8, 2005 in Yager Stadium.
• Washburn is 4-12 all-time against the Bearcats in Topeka.
• The Ichabods are 0-1 against the Bearcats in games played on Oct. 27 - a 28-27 loss in Maryville during the 2007 season after a missed extra point by the Ichabods in the fourth quarter.
• In Topeka, the Bearcats have won nine straight with the Ichabods' last win coming on Oct. 8, 1994, by a score of 48-14.
• Since 1984, the Ichabods are 3-11 against the Bearcats in Topeka. Since 1984, the Ichabods are 2-11 against the Bearcats in Maryville.
• Seven of the last eight games have all been decided by 10 or less points with the last five of six of those being decided by five or fewer points
• The last five games have been decided by an average of 6.1 points.
Last meeting between Washburn and Northwest Missouri (10/22/11)
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 3 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
Justin 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
DaJuan 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.
Last time out for Northwest Missouri (10/20/12)
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Northwest Missouri held Missouri Southern to just 258 yards of total offense in a 38-14 victory on the road in Joplin, Mo. The Bearcats forced two turnovers and held the Lions to just five yards passing in the game.
For NWMSU Trevor Adams was 25 of 33 for 292 yards and a touchdown. James Franklin carried the ball 16 times for 50 yards and three touchdowns. On defense Brandon Yost and Nate DeJong each picked off passes. For MSSU Ken Armant carried the ball for a 51-yard touchdown. Kellen Cox had 14 carries for 55 yards and a score. On defense Brian Rogers and Alex Wong each had 11 tackles on the afternoon.
Last time out for Washburn (10/20/12)
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabods used their four quarter final drive for a come-from-behind 19-16 win at Lindenwood improving to 7-1 on the season.
With 3:08 remaining in the game, the Ichabods took over at their own 27 yard line after a field miss by the Lions. On the first play
Mitch Buhler hit Jordan Hard for 21 yards and then
Hayden Groves rushed for 11 more moving the ball to the Lindenwood 41. Buhler then connected with
Brad Gourley for eight yards. After a loss on a rush, Buhler hit
Matt Kobbeman for 14 yards down to the Lions 21 and then Hart for eight yards to the Lion 13. After an incomplete pass and a penalty on the Ichabods moving the ball back to the Lindenwood 28. On second and 17, Buhler hit
Tore' Hurst for a 10-yard completion. Buhler's pass to Mertz was overthrown on third down. On fourth and seven from the Lion 18, Buhler hit Hart for 10 yards and the first down. Buhler then connected with Mertz for 7-yard to the Lions' 1-yard line. After spiking the ball, Buhler scored from the one over left guard for the winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining putting Washburn up 19-16 after the extra point.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Lions took over at their 39. After an incomplete pass, Dillon Miller's pass was intercepted by
Calvin Kenney wrapping up the game and the win for the Ichabods.
Neither team scored in the first quarter and the Lions took the early lead on a 27-yard field goal by James Neal on the first play of the second quarter. The Ichabods responded with a 13-play, 63-yard drive capped by a 2-yard Groves' touchdown run putting Washburn up 6-3 after the extra point was blocked.
However the lead was short-lived as Denodus O'Bryant rushed for 88 yards on the first play of the series putting the Lions back up 10-6. The team then traded field goals going into the half with
Jeremy Linn hitting a 29-yard field goal with 5:41 to play in the first half and then Neal hitting one from 32 yards with 3:52 to play in the half as the Lions took a 13-9 lead into the break.
Linn hit another field goal with 7:35 to play in the third quarter to cut the Lions' lead to 13-12 and then on Lindenwood's next drive, Neal hit from 34 yards out to go up 16-12 with 3:45 to play in the third quarter.
Buhler led the Ichabods with 17 of 27 passing for 146 yards passing including going 7 of 9 for 78 yards on the winning drive. Groves led the Ichabods on the ground with 109 yards on 19 carries and one score. Hart had five catches for 50 yards to lead Washburn.
Defensively, Washburn was led by
Bryce Atagi who had nine tackles.
Jaime Myers had three tackles for loss and Kenney had the one interception for Washburn.
O'Bryant had 228 yards rushing for the Lions on 30 carries averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Miller was 9 of 19 passing for 132 yards and the one interception.
Washburn football history
Washburn is 517-551-44 (.482) in the 122nd year of Ichabod football.
A win for Washburn over Northwest Missouri would . . .
• lift the Ichabods to 518-551-44 in its football history.
• make the Ichabods 7-25 against the Bearcats
• snap a Bearcat seven-game winning streak over the Ichabods.
• give the Ichabods their eighth win of the season.
• be the Ichabods fifth-straight win.
A loss for Washburn to Northwest Missouri would . . .
• drop the Ichabods to 517-552-44 in its football history.
• drop the Ichabods to 6-26 all-time against the Bearcats.
• be Washburn's eighth-straight loss to the Bearcats.
• be the Bearcats' 10th-straight win over the Ichabods in Topeka.
Lindenwood leftovers . . . the win . . .
• lifted the Ichabods to 517-551-44 in its football history.
• made the Ichabods 1-0 all-time against Lindenwood.
• gave the Ichabods their seventh win of the season.
• was the fourth-straight win for the Ichabods.
Bod Bullets
• Washburn has never played a Homecoming game on Oct. 27.
• Overall the Ichabods are 8-7-1 in all games played on Oct. 27.
• The game-winning rushing touchdown by
Mitch Buhler was his first TD carry at Washburn.
• The four receptions by
Brad Gourley, who made his first start against Lindenwood, was a career high as were his 54 receiving yards and career-long reception of 30 yards.
•
Jordan Hart had a career-high five receptions, including the grab on the 4th and seven setting up the Ichabods' winning score.
•
Calvin Kenney had his third career interception and his second of the season against Lindenwood.
•
Hayden Groves is looking to become the first Ichabod running back to go over 100 yards in three straight games since Vershon Moore rushed for 114 against Missouri Western, 125 against Central Missouri and 171 against Fort Hays State during the 2010 school year.
Ichabods in the national polls
WACO, Texas -- The Washburn Ichabods climbed one spot to No. 18 in the latest AFCA top 25 coaches poll which was released on Oct. 15. The Ichabods have been ranked in the top 25 in the last 20 polls and have received votes in 46 of the last 47 coaches polls.
Up next
The Ichabods will travel to face a top-10 ranked Missouri Western on Nov. 3 before wrapping up the regular season with a top-15 ranked Emporia State on Nov. 10 in Topeka.
