FOR STARTERS
• The Washburn Ichabods return to Yager Stadium for Washburn's annual Homecoming game on Saturday to face Nebraska-Kearney at 1 p.m. on Nov. 2.
• Washburn (2-6, 2-4 MIAA) lost on the road at Central Missouri in the Mules' Homecoming game in Warrensburg in a back-and-forth game falling 31-28.
• The Lopers (4-4, 2-4 MIAA) lost to No. 14-ranked Emporia State 42-35 as the Hornets scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:45 left in the fourth quarter.
• The Washburn Ichabods are 50-46-1 all-time on Homecoming and have won two of the last three.
• Washburn is 1-1 against Nebraska-Kearney on Homecoming all-time.
• Washburn won 28-0 on Oct. 10, 1987 and lost 36-9 on Oct. 16, 1986.
 
 BLUE NOTES
• The Ichabods are ranked fifth in the nation in punt returns averaging 19.2 yards per return.
• Chase McCoy is 36th in the nation in sacks and is second in the MIAA in sacks at 0.7 per game.
• Tre Richardson is eighth in the nation and first the MIAA in all-purpose yards averaging 152.4 yards per game … he is also 14th in receiving yards with 737 and 13th in receiving yards per game with 92.1.
• Tre Richardson's 264 all-purpose yards against Central Missouri was the most by any Ichabod since James Brania-Hopp had 258 against Emporia State on Oct. 27, 2018.
• Washburn is outscoring their opponents 63 to 58 in the first quarter and 69 to 65 in the third quarter of games this season, but have been outscored this season 62 to 49 in the second quarter and 72-27 in the fourth quarter.
• The Ichabods have scored on their first possession of the game in each of the last three contests and have scored on both of their first drives in the second half.
• The Ichabods have scored on their first possession of the game in each of the last three contests and have scored on both of their first drives in the second half.
 
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 141-107 (.599) in his 21st season as the Ichabod head coach and the sixth-longest tenured football coach in MIAA history.
• is 122-91 (.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 7-4 against Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Nebraska-Kearney head coach Ryan Held . . .         
• is in his second season directing the UNK program going 7-12 and he is 42-67 in his 11th season overall..
• spent the 2022 season as interim head coach and offensive coordinator at FCS member North Alabama.
• before that, he was an assistant/running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Nebraska (2018-21) and assistant/running backs coach at Central Florida (2016-17).
• additionally, he has held head coaching stints at junior colleges Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Highland Community College; Division II Southwestern Oklahoma and Panhandle State; and NAIA Peru State.
• is 1-0 against Washburn.
 
NOTING THE LOPERS
• The Lopers are 4-4, 2-4 in the MIAA after suffering a 42-36 loss at home to Emporia State last time out.
• The Lopers wraped up 530 yards of offense rushing for 243 in the loss to Emporia State while allowing the Hornets to have 580 total yards of offense including 564 passing yards.
• Isaiah Harris rushed for 134 yards on 13 carries for the Lopers with three touchdowns averaging 10.3 yards per attempt against ESU. Harris leads the team with 63.4 yards per game adding six touchdowns.
• Reagan Jones is 107 of 207 passing with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions averaging almost 197.9 yards per game. Jones is a transfer from Missouri Western and was 0 for 2 passing for the Griffons against the Ichabods in MWSU's 61-21 win last season in Yager Stadium.
• Reggie Anderson has a team-high 19 catches for 351 yards and three scores.
• Jamere Jones has 53 tackles with 34 solo stops and Quillian Felton has 51 tackles including 14.5 tackles for loss for 62 yards and seven sacks for 47 yards.
• The Lopers are 10th in the MIAA in scoring offense at 24.4 ppg and fourth in scoring defense allowing 21.6 ppg.
• UNK is ranked ninth in the MIAA in total offense at 342.8 yards per game and UNK is ranked second in the MIAA in rush defense holding opponents to 76.4 yards per game.
• UNK is last in the MIAA in passing offense at 202.0 yards per game and ninth in passing defense allowing 294.1 yards per game.
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE LOPERS
(Sept. 30, 2023) KEARNEY, Neb. – The Washburn Ichabods fell 27-21 to Nebraska-Kearney on the road Saturday at Cope Stadium with a combined 28 points being scored in the final 15 minutes of the game.
The Ichabods (1-4, 0-4 MIAA) trailed 6-0 at the break after a scoreless first quarter as the Lopers took a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Lopers (2-3, 2-3 MIAA), the Ichabods forced a fumble, but was unable to capitalize and on the ensuing punt, the Lopers blocked the kick and then one play later, UNK went up 13-0 with 8:42 to go in the frame.
Washburn came back with a score on its next possession when Sam Van Dyne hit Connor Searcy on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 3:56 to go in the third trimming the Loper lead to 13-7. The Ichabod defense forced another punt, but neither team would score the rest of the way.
In the fourth quarter, Josh Grant picked off a UNK pass at the Washburn six yard line halting the Loper drive, but the Ichabod drive stalled forcing a punt. On the second play of the drive, UNK scored on a 42-yard pass play with 12:51 to go in the game stretching its lead to 20-7.
On the Ichabods' next drive, Washburn drove to midfield, but a Washburn fumble was returned 35 yards for a score with 9:28 to go as the Lopers went up 27-7. Washburn then went on a 16-play, 70-yard drive to trim the margin to 13 at 27-14 after Van Dyne hit Maury Sullivan for a touchdown pass with 3:05 to go.
The Ichabod defense held the Lopers on a fourth and one play with 67 seconds to play in the game and then Van Dyne hit D.J. Bell on a 54-yard touchdown strike with 41 seconds to play as the Ichabods cut the deficit to 27-21.
Lining up for an onside kick, Gavin Wilhelm's kick bounced off a Loper returner and after a scrum, the Lopers recovered and then after one kneel down the clock hit 0:00.
The Ichabod defense held the Lopers to 261 yards on 50 plays while the Ichabods ran 82 plays for 421 total yards.
Van Dyne passed for a career-high 378 yards and three touchdowns completing 30 of 45 attempts, but was sacked six times in the game. Triston Johnson had five catches for 106 yards. On the ground Taylon Peters had 14 rushes for 50 yards.
L.J. Minner, Jr., Mason Capper and Daniel Chavez all had four tackles.
On special teams, Jake Zeller averaged 52 yards per punt on three attempts including an 81-yard punt, the third-longest in program history behind a pair of 87-yard punts.

