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Aaron Deffenbaugh

Football

Ichabods wrap up home slate with RiverHawks

 Opening Notes
•     The Washburn Ichabods will wrap the home slate as they will take on Northeastern State on Saturday, Nov. 8 on Senior Day in Yager Stadium. It will be the final home game for 14 Ichabod seniors.
•    Washburn is coming off a 36-10 win over Emporia State in Yager Stadium last time out while the RiverHawks fell 28-10 to Central Oklahoma.
•    Washburn will finish the 2014 season at Arrowhead Stadium when they will face Northwest Missouri in the Fall Classic on Nov. 15.
•    The RiverHawks are coached by former Washburn assistant Rob Robinson who is in his first season as Northeastern State's head coach. He has several members of his coaching staff who played and coached at Washburn.
•    Robinson spent 12 seasons at Washburn including four seasons as the offensive coordinator.
•    Also on his coaching staff is special teams coordinator Rob Messinger who was a graduate assistant at Washburn from 2008-11.
•    Former Ichabod All-American quarterback Dane Simoneau is the RiverHawks' quarterbacks coach. Simoneau is the Ichabods' all-time leader in total offense, passing touchdowns, passing yards and 33 other school single-season, single-game and career records finishing in 2011. He spent one season as a graduate assistant at Washburn.
•    One other coach on the RiverHawks' staff has ties to Washburn as well. Defensive coordinator  Josh Lattimer is the son-in-law of Ichabod assistant men's basketball coach Dave Brown. Lattimer is married to Brown's daughter Nicole.

 'Bods and Ends
•    Calvin Kenney leads the Ichabods with 90 tackles and is nearly double the next Washburn defensive player.
•     Seventy-two of Washburn's opponents' 288 points have come off turnovers. Washburn has scored three points of its 172 off opponents miscues.
•    The Ichabods are 22 of 39 in the redzone this season scoring 15 touchdowns with seven field goals totaling 124 points scoring 56 percent of the time inside their opponent's 20 yard line. The Ichabods have turned the ball over five times on downs and have had two interceptions and three fumbles with five missed field goals.
•    Opponents have scored 29 of 35 times inside the redzone against Washburn for an 83 percent scoring rate recording 178 points with 23 touchdowns and six field goals with three missed field goals and turning the ball over on downs three times.
•    The Hornets reached the Ichabod redzone only once scoring a single touchdown.
•    The Ichabods are -13 in turnover margin this season which is 10th in the MIAA rankings and they forced their first fumble of the season against Missouri Western … six of Washburn's opponent turnovers have been on interceptions.
•    Washburn has not been shutout twice in a season since 1991 in shutout losses to Pittsburg State and Central Missouri. The last time the Ichabods have been shutout in three games during a season was in 1984.
•    Brad Gourley tied a career-high with four catches against Emporia State.
•    Dwayne Joseph recorded his second career interception against the Hornets.
•     Vershon Moore set a Washburn single-game record with 331 all-purpose yards against the Hornets … his four touchdowns scored, 31 carries and 85-yard punt return were career bests.
•    Zeke Palmer rushed for his first career touchdown against ESU.
•    The 52 rushing attempts against ESU was a season-high for the Ichabods and were the four rushing touchdowns and two interceptions.

 Coaching Staffs
Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
•    was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001. 
•    is 90-57 (.602) in his 13th season as the Ichabod head coach. 
•    is 72-47 (.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 90 wins.
•    is 3-0 against Northeastern State.

Northeastern State head coach Rob Robinson . . . 
•    is in his first season as the RiverHawks head coach.
•    was named the 19th head football coach in school history on Dec. 19, 2013. 
•    he owns a 0-9 all-time record in his first season. 
•    spent the previous 12 years under Craig Schurig as a member of the Washburn Ichabod coaching staff, serving as the offensive coordinator for the last four seasons
•    directed the running backs from 2007-13 and coached the wide receivers from 2002-06
•    he served as the recruiting coordinator from 2002-10 and was the academic coordinator from 2010-13.
•    Robinson is the second former coordinator under Schurig's tutelage to become the head coach of another program, joining Fort Hays State's Chris Brown.

