FOR STARTERS
• The Washburn Ichabods return home for the first time since Oct. 1 to face Central Oklahoma as part of Washburn's Homecoming 2022 weekend.
• The Ichabods (4-3, 4-3 MIAA) are coming off a 32-30 loss to No. 16 Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
• The Bronchos (5-2, 5-2 MIAA) have won their last four games after a 35-23 win over Fort Hays state last time out.
• Washburn is 49-45-1 on homecoming and 0-2 vs Central Oklahoma on the Ichabod homecoming falling 38-27 on Oct. 24, 2015 and 22-20 on Oct. 26, 2019.
• Overall the Ichabods are 2-3 against the Bronchos in Topeka and have lost the last three games played.
• Washburn's last win over the Bronchos in Topeka came on Sept. 28, 2013 in a 28-19 win. The other win came in the very first game in the series in a 48-3 win on Oct. 15, 2011.
• Washburn leads the MIAA in scoring offense at 35.1 ppg and is ranked eighth in scoring defense allowing 25.0 ppg.
• Central Oklahoma is fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense at 28.6 ppg and third in scoring defense allowing 19.1 ppg.
• Washburn is second in the MIAA in total offense at 439.4 yards per game while the Bronchos are eighth in total offense at 372.0 yards per game.
• Defensively, UCO is ranked fourth in total defense allowing 339.0 ypg while the Ichabods are 10th allowing 401.3 ypg.
 
 BLUE NOTES
• Kellen Simoncic is second in the nation in passing touchdowns with 22 and 13th in the nation in total offense at 294.6 yards per game. He also is ranked second in the nation in points responsible for per game at 22.3 leading the MIAA as well.
• Grant Bruner leads the nation in tackles at 13.3 per game and is first in solo tackles with 8.6 per game.
• James Letcher, Jr., is 12th in the nation receiving touchdowns (7), 12th in receiving yards (734), 13th in receiving yards per game (104.9) and 12th in receptions per game (7.1). He is also 19th in all-purpose yards (144.9).
• James Letcher, Jr. is ranked third in active NCAA D2 players with 5,062 all-purpose yards and fourth with 2,650 receiving yards and third with 198 receptions.
• James Letcher, Jr., needs six kickoff returns and 156 kickoff return yards to become Washburn's all-time leader.
• Kameron Lake's 103 PAT's is ranked third all-time at Washburn trailing Connor Sabel who had 157.
• The Ichabods were picked fourth in the MIAA preseason media and coaches polls.
 
 COACHES
Washburn Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
• was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
• is 134-91 (.599) in his 21st season as the Ichabod head coach and the sixth-longest tenured football coach in MIAA history.
• is 116-76 (.603) against the MIAA.
• has led the Ichabods to four 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 134 wins.
• 4-6 against Central Oklahoma.
 
Central Oklahoma head coach Adam Dorrel . . . 
• was hired to lead Central Oklahoma in December.
• has a 100-42 career record up to this his 13th season as a head coach.
• The Maryville, Mo. native played for and coached at Northwest Missouri, winning three national championships as the head coach. He spent the previous six seasons coaching at Abilene Christian.
• has a 62-7 career record in the MIAA
• He is 6-0 against Washburn with all of the wins coming at Northwest.
 
CAREER CHARTS
• James Letcher, Jr. has 1,625 career kickoff return yards on 44 attempts. Washburn's all-time leader is Clarence Taylor (1974-77) who had 1,771 yards on 72 returns - both Washburn records.
• James Letcher, Jr.'s 24.6 yards per kickoff return is second all-time at Washburn behind Fletcher Terrell's 27.32 yard per return average.
• James Letcher, Jr.'s became the ninth Ichabod to go over the 2,000-yard mark in career receiving yards now standing with 2,650 yards, which is fourth all-time at Washburn … his 198 career receptions tops on the all-time chart and his 26 touchdown receptions is fifth.
• James Letcher, Jr.'s has 5,062 career all-purpose yards, which is second all-time at Washburn. Troy Slusser has the school record with 5,210 yards from 1984-88.
 
