For starters
> The Washburn Ichabods will open 129th season of football on Sept. 5 when they will play host to the Lincoln Blue Tigers at 6 p.m. in Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl.
>    Washburn is 77-46-6 all-time in season openers winning last season's opener on the road at Lindenwood in a 27-14 win over the Lions who left the MIAA in all sports after the 2018-19 school year.
>    Overall the Ichabods have won their last three season openers.
>    In season openers in Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl, the Ichabods are 53-22-4 and Thursday's game will be the first season opener at home since the 2016 season when the Ichabods beat Northeastern State 38-13 on Sept. 1.
> The Ichabods are coming off a 5-6 season in 2018 after going 3-3 in home games with wins over Missouri Southern, Northeastern State and a then-No. 19-ranked Central Missouri squad.
> The Washburn Ichabod football team was tabbed eighth in both the MIAA Coaches and MIAA Media Preseason Polls that were released on July 31.
> Lincoln was tabbed 12th in both of the polls.
> The Blue Tigers were 3-8 last season playing as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference going 2-5 in conference play.
> With Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist both leaving the MIAA last season, Lincoln, who was a member of the MIAA in all sports but football returns to MIAA play as a football-playing school taking Lindenwood's spot in the 2019 schedule.
> The upcoming meeting is the first time the Ichabods have faced the Blue Tigers in the first game of the season.
> The Ichabods have averaged 32.1 points per game under 18th-year head coach Craig Schurig in season openers going 12-5 in the first games of the season.
> The Ichabods only played twice on Sept. 5 in the program's history going 1-1. Washburn lost to Benedictine 10-7 in 1981 in Atchison and beat Nebraska-Kearney 58-13 in 2013 in Kearney.
> The most points the Ichabods have scored in a home opener was 82 when they set a school record for the most points in a game against New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 4, 2009 in Topeka in an 82-21 win.
 
 Series notes
> Washburn leads ____________ 6-0-0
> Streaks_____________________ WU has won the past 6 games
> First Meeting_______________ WU 9-0 (10/7/1989) in Topeka
> Last Meeting_______________ WU 58-7 (10/12/2013) in Topeka
> Last WU Win_______________ WU 58-7 (10/12/2013) in Topeka
> Last Lincoln Win____________ n/a
> Largest WU Win____________ WU 58-7 (10/12/2013) in Topeka
> Largest Lincoln Win_________ n/a
 
 Coaching
Washburn Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
>  was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
>  is 115-80 (.599) in his 18th season as the Ichabod head coach.
>  is 97-68 (.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 115 wins.
>  is 3-0 against Lincoln.
 
Lincoln head coach Malik Hoskins. . .
>  was elevated to the position of interim head football coach in May of 2019 after spending the previous two seasons as Lincoln's offensive coordinator.
>  He is in his third season with the Blue Tigers.
>  A 23-year coaching veteran, Hoskins was at Lane from 2008-2015, serving as the offensive coordinator and later as the interim head coach.
>  He also served as the head track and field coach at Lane from 2008-2014. Before coming to Lincoln, Hoskins worked at Bacone in 2016, where he coached six offensive players who earned all-conference recognition.
>  is 0-0 against Washburn.
 
Dee's World - Honoring #17
This season, a different Ichabod will be wearing No. 17 to honor Dwane Simmons, a senior cornerback who passed away on April 28, 2019. The mass media major was set to graduate this December.
Game 1 vs Lincoln - Alvin Houston

