FOR STARTERS
• The Washburn Ichabods are back on the road for an evening date with the Fort Hays State Tigers on Oct. 12 with a 7 p.m. kickoff on the horizon from Lewis Field.
• Washburn (1-4, 1-3 MIAA) fell 51-34 to Northwest Missouri last time out in Topeka.
• The Tigers (4-2, 2-2 MIAA) is coming off a 31-21 homecoming win over then-No. 12-ranked Central Missouri last time out.
 
 BLUE NOTES
• The Ichabods are ranked second in the nation in punt returns averaging 36.3 yards per return.
• Chase McCoy is 25th in the nation in sacks and leads the MIAA in sacks at 0.8 per game.
• Tre Richardson is 17th in the nation and first in the MIAA in all-purpose yards averaging 137.2 yards per game …he is also 24th in receiving yards with 446 and 21st in receiving yards per game with 89.2.
• The Ichabods have played the 14th-toughest scheduled in the country so far this season.
• This season Ichabod opponents have scored 37 points off of Washburn turnovers while the Ichabods have scored seven points off of opponent miscues.
• Washburn has outscored its opponents 41 to 37 in the third quarter this season while being outscored 44 to 28 in the first quarter, 42-35 in the second quarter and 44 to 27 in the fourth quarter.
• For the second consecutive year, Sam Van Dyne threw three touchdown passes against Northwest Missouri.
• 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.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 46-28-3 in 77 all-time meetings.
• The 77 meetings between the two schools is the third-most played series in program history trailing only the 120 meetings with Emporia State and the 94 contests with Pittsburg State.
 
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 140-105 (.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 12-7 against Fort Hays State.
 
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown . . .     
• is in his 13th 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 85-57 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 5-7 against Washburn.

NOTING THE TIGERS
• The Tigers are 4-2 this season and 2-2 in the MIAA after topping No. 12-ranked Central Missouri 31-21 last time out.
• The Tigers are a perfect 4-0 at home this season.
• Shane Watts leads the team in rushing at 83.8 yards per game scoring seven touchdowns averaging 4.3 yards per carry on 117 attempts.
• Jack Dawson has completed 85 of 145 passes for five touchdowns while throwing five interceptions averaging 173 yards per game and Caleb Heavner is averaging 121.4 yards per game throwing with three touchdowns.
• Jabari Lewis is averaging 19.7 yards per catch and 56 yards per game receiving.
• Makel Williams leads the team with 53 tackles adding 3.5 tackles for loss and three pass break ups.
• The Tigers are third in the nation in net punting and sixth in red zone defense.
• The Tigers have the No. 1-ranked defense in the redzone this season only allowing scores on 56 percent of opponent's trips with touchdowns.
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE TIGERS
(Oct. 21, 2023) TOPEKA, Kan. -- A Washburn Ichabod frantic comeback came up short in a 31-28 loss to Fort Hays State on Saturday at Yager Stadium.
Washburn trailed 31-14 with 2:29 to play in the third quarter before trimming the Fort Hays State lead to 31-21 with 6:08 remaining when Teondre Carter, who made his first start, scored from 5-yards out. His touchdown run was set up after the Ichabods' Nasjon Porter blocked a Tiger field goal attempt and Kamble Haverkamp returned it 34 yards. After a 59-yard pass from Sam Van Dyne to D.J. Bell setting the Ichabods up at the Tiger 5, Carter went out the left side for the score.
On the Tigers' next possession, the Washburn defense held the Tigers to a punt and Bell returned it 47 yards to the Tiger 42 yard line. After passes to Tyce Brown and Triston Johnson, Van Dyne hit Johnson for a 25-yard touchdown pass pulling the Ichabods within three at 31-28 with 2:35 to go.
After an Ichabod kickoff, the Tigers converted on a third and four from the 31 and three plays later ran out the clock for the win.
The Tiger (6-2, 5-2 MIAA) led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and it was not until the 11:34 mark of the second quarter the Ichabods got on the board with a 6-yard touchdown run by Carter cutting the Tiger lead in half at 14-7.
FHSU added to its lead with a 44-yard field goal with 8:59 to play in the opening half building a 17-7 lead.
The Ichabods (punted on their next drive returning possession to the Tigers at the FHSU 1-yard line after Jake Zeller's 39-yard punt was downed at the 1-yard line. Five plays later on the Tiger drive, Caeden Spencer picked off a pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown as the Ichabods trailed 17-14 at the break.
Carter led the Ichabods with 56 yards rushing scoring two touchdowns and Van Dyne finished 19 of 33 for 202 yards and a touchdown. Bell had six catches for 82 yards including 72 after the catch and Johnson had five catches for 55 yards and a score.
Defensively, Josh Grant had nine tackles with seven solo stops and Jaquez White, C.J. Callaghan, Spencer and L.J. Minner, Jr. each had seven tackles.
The Tigers outgained the Ichabods 487 to 280 running 82 plays compared to 58 for Washburn.

