FOR STARTERS
• The Washburn Ichabods return home playing host to the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats on Oct. 5 with a 3 p.m. kickoff in Yager Stadium as part of Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame Day.
• Washburn (1-3, 1-2 MIAA) picked up its first win of the season in a 24-16 win over Missouri Western last time out.
• The Bearcats (3-2, 3-1 MIAA) topped No. 11-ranked Emporia State 14-9 winning their third-straight game in row after dropping their first two of the season.
 
 BLUE NOTES
• The Ichabods are ranked fourth in the nation in punt returns averaging 36.3 yards per return and 24th in the nation in kickoff returns averaging 26.5 yards per return.
• Keller Hurla is ranked 16th in the nation in completion percentage at 67 percent completing 55 of 82 passes.
• Chase McCoy is 25th in the nation in sacks and leads the MIAA in sacks at 0.8 per game.
• Tre Richardson is 45th in the nation and fifth in the MIAA in all-purpose yards averaging 121.3 yards per game.
• The Ichabods snapped an four-game road losing streak with the win over Missouri Western … Washburn's last road win was on Sept. 16, 2023 against Lincoln in a 24-10 win.
• The Ichabods have played one of the toughest schedules in the country to start the season as their four opponents so far have a combined win/loss record of 12-3. The Ichabods have played the seventh-toughest schedule so far in the NCAA D2 ranks.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Entering the Hall of Fame will be five individuals who were all selected as All-Americans, All-MIAA and school record holders during their Ichabod careers. The newest inductees include Trent Hearn (football), Marissa (Cox) Horstick (volleyball), Mollie Lacy (volleyball), Tish Williams (softball) and Jemi Johnson (basketball). Ichabod football standout Trent Hearn finished his Ichabod career as the all-time leading rusher in program history with 3,154 yards (now ranks third). He scored 48 career rushing touchdowns on the ground as an Ichabod which is the most rushing touchdowns in program history by 13 over the next-closest person. He still owns the Ichabod single-season record with 1,203 rushing yards set in 2005, the year the Ichabods won the MIAA Championship and made their first NCAA Playoff appearance. Hearn also ranks fifth on single season rushing chart with 1,116 yards in 2003 and his 111.6 rushing yards per game for a season in 2003 is ranked second all-time. The 20 touchdowns he scored in 2005 is most on the Ichabod single season chart and it set the junior class season rushing record. He finished his Ichabod career with 12, 100-yard rushing games and is still the Ichabods' all-time leading scorer with 296 points scoring 49 total touchdowns. He was named the Ichabod team MVP in both 2005 and 2006 and was a third-team all-region selection in 2005, an honorable mention all-region pick 2003 also earning the MIAA Freshman of the Year award in 2003. He was also a second-team all-MIAA selection in 2003, 2005 and 2006.

 PRO BODS
• The Washburn Ichabods have two former players on NFL rosters this season and one in the Canadian Football League.
• Kyle Hinton is on the 53-man roster of the Atlanta Falcons.
• Corey Ballentine is on the 53-man roster in Green Bay.
• James Letcher, Jr. is a standout return specialist in the Canadian Football League playing for the Montreal Alouettes in his second season in the CFL. Earlier this season he had a 128-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown.

COACHES
Washburn head coach Craig Schurig . . .
• was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
• is 140-104 (.599) in his 21st season as the Ichabod head coach and the sixth-longest tenured football coach in MIAA history.
• is 121-90 (.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 139 wins.
• is 2-20 against Northwest Missouri
 
Northwest Missouri head coach Rich Wright . . .     
• is in his eighth season as head coach at Northwest Missouri.
• is 62-19 on the Northwest sidelines as the head coach.
• has been an assistant at NWMSU since 2004 and the defensive coordinator since 2011.
• has gone 222-40 since Wright has been on the Bearcat coaching staff.
• He is 5-1 against Washburn as the Bearcats' head coach.
 
