For Starters
• The Washburn Ichabods will kickoff their 130th season on Thursday, September 1 when they will play host to Lincoln in Yager Stadium with start time set for 6 p.m.
• The Ichabods are coming off a 9-3 season with a second-place tie in the MIAA standings from 2021 reaching the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2011.
• The Ichabods are 79-46-6 all-time in season openers and 2-0 when playing the Blue Tigers in the first game of the season.
• The Ichabods are 54-22-4 in season openers played in Yager Stadium.
• The Ichabods have won their last seven games played in Yager Stadium, which is the 10th-longest streak in the NCAA D2 ranks starting the season. The longest streak in the nation belongs to Northwest Missouri at 12 games.
• The Washburn Ichabods were just outside of the AFCA Top 25 preseason coaches poll and ranked No. 25 in the D2Football.com preseason poll.
• The Blue Tigers were 0-10 last season having one game canceled due to COVID 19 protocols.
 
 Blue Notes
• The Ichabods were picked fourth in the MIAA preseason media and coaches polls.
• Washburn put up an averaged of 32.5 ppg last season allowing 21.9 ppg.
• Washburn was third in the nation in third down conversions last year and second in the MIAA.
• James Letcher, Jr. was 10th in the NCAA in all-purpose yards averaging 154.7 yards per game and he was fourth in the NCAA in combined kick returns and ninth in the nation in kickoff returns averaging 28.5 per attempt.
• James Letcher, Jr. was also one of nine players in the D2 ranks to have two kickoffs returned for touchdowns last season. He has three for his Washburn career which is an Ichabod career record.
• Peter Afful was 19th in the nation in yards per reception at 19.3 per catch which was second in the MIAA.
• On defense the Ichabods return six of their top eight players with the most tackles from 2021. Peyton Lane had 70 tackles, one shy of graduating senior Brooks Peavler. Also back is Kevin Neal, Jr., who had 65, Grant Bruner who had 60 tackles in seven games, Channon Ross with 42, Jordan Finnesy with 41 and Landen Urban who had 38.
• Urban was second on the team with 12.0 tackles for loss for 55 yards and his six sacks were also second on the team.
• The Ichabod offensive line returns four of its five starters from last season with the exception of graduating senior Colton Dunkle at center. Returners include C.J. Murray (RT), Jacob Glendinning (RG), Bergan Hofer (LG) and Andrew Funk (LT) will be joined by Mason Honne in the middle, who also saw significant time last season directing the offensive line.
 
 COACHES
Washburn Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
• was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
• is 130-88 (.599) in his 21st season as the Ichabod head coach and the sixth-longest tenured football coach in MIAA history.
• is 112-75 (.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 130 wins.
• is 5-0 against Lincoln.
 
Lincoln head coach Jermaine Gales . . . 
• is in his first season on the Blue Tiger sidelines.
• was hired in November of 2020 as the Associate Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Bluefield State, a school that had discontinued its football program in 1981. 
• before building the program at Bluefield State, Gales spent two seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where, as the offensive coordinator, he took a team that hadn't won more than two games in a season since 2014 and helped lead it to a winning record in 2019
• graduated from Southern Arkansas in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in biology and a minor in human performance and recreation. He later earned a master of education degree in kinesiology from SAU in 2005.
• has never coached against Washburn.
 
Career Charts
• James Letcher, Jr. has 1,467 career kickoff return yards on 54 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 27.17 yards per kickoff return is second all-time at Washburn behind Fletcher Terrell's 27.32 yard per return average.
• James Letcher, Jr.'s 144 career receptions is fifth on the all-time chart at Washburn and his 18 touchdown receptions is sixth.
• James Letcher, Jr.'s two career kickoffs returned for touchdown is tied for first all-time at Washburn with Fletcher Terrell and Cary Williams and his 27.27 yards per return is second behind Terrell's 27.32 yards per return.
• James Letcher, Jr.'s has 4,047 career all-purpose yards, which is sixth all-time at Washburn. Troy Slusser has the school record with 5,210 yards from 1984-88.
• Kameron Lake is tied for ninth with 74 extra points as an Ichabod. The school record is 157 set by Connor Sabel set from 2003-06.
• Landen Urban's 95 yards from tackles for loss is 14th at Washburn and Braden Rose's 92 yards is 16th.
 
 Noting the Blue Tigers
• The Blue Tigers were 0-10 last season and picked 12th in the MIAA preseason media and coaches poll released.
• The Blue Tigers are under the direction of first-year head coach Jermaine Gales.
• The Blue Tigers have 59 true freshman on their roster with 24 junior and seniors.
 