SERIES HISTORY WITH TIGERS
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 46-28-3 in 77 all-time meetings.
• Washburn is 18-16-2 all-time in games played in Hays winning the last meeting on Oct. 8, 2022 in a 45-14 win over the Tigers.
• The Ichabods are 28-12-1 all-time in meetings played in Topeka.
• The teams have split the last 10 meetings.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Oct. 5, 2024) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod football team fell behind early and could not recover in a 51-34 loss to Northwest Missouri on Hall of Fame Saturday in Yager Stadium.
The Bearcats (4-2, 4-1 MIAA) jumped out to a 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter after Northwest Missouri used two first quarter touchdowns and two second quarter field goals taking the lead to start the game.
The Ichabods (1-4, 1-3 MIAA) scored two touchdowns in the final 1:50 of the opening half to cut the lead to a one score game at 20-14 going into the break. The first score came on a 13-yard touchdown strike from Sam Van Dyne, who saw his first action of the season, to Maury Sullivan with 1:50 to go in the second quarter.
On Northwest's ensuing drive, L.J. Minner, Jr., sacked the Bearcats' Chris Ruhnke forcing a fumble and J.C. Heim recovered it and rushed 58 yards before being tackled at the Northwest 2 yard line and two plays later, Keller Hurla scored from five yards out with 34 seconds to play cut the Bearcat lead to 20-14 going into the break.
The Bearcats opened the second half with a 12-play, 75-yard drive using 5:32 off the clock to go up 27-14 and on the Ichabod kickoff return, Washburn muffed the kick returning the ball back to Northwest and the Bearcats scored two plays later going up 34-14.
With the Ichabods' first play from scrimmage in the second half at the 8:42 mark of the third quarter, Hurla hit Tre Richardson on an 85-yard touchdown pass pulling the Ichabods within 34-21.
The Ichabod defense forced a Bearcat punt and eight plays and 55 yards later, Van Dyne connected with Sullivan for his second touchdown pass on a 9-yard strike again pulling the Ichabods within six at 34-24 with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
Northwest scored a touchdown on its next drive followed by an Ichabod interception, a missed field goal by the Bearcats and a turnover on downs by Washburn, the Bearcats went up 44-28 with 5:14 to play the Ichabods' Van Dyne hit Richardson for a 32-yard touchdown pass, but the two-point Ichabod conversion was no good as was the Ichabod onside kick attempt.
On Northwest's next play from scrimmage, the Bearcats scored on a 42-yard run wrapping up the scoring as the Ichabods turned the ball over on their next drive and after a Bearcat punt ran out of time on their final drive.
Van Dyne finished 11 of 27 passing with three touchdowns for 156 yards and Hurla was 5 of 9 for 117 yards and one score.
The Ichabods were led by Richardson on the ground with 23 yards on four carries and through the air with five catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns including 73 yards after catch. Sullivan had five catches for 61 yards and two scores. Richardson finished with 201 all-purpose yards becoming the first Ichabod since James Letcher, Jr. to go over the 200-yard mark at Lincoln on Sept. 1, 2022 when he had 208.
Defensively, Minner, Jr. had nine tackles with six solo stops and Jordan Finnesy had also had nine solo stops. Minner added two tackles for loss with a forced fumble and a sack. Christian Ashe had the Ichabods' lone interception on the afternoon.
The Ichabods were outgained 423 to 335 as they were limited to 62 rushing yards compared to 201 for the Bearcats.

A WIN OVER THE TIGERS WOULD … 
• move the Ichabods to 2-4 on the season.
• be the the second-straight win by the Ichabods over the Tigers in Hays.
• move the Ichabods to 13-6 all-time on Oct. 12 …currently the 12 wins by the Ichabods on Oct. 12 are the most of any single date during the 2024 season.
 
A LOSS TO TIGERS WOULD …
• drop the Ichabods to 1-5 on the season.
• be the second loss in a row to the Tigers.
• drop the Ichabods to 46-29-3 all-time against the Tigers.
 
A LOOK BACK AT THE LOSS TO THE BEARCATS ... THE LOSS
• dropped the Ichabods to 1-4 on the season.
• was the third loss in a row to the Bearcats.
• dropped the Ichabods to 7-36 all-time against the Bearcats.
 
ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 578-612-44 (.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 
Washburn's next home game will be Oct. 19 against Missouri Southern. Following a road game at Central Missouri on Oct. 26, the Ichabods will celebrate homecoming on Nov. 2 and then the following week host Central Oklahoma on senior day before wrapping up the season on Nov. 16 at Northeastern State.