SERIES HISTORY WITH LOPERS
• The Ichabods trail the all-time series with the Lopers 18-13 as the Lopers have won the last three in the series.
• Washburn is 6-9 in home games against the Lopers and 7-9 in games played in Kearney.
• The very first meeting took place on Sept. 14, 1963 with the Lopers winning 19-14 in Kearney.
• The Ichabods are 6-4 in the last 10 meeting against the Lopers.
• Washburn's last win in the series Nov. 16, 2019 in a 57-41 win in Kearney.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Oct. 26, 2024) WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabod football team had three turnovers in its final three drives of the game as the Ichabods came up on the short end of and back-and-forth contest in a 31-28 loss at Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon.
After winning the toss to start the game, the Ichabods deferred and Central Missouri drove 75-yards on 12 plays using 3:43 off the clock converting five first downs in the process taking a 7-0 lead.
The Ichabods (2-6, 2-5 MIAA) came right back on their first drive of the game, Washburn responded with a 12-play, 91-yard drive capped by a Sam Van Dyne to Maury Sullivan 23-yard score knotting the game at 7-7.
Neither team scored the remainder of the half, but Central Missouri (5-3, 3-3 MIAA) scored on the first play of the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Zach Zebrowski as the Mules took a 14-7 lead.
Washburn's next drive came up empty after a 87-yard touchdown pass from Van Dyne to Tre Richardson was pulled off the board after a penalty setting up the Ichabods' first punt of the game.
Washburn's defense forced a punt on the Mules' next drive tying the score at 14 using another long drive – this time a 14-play, 80-yard drive using 7:26 off the clock, when Keller Hurla scored on a 1-yard Ichabod push with 7:26 remaining in the half.
UCM wrapped up the first half scoring with a 44-yard field goal by Brett Grupe holding the Mules who had a first and 10 from the 10 and after back to back sacks by L.J. Minner, Jr. and Justice Akinmoladun set up the long field goal.
On the second half's opening drive, Washburn marched 75 yards, needing 12 plays and taking a 21-17 lead with 10:36 to play when Van Dyne connected with Richardson on a 22-yard touchdown pass.
The Mules came back with a touchdown drive of their own on an 8-play, 75-yard drive retaking the lead a 24-21 when Zebrowski hit Jack Pospisil on a 21-yard touchdown pass for his second touchdown grab of the season.
Starting their fifth drive inside their own 20 in the game, the Ichabods jumped back in front of the Mules after an 87-yard touchdown pass from Van Dyne to Richardson capping a 3-play drive with 5:12 to go in the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Mules regained the lead when backup defensive lineman Weston King scored a big man touchdown from 1-yard out as the Mules went back in front at 31-28.
Washburn then suffered its first turnover of the game after a 78-yard drive down to the UCM 5-yard line that the Mules recovered with 8:25 to play. However the Ichabod defense forced the Mules into another punt after three plays as the Ichabods took over and their own 39 with 6:52 to go. The Ichabods the drove down to the UCM 39, but the Mules picked off a pass intended for Richardson at its 7-yard line with 3:24 remaining.
Again, the Ichabod defense came back forcing the Mules into a punting situation after allowing one first down and the Ichabods took over at its own 33 with 54 seconds to go.
Washburn then had a short pass play, a sack and its third turnover of the game with one second left on an interception as the Mules took one kneel down ending the game.
Richardson finished with 229 receiving yards on 11 catches with 172 yards after the catch as he averaged 20.8 yards per catch not counting the 87-receiving yard touchdown pass that was called back with an Ichabod penalty. Richardson's 229 receiving yards is third on the Ichabod single-game chart trailing only Sam Sissom's 231 yards against Colorado Mines in 2005 and Troy Slusser's 252 yards against Emporia State in 1988.
Sullivan had six catches for 53 yards and one score. Tyler Bowden had 10 carries for 33 yards.
Van Dyne was 18 for 23 for 330 yards completing 78 percent of his passes with three touchdowns.
Jordan Finnesy had a career-high 16 tackles with 11 solo stops to lead the Ichabod defense. J.C. Heim had a career-high 10 tackles of his own. 
The Ichabods had a season-high 452 yards of total offense (coming off last week's season-high of 441 yards against Missouri Southern) compared to 389 for the Mules as the Ichabods tallied 350 passing yards. The Mules came into the game averaging more than 500 yards a game.

A WIN OVER THE LOPERS WOULD …
• move the Ichabods to 3-6 on the season.
• snap a three-game losing streak to the Lopers.
• be the first win by the Ichabods over the Lopers since a 57-41 win in Kearney on Nov. 16, 2019.
• move the Ichabods to 7-12 all-time on Nov. 2.
 
A LOSS TO LOPERS WOULD ...
• drop the Ichabods to 2-7 on the season.
• be the fourth loss in a row to the Lopers and the third in a row to the Lopers in Topeka.
• drop the 13-19 all-time against the Lopers.
 
ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 579-614-44 (.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 wrap the home slate against Central Oklahoma on senior day before finishing the season on Nov. 16 at Northeastern State.