FOR STARTERS
•It has been 656 days since the Ichabods have played a game that has counted as Washburn finally returns to the gridiron to face Lincoln on the road on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m.
•Prior to the 2020 season being canceled with the COVID pandemic, 1895 was the year the last time the Ichabod football team had a season in which no games counted toward its record.
•The Ichabods were tabbed sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll that was released on July 27 at the MIAA Media Day in Kansas City and seventh in the MIAA Media Poll.
•Washburn is 78-46-6 all-time in season openers winning the 2019 season opener over Lincoln 49-27 on Sept. 5, 2019 in Topeka over Jefferson City.
•Overall the Ichabods have won their last four season openers.
•In season openers on the road, the Ichabods are 24-24-2 winning their last two away from Yager Stadium. •The Ichabods have averaged 33 points per game under 20th-year head coach Craig Schurig in season openers going 13-5 in the first games of the season.
• The Ichabods are 2-1 in games played on Sept. 2 winning their last two. Washburn topped Colorado Mines 41-21 in 2006, Wisconsin-LaCrosse 26-6 in 2000 and fell to Missouri S&T (formerly Missouri-Rolla) 20-7 in 1989.
• 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 victory.
• The most points the Ichabods have scored in a road opener was 58 when the Ichabods beat Nebraska-Kearney 58-13 on Sept. 5, 2013 in Kearney.
 
 COACHING
Washburn Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
•was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
•is 121-85 (.599) in his 18th season as the Ichabod head coach.
•is 103-73 (.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 121 wins.
•is 4-0 against Lincoln.
 
Lincoln head coach Malik Hoskins . . .
•is in his second season as head coach at Lincoln.
•a 23-year coaching veteran, who was at Lane from 2008-2015, serving as the offensive coordinator and later as the interim head coach.
•Hoskins also served as the head track & 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
•He is 0-1 against Washburn.
 
SEASON PREVIEW
•The Ichabods will return to the field for the first time in 656 days when they open the 2021 season with Lincoln in Jefferson City on Sept. 2.
•The Ichabods did have a controlled scrimmage at Colorado Mines wrapping up their spring practice season.
•The Washburn Ichabods are coming off a 6-5 season recording their 13th winning season in head coach Craig Schurig's 18th season on the Ichabod bench in 2019.
•After starting out the season 3-5, the Ichabods picked up wins at Emporia State, at home over Pittsburg State and on the road at Nebraska-Kearney finishing the season on a three-game winning streak.
•The Ichabods had four practices of their spring ball in before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season early.
•The Ichabods will have 73 returning lettermen with a balanced group of 36 on offense, 34 on defense and three on special teams.
•As far as starters returning, the Washburn has seven starters on offense and eight on defense with six on special teams with kickers and returners.
 
RETURNING ALL-MIAA PICK
•The Ichabods have seven all-MIAA selections back from the 2019 season.
•Junior wide receiver and kickoff return specialist James Letcher, Jr., was an honorable mention all-American selection and a second team all-MIAA pick as a wide receiver and a third team all-conference pick as a returner. Letcher was fifth in the MIAA in receiving yards per game with 74.9 and his 5.8 receptions per game was second in the league. Overall, Letcher had 64 receptions for 824 yards adding seven touchdowns. Letcher recorded 27 kickoff returns for 734 yards averaging 27.2 per return including a 100-yard return against Fort Hays State. He was second in the MIAA in kickoff return average and was eighth in the nation.
•Senior punter Lane Spiker was a second team all-MIAA pick and had 36 punts for 1,469 yards and had nine punts of more than 50 yards averaging 40.8 yards per punt helping the Ichabods finish seventh in the nation in net punting at 38.61 yards per punt. His season average of 40.8 ypp ranks eighth on the Ichabod single season chart.
 •On the all-MIAA third team was senior defensive back K.J. Turner who was third on the Ichabods in tackles with 59 total stops adding 35 solo tackles with an interception adding a forced fumble and five pass break-ups.
•Senior quarterback Mitch Schurig was an honorable mention all-MIAA selection after passing for 2,319 yards and 21 touchdowns averaging 231.9 yards per game completing 187 of 283 passes setting a school record with his 66.1 completion percentage. He was fourth in the MIAA in passing yards per game and his 2,319 passing yards rank ninth on the Ichabod single season chart and his 21 touchdowns were ninth.
•Junior linebacker Grant Bruner was an honorable mention all-conference pick after leading the Ichabods with 73 tackles recording 8.5 tackles for loss for 28 yards and two sacks with a forced fumble.
•Senior running back Zach Willis was also honorable mention all-MIAA after leading the Ichabods in rushing at 63.7 yards per game adding seven touchdowns and 7.6 yards per carry.
•Senior safety Marquise Manning was an honorable mention all-MIAA  after recording 28 tackles with 24 solo stops adding three interceptions. On special teams he also had nine kickoff returns for 156 yards.
 
