• The Washburn Ichabods will return home for the first of two-straight home games as they will host Fort Hays State on Saturday in Yager Stadium starting at 1 p.m. The following week the Ichabods will face Northwest Missouri for Washburn's Homecoming game.
• Washburn fell to 1-6 on the season and 0-6 in the MIAA after losing at Emporia State last time out 38-23.
• The Tigers are 5-2 this season and 4-2 in the MIAA and will carry a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game after beating Nebraska-Kearney last time out 31-17. Other wins in their streak include a 71-3 win over Lincoln and a 35-22 win over Missouri Southern.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 46-27-3 in 76 all-time meetings winning the last two meetings.
• The 76 meetings between the two schools is the third-most played series in program history trailing only the 119 meetings with Emporia State and the 93 contests with Pittsburg State.
• Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown was an assistant at Washburn as the defensive coordinator for nine years.
• Another former Ichabod coach on the Tiger staff, defensive coordinator Cooper Harris, who was at Washburn from 2002-11 serving as linebackers coach and one season as the defensive coordinator before joining Chris Brown in Hays.
  • Taylon Peters climbed into sixth on the all-time rushing chart at Washburn with 2,310 yards playing in 40 career games … his 506 carries is seventh all-time at Washburn.
• The Ichabods have played 15 true freshmen so far this season and have also played 21 redshirt freshmen this season.
• The Ichabods are 15th in the nation in kickoff returns averaging 24.3 yards per return.
• D.J. Bell is 13th in the nation in kickoff return average of 28.2 per return which also leads the MIAA.
• D.J. Bell leads the team with 17 plays of more than 20 yards including 11 kickoff returns of more than 20 yards and Bell is also second in the MIAA in all-purpose yards per game with 122.1 ranking 26th in the NCAA ranks.
• The Ichabods are looking to avoid their first 0-7 start to MIAA play since the 1993 season when they started 0-10 in league play.
  • The Washburn Ichabods have two former players on NFL rosters this season.
• Kyle Hinton is on the 53-man roster of the Atlanta Falcons.
• Corey Ballentine was elevated to the 53-man roster in Green Bay for its game on Sept. 24. Washburn Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . .
• was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
• is 138-98 (.599) in his 21st season as the Ichabod head coach and the sixth-longest tenured football coach in MIAA history.
• is 121-85 (.603) against the MIAA in league games.
• 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 138 wins.
• is 12-6 against Fort Hays State.
 
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown. . .  
• is in his 12th season as head coach at Fort Hays State leading the Tigers to an MIAA Championship in 2017 and a co-championship in 2018 as well as their first NCAA Postseason games since 1995.
• has compiled a 79-53 record leading the Tigers.
• was a three-time All-America free safety for the Pittsburg State from 1993-95, came to FHSU after serving as defensive coordinator at for the Ichabods from 2002-10.
• is 4-7 against Washburn.
  • The Tigers are 4-2 this season in the MIAA and 5-2 overall.
• The Tigers are on a three-game winning streak after dispatching Nebraska-Kearney 31-17 last time out.
• The Tigers have the top-ranked scoring defense in the MIAA allowing 16.6 ppg and the fifth-ranked scoring offense at 33.0 ppg.
• FHSU is also the top-ranked defensive unit in the MIAA allowing just 260 yards per game including a league-best 146.1 yards per game through the air.
• Jack Dawson is third in the MIAA in passing at 242.7 yards per game passing for 17 touchdowns and 1,699 yards.
  (Oct. 8, 2022) HAYS, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods scored 24 first half points and added 21 more in the third quarter rolling to a 45-14 win at Fort Hays State moving to 4-2 on the season as the Ichabod defense held the Tigers to a season-low 14 points. The Ichabods will be back in action on the road for the second-straight week as they will travel to Northwest Missouri on Oct. 15.
The Ichabods took the opening kickoff and marched 81 yards on six plays capped by a Kellen Simoncic to Collin Wilson hook-up for 44 yards after the Tigers won the toss and deferred to the second half as Washburn jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
On the Tigers' ensuing drive, after six plays Fort Hays State was forced to punt and Micah Skebo blocked the punt and it was recovered by Tyler Bowden for a scoop and score as the Ichabods jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a Kameron Lake extra point.
Washburn wrapped up an 87-yard, 13-play drive scoring a 1-yard  plunge by Hunter Browning as the Ichabods went up 21-0.
After a Tiger punt, an Ichabod miscue on a snap on a field goal attempt, the Tigers jumped on the board with a 6-yard run by Jaqualen Brown as Fort Hays State trimmed the Ichabod lead to 21-7.
The Ichabods were forced to punt on their next drive, but the Ichabod defense forced a Tiger punt and Washburn wrapped up the half on a 47-yard field goal by Lake as time expired heading to the locker room with a 24-7 lead.
Starting the second half, the Ichabods forced the Tigers into a punt and then drove to the Tiger 39, but an Ichabod interception stalled the drive. Again the Ichabod defense forced another Tiger punt and three plays later Simoncic connected with James Letcher, Jr., on an 8-yard touchdown play with 9:09 to play in the third.
The Tigers drove deep into the Ichabod zone, but the drive ended with Christian Clark picking off a pass and returning it to the Washburn 33 and then it was moved to the 48 after a personal foul on the Tigers.
