Football | 10/14/2014 1:13:00 PM

 Opening Notes
•     The Ichabods return home to face Missouri Western looking for its second-straight win at home on Saturday when they will host the Griffons for Washburn Homecoming festivities.
•    Washburn enters the game 2-4 coming off a 44-0 loss at Central Missouri while the Griffons are 4-2 this season after topping Fort Hays State 26-7 last time out.
•    The Ichabods are 46-41-1 all-time on homecoming at Washburn and won last year's game 44-35 over Lindenwood on Oct. 26.
•    Washburn has played Missouri Western on its homecoming five times and have gone 1-4.
•    The Griffons were Washburn's homecoming opponent last time on Oct. 26, 2002 and Missouri Western won 34-28 in double overtime.
•    The Ichabods' lone win over the Griffons on homecoming came in a 35-27 win on Oct. 17, 1998 in a 35-27 win. 

 'Bods and Ends
•    Calvin Kenney's 17 tackles (10 solo) are tied for ninth on the Ichabod single-game tackle chart  and they are the most by an Ichabod since Jahmil Taylor had 17 against Pittsburg State in the NCAA Playoffs on Nov. 26, 2011. Kenney has had five-straight games with at least 10 tackles.
•    Spenser Matthews had 3.5 tackles for loss against the Mules and that was the highest single-game total since Dakota Palan-Johnson had 4.5 against Truman state on Oct. 8, 2011.
•    Matthews added a career-high eight tackles against Central Missouri.
•    Jaime Myers had 11 tackles against Central Missouri which was a career high.
•    Jordan Nelson recorded his second career interception against Central Missouri and his first since Sept. 14, 2003 against Fort Hays State.
•    Trey Parker recorded his first career sack against Central Missouri.
•    Alec Steuber had a career-high nine tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss against Central Missouri.
•    True freshmen Bob Marco, who started at right guard the last three games, along with defensive end Kastin Spencer, linebacker Austin Tillman and defensive tackle Cody Zeller.
•     Forty-four of Washburn's opponents' 203 points have come off turnovers. Washburn has scored three points of its 96 off opponents miscues.
•    The Ichabods are 11 of 24 in the redzone this season scoring nine touchdowns with two field goals totaling 69 points scoring 46 percent of the time inside their opponent's 20 yard line. The Ichabods have turned the ball over four times on downs and have had two interceptions and two fumbles with three missed field goals.
•    Opponents have scored 21 of 26 times inside the redzone against Washburn for an 80 percent scoring rate recording 134 points with 18 touchdowns and three field goals with two missed field goals and turning the ball over on downs three times.
•    The Ichabods are -12 in turnover margin this season which is tied for 11th in the MIAA rankings and they have not forced a fumble this season … all three opponent turnovers have been on interceptions.

 Coaching Staffs
Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
•    was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001. 
•    is 89-55 (.602) in his 13th season as the Ichabod head coach. 
•    is 71-45 (.630) 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 ten-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 during the 2011 season.
•    is Washburn's all-time winningest coach with 89 wins.
•    is 5-7 against Missouri Western.

Missouri Western head coach Jerry Partridge . . . 
•    was named the sixth head coach of the Griffon football program in 1997
•    is 136-69 (.669) in his 17th season as the Griffon head coach.
•    is 103-54 (.662) against the MIAA.
•    has led the Griffons to four NCAA Playoff appearances and seven Mineral Water bowl appearance.
•    has led the Griffons to the 2012 MIAA Championship and 2003 Co-MIAA regular season championship.
•    is Missouri Western's all-time winningest coach with 136 wins.
•      is third in all-time wins in the MIAA.
•     is 10-6 against Washburn.