 Ichabod season preview
The 2019 Washburn Ichabod football team is coming off a 5-6 season tying for seventh-place overall in the MIAA standings. However the outlook is bright coming into the new season as seven starters will return on offense and five will be back on the defensive side of the ball with a wealth of additional players who saw significant time during the 2018 campaign.
Quarterbacks
Junior Mitch Schurig returns to the helm to lead the Ichabod offense after starting the final eight games of the season throwing for 1,904 yards with 17 touchdowns averaging 211.6 yards per game through the air in his first season as a starter. He had a career-high 397 yards with four touchdowns against Emporia State last season completing 25 passes overall.
Also back is sophomore Ian Trapp who passed for 168 yards and one score in seven appearances while averaging 4.6 yards per carry out of the backfield.
Running Backs
Junior Zach Willis is back after missing the final seven games of the season and is penciled in as the starter entering the season. Also back is sophomore Ryan Peroo who could also see time at fullback. Sophomore Will Evans is the second-leading returning rusher at 227 yards and appeared in all 11 games averaging 4.4 yards per carry including a season-high 133 against Nebraska-Kearney in the season finale.  Junior Curtis Whitten is also back after had 218 yards on 63 carries with three touchdowns.
Fullback
At fullback, sophomore Hunter Warrnick is back after appearing in five games. Junior Matthew Harris is also compete for time at both fullback and at running back.
Wide Receivers
The Ichabod wide receivers will have experience returning this season as six different Washburn wideouts had at least 10 catches last season. The Ichabods' leading receiver in catches is junior Jace Williams who had 19 catches for 229 yards and one score. Senior Austen Hubert had 18 catches for 251 yards and three scores is also back. Redshirt sophomore James Letcher, Jr., is back after missing the final nine games of the season with an injury but had 10 catches for 133 yards in three games.
Sophomore Colin Wilson appeared in six games and had seven catches for 99 yards averaging 14.1 yards per grab. Hunter Browning, who had a season-high 116 yards against Northeastern State last season is making the move to wide receiver and had six catches for 54 yards last season. Senior Devin Kruse will also compete for time.
Offensive Line
The Ichabods have their most-experienced group back on the offensive line as three senior starters return for the upcoming season. Kyle Hinton is back at left tackle where he has started the last 23 games playing in 30 and picked up all-region and all-MIAA honors last season. Jake Riederer is back at right guard after playing some center in 2018 and Colton Dunkle is also back on the line scheduled to start at center. Riederer has started 30 games as an Ichabod appearing in 35 overall and Dunkle has made 22 starts playing in 30 games.
At right tackle the Ichabods will have a pair of new faces as redshirt freshman Andrew Funk sits atop the depth chart entering the season and redshirt junior Alex Ward is right behind him.
At right guard junior Jeremy Luck is scheduled to see significant time and at left guard, redshirt freshman Jake Lyon is marked as the starter beginning the year. Also set to see significant time will be redshirt freshmen Jacob Glendinning and Mason Fair.
Tight Ends
At tight end, the Ichabods have two returners who have seen action entering their senior years in Marcus Meier and Michael Lickteig. Meier has appeared in 33 games making 20 starts collecting 22 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns and Lickteig has played in 30 games making two starts grabbing five receptions for 52 yards and three scores.
Defensive Line
The Ichabods have two starters back in the lineup with another five who played in at least nine games last season as reserves.
Junior all-MIAA defensive tackle Landen Urban is the Ichabods' leading returner in tackles with 43 including six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Washburn's other returning starter is senior Will Jones at defensive end  who had 21 tackles. Junior Bradley Breckenridge returns at a defensive end slot after appearing in all 11 games recording 23 tackles with eight solo stops and 3.5 tackles for loss for 16 yards. Sophomore Braden Rose is listed as a starter at the other defensive end spot and had 14 tackles last season playin in all 11 games with 3.5 sacks. Also back is sophomore Devron Duncan at defensive tackle.
Sophomore Daniel Piburn is scheduled to start at nose guard this season after recording 18 tackles as a true freshman.
Sophomores Malick Fall, Malachi Butler and junior Greg Martin will also see playing time as will junior Nigel Burgess who is making the move from linebacker.
Linebacker
The Ichabods lose two of their top 10 all-time tacklers in school history with the graduation of Austin Tillman and Derrick McGreevy, but will have an experienced group back as senior Kyle Emrick, juniors Brooks Peavler and Garret Barnett-Kruger and sophomore Grant Bruner are all back. Peavler recorded 34 tackles and Barnett-Kruger had 30 last season with Bruner adding 18 and Emerick making 12 stops. Junior Jacob Anderson recorded six tackles in 11 games, and sophomore Alex Thomas will play significant time.
Defensive Backs
The Ichabods will be without NFL Draft pick Corey Ballentine who is off to the New York Giants after a sixth-round selection, but will have a starter back at cornerback and at safety as Washburn will rely on its depth this upcoming season.
Senior Josh Wright returns at cornerback after making eight starts last season making 28 tackles. Back at safety is junior Alvin Houston who had 35 tackles with 4.5 for loss adding two sacks.
The Ichabods will also have experience at two other two safety spots in the 4-2-5 scheme with Jamison Phelps who played in 11 games at one cornerback along with sophomore Kevin Neal, Jr. and senior Aaron McKinney at safety entering the season. Newcomers, junior K.J. Turner will push for playing time as will returners, sophomore Peyton Lane and juniors Kameron Spencer and Marquise Manning. Senior Nathan Mikoleit, who is moving from linebacker to safety after recording 24 tackles in 2018 and junior Chase Williams is also back at safety as well.
Special Teams
The Ichabod special teams units will be the most inexperienced of the groups this year with only returners Josh Wright and James Letcher, Jr.  seeing action last year.
Gone is the Ichabods' all-time leading kick scorer in Perry Schmiedeler who finished with 281 career points which also ranks No. 2 all-time in program history. Schmiedeler is also the Ichabods' leader in career punting yards and third in punting average at 40.3 yards per attempt.
The Ichabods will also have a new long snapper this season as four-year starter Zach Downing has graduated and Nathan Mikoleit will take over his senior year.
Looking to take over the placekicking duties will be a incoming freshman Kameron Lake.
Redshirt junior Lane Spiker will also handle the punting duties entering the season.
 