 NOTING BRONCHOS
• The Bronchos have won their last four games entering Saturday's contest with a 5-2 record.
• Central Oklahoma is fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense at 28.6 ppg and third in scoring defense allowing 19.1 ppg.
• Washburn is second in the MIAA in total offense at 439.4 yards per game while the Bronchos are eighth in total offense at 372.0 yards per game.
• Defensively, UCO is ranked fourth in total defense allowing 339.0 ypg while the Ichabods are 10th allowing 401.3 ypg.
• UCO's placekicker Nicky Quevedo is second overall in the MIAA in scoring averaging 7.1 ppg.
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE BRONCHOS
(Oct. 23, 2021) – EDMOND, Okla. – The Washburn Ichabods moved to 6-2 on the season with a wild finish at Central Oklahoma as the squad scored on a 90-yard kickoff return by James Letcher, Jr., and a 75-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Braden Rose rallying and wrapping up a 29-17 win over the Bronchos.
After the Bronchos (4-4) blocked an Ichabod punt setting up shop at the Washburn 41, UCO needed only two plays to take a 17-16 lead with 51 seconds to play in the game. However on the ensuing kickoff, Letcher, Jr., returned the ball 90 yards to paydirt as the Ichabods went back in front 22-17 after the two point conversion pass failed.
With the Ichabods holding a five-point lead, UCO drove down to the Washburn 20, but UCO's Keats Cahool was sacked at the 25 by Laden Urban and Rose picked up the ball and ran 75 yards for the score staking the Ichabods to a 29-17 lead with nine seconds left.
After the kickoff, UCO's one play end the game on an incomplete pass as the Ichabods snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bronchos.
UCO took a 7-0 lead on its first drive of the game needing only three plays to move 78 yards scoring with 9:35 left in the opening quarter.
Washburn tied the score in the second quarter when Zach Willis scored from 1-yard out tying the scoring with 9:55 to play before the half.
The Ichabods after forcing a UCO punt, was stopped short at the goal line turning the ball back to the Bronchos at the UCO 1 yardline, but on UCO's first play from scrimmage, the running play was cut short in the backfield giving the Ichabod a safety and a 9-7 lead entering the break.
Washburn on its first drive of the second half went up 16-7 when Kellen Simoncic hit Peter Afful on a 65-yard touchdown strike as the Ichabods took the nine-point lead into the break.
Letcher, Jr., led the Ichabods with five catches and Afful finished with 78 yards receiving while SImoncic was 17 of 31 passing for 204 yards and one score. Taylon Peters had 39 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Grant Bruner led the Ichabods with six tackles and Kevin Neal, Jr., and Jordan Finnesy each had five tackles.
Letcher finished with 186 all-purpose yards.
Washburn finished with 328 yards of offense and 204 through the air.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH UCO
• The Bronchos lead the all-time series 6-4.
• Each team is 2-3 at home against its opponent in the series.
• Overall the Ichabods are 2-3 against the Bronchos in Topeka and have lost the last three games played.
• Washburn's last win over the Bronchos in Topeka came on Sept. 28, 2013 in a 28-19 win. The other win came in the very first game in the series in a 48-3 win on Oct. 15, 2011.
 
 LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Oct. 15, 2022) MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods rallied to take a 30-29 lead with 24 seconds to play but No. 16 Northwest Missouri traveled 43 yards in three plays after a 38-yard kickoff return to kick a 36-yard field goal to take a 32-30 lead with two seconds to play as the Ichabods fall in a heartbreaker as the multi-lateral kickoff return was unsuccessful as Washburn falls to 4-3 on the season.
The Ichabods took the one-point lead on a 10-yard run by Kellen Simoncic with 18 seconds to play on a 4th and goal. However a big kickoff return by the Bearcats put Northwest (5-2) in position and after pass plays of 20 yards and 23 yards to the Ichabod 19 setting up the go-ahead field goal.
Washburn led 24-23 with 7:15 to go in the game when Simoncic hit Peter Afful on a 28-yard touchdown pass finishing off a 78-yard, five-play drive. However Northwest came back on an 11-play, 70-yard drive taking a 29-24 lead after the two-point conversion pass failed.
With 11:52 to go in the game, Simconcic hit Tyce Brown for his first touchdown reception of his career as the Ichabods cut into the Bearcat lead at 23-17 after neither team scored in the third quarter.
The Ichabods were down 2-0 when Northwest recorded a safety against the Ichabods and then would go up 9-0 on a touchdown pass with 3:49 to play in the opening quarter. Washburn got on the board on a 33-yard field goal by Kameron Lake with 14:12 to play in the first half.
On the following drive, the Bearcats had a 75-yard drive going up 16-3 with 11:58 to play in the half. However the Ichabods scored their first touchdown of the game on a 30-yard strike from Simoncic to Afful with 32 seconds to go, but the Bearcats scored right before the half on a 63-yard, three-play drive to go up 23-10 as time expired in the first half.
Simoncic finished 26 of 40 for 314 yards and three touchdowns but was sacked seven times completing 14-straight passes at one point. Hunter Browning rushed for 52 yards and 11 attempts while James Letcher, Jr., who became Washburn's all-time leader in receptions, had eight catches for 129 yards. Afful had five catches for 78 yards and two scores.
Grant Bruner, the nation's leading tackler, had 14 tackles including 12 solo stops.
Both teams had 25 first downs as the Bearcats outgained the Ichabods 439 to 357. Washburn was 8 of 15 on third downs holding the Bearcats to 5 of 11 conversion attempts.

NORTHWEST MISSOURI LEFTOVERS
• Washburn fell for the first time on the road in the loss to Northwest Missouri.
• dropped the Ichabods to 4-3 on the season and move the series record to 7-34 all-time against Northwest.
• was the eighth-straight loss to the Bearcats in Maryville.
 
 A WIN OVER THE BRONCHOS WOULD
• move the Ichabods to 5-3 and the second-straight win over the Bronchos.
• snap a three-game losing streak to the Bronchos in games played in Topeka.
• improve the ichabods to 5-6 all-time against the Bronchos.
• be Washburn's first win over the Bronchos in Topeka since Sept. 28, 2013 in a 28-19 win.
• be better than losing.
 
A LOSS TO THE BRONCHOS WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 4-4 on the season and move the series record to 7-4 in favor of the Bronchos.
• be the fourth-straight loss to UCO in Topeka.
 
ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 572-598-44 (.484) in the 130th 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 61 first team all-MIAA selections.
• Washburn has had 96 All-American selections and 72 All-American picks since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 1989.
• Washburn has made 14 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 77 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 15 times.
 
UP NEXT
After a roadtrip to Northeastern State on Oct. 29, the Ichabods will host Pittsburg State on senior day on Nov. 5 before wrapping up the regular season at Missouri Southern on Nov. 12.