 Ichabod Offensive Notes
•     Senior running back Vershon Moore needs 591 rushing yards to become the all-time leader at Washburn …  has also rushed for 30 touchdowns and has two of the top three single-game totals in school history … he has rushed for 2,825 yards in his career … he has nine 100-yard rushing games.
•     Junior running back Sean McPherson has rushed for 1,103 yards in his career going over the 1,000-yard mark against Nebraska-Kearney.
•     Senior DaJuan Beard became the 12th Ichabod to catch at least 100 passes and he now has 150 catches which is fourth all-time at Washburn … his 2,194 yards is fifth all-time at well at Washburn … he needs two catches to move into third on the all-time receiving chart to pass Mike Odupitan (2002-05).
•     Senior Dylan Ready has played in 38 games on the offensive line and has started at left tackle, left guard and right tackle on the offensive line.
•    Junior Connor Crimmins has appeared in 28 games adding 33 catches for 478 yards … Crimmins, who also plays baseball for the Ichabods, is switching from No. 14 to No. 19 to honor former Ichabod baseball coach Steve Anson … his seven receptions and 90 receiving yards were career-highs against Lindenwood.
•     Junior Cameron Brown is moving back into the starting line up this season at center after starting 12 games at right guard in 2012. 
•     Junior Sam Eickhoff has started 13 career games at fullback appearing in 23 games.
•     Junior wide receiver Jordan Hart is back after playing in parts of five games last season … he has 48 catches for 873 yards and eight touchdowns in his career and has averaged 18.2 yards per reception.
•     Sophomore running back Donnie Lockhart III received a medical redshirt after recording 26 carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns last season … this season he has played in four games.
•     Junior Jordon McCallister is starting at left guard and made three starts in 2013 appearing in 10 games overall.
•     Sophomore Michael Miller was an honorable mention all-MIAA pick after starting 11 games at left guard … this season he is moving to right tackle making six starts.
•    Senior Matt Buhler had a career-high four catches for a career-high 58 yards against Lindenwood … this season he has eight catches for 95 yards.
•     Senior Brad Gourley had a career-long 87-yard reception for a touchdown against Nebraska-Kearney. He has 29 receptions for 393 yards and three scores playing in 26 games.
•     Senior quarterback Mitch Buhler has made 23 starts at Washburn passing for 4,486 career yards and 45 touchdowns … his 45 TD passes are fourth all-time at Washburn and his 343 career completions are sixth.

 Ichabod Defensive Notes
•     Senior safety Calvin Kenney has played in 41 games making 35 starts tallying 227 tackles with 125 solo stops with four interceptions … he had a career-high 17 tackles against Central Missouri and he has had double-digit tackles in four straight games.
•     Sophomore defensive end Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq moves into a starting defensive end position after recording 23 tackles last season appearing in 11 games last season … this season he has recorded 26 tackles with a career-high 10 tackles coming against Nebraska-Kearney.
•     Senior defensive tackle Bryan Dale has appeared in 39 games … he has recorded 46 career tackles.
•     Senior defensive end Alex Dowty has appeared in 29 games with 46 tackles including 14 tackles for loss.
•     Senior defensive tackle Tyler Ewy has made 19 career starts including 11 in 2013 … overall he has appeared in 34 games with 67 tackles and 9.5 career tackles for loss … he had a career-high seven tackles against Missouri Southern on Sept. 27.
•     Sophomore defensive back Zach Franklin had made eight starts appearing in 17 games at Washburn … the nine tackles against Lindenwood was a career-high and his 98 all-purpose yards against Missouri Southern was a career high … he has 21 tackles this season with 17 solo stops.
•     Sophomore linebacker Cody Heiman is back to the defensive side of the ball after rushing for 426 yards and 91 carries with six touchdowns in 2013 … his nine tackles against Lindenwood was a career-high … overall he has played in 18 games making seven starts gaining 48 tackles with 29 solo stops.
•     Senior defensive back Dwayne Joseph has made 12 starts recording 62 tackles with 44 solo stops and one interception in his career.
•     Junior linebacker Mark Kolmer is another Ichabod moving from offense to defense as he's played in 28 career games with ten starts adding 54 tackles … he made six starts at fullback in 2013 … his nine tackles against Fort Hays State was a career high and he recorded his first career interception against Nebraska-Kearney returning it seven yards setting up the game-winning field goal.
•     Junior safety Jaime Myers has made 13 starts playing in 28 games with 87 tackles and three interceptions … he has 1,546 career all-purpose yards averaging 55.2 per game … he had a career-high 11 tackles against Central Missouri.
•     Junior safety Shay Wooten moves into a starting safety role and has recorded 98 career tackles appearing in 28 games … he had a career-high 12 tackles against Missouri Western last season.
•    Redshirt freshman Peter Pfannenstiel has started the six games at safety and has recorded 25 tackles with 14 solo stops and a pass break up.

