TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod football team racked up a season high 570 yards of offense and held Missouri Southern to 112 yards of offense in the second half as they rolled to a 49-21 win over the Lions improving to 5-1 on the season. Washburn travels to Fort Hays State next Saturday.

After the Lions were forced to punt on the their opening drive of the game, Washburn marched 68 yards in 10 plays capped by a Blake Peterson to Jake Horner 13-yard touchdown pass staking the Ichabods to the 7-0 lead with 9:11 to play in the first quarter.

On the ensuing Lions' possession, D.J. Olmstead picked off the first of his two passes on the afternoon returning the ball to the Ichabods and then six plays later, Zach Willis scored from 1-yard out as Washburn went up 14-0 for the only points of the quarter as Washburn held the Lions to 32 first quarter yards from scrimmage.

The Lions (0-6, 0-6 MIAA) cut the lead in half on a 3-yard rush by Brayden Scott capping an 11-play, 81-yard drive but on the Ichabods' next possession, Mickeel Stewart scored on a 1-yard plunge with 6:06 to play in the half as Washburn went up 21-7.

The teams traded punts and the Lions came back with a score on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Scott to Deuzae Johnson with 1:08 to play in the first half as Washburn would go on to take a 21-14 lead into the halftime break.

Washburn received the second half kickoff and Willis scored his second touchdown on a 14-yard scamper doubling the Lions score at 28-14 with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

After a Lions' punt, the Washburn drive was stalled when the Ichabods came up short on a 4^th and one from the Ichabod 35 and two plays later the Lions scored on a 24-yard touchdown strike again pulling the Lions within seven at 28-21 with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter.

However it took only one play when Peterson hit James Brania-Hopp on a 75-yard touchdown score as the Ichabods went up 35-21.  

On the Lions first play from scrimmage after the score, D.J. Olmstead picked off his league-leading fifth pass of the year and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown giving the Ichabods two scores within 17 seconds of each other stretching the lead to 21 at 42-21. Washburn had 194 yards of offense in the third quarter on 22 plays while holding the Lions to 61 yards on 11 plays.

In the fourth quarter, the only score of the frame was when Peterson hit James Letcher, Jr. on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 6:19 to play as Washburn cruised to the 49-21 win.

The win was the 16^th in the last 18 games over the Lions and the third straight in the series overall and the eighth in a row over the Lions in Topeka.

Peterson finished with 287 yards passing completing 15 of 25 passes with three touchdowns hitting nine different receivers led by Will Hamilton and Jake Horner who each had three catches. Brania-Hopp had two catches for 108 yards.

Willis went over the 100-yard mark for the second game in a row with 106 yards on 16 carries and two scores as Washburn finished with 262 yards rushing on 56 carries. Matthew Williams had 10 carries for 86 yards.

Defensively, Derrick McGreevy and Heath Tucker each had six tackles to lead the Ichabods with McGreevy adding a sack for four yards. Will Jones had 1.5 sacks and D.J. Olmstead had two interceptions adding four tackles.

Perry Schmeideler had four punts for 182 yards averaging 45.5 per punt with two inside the 20 while averaging 59.5 yards per kickoff attempt with three touchbacks.

Washburn had season highs with 56 rushes for 262 yards and 308 total passing yards while running a season high 82 plays recording 570 total offensive yards.

Missouri Southern had 279 total offensive yards with 110 coming on the ground.