 Last meeting with Lincoln
(Sept. 2, 2021) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabod football squad kicked-off the 2021 season scoring the final 55 points of the game in a 72-12 win over the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Washburn (1-0, 1-0 MIAA) rolled to its fifth-highest single-game points total in program history in the 64-point win. 
The Ichabods put up 21 points in the first quarter after a punt snap was muffed by the Blue Tigers, It took the Ichabods two plays as Taylon Peters scored the first points of the season on a 2-yard run with 13:01 to play in the first quarter.
After a punt by the Blue Tigers, Washburn marched 68-yards on five plays capped by a touchdown pass from Mitch Schurig to Jace Williams on a 20-yd strike as Washburn went up 14-0. Lincoln came back on its next drive using a 74-yard touchdown pass from Zamar Brake to Chrissuhn Robinson.
The Ichabods used a five-play, 71-yard drive covering 2:03 off the clock as Zach Willis scored on a 1-yard plunge as WU pushed the lead to 21-6. The Ichabods coughed the ball up on their next drive and the Blues Tigers went six plays covering 80 yards as they cut the lead to 21-12 after missing the extra point.
Kameron Lake connected on a 23-yard field goal with 4:35 to play in the first half as Washburn went up 24-12 and after the Ichabods forced a punt, Washburn went 61 yards on six plays as Connor Searcy scored from 1-yard out as Washburn pushed its lead to 31-12.
Washburn's special teams until blocked the Blue Tigers' punt and after the Ichabods took over at the Lincoln 15 and Schurig found Jace Williams for his second score of the game as Washburn took a 38-12 lead into the halftime break.
In the second half it was all Ichabods as they outscored the Blue Tigers 38-0 outgaining the host squad 182 to 24 in the third quarter after touchdowns of a 31-yard run by Peters, a 29-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Simoncic to James Letcher, Jr. and a second scoring pass from Simoncic to Hunter Browning on a 15-yard pass as the Ichabods led 59-12 at the end of three quarters.
In the fourth after a career-long 41-yard field goal by Lake and a 39-yard interception pick-six by Micah Skebo stretching the Washburn lead to 69-12, Percy Mitchell wrapped up the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown with 7:36 to go and the 64-point win.
Schurig finished 16 off 22 from the field passing for 269 yards completing his first eight passing attempts of the game with the two scores. Letcher, Jr., led the Ichabods with 116 yards and one touchdown and Jace Williams had 75 yards receiving on four catches and two scores. Peters led the Ichabod ground attack with 75 yards on 10 carries.
Defensively the Ichabods were led by Jacob Anderson's five stops as Washburn held the Blue Tigers to 203 total yards averaging 3.4 per play and 0.5 yards per carry as Lincoln was outgained 229 to 23 yards. Landen Urban, Braden Rose and Patrick Altenor each had four tackles.
Washburn finished with 28 first downs compared to Lincoln's six.
 
Series history with Lincoln
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 8-0 over the Blue Tigers.
• Washburn has averaged 50.4 ppg in the eight games.
• The Ichabods are 5-0 against the Blue Tigers in home games.
• The largest Ichabod victory in the series was last season's 76-12 win in Jefferson City.
• Since the 9-0 win in the first meeting between the two teams by the Ichabods, Washburn has scored no fewer than 31 points going over 48 points six times.
  
Last time out for the Ichabods
(Nov. 20, 2021) SEARCY, Ark. – The Washburn Ichabods had their season come to an end with a 30-14 loss to No. 7-ranked Harding Bisons in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs Saturday. The Ichabods finish the season 9-3 with their most wins since going 10-2 in 2011.
Harding (11-1) scored on its first drive of the game going up 7-0 after the Ichabods punted on their first drive of the game. The teams traded punts three times the finish out the quarter and in the second quarter Harding took a 10-0 lead with 8:58 to play in the first half.
On the ensuing kickoff, James Letcher, Jr., returned his third kickoff return of his career and his second of the season for 97 yards trimming the Harding lead to 10-7, but the Bisons came right back and scored seven plays later with 5:00 to play in the first half going up 17-7.
The Bisons added a 45-yard field goal as the clock expired to end the half taking the 20-7 lead into the locker room at the half.
Harding took the second half kickoff and converted two fourth down conversions en route to a 12-yard touchdown run to go up 27-7 with 6:39 to play in the third.
The Ichabods cut into the lead at 27-14 when Mitch Schurig hit Letcher, Jr. for a 15-yard strike with 12:37 to play in the game. Washburn held Harding to a field goal on its next possession with 7:11 to play as Harding increased its lead to 30-14 wrapping up the scoring for both teams.
Kevin Neal, Jr., had a career-high 16 tackles with 13 solo stops adding two tackles for loss. Grant Bruner had 15 tackles and Brooks Peavler had 12.
Letcher, Jr. finished with 198 all-purpose yard with 113 total kickoff returns and 76 receiving on four receptions. Peter Afful had 53 yards on four catches.
Schurig was 12 of 28 for 214 yards and one score.
Overall the Bisons ran 93 plays for 473 yards compared to 36 for the Ichabods for 212 yards.
 
A win over Lincoln would
• move the Ichabods to 1-0 on the season.
• be the Ichabods' eighth win in a row in Yager Stadium.
• move the Ichabods to 9-0 all-time against the Blue Tigers.
• improve the Ichabods to 80-46-6 all-time in season openers and 55-22-4 in home openers.
• be better than losing.
 
A Loss to Lincoln would
• snap Washburn's seven game home field winning streak.
• snap an eight-game winning streak over the Blue Tigers.
• be the first by Lincoln in the series history over the Ichabods.
 
Ichabod football history
• Washburn is 568-595-44 (.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 74 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 15 times.
 
Up Next
Washburn will hit the road for the first time this season when they will face Central Missouri on Sept. 8 in Warrensburg. The Ichabods will return home on Family Day hosting Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.