 Ichabod Offensive Notes
•     Senior running back Vershon Moore needs 249 rushing yards to become the all-time leader at Washburn moving past Trent Hearn with 171 yards against Emporia State …  has also rushed for 33 touchdowns and has two of the top three single-game totals in school history … he has rushed for 3,167 yards in his career … he has 11 100-yard rushing games and became the third Ichabod to go over the 3,000-yard rushing mark in a career at Washburn with his season-high 171 yards against the Hornets … he also moved into second place all-time on the Washburn all-purpose yard chart for an Ichabod career with 4,454 trailing Troy Slusser's 5,210 chart-leading total.
•     Junior running back Sean McPherson has rushed for 1,166 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 153 catches which is fourth all-time at Washburn … his 2,219 yards is fifth all-time at well at Washburn … he needs 17 catches to move into second on the all-time receiving chart to pass Michael Dritlein (1992-95) after passing Mike Odupitan (2002-05) for third against Missouri Western.
•     Senior Dylan Ready has played in 41 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 31 games adding 44 catches for 616 yards …he had a career high 98 yards receiving against Missouri Western … Crimmins, who also plays baseball for the Ichabods, is switching from No. 14 to No. 19 to honor former Ichabod baseball coach Steve Anson.
•     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 16 career games at fullback appearing in 26 games.
•     Junior wide receiver Jordan Hart is back after playing in parts of five games last season … he has 59 catches for 1,016 yards and nine touchdowns in his career and has averaged 17.9 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 five games.
•     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 nine starts.
•    Senior Matt Buhler had a career-high four catches for a career-high 58 yards against Lindenwood … this season he has 13 catches for 138 yards.
•     Senior Brad Gourley had a career-long 87-yard reception for a touchdown against Nebraska-Kearney. He has 38 receptions for 523 yards and three scores playing in 29 career 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 43 games making 38 starts tallying 248 tackles with 147 solo stops with four interceptions … he had a career-high 17 tackles against Central Missouri … he is 11th on the Ichabod all-time solo tackle chart and 13th on the total tackle chart.
•     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 38 tackles with a career-high 10 tackles coming against Nebraska-Kearney.
•     Senior defensive tackle Bryan Dale has appeared in 43 games … he has recorded 52 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 22 career starts including 11 in 2013 … overall he has appeared in 37 games with 79 tackles and 9.5 career tackles for loss … he had a career-high eight tackles against Missouri Western on Oct. 4.
•     Sophomore defensive back Zach Franklin had made 11 starts appearing in 20 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 25 tackles this season with 20 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 22 games making 10 starts gaining 64 tackles with 41 solo stops.
•     Senior defensive back Dwayne Joseph has made 15 starts recording 71 career tackles with 51 solo stops and two interceptions in his career appearing in 40 games overall.
•     Junior linebacker Mark Kolmer is another Ichabod moving from offense to defense as he's played in 31 career games with 11 starts adding 58 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 14 starts playing in 29 games with 91 tackles and three interceptions … he has 1,660 career all-purpose yards averaging 57.2 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 116 career tackles appearing in 31 games … he had a career-high 12 tackles against Missouri Western last season.
•    Redshirt freshman Peter Pfannenstiel has started seven games at safety and has recorded 40 tackles with 24 solo stops with a fumble recovery 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 7 of 12 this season with a season-long of 34 … his 72  PATs rank ninth all-time at Washburn and his 21 career field goals are fifth … his four field goals against Central Oklahoma tied a school record and his six attempts were a school record.
•     Senior Aaron Hummert has 172 punts for 6,933 yards averaging 40.31 yards per punt playing in 44 career games … his 40.31 career punting average is second in school history and his 6,933 yards is seventh all-time … had a career-long run of 17 yards on a fourth down against Pittsburg State for a first down and rushed for another first down against Emporia State but was called back because of a holding penalty on the Ichabods.

 Know the Foe
•     The RiverHawks are 0-9 this season coming off a 28-10 loss to Central Oklahoma.
•    Wide receiver Garrett Powell has 55 catches this season for 685 yards which leads the team as do his five touchdowns.
•    Derrick Moore leads the team with 281 rushing yards averaging 31 per game.
•    Kevin Pantastico has completed 158 of 302 passes with 12 interceptions and seven touchdowns.
•    Defensively Steffon Herd leads the RiverHawks with 70 tackles (53 solo) … Jeremiah Milton leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks this season … three different players have one interception.
•    The RiverHawks are averaging 10.3 points a game while allowing 39.8 per contest. 
•    Offensively they are averaging 281 yards per game while allowing 425 for their opponents. On the ground they average 74.7 yards per game while allowing 228 per game.