SCHEDULE
•The Ichabods will open the season at Lincoln on Sept. 2 and then return home to face Central Missouri on Sept. 9 in Yager Stadium.
•Following a road game at Nebraska-Kearney, the Ichabods are back in Topeka facing Missouri Western as part of Family Day activities.
•On Oct. 2, the Ichabods will renew the second-longest rivalry in NCAA Division II football with Emporia State on the road before back-to-back home games with Fort Hays State on Oct. 9 with the Washburn Hall of Fame game and then will take on Northwest Missouri on Oct. 16.
•After a trip to Central Oklahoma on Oct. 23, the Ichabods will celebrate Washburn's Homecoming on Oct. 30 by hosting Northeastern State.
•Washburn's final road game of the regular season will be at Pittsburg State on Nov. 6 and then return home for senior day on Nov. 13 with Missouri Southern.
 
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
•Former Ichabod all-American quarterback Dane Simoneau returns to the Washburn  sideline for the first time since serving as a graduate assistant for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Simoneau will coach the offensive line and co-coordinate the offense.
•Co-Defensive Coordinator Zach Watkins will handle the play calling on defensive and will take a support role on the Ichabod special teams as LaRon Moore will coordinate special teams play calling.
•New to the Ichabod coaching staff joining prior to the  2020 school year was Malen Luke, who is the father of Ichabod Co-Defensive Coordinator Brock Luke and will help coach the defensive line. Malen spent the previous 14 seasons at Northwood's staff in Michigan including the last 11 as the defensive coordinator. Luke came to Northwood after serving as the head coach at Clarion University for 11 seasons.
•Former six-year NFL veteran and Ichabod All-American Brian Folkerts is joining the coaching staff as an assistant coach offensive line.
 
ICHABODS ON CAREER CHARTS
•Ichabod running back Zach Willis sits 18th on the all-time rushing chart with 1,208 yards. He needs 502 yards to move into the top 10 at Washburn.
•Willis also has a career yards per attempt of 6.46 per carry as an Ichabod, which is second on the all-time chart behind Corey Crain who averaged 7.19 yards per carry.
•Ichabod quarterback Mitch Schurig has passed for 4,223 yards entering his senior season which is eighth on the Ichabod career chart. To move into the top five all-time, he needs 1,214 yards.
•Schurig has also thrown for 38 touchdowns which is sixth all-time at Washburn and with five more he can move into the top five all-time.
•Schurig is Washburn's all-time leader in passing completion percentage at 62.5 percent ahead of current coach Dane Simoneau who completed 58 percent of his passes.
•Schurig is also ranked ninth in total offense for a career with 4,186 yards.
•With 20 pass receptions, James Letcher, Jr. can become the 17th Ichabod to record at least 100 catches in a career at Washburn.
•Letcher's 26.9 yards per kickoff return is second all-time at Washburn.
 
 NOTING THE BLUE TIGERS
•The Blue Tigers were tabbed both 12th in the MIAA preseason coaches poll and preseason media poll.
•Leading the Lincoln offense is Malik Franklin led the MIAA in rushing in 2019 with 1,359 yards on 226 carries for an average of 6.0 yards per attempt. The only league rusher to net over 1,000 yards, Franklin was named to the All-MIAA first team and later received Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-American honorable mention status.
•Franklin broke Lincoln's single-season rushing record in 2019, and, in LU's first contest back in the MIAA, gained 251 yards against Washburn, setting a new program single-game record. Franklin ended the year ranked among the top-10 in NCAA Division II in total rushing yards and rushing yards per game (123.6).
•Leading the Blue Tiger defense is TeAndre Skinner who had 46 total tackles, including 35 solo takedowns. Skinner had 5.0 tackles for loss, resulting in 20 lost yards by Lincoln's opponents, and was credited with two quarterback hurries. During the 2021 spring exhibition season, Skinner recorded six tackles, including one for a loss, against NCAA Division I opponent Nicholls State, and had another tackle for loss against Texas-Permian Basin.
 