 Ichabod notes
> Hunter Browning is the Ichabods' leading returning rusher, but is making the move to wide receiver … last season he averaged 40.0 per game.
> Mitch Schurig finished fourth in school history for pass completion percentage going 141 of 242 last season for a 58.3 … 211.6 yards per game last season ranks ninth on the list and his 17 touchdowns were 10th.
> Landen Urban is the Ichabods' leading returning tackler this season on the defensive line … in 2018 he started all 11 games and had 43 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss for 28 yards adding 3.5 sacks for 23 yards and a forced fumble.
> The Ichabods led the nation in net punting in 2018 averaging 39.45 per punt.
> 2018 New York Giants NFL Draft pick Corey Ballentine was sixth in the nation in blocked kicks.
 
 Noting the Blue Tigers
> The Blue Tigers were 3-8 in 2018 going 2-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
> Hosea Franklin is the Blue Tigers' leading rusher back this season after averaging 54.0 yards per game in four appearances in 2018.
> Lincoln will have a new quarterback in Chancellor Johnson, a 6-6, 230-pound transfer from Albany State.
> Lincoln averaged 16.1 ppg last year while allowing 30.2 ppg and recorded 267.5 yards per game of total offense while allowing 374.4.
> Lincoln was outscored 69 to 33 in the first quarter and 131 to 48 in the second quarter of games last season.
 
 Last meeting with Lincoln
(Oct. 12, 2013) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 15-ranked Washburn Ichabods scored the first 51 points of the game and rolled to a 58-7 win over Lincoln improving to 6-0 on the season.
Lincoln had the first possession of the game, but on a third down Bryce Atagi picked off a Percy Turner pass setting Washburn up and the Lincoln 29 and four plays later Vershon Moore scored from 6-yards out putting Washburn up 7-0.
The Ichabods forced a punt by the Blue Tigers (1-5, 0-5 MIAA) and the Ichabods needed just three plays to go 48 yards capped by Moore's second touchdown run of the day. This one was a 13-yard run putting Washburn up 14-0.
Washburn scored before the end of the first quarter when they took advantage of a Lincoln fumble in the endzone on a punt attempt when the snap hit one of the protectors for the Blue Tigers and Shay Wooten fell on the ball with 45 seconds left in the first quarter stretching the Ichabods lead to 21-0.
After a punt by the Blue Tigers, Mitch Buhler hooked up with Tore' Hurst on a 19-yard touchdown pass play with 9:19 left in the half adding to the Ichabod lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Blue Tigers failed to cover the high kickoff by Justin Linn and the Ichabods' Alec Steuber recovered the ball at the Lincoln 32. Linn finished the drive with a 25-yard field goal with 6:31 left in the half putting the Ichabods up 31-0.
The Ichabods' Cody Heiman jumped into the scoring column after a Blue Tiger punt when he scored from 2-yard out right before the end of the half.
Washburn stretched the lead to 45-0 coming out after the break when Moore scored on a 25-yard run capping a four-play, 73-yard drive.
Willie Williams picked off Turner ending a Blue Tiger drive and Buhler scored on a quarterback sneak from 2-yards out giving the Ichabods a 51-0 lead.
The Blue Tigers scored on a 4-yard run by Morris Henderson ending the Ichabod shutout chances.
Joel Piper came in at quarterback and hit Mark Fancher on a 20-yard touchdown pass wrapping up the scoring with Washburn leading 58-7.
Moore led the Ichabods with 88 yards and three touchdowns on the ground while Buhler completed his first eight passes of the game finishing 15 for 19 with one score and 271 yards passing. Matt Kobbeman had six catches for 94 yards and Hurst had four catches for 91 yards and a score.
Atagi led the Ichabod defense with eight tackles with five solo stops including the interception and 1.5 tackles for loss. Washburn had three sacks on the day and seven tackles for loss overall.
Washburn finished with 26 first downs and 495 yards overall while the Blue Tigers had 18 first downs and 361 total yards.
The Ichabods had 303 passing yards overall and 192 yards rushing.
 
