JOPLIN, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods wrapped up the regular season with a 37-20 win over Missouri Southern on Saturday in Joplin. The Ichabods, who recorded their seventh-straight win over Missouri Southern, finish the season at 7-4. If any news about any postseason bowl games is announced, stay tuned to Washburn social media channels and the wusports.com website for details.
 
The Ichabods scored first on a six-yard touchdown pass from Jared Taylor to James Letcher, Jr. to go up 7-0 following the extra point by Kameron Lake with 1:57 to play in the opening quarter. The five-play scoring drive was set up by a Micah Skebo interception return of 42 yards down to the Missouri Southern 26 setting the Ichabods up just outside of the redzone.
 
After the Ichabods forced a Lion (4-7, 4-7 MIAA) punt on their next drive, the Ichabods marched 65 yards in 13 plays when Tyler Bowden scored from two yards out pushing the lead to 14-0 with 9:28 to go in the first half. On the Lions' next drive, after the Ichabods tried an onside kick, the Lions scored on a 43-yard touchdown pass cutting the Ichabod lead in half at 14-7.
 
It only took six plays for the Ichabods to go back up two scores when Taylon Peters scored on a 4-yard run as Washburn stretched its leads back to 14 at 21-7 midway through the second quarter with the final points of the first stanza.
 
On the Ichabods' first drive of the second half, after an Ichabod punt, the Lions returned Jake Zeller's punt 83 for a touchdown as the Washburn lead shrunk to 21-13.
 
Washburn's next drive failed to produce a first down, but after Zeller's punt to the Missouri Southern 7-yard line, Washburn's Caeden Spencer blocked the Lions punt for a safety and a 23-13 Ichabod lead.
 
After the free kick by the Lions, Peters scored his second touchdown of the day on a 24-yard run building a 30-13 lead with 6:17 to play in the third quarter.
 
The Lions scored with 12:46 to play in the game pulling back the Ichabod lead to 10 on a 1-yard score and on the ensuing Ichabod drive, they were picked off in the endzone returning possession to the Lions with 6:57 to go.
 
The Ichabod defense held the Lions to a three-and-out setting up an 89-yard punt return by Letcher off of a 71-yard Missouri Southern punt. The score was Letcher's second punt return for a touchdown and his fifth overall in an Ichabod jersey as Washburn pushed out to the 37-20 lead finishing off the scoring in the game.
 
Peters finished with 83 yards on 19 carries and the one score while Taylor was 16 of 22 passing with two touchdowns and 215 yards. Letcher had six catches for 71 yards and one score.
 
Defensively, the nation's leading tackler, Grant Bruner, had 10 tackles adding an interception and a tackle for loss while Brent Peavler had eight tackles. The Ichabods had eight tackles for loss in the game with Daniel Piburn and Braden Rose each recording two. Rose had two of the Ichabods' three sacks in the game.
 
The Ichabods outgained the Lions 337 to 283 overall.
 
Notes:
• Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig improved to 16-2 all-time against Missouri Southern.
• With his second punt return for a touchdown in a single season, Letcher ties Clarence Taylor (1975), and Jaime Myers (2013) as the only three Ichabods to have two punt returns in a single campaign.
• Letcher's 1,076 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns rank seventh and sixth respectively on the Ichabod single season chart … Letcher's 80 receptions is third on the single season chart.
• Grant Bruner's 137 tackles is third on the Ichabod single season chart and his 80 solo tackles are third on the single season chart.
• Letcher's 2,992 receiving yards is third on Washburn's all-time receiving chart and his 228 are the most in program history as are the 6,623 all-purpose yards.