 LAST MEETING WITH LINCOLN
(Sept. 5, 2019) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods racked up 28 points in the second half holding the visiting Lincoln Blue Tigers to six in the second half picking up a 49-27 win in Yager Stadium on Thursday night. 
The Ichabods scored the first 21 points of the second stan•a on a pair of touchdown passes from Mitch Schurig with the first going to Collin Wilson and the second to Austen Hubert pushing the Ichabods out to a 35-21 lead midway through the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Percy Mitchell scored on a 6-yard run staking the Ichabods to a 42-21 margin taking advantage of one of five Blue Tiger turnovers on the evening with 12:08 to play in the game.
Lincoln's only second half points came with 9:08 to go on a Dre'Shon Alston 13-yard touchdown reception from Chancellor Johnson but the extra point attempt went off the upright as the Ichabods held on to the 42-27 lead.
Mitchell wrapped up the scoring on the night for the Ichabods with a 1-yard plunge capping a five-play drive with 3:22 to go staking Washburn to the 49-27 win.
To start the game the Ichabods jumped on the Blue Tigers first as Taylon Peters scored from 2-yards out ending a 12-play, 70-yard drive. After Lincoln punted, the Ichabods coughed up the ball for one of the school-record seven turnovers leading to a game-tying 7-7 score of 30 yards.
Washburn pushed out to a 14-7 lead on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Schurig to James Letcher, Jr. with 14:55 to go in the opening half. After a Blue Tiger punt and an Ichabod turnover, Lincoln knotted the score at 14-14 with 13:08 to play. Washburn's third turnover of the game led to the Blue Tigers taking a 21-14 lead with 7:16 to go. Washburn tied the score going into the break on a Peters' second 2-yard touchdown run of the game with under a minute to play.
Peters led the Ichabods with 98 yards on 19 carries and two scores and Cornelius Ruff had 10 carries for 55 yards. Mitchell finished with 43 yards on five carries and two scores as both Ichabod rushing touchdowns went to true freshmen.
Schurig was 16 of 24 passing for 215 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson's five catches for 68 yards led the Ichabods as nine different receivers had a catch.
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by Braden Rose and Garret Barnett-Kruger who each had eight tackles. Brooks Peavler, Kyle Emerick, Peyton Lane and Marquise Manning all had fumble recoveries with Manning adding an interception as well.
Hosea Franklin led the Ichabods with 20 rushes for 251 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Blue Tigers.
The Ichabods had 515 yards of total offense with 278 coming on the ground.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Nov. 16, 2019) KEARNEY, Neb. – The Washburn Ichabods scored on their first seven possessions of the afternoon while racking up the second-highest total yards in program history in a 57-41 win over Nebraska-Kearney. The win was the third in a row for the Ichabods as they finished the regular season 6-5.
The Ichabods took the opening possession and scored in seven plays marching 75 yards capped by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Schurig to Collin Wilson staking the Ichabods to a 7-0 lead with 12:09 to play in the first quarter.
After forcing a punt on the UNK first possession, Washburn used a 22-yard pass competition from Schurig to James Letcher, Jr., and a 59-yard yard rush around the left side to the UNK 6-yard line and finished off by Jace Williams' first career rushing touchdown out of the wildcat as the Ichabods went up 14-0.
The Ichabods forced another UNK punt and then marched 80 yards in nine plays capped by a Taylon Peters' 33-yard scamper for his seventh touchdown of the season with one second to play in the first quarter as Washburn outgained UNK 245 to 71 in the first quarter collecting 10 first downs compared to five for the Lopers.
Nebraska-Kearney cut the lead to 21-7 with a 10-play, 75-yard drive with 11:38 to go in the first half on a 3-yard run by Dayton Sealey.
After the score by the Lopers, Washburn needed only four plays to score again as Willis raced 59 yards for a touchdown with 9:27 to play in the half finishing off the 70-yard drive.