 Last time out for the Ichabods
(Nov. 10, 2018) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod football team wrapped up the 2018 campaign with a 17-16 loss as Brain Covarrubias hit a 24-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to send Nebraska-Kearney home with the win. Washburn finishes the season 5-6.
Washburn took a 16-14 lead on the final of Perry Schmiedeler's three field goals, this one on a 38-yard attempt with 4:34 to play staking the Ichabods to a 16-14 lead. Schmiedeler also made field goals of 34 and 20 yards in the game giving in 281 career points which is second all-time on the Ichabod scoring charts.
The Lopers (5-6) scored first on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Alex McGinnis to Trey Lansman with 5:23 to go in the first quarter and would go up 14-0 on the second play of the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Dayton Sealey capping a 98-yard, six-play drive.
Washburn got on the board with Schmiedler's first field goal of the day trimming the lead to 14-3 with 8:57 to go in the first half.
After the Lopers punted, Washburn took over and on a 4th and 15 from the Loper 47, Schmiedeler faked his second punt of the season running for 20 yards to convert a first down and the Ichabods would score a touchdown on a 30-yard strike from Mitch Schurig to James Brania-Hopp with 2:57 to go in the half as the teams entered the break with the Lopers up 14-10.
On the first UNK drive of the second half, McGinnis was picked off by Josh Wright at the Ichabod 12 and returned it to the Ichabod 26-yard line. Washburn took advantage of the Loper miscue as Schmiedler connected on a 34-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-13 with 8:26 left in the third quarter.
Neither team scored until Schmiedeler put the Ichabods up 16-14 with 4:34 to go. On the Lopers' drive which started at the UNK 32, the Lopers took advantage of a personal foul against the Ichabods turning a 4th and 2 into a first down moving the ball to the Ichabod 30 helping to set up the game-winning field goal.
Derrick McGreevy led the Ichabod defense with 18 tackles finishing with 316 for his career which is eighth all-time at Washburn. Austin Tillman had 16 tackles which put him over the 300-tackle mark and ninth all-time at Washburn.
Will Evans finished with a career-high 133 yards on 17 carries to lead the Ichabods and Schurig finished 16 of 30 for 126 yards.
Will Hamilton led the Ichabods with 39 yards on four catches and James Brania-Hopp had four catches for 36 and one touchdown. Brania-Hopp finished the season with 1,144 yards and nine touchdowns. His receiving yards total was third on the Ichabod single season chart and his 62 receptions ranks sixth. For his career, Brania-Hopp's 2,147 receiving yards rank sixth and his 123 receptions are ninth on the Ichabod career chart.
Overall the Ichabods were outgainaed 276 to 159 on the ground and 372 to 285 overall.

 A win over Lincoln would
> lift the Ichabods to 555-585-44 in their football history.
> be the seventh-straight win over the Blue Tigers.
> improve the Ichabods to 1-0 on the season.
> improve the Ichabods to 78-46-6 all-time in season openers.
> move the Ichabods to 7-0 against the Blue Tigers all-time.
> be the fourth season in a row the Ichabods have opened with a win.
 
 A loss to Lincoln would
> drop the Ichabods to 554-586-44 in their football history.
> drop the Ichabods to 0-1 on the season.
> drop the Ichabods to 6-1 against the Blue Tigers.
> be the first loss to open the season by an Ichabod team since the 2015 season in a 20-14 loss to Lindenwood on Sept. 3 in St. Charles.
> drop the Ichabods to 77-47 all-time in season openers.
 
 Ichabod football history
>  Washburn is 554-585-44 (.484) in the 129th 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.
>  Six Ichabods have been picked in the NFL Draft.
 
Ichabods in the national polls
The Ichabods, under head coach Craig Schurig, have been ranked or have received votes in the AFCA poll 66 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 15 times.
 
 Up next
The Ichabods will hit the road for the first time in the 2019 season when they will take on Northwest Missouri on Sept. 14 in Maryville. Washburn will be back in action on Sept. 21 for Family Day when they will face Fort Hays State at 1 p.m. in Yager Stadium.