• The Washburn Ichabod will open 128th season of season on Aug. 30 when they will travel to St. Charles, Mo., to face the Lindenwood Lions.
• The Washburn is 75-46-6 all-time in season openers winning last season's opener over Northeastern State 31-7 in Tahlequah.
• Overall the Ichabods have won their last two season openers.
• The Ichabods are coming off a 7-5 season going 6-5 in the MIAA winning the Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas 41-25 over Angelo State in their seventh postseason appearance under 17th-year head coach Craig Schurig and their 13th overall in program history.
• Lindenwood was 4-7 last season and the Ichabods rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat the Lions on Sept. 16 in St. Charles.
• The Ichabods were picked seventh in both the MIAA Coaches and Media preseason polls.
• The Ichabods have averaged 32.8 points per game under Schurig in season openers going 11-5 in the first games of the season.
• Thursday's game is only the ninth time in program history the Ichabods have opened the season in August going 6-2 overall … the Ichabods have opened on Aug. 30 only once in a 24-14 win over Nebraska-Kearney starting the 2012 season.
• Thursday's game is only the ninth time in program history the Ichabods have opened the season in August going 6-2 overall … the Ichabods have opened on Aug. 30 only once in a 24-14 win over Nebraska-Kearney starting the 2012 season.
•  The Ichabods were one of six MIAA teams who earned postseason berths in 2017 with four going to postseason bowl games and two in the NCAA Playoffs … all four MIAA teams won their bowl games (Central Oklahoma, Pittsburg State, Central Missouri and Washburn).
•  Three of the four Kansas NCAA Division II postseason schools earned postseason berths this year with Fort Hays State as the No. 1 seed in the Division II for the playoffs, Pittsburg State at the Texarkana Bowl and Washburn in the Heart of Texas Bowl.
  • The six games in the series have been decided by an average of 6.5 points per game.
• The Ichabods have won the last two meetings.
• Washburn is 2-1 in games played in St. Charles.
• Washburn defeated a Jed Stugart coached Sioux Falls team in the 2011 season opener 33-17.
• Lindenwood defeated the Ichabods in the 2014 and 2015 season openers winning 44-38 in Topeka on Sept. 4, 2014 and 20-14 on Sept. 3, 2015 in St. Charles.
  Washburn Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
•  was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
•  is 110-74 (.599) in his 17th season as the Ichabod head coach.
•  is 91-63 (.603) against the MIAA.
•  has led the Ichabods to three NCAA Playoff appearances and four bowl appearances and three bowl championships.
•  led the Ichabods to the 2005 MIAA regular season outright championship.
•  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 football coach with 110 wins.
•  is 4-2 against Lindenwood.
 
Lindenwood head coach Jed Stugart . . .
• is in his second season as head coach at Lindenwood.
• is 4-7 in his first season on the Lion sidelines.
• is in his 12th season as a head coach he has a 95-31 record.
• earned a bachelor's degree from Azusa Pacific University in 1995 and a master's degree from Northern Colorado in 2003. He earned three letters as a linebacker from Azusa Pacific.
• was once in the country music business opening for Lone Star, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Tim McGraw playing in from of more than 18,000 fans at the Kansas Festival in Manhattan.
• Washburn defeated a Jed Stugart-coached Sioux Falls team in the 2011 season opener 33-17.  
• He is 0-2 against Washburn.
  • The Washburn Ichabods will have a combined 21 starters off of last season's 7-5 team who defeated Angelo State in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl to wrap up the 2017 season.
• Offensively, the Ichabods ranked fourth in the MIAA in scoring at 31.8 points per game and ranked fourth in scoring defense allowing only 26.1 points per game.
• From the fifth-best total offensive unit in the MIAA, Washburn has back nine starters off a team who averaged 394.1 yards per game.
• On the defensive side of the ball, the Ichabods tout eight returning starters with the seventh-best total defensive squad in the MIAA.
• The special teams unit is also chalked full of experience with returners at the punter and placekicking spots as well as long snapper and punt return and kickoff returners.
• The special teams unit is also chalked full of experience with returners at the punter and placekicking spots as well as long snapper and punt return and kickoff returners.
• Derrick McGreevy was third in the MIAA and 10th in the NCAA in tackles at 11.1 per game and Heath Tucker is 16th in the MIAA with 7.1 tackles per game last season.
• Corey Ballentine finished fourth in the nation and first in the MIAA in kickoff returns averaging 30.6 yards per return.
• Perry Schmiedeler was 23rd in the nation in punting and fourth in the MIAA averaging 41.0 yards per punt.
• James Brania-Hopp led the Ichabods with 702 receiving yards and 41 receptions averaging 17.1 yards per catch with a team-high six touchdowns receptions.
• Derrick McGreevy led the team in 2017 with 131 tackles adding 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles.
• Rashade Chester led the team with 9.5 tackles for loss for 28 yards.
• Will Jones' 4.5 sacks for 26 yards leads the Ichabods.
• Perry Schmiedeler needs three points to become Ichabod all-time kick scoring leader with 211 points … he ranks sixth in overall scoring on Ichabod career chart. • The Lindenwood football team was selected eighth in the MIAA Coaches Poll and ninth in the MIAA Media Poll.