The Lopers responded with a 75-yard drive of their own going seven plays cutting the Ichabod lead back to 28-14 with 6:32 to play in the first half.
Washburn returned serve with its fifth touchdown on its fifth possession of the first half when Williams rushed for his second touchdown of the day on a 31-yard run up the middle finishing off a seven-play, 55-yard drive.
The Ichabods held the Lopers on fourth down at the WU 24 and then marched 77 yards in four plays on a 54-yard pass reception by Peters, an 18-yard run by Peters and then a 5-yard touchdown pass from Schurig to Williams who scored his third touchdown of the afternoon as Washburn went up 41-14 right before the half. In the first half, the Ichabods have 274 rushing yards, 178 passing yards tallying 452 total yards while holding UNK to 248 overall.
Starting the second half, the Lopers were held on a fourth down attempt at the Ichabod 21 and then Washburn used 6:20 off the clock on a 13-play, 79-yard drive on a 3-yard run by Williams. It was his third rushing touchdown and his fourth overall as the Ichabods pushed the lead to 48-14.
On the ensuing drive, the Lopers used a quick four-play, 75-yard drive capped by a Dayton Sealey 33-yard touchdown run cutting the lead to 48-21 with 4:57 to play in the third quarter.
After the Ichabods were stopped on a fourth down conversion attempt with 1:36 to go ending the Ichabods seven-for-seven on scoring drives, Kevin Neal, Jr., picked off a UNK pass returning the ball back to the Ichabods.
The Ichabods then drove 76 yards in eight plays as senior offensive lineman Kyle Hinton scored on a tackle eligible 8-yard touchdown pass from Schurig to put Washburn up 55-21 with 12:33 to go in the game.
UNK scores on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Davis to trimming the Washburn lead to 55-28 with 9:15 to go in the game and the onside kick attempt by the Lopers sailed out of bounds and Washburn took over at the WU 45, however the Ichabods were forced to punt for the first time on the afternoon and UNK took over at its own 49-yard line with 6:49 to play.
The Lopers scored with 2:54 to go cutting the lead to 55-35 and after a WU turnover on a fumble, the Lopers scored to cut the lead to 55-41, but the PAT attempt by the Lopers was blocked and Alvin Houston scooped it up and returned it for a 2-point defensive PAT – the first in program history as the Ichabods ran out the clock with the 57-51 win.
Schurig finished 20 of 23 passing for 314 yards and three touchdowns completing 87 percent of his passes. Willis had nine carries for 154 yards averaging 17.1 ypc and Williams had five carries for 48 yards and the three touchdowns. Wilson had four catches for 15 yards and one score.
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by Kevin Neal, Jr. with seven tackles and an interception and Grant Bruner had seven tackles with two tackles for loss.
Washburn finished with 343 yards on the ground on 46 attempts while holding the Lopers to 272 yards on the ground, under their season average of 344 yards per game. Overall the Ichabods had 657 yards of total offense averaging 9.4 yards per play – the second highest total in school history.
Washburn was 11 of 14 on third down conversions while holding the Lopers to 5 of 11 on third down.
 
A WIN OVER LINCOLN WOULD
•be the eighth in a row over the Blue Tigers.
•move Washburn to 1-0 on the season.
•move the Ichabods to 2-0 against Lincoln in Washburn season openers.
•move the Ichabods to 79-46-6 all-time in their season opener.
•move the Ichabods to fifth-straight opening game win in a row.
 
A LOSS TO LINCOLN WOULD
•snap a seven-game winning streak over the Blue Tigers.
•be the first by the Blue Tigers over the Ichabods.
 
ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
•Washburn is 556-585-44 (.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 171 first team all-MIAA picks and 53 first team all-MIAA selections.
•Washburn has had 83 All-American selections and 56 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.
•Seven 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 return to Yager Stadium for the first time since a 49-38 win over Pittsburg State on Nov. 9, 2019 to play host to Central Missouri at 6 p.m. on Sept. 9 … a span of 670 days.