NOTING THE BEARCATS
• The Bearcats have won their last three games including a 14-9 win over No. 11-ranked Emporia State last time out. The Bearcats opened the season with a home loss to Minnesota State and a road loss at Nebraska-Kearney before topping No. 25-ranked Fort Hays State 32-20, Missouri Southern 59-0 and then the Hornets last week.
• The Bearcats turned the ball over seven times on offense against the Hornets.
• Tank Young leads the team in rushing with 38.2 yards per game averaging 3.4 yards per carry … as a team the Bearcats are averaging 85.8 yards per game.
• Chris Ruhne averages 285.4 yards through the air completing 69 percent of his passes and has 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
• Luke Matthews leads the receivers with 85.8 yards per game on 21 catches averaging 20.4 yards per catch and two touchdowns.
• Shane Fredrickson leads the defense with 31 tackles adding two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
• The Bearcats are 13th in the nation in third down conversions at 51 percent (36 of 71) and they are sixth in the nation in blocked kicks with six.
• Northwest is also 14th in the nation in total defense allowing 250 yards per game and sixth in defensive passing efficiency.
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE BEARCATS
(Oct. 28, 2023) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods had their two-game winning Homecoming winning streak snapped in a 52-31 loss to Northwest Missouri.
The teams traded punts to start the game and after an Ichabod turnover, Northwest (5-4, 4-4 MIAA) opened the scoring on a four-play drive with 9:36 left in the first quarter.
After the Bearcats took possession after an Ichabod punt, three plays later Isaac Keener picked off a Mike Hohensee pass and returned it 20 yards to the Bearcat eight yard line. The Ichabod drive stalled, but Trenton Brehm connected on a 31-yard field goal putting Washburn on the boar with 4:26 to play in the first quarter.
On the Bearcats' next possession, C.J. Callaghan picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards back to the Northwest 18 yard line setting up a three-yard drive capped by a Sam Van Dyne to Tyce Brown touchdown pass for 19-yards putting the Ichabods up 10-7.
Northwest responded with a 75-yard drive to take back the lead early in the second quarter starting a string of 28-straight points by the Bearcats as they would take a 35-10 lead into the halftime break.
Washburn (1-8, 0-8 MIAA) forced a Bearcat punt on their opening drive of the second half and Washburn then marched 91 yards in 10 plays wrapped up by a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Percy Mitchell with 7:38 left in the third quarter trimming the deficit to 35-17.
Then the lightning happened.
After the Ichabod score, a weather delay of 38 minutes gave fans time to run and grab a snack before returning to the game.
Northwest took a 42-17 lead coming back put after the delay with a score with 3:25 to play in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter after a Bearcat punt was downed at the two yard line. On the second play of the Ichabod drive, Van Dyne hit Maury Sullivan for a school-record 98-yard touchdown pass with 13:28 to play in the game. The completion broke the previous record which had stood since Nov. 12, 1988 when Barry Griffiths hit Troy Slusser on a 95 yard completion against Emporia State.
Northwest added a field goal with 11:18 to go its next drive stretching the lead to 45-24.
Washburn wrapped up the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Van Dyne to Bell for 20 yards finishing off a 72-yard, 14-play drive and the 45-31 score.
Mitchell led the Ichabods with 52 yards and a score on 13 carries and Van Dyne was 20 for 41 with three touchdowns and 302 yards through the air. Sullivan had four catches for 126 yards and Teondre Carter had six catches.
Josh Grant had nine tackles and L.J. Minner, Jr. had seven.
The Ichabods had a season-high 406 yards of offense on 73 plays while Northwest had 441 yards on 69 plays.

SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
• The Bearcats lead the all-time series 35-7.
• Washburn's last win over the Bearcats in Maryville was on Oct. 8, 2005 in a 31-28 victory as the Ichabods would go on to win the MIAA Championships that season.
• Washburn is 5-17 in games played in Topeka.
• Washburn is 2-18 in games played in Maryville, Mo.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Sept. 28, 2024) ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabod football team picked up its first win of the season in a 24-16 win over Missouri Western.
After the teams traded punts, the Ichabod defense forced a turnover on downs and the Ichabods (1-3, 1-2 MIAA) took the 7-0 lead on a nine-play, 60-yard drive when Keller Hurla converted a third and 13 for a 23-yard run for the score.
The Ichabods' drive stalled, but on Western's first play from scrimmage, DeAndre Washington picked off a Kody Kirk pass ending the Griffon drive, but the Ichabod drive stalled at midfield returning possession back to the Griffons.
Western (2-3, 2-3 MIAA) would get on the board with 2:58 left in the opening half with a 52-yard field goal by Cody Watson cutting Washburn's lead to 7-3. Washburn came up empty on its next drive and Western would march 84 yards in three plays to take a 10-7 lead with under a minute to play taking a 3-point lead into the locker room.
Receiving the ball in the second half, the Ichabods went 69 yards in nine plays capped by a Lucas Oitker 1-yard touchdown run to regain the lead at 14-10 with 10:14 to play. On the ensuing Griffon drive, Daniel Chavez recorded a quarterback sack forcing a fumble that was recovered by L.J. Minner, Jr., setting up a 42-yard field goal by Trenton Brehm pushing the lead to 17-10 with 7:01 to go in the third quarter.
Again the Ichabod defense stymied the Griffons with a punt and Washburn went up 24-10 after an 8-yard touchdown run by Cam Robinson marching 99-yards on 10 plays using 5:19 off the clock.
Missouri Western cut the lead to 24-13 after a 42-yard field goal using a 10-play yard drive.
Washburn fumbled the ball on its next possession, but the Ichabod defense again stopped the Griffons on a fourth down play. Washburn's next drive came up empty and Western kicked a 30-yard field goal with 94 seconds to play.
With Washburn leading 24-16, Cole Keller recovered the Griffon onside kickoff as the Ichabods snapped the winless streak to start the season.
Hurla led the Ichabods on the ground with 66 yards rushing and one score while passing for 218 yards, completing 19 of 28 passes. Hurla connected with nine different receivers led by Maury Sullivan with 61 yards on four catches, D.J. Bell had five for 58 yards, and Tre Richardson had four for 51 yards.
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by L.J. Minner, Jr, with nine tackles and Caeden Spencer added five tackles with two for loss, and Chase McCoy had four tackles including two sacks.
The Griffon defense also led the MIAA in tackles for loss and sacks, but the Ichabod offensive line limited the Griffons to one sack and two tackles for loss.

A WIN OVER THE BEARCATS WOULD
• move the Ichabods to 2-3 on the season.
• snap a two-game losing streak to the Bearcats.
• end the Bearcats' three-game winning streak.
• be the first win over the Bearcats since Oct. 16, 2021 - a 17-16 win over Northwest in Yager Stadium.
• move the Ichabods to 7-7-1 all-time on Oct. 5 in program history.
 
A LOSS TO BEARCATS WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 1-4 on the season.
• be the third loss in a row to the Bearcats.
• drop the Ichabods to 7-36 all-time against the Bearcats.
 
A LOOK BACK AT THE WIN OVER THE GRIFFONS ... the WIN
• moved the Ichabods to 1-3 on the season.
• snapped a three-game losing streak.
• was the Ichabods' first road win since Sept. 16, 2023 against Lincoln in a 24-10 win.
• was the second-straight win over the Griffons in St. Joseph.
• moved the Ichabods to 7-9-1 all-time on Sept. 28.
• avoided the first 0-4 start to the season since head coach Craig Schurig's first season at Washburn in 2002.
 
ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 578-611-44 (.484) in the 134th 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 176 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.
 
ICHABODS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
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.
 
UP NEXT
The Ichabods will be on the road in Hays, America as Washburn will face Fort Hays State on Oct. 12 with a 7 p.m. kickoff. Washburn's next home game will be Oct. 19 against Missouri Southern.