• Lindenwood finished the 2017 season with a 4-7 record while scoring 26.6 points per game and allowed 27.2 points per game. 
• The Lions had a strong pass defense that ranked fourth in the conference with 207.7 yards against per game with a total defense in the top half of the league with 407.4 yards allowed per contest.
• Head coach Jed Stugart signed the largest recruiting class in the NCAA-era for the Lions with 28 incoming freshman including 18 total from the state of Missouri. 
• Lindenwood had a program-record 13 all-MIAA selections including returning first-team member senior defensive tackle Jonathan Harris
  (Dec. 3, 2017) COPPERAS COVE, Texas -- The Washburn Ichabod football team led 21-3 at the break and never looked back as Washburn won the 2017 C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl 41-25 over Angelo State finishing the season  at 7-5.
After neither team scored in the first quarter, Ryan Peroo scored on a 4-yard touchdown capping a five-play, 37-yard drive with 11:57 left in the first half. The teams traded punts and then the Rams would get on the board with a 30-yard field goal with 8:42 left in the second quarter cutting the Ichabod lead to 7-3.
After an Ichabod punt returned the ball back to Angelo State (6-5), Peter Pfannenstiel picked off the Jake Faber pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown pushing Washburn out to a 14-3 lead.
The Ichabod defense held the Rams to a three and out and Blake Peterson scored on a 10-yard run capping a 65-yard drive before the end of the half as Washburn went up 21-3.
To open the third quarter, Washburn held the Rams on their opening drive, but an Ichabod fumble gave the ball back to the Rams at the Washburn 23. However the Ichabods held the Rams to runs of four yards, four yards and incomplete pass and a run of one yard as the Ichabods regained possession on downs.
After a punt by the Ichabods, the Rams drove to their own 44, but Josh Wright picked off the pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown as the Ichabods finished the evening with two pick sixes. After Wright's score, Washburn led 28-10 with 4:10 to play in the third quarter.
On the Rams' next drive, Tyrese Nathan broke free for a 42-yard run up the middle, but he was tracked down by D.J. Olmstead from behind and punched the ball free and Corey Ballentine returned it to the Washburn 24 ending the Ram drive. Washburn took advantage of the turnover and Peterson hit James Brania-Hopp for a 59-yard touchdown pass as the Ichabods increased their lead to 35-10 with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.
Schmiedeler's 25-yard field with 10:34 to play in the game stretched the lead to 38-10 with 10:34 remaining in the game. The Rams scored on their ensuing drive cutting the lead to 38-17 with 6:12 left, but Schmiedeler's 41-yard field goal with 4:14 pushed the lead back to 41-17 with 4:41 to go.
The Rams wrapped up the scoring with an eight yard run and then completed the two-point conversion cutting Washburn's lead to 41-25. The Ichabods recovered the onside kick and would run out the clock to wrap up the game and the win for Washburn.
Peterson, who was named the MVP of the game by the bowl committee, but passed the trophy to Pfannenstiel, finished with 251 passes completing 19 of 36 passes while rushing for 41 yards. Mickeel Stewart recorded 55 yards on 12 carries. Brania-Hopp led the Ichabods receivers with four catches for 111 yards and the one score.
Pfannenstiel tied for the team lead with nine tackles adding the two interceptions and one for a score in the game. Derrick McGreevy recorded nine tackles to finish with a team high 131 tackles this year to lead the Ichabod defense. Kyle Emerick had eight tackles in the game and Trey Parker finished with seven along with Cedric Gonzalez.
Washburn recorded 404 yards of offense and the Rams finished with 409, nearly 100 yards under their season average.
  • lift the Ichabods to 550-579-44 in their football history.
• improve the Ichabods to 5-2 against Lindenwood.
• improve the Ichabods to 76-46-6 all-time in season openers.
• improve the Ichabods to 1-0 on the season.
• be the third-straight season opening game win for the Ichabods.
• be the second-straight win over the Lions.
• make for a better drive back from St. Charles.
  • drop the Ichabods to 549-580-44 in their football history.
• drop the Ichabods to 0-1 on the season.
• drop the Ichabods to 4-3 all-time against the Lions.
• mark the third loss to open the season to Lindenwood (2014 and 2015). •  Washburn is 549-579-44 (.484) in the 128th year of Ichabod football.
•  The Ichabods are ranked 15th in NCAA Division II history in wins.
•  The Ichabods have 12 conference titles with the last coming in 2005 in the MIAA.
•  Washburn has had 142 first team all-MIAA picks and 48 first team all-MIAA selections.
•  Washburn has had 78 All-American selections and 54 All-American picks since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 1989.
•  Washburn has made 12 postseason appearances including bowl games and tournament games going 5-2 in seven bowl games.
•  Five Ichabods have been picked in the NFL Draft.
  WACO, Texas -- For the 12th time in the last 15 years, the Washburn Ichabod football team received votes in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches presason poll released to start the season. The Ichabods are one of eight teams in the MIAA who received votes in the annual preseason poll. The Ichabods, under head coach Craig Schurig, have been ranked or have received votes in the AFCA poll 64 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 15 times.
  The Ichabods will open the home slate for the second-straight season with Northwest Missouri on Sept. 6 in Yager Stadium.