Washburn added to the scoring on a 56-yard touchdown screen to Taylon Peters as the Ichabods needed three plays moving 52 yards to go up 38-7. On the kickoff, the Tigers fumbled and the Ichabods recovered and then moved 40 yards in seven plays as Simoncic hit Matthew Simmons for a 4-yard touchdown pass with the Ichabods leading 45-7.
The Tigers scored on a four-play, 75-yard drive cutting the Ichabod lead to 45-14 with 2:09 to play in the third quarter.
Neither team would score in the fourth quarter as the Ichabods wrapped up the 31-point win moving to 17-17-2 all-time in games played in Hays snapping a three-game losing streak at Lewis Field picking up their first win since a 45-20 win on Sept. 8, 2012.
The Ichabod defense held the Tigers to 309 yards on 54 plays while the Ichabod offense put up 503 yards on 80 plays holding a 34:49 to 25:11 advantage in time of possession. Washburn was 9 of 17 on third down and the Tigers were held to 3 of 13 conversions.
Peters led the Ichabod ground attack of 158 total yards with 73 yards on 10 carries and he added a team-high 71 yards receiving adding the 56-yard touchdown reception. Simoncic was 18 of 26 passing with four touchdowns and 280 yards through the air. Letcher, Jr., recorded five catches moving his career total to 189, moving within two of Sam Sissom and Washburn's all-time receptions record.
Grant Bruner led the Ichabods with eight tackles and Derrick McClendon had seven tackles with both recording five solo stops.
Washburn had 23 first downs while the Tigers were limited to 14 falling to 1-5 on the season. • The Ichabods lead the all-time series 46-27-3 in 76 all-time meetings with two of the last three going into overtime.
• Washburn is 18-16-2 all-time in games played in Hays snapping a three-game losing streak last season in a 45-14 win over the Tigers.
• The Ichabods are 28-11-1 all-time in meetings played in Topeka.
• Washburn is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings against FHSU.
  (Oct. 16, 2023) EMPORIA, Kan. – The 119th version of the Turnpike Tussle went the way of Emporia State on Saturday in a 38-23 loss. ESU jumped out to a 21-0 lead after scoring drives of 70, 72 and 80 yards with the final score coming at 9:08 left in the second quarter. Washburn got on the board with 6:47 left to go in the first half when Connor Searcy scored on a 3-yard run up the middle capping a 48-yard drive by Washburn trimming the ESU lead to 21-7.
The Hornets (5-2, 4-2 MIAA) quickly scored on the ensuing drive going 75 yards in four plays in 60 seconds pushing their lead back to 28-7.
Washburn (1-6, 0-6 MIAA) wrapped up the scoring just before the half with a 34-yard field goal by Trenton Brehm.
To open the scoring in the third quarter, Brehm connected on a 40-yard field goal finishing off an 11-play drive after the Ichabod defense forced an ESU punt on its first drive of the half. The field goal for Brehm tied his career long set last season, also against the Hornets.
On Washburn's next possession after the Ichabod defense forced another Hornet punt, Washburn needed just one play as Sam Van Dyne hit D.J. Bell on a 69-yard touchdown strike cutting the ESU lead to 28-20.
The Hornets came back to stretch their lead to 31-20 with 14:47 to play in the game after a 30-yard field goal and after an Ichabod punt, ESU pushed the lead to 38-20 capping a 8-play, 47-yard drive with 10:36 to play.
Brehm then finished off a 14-play, 69-yard drive with his third field goal of the day with a 26-yard field goal with 5:27. On the ensuing kickoff, WU recovered the onside attempt, but was whistled for touching the ball prior to its going 10 yards as ESU started its drive as ESU took over leading 38-23 and would run out the clock picking up its third-straight win over the Ichabods.
Washburn was limited to 42 yards rushing as Percy Mitchell and Taylon Peters each had 15 yards. Eight different Ichabods caught a pass with Bell leading with 79 yards on two catches. Tyce Brown had a team-high five receptions. Van Dyne finished 18 for 41 throwing with 256 yards passing.
Julius Jackson had a career-high 12 tackles for lead the Ichabod defense and Caeden Spencer and Patrick Altenor each had eight.
Brehm tied career highs with his three field goals in the game and his 40-yard make
ESU outgained the Ichabods 519 to 298 running 83 plays compared to 74.
  • move the Ichabods to 2-6 on the season.
• be the third in a row over the Tigers.
• be the second in a row in Topeka over the Tigers.
• avoid the Ichabods' first 0-7 start to MIAA play since 1993. • snap a two-game winning streak over the Tigers.
• drop the Ichabods to 0-7 in MIAA play and 1-7 overall.
  • the loss was the third-straight by the Hornets over the Ichabods.
• the loss was Ichabods' second-straight loss in Emporia.
• the loss drop the Ichabods to 0-6 in MIAA play and 1-6 overall.
• Trent Brehm tied a career high with three field goals including a career-long 40-yard attempt.
• Julius Jackson had a career-high 12 tackles against the Hornets.
• Caeden Spencer had a career-high eight tackles.
  • Washburn is 576-606-44 (.484) in the 133rd 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 a bowl games.
• Seven Ichabods have been picked in the NFL Draft.
  The Ichabods, under head coach Craig Schurig, have been ranked or have received votes in the AFCA poll 79 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 15 times.
  The Ichabods will be back in action next week inside Yager Stadium hosting Northwest Missouri on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. for Homecoming.