 Series Notes with Northeasten State
Series Record: WU leads 3-1-0
Streak: WU has won the last two
First Meeting: WU 23-21 (09/26/1987) in Tahlequah
Last Meeting: WU 48-3 (09/21/2013) in Tahlequah
Last WU win: 48-3 (09/21/2013) in Tahlequah
Last NSU win: 35-30 (09/24/1988) in Topeka
Largest WU win: 48-3 (09/21/2013) in Tahlequah
Largest NSU win:35-30 (09/24/1988) in Topeka

 Last Meeting with Northeastern State
(09/21/2013) TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- The Washburn Ichabods scored a season-low 48 points but it did not matter as they improved to 3-0 on the season with a 48-3 win over Northeastern State on Saturday night at Wadley Stadium. 
Washburn held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter after a 40-yd field goal by Justin Linn but then would score 24 points in the second frame taking a 37-0 lead into the break. Donnie Lockhart III scored on 4-yard and 27-yard touchdown runs and Bryce Atagi returned an interception 35 yards for a score and Linn added his second field goal of the game on a 21-yard attempt.
The Washburn defense held the RiverHawks to four first downs and 57 yards on 32 plays in the first half.
In the second half, NSU scored its first points of the game on a 30-yard field goal by Dylan Beers. Washburn added points on special teams when Jaime Myers returned a 69-yard punt to the end zone stretching the Ichabod lead to 34-3 with 4:09 to play in the third quarter.
Washburn then opened the fourth quarter with a 26-yard Mitch Buhler to Tore' Hurst touchdown pass after a interception by Isaac Wright with 12:05 to play in the game and then on Washburn's next possession, Joel Piper hit Brad Gourley in the back of the end zone for a 3-yard score.
Washburn limited the RiverHawks to 159 yards in the game on 72 plays while the Ichabods had 70 plays for 370 yards. The Ichabods had 199 yards ruhsing and 171 through the air.
Lockhart finished with 12 carries for 92 yards and two scores and Buhler was 10 of 30 for 168 yards and a score. Hurst led the Ichabod receivers with 103 yards on six catches and the touchdown reception.
On defense, Washburn was led by Atagi who had eight tackles with six solo stops and the 35-yard interception return for a score. Alex Dowty had six tackles with four for loss for 20 yards and two sacks for 12 yards. .

 Last time out for Northeastern State
(11/1/2014) EDMOND, Okla. – The Northeastern State football team lost 28-10 to Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Wantland Stadium.
The RiverHawks (0-9, 0-9 MIAA) handed back the President's Cup to the Bronchos (7-2, 7-2 MIAA) for the first time since 2009. UCO snapped a four-game losing streak to NSU.
Junior running back Joel Rockmore led Northeastern State with 74 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also had a game-high 146 all-purpose yards with the help of 44 yards receiving and 28 yards on one kickoff return. He surpassed two milestones in the game, as he now has 3,062 career all-purpose yards and 2,021 career rushing yards.
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Pantastico finished 14-of-31 passing for 180 yards and one touchdown. Junior wide receiver Garrett Powell had six receptions for 98 yards and one TD.
UCO quarterback Chas Stallard led the home team with a 24-for-32 effort through the air. He passed for 268 yards and one touchdown, and he also tallied 48 rushing yards and two TD's on the ground.
NSU got on the board first when senior Dylan Beers connected on a 37-yard field goal on the RiverHawks' opening drive. The team entered the contest as one of only five squads in the nation to have not made a field goal this year. Beers missed a 39-yard attempt on NSU's second drive and is now 1-for-5 on the season.
After being forced to punt on their opening possession, the Bronchos marched down the field and ended their next three drives in the endzone to take a 21-3 lead at halftime. The two teams exchanged touchdowns late in the third quarter and did not score in the fourth quarter as UCO secured the victory.
Central Oklahoma outgained Northeastern State 378-275. UCO led 268-180 through the air and 110-95 on the ground. NSU won the time of possession 30:28-29:32. The RiverHawks were also 8-for-17 on third-down conversions, while the Bronchos were just 5-for-11..  

