TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod football team scored on its first three possessions of the day, blocked two field goals and had a defensive lineman return an interception for a score rolling to a 42-21 win over Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon in Yager Stadium. Washburn will be on the road next week at Central Missouri.
 
Opening the game, the Ichabods marched 58 yards on six plays capping the drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Keller Hurla to Tre Richardson. On the Lions' opening possession of the game, the Ichabods' J.C. Heim forced a Southern fumble that was recovered by Julius Jackson setting up the Ichabods at the Lion 33. Two plays later Lucas Oitker followed up a Richardson 41-yard reverse with a 4-yard run for the score and a 14-0 lead 5:51 into the game.
 
Washburn (2-5, 2-4 MIAA) then held the Lions to a punt with a 3-play, 2-yard drive and Sam Van Dyne in at quarterback moved the Ichabods 65 yards on eight plays finishing it off with a 7-yard run up the middle for the score as Washburn led 21-0 with 4:13 to play in the first quarter.
 
Missouri Southern (1-6, 1-5 MIAA) came back with an 8-play drive of its own moving to the Ichabod three-yard line, but the field goal was blocked by Jaquez White ending the first quarter.
 
The Ichabods had an interception on the ensuing drive starting the Lions' drive at the Washburn 5 and two plays later Missouri Southern scored.
 
The teams traded a fumble and a punt by the Lions and then the Ichabods stretched their lead to 28-7 after Tylan Crochett scored on a 2-yard run around the right side with 5:34 to go in the half.
 
After the Lions drove their next possession down to the Ichabod 2, Jaquez White blocked his second field goal of the day ending the first half sending Washburn to the locker room with a 28-7 lead. He's the first Ichabod to block to kicks in a single game since Josh Wright blocked two against Bemidji State in the 2016 Mineral Water Bowl on Dec. 3, 2016.
 
The Lions took the second half kickoff and cut the lead in half at 28-14, but Washburn needed only six plays moving 85 yards in 3:07 to go up 35-14 when Van Dyne connected with Maury Sullivan scoring on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
 
On the Lions' first play after the kickoff, Washburn's Chase McCoy grabbed a tipped pass by Al-Mani Jimerson and returned it 20 yards for a score for a big man touchdown as the Ichabods went up 42-14.
 
The Lions wrapped up the scoring on a 94-yard, 17-play drive using 8:44 off the clock trimming the lead to three touchdowns.
 
Washburn racked up a season-high 263 rushing yards on 40 carries led by Richardson's 78 yards on four carries and Tyler Bowden's 57 yards on 13 carries. Van Dyne finished 9 of 10 passing for 133 yards and one score while the Ichabods were 12 of 16 overall for 178 yards and two scores. Sullivan and Trey Harmison each had four receptions for 60 and 30 yards respectively.
 
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by Jordan Finney's seven tackles and a breakup, while five other Ichabods had at least five stops. Washburn had two sacks for 15 yards and six tackles for loss for 21 yards, adding five pass breakups.
 
Washburn tallied 441 yards of total offense compared to 367 by the Lions.