 Ichabod Special Team Notes
•     Sophomore Justin Linn returns after being honored as a first team all-MIAA kicker in 2013 … he was a preseason all-American selection for this season by D2Football.com … Linn is 2 of 6 this season with a season-long of 34 … his 65 PATs rank ninth all-time at Washburn and his 16 career field goals ranks eighth.
•     Senior Aaron Hummert has 167 punts for 6,607 yards averaging 40.3 yards per punt playing in 41 career games … his 40.3 career punting average second in school history and his 6,607 yards is seventh all-time … had a career-long run of 17 yards on a fourth down against Pittsburg State for a first down.

 Know the Foe
•     The Griffons are 4-2 this season and received votes in this week's AFCA Top 25 coaches poll.
•    Raphael Spencer is averaging 119 yards per game on the ground with five touchdowns and Skyler Windmiller is 65 of 126 passing with three touchdowns averaging 107.5 yards per game passing.
•    The Griffons are averaging 287 yards per game in total offense and they are allowing 355.8 yards a game on defense.
•    Missouri Western is averaging 20.3 points per game while allowing 12.3 per game.

 Series Notes with Missouri Western
Series Record:  MWSU leads 23-17-2
Streak: MWSU has won the last two
First Meeting:  WU 58-3 (09/16/1972) in Topeka
Last Meeting:  MWSU 34-31 (11/09/2013) in Topeka
Last WU win:  41-20 (9/24/2011) in Topeka
Last MWSU win:  34-31 (11/09/2013) in Topeka
Largest WU win:  58-3 (09/16/1972) in Topeka
Largest MWSU win:  52-0 (11/7/1981) in St. Joseph

 Last Meeting with Missouri Western
(11/9/2013) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 15-ranked Washburn Ichabods scored 21 points in the final two minutes of the game but it wasn't enough as the No. 22-ranked Missouri Western Griffons held on for a 34-31 win. 
Washburn trailed 27-10 with 4:19 to play in the game after a John Schmiemeir 36-yard field goal, but needed only eight plays and 2:15 off the clock as the Ichabods cut the lead to 27-17 after Joel Piper hit Tore' Hurst for a 5-yard score with two minutes to play in the game.
After an Ichabod onside kick failed, Missouri Western's Raphael Spencer scored on a 47-yard run putting the Griffons back in front 34-17 with 1:51 to play. Washburn cut the lead back to 10 when Piper connected with DaJuan Beard on his second touchdown pass of the day with 1:27 left cutting the lead back to 10 at 34-24. Beard finished with a school-record-tying 13 catches for 182 yards - both career-highs for Beard.
Again Washburn was unsuccessful on the onside kick attempt, but they held the Griffons to punt. The Ichabods then marched 80 yards in seven plays using 36 seconds off the clock when Piper connected with Mark Fancher for his fourth touchdown pass of the day with 28 seconds to play. 
The Griffons recovered the ensuing onsides kick and took a knee to wrap up the game and the 34-31 win.
The Griffons took the early lead with 2:50 to play in the first quarter taking a 7-0 lead, but the Ichabods came right back on the next drive tying the game when Beard pulled down a 18-yard touchdown pass. The Griffons took a 17-7 lead into the break, but it could have been more except Cameron Jackson blocked a Western field goal attempt right before the half.
Piper finished with career-highs of 26 completions, 39 attempts, four touchdown passes and 343 yards. Beard finished with the 13 catches for 182 yards and two scores. Cody Heiman had 52 yards on the ground on nine carries. Defensively Shay Wooten had 12 tackles with nine solo stops and Bryce Atagi had 10 tackles with seven solo stops.
Washburn finished with 416 total yards and 343 passing yards total.