 Last time out for Washburn
(11/1/2014) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods led from start to finish in a 36-10 win over Emporia State in the Turnpike Tussle on Saturday at Yager Stadium. 
After forcing a punt on the Hornets' first drive of the game, the Ichabods marched 49 yards in eight plays scoring on a 2-yard run by Vershon Moore with 10:41 to play after the extra point missed. It was the first of four touchdowns scored by Moore on the day en route to a school-record 306 all-purpose breaking Troy Slusser's mark of 292 set against Emporia State on Nov. 12, 1988.
Washburn forced another three and out for the Hornets and again Moore scored from 14 yards out stretching the lead to 13-0.
The Ichabods scored again on a 22-yard field goal by Justin Linn with 5:33 to play in the first half. On the ensuing drive by Emporia State, Washburn forced a punt Moore recovered his own fumble and rushed down the right sideline for 85 yards pushing the Ichabods to a 23-0 lead with 3:35 to play in the half as neither team would score the remaining time left in the frame.
Emporia State started the scoring in the second half with a 43-yard field goal by Austin Morton and cut the Ichabod lead to 23-10 with 16 seconds to play in the quarter on a Kavaski Ervin touchdown reception from Ty Reasnor.
Washburn scored on its first drive of the fourth quarter when Moore scored from 11-yards out with 10:32 remaining in the game as the Ichabods led 29-10.
Washburn wrapped up the scoring with a 1-yd touchdown plunge by Palmer with 6:10 to play as the Ichabods finished with the 36-10 win.
The Ichabods finished with 191 yards rushing as Moore led the Ichabods with a game-high 171 yards on the ground adding three touchdowns.
Palmer finished with 233 yards passing completing 19 of 30 passing attempts with no interceptions. 
Moore tied for the team high with five receptions for 65 yards. Jordan Hart had five catches for 51 yards and Brad Gourley had four catches for 86 yards.
Shay Wooten led Washburn's defense with eight tackles. Dwayne Joseph had four staops and an interception and Calvin Kenney added an interception too.
Washburn finished with 28 first downs while holding Emporia State to 14 in the game. The Ichabods also had 191 yards rushing holding ESU to 88. Overall the recorded 432 yards of offense limiting the Hornets to a season-low 213 yards.. 

 Washburn Football History
Washburn is 528-563-44 (.480) in the 124th year of Ichabod football. 

 A win for Washburn over Northeastern State would . . .
• lift the Ichabods to 529-563-44 in their football history.
• be the Ichabods' third-straight win over the RiverHawks.
• make the Ichabods 4-1 all-time against the RiverHawks.
• give head coach Craig Schurig his 91st win on the Washburn bench.

 A loss for Washburn to Northeastern State would . . .
• drop the Ichabods to 528-564-44 in their football history.
• snap a two-game winning streak over the RiverHawks.
• drop the Ichabods to 3-7 overall and 3-7 in the MIAA.
• be the first by one of Craig Schurig's former assistants when head coaching for another team.

 Ichabods in the National Polls
WACO, Texas -- The Ichabods fell did not receive any votes this week after the loss to Central Oklahoma 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 wrap up season against Northwest Missouri in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 15.
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Players Mentioned

Bryce Atagi

#2 Bryce Atagi

LB
5' 10"
Senior
Tore

#84 Tore' Hurst

TE
6' 2"
Senior
Isaac Wright

#21 Isaac Wright

LB
6' 3"
Senior
Kansas
Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq

#44 Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq

DE
6' 4"
Sophomore
Dodge City CC
DaJuan Beard

#17 DaJuan Beard

WR
6' 2"
Senior
Cameron Brown

#51 Cameron Brown

OL
6' 2"
Junior
Matt Buhler

#85 Matt Buhler

WR
6' 4"
Senior
Mitch Buhler

#11 Mitch Buhler

QB
6' 2"
Senior
Connor Crimmins

#19 Connor Crimmins

WR
6' 3"
Junior
Bryan Dale

#72 Bryan Dale

DT
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Bryce Atagi

#2 Bryce Atagi

5' 10"
Senior
LB
Tore

#84 Tore' Hurst

6' 2"
Senior
TE
Isaac Wright

#21 Isaac Wright

6' 3"
Senior
Kansas
LB
Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq

#44 Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq

6' 4"
Sophomore
Dodge City CC
DE
DaJuan Beard

#17 DaJuan Beard

6' 2"
Senior
WR
Cameron Brown

#51 Cameron Brown

6' 2"
Junior
OL
Matt Buhler

#85 Matt Buhler

6' 4"
Senior
WR
Mitch Buhler

#11 Mitch Buhler

6' 2"
Senior
QB
Connor Crimmins

#19 Connor Crimmins

6' 3"
Junior
WR
Bryan Dale

#72 Bryan Dale

6' 2"
Senior
DT
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