 Last time out for Missouri Western 
(10/11/2014) HAYS, Kan. - The Griffon offense found some traction and the defense continued to excel as Missouri Western avoided consecutive losses for the first time since 2008 with a 26-7 win at Fort Hays Saturday night. 
Missouri Western rushed for a season-high 202 yards, including 165 from Raphael Spencer and passed for 153 for 355 total yards of offense without a turnover. It was MWSU's highest offensive output of the season. The Griffon defense held the Tigers to just 7 points on 396 yards and turned Fort Hays over three times.
The Griffons jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 71-yard touchdown run by Spencer and a 33-yard field goal from John Schmiemeier. The Griffons led by six at the half, 13-7, but shut the Tigers out in the second half while adding 13 more points of their own.  
Skyler Windmiller finished 15-26 for a career-high 153 yards through the air. The redshirt freshman added 22 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was also a career night for Dee Tolliver, who hauled in five catches for 49 yards. Spencer added two catches for 45 yards and Stephon Weaver had five receptions for 31 yards. 
Stephen Juergens led the team with 12 total tackles. Juergens also had one of three MWSU sacks on the night. Kirk Resseguie and Cody Lindsay added the other two. Jonathan Owens picked up his first career interception and Sam Brown had his second of the season. 

 Last time out for Washburn
(10/11/2014) WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabod football team suffered its second shutout loss of the season in a 44-0 loss at Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon. 
Calvin Kenney went into double-figure tackles for the fourth-straight game as he had a career-high 17 tackles with 10 solo stops to lead the Ichabod defense.
The Mules took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 23-yard field goal and would never look back as they took a 10-lead into the halftime break. The Mules added to their lead lifting it to 20-0 on the first drive of the second half with 12:06 to play and a field goal with 4:41 to go stretching the lead to 23-0.
The Mules added a score with 12 seconds to play in the third quarter and then a 33-yard pick six with 6:31 to play in the game stretched the lead to 37-0. Central wrapped up the scoring with 23-yard run making the final margin 44-0.
Washburn recorded 10 first downs in the game while the Mules recorded 28 racking up 451 yards of total offense on 85 plays. Washburn was held in check for 183 yards on 62 carries. On third down Washburn was 2 of 13 on third down conversions after going 0 of 7 in the first half.
Vershon Moore had 36 yards on the ground on 13 carries while Zeke Palmer finished 12 of 25 for 116 yards. DaJuan Beard recorded three catches for 24 yards and Jordan Hart had two catches for 42 yards.
Behind Kenney's 17 tackles, Jaime Myers had 11 tackles with two for loss. Alec Steuber had nine tackles and Spenser Matthews had eight tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss for 12 yards. 

 Washburn Football History
Washburn is 527-561-44 (.480) in the 124th year of Ichabod football. 

 A win for Washburn over Missouri Western would . . .
• lift the Ichabods to 528-561-44 in their football history.
• snap the Griffons' two-game winning streak over the Ichabods.
• be the first win over the Griffons since a 41-20 win in Topeka on Sept. 22, 2011.
• put the Ichabods' all-time series record with the Griffons at 18-23-2.

 A loss for Washburn to Missouri Western would . . .
• drop the Ichabods to 527-562-44 in their football history.
• be the third-straight win over the Ichabods for the Griffons.
• drop the Ichabods to 2-5 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA.
• be the Ichabods' second-straight loss to the Griffons in Topeka.

 Ichabods in the National Polls
WACO, Texas -- The Ichabods fell did not receive any votes this week after the loss to Lindenwood after receiving votes in the preseason poll released on Aug. 18.
Under head coach Craig Schurig, the Ichabods have been ranked or have received votes in the AFCA poll 52 times and have been ranked in the top 10 15 times. Washburn has received votes in or been ranked in 10-consecutive AFCA preseason polls.

 Up Next
Washburn will hit the road again as they will travel to Edmond, Oklahoma to take on Central Oklahoma on Oct. 25. Washburn will then return home for back-to-back home games against Emporia State on Nov. 1 and Northeastern State on Nov. 8 before wrapping up the season against Northwest Missouri in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 15.