TOPEKA, Kan. – A dominant defensive effort, three field goals and a late touchdown for Washburn helped to snap a four-game losing streak to Pittsburg State as the Ichabods used a late drive to secure a 16-9 MIAA victory on Hall of Fame Saturday at Yager Stadium improving to 4-1-1 overall and 3-1 in league play while holding the Gorillas without a touchdown
After a scoreless first quarter, Washburn broke through midway through the second period with a 14-play, 84-yard drive that chewed nearly six minutes off the clock on a drive that featured multiple third-down conversions, including a Logan Madden-to-Nathan Lewis Jr. completion for 11 yards, an 11-yard run by Cam Robinson on third-and-one and a 20-yard completion from Madden to Dwayne Moorehead. The march stalled at the PSU 8, but Aidan Battle connected on a 25-yard field goal with 5:46 remaining in the half for a 3-0 lead.
Washburn's defense then forced a three-and-out, but Pittsburg State capitalized on a late interception and drove 23 yards in the final 33 seconds of the half, tying the game on Austin Schmitt's 41-yard field goal as time expired. The teams entered halftime deadlocked at 3-3.
The Ichabod defense came up with one of its biggest stands of the day to start the third quarter, stopping Pittsburg State (1-5, 1-3 MIAA) on a fourth-and-one pass at midfield taking over possession and turning the stop into points when Battle drilled a 34-yard field goal with 4:21 left in the quarter after a seven-play drive highlighted by a third-down, 8-yard completion from Madden to Lewis Jr.
Pittsburg State answered late in the third after a 54-yard run by T.J. Starks setting up Schmitt's 21-yard field goal, tying the game at 6-6 with 26 seconds remaining in the period.
The Washburn defense continued to shine in the second half. After Battle's third field goal of the afternoon, a 25-yarder with 13:12 left that capped a 67-yard drive and gave Washburn a 9-6 lead, the Gorillas managed only a field goal despite taking over at the Washburn 41 following an interception as the Ichabods held on third and 14 from the Washburn 19. The Ichabods limited the damage and Schmitt's 27-yard kick tied the game at 9-9 with 9:27 remaining.
Washburn responded with the game's defining possession, a 15-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 8:08 of clock. The march included crucial third-down conversions on a 7-yard pass from Madden to Lewis Jr. on third-and-four and an 8-yard completion to Aden Canty on third-and-eight at the PSU 12. A personal foul also helped extend the drive, and the Ichabods converted a fourth-and-one when Keller Hurla rushed for six yards to the PSU 14.
After moving inside the 10, Hurla found Canty over the middle for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 remaining. Battle's extra point provided the final 16-9 margin.
The defense slammed the door shut in the final minute as Reece Watkins intercepted a pass with 25 seconds left to secure the victory. Watkins joined a defensive unit that was led by J.C. Heim's game-high 11 tackles and sack. Isaiah Edwards recorded a strip-sack and forced two fumbles, while Daniel LaValley, Ryne Jensen and Heim also recorded sacks. Washburn finished with four sacks for 60 yards in losses and held Pittsburg State to 1.9 yards per rush.
Washburn limited Pittsburg State to 251 yards of offense and just 52 rushing yards as the Ichabod defense increased their streak of not allowing a touchdown to nine quarters dating back to the third quarter of the win over Central Oklahoma on Sept. 19.
Offensively, Madden completed 20 of 41 passes for 209 yards, while Hurla threw the game-winning touchdown strike. Nathan Lewis Jr. caught seven passes for 72 yards, Tre Calhoun added five receptions for 86 yards, and Robinson led the ground game with 58 rushing yards. Battle was perfect on all three field-goal attempts.
Washburn finished with advantages in total offense (321-251), first downs (21-16), time of possession (32:48-27:12) and third-down conversions, converting 10 of 18 opportunities compared to 5 of 17 for Pittsburg State. The Ichabods also went 4-for-4 in the red zone and held the Gorillas to field goals on all three of their scoring drives.
The Ichabods return to action next week at Central Missouri at 1:30 p.m. in Warrensburg. The Mules are coming off a 42-21 loss at Northwest Missouri last time out.
NOTES:
• The last time the Ichabods held the Gorillas to single-digit scoring was a 55-3 win on Oct. 17, 2009 in Topeka.
• Washburn improved to 10-7 on Oct. 10 and 2-0 against the Gorillas on the date joining the 36-13 win in 1953.
The win:
• snapped a four-game losing streak to the Gorillas.
• was the first win by the Ichabods in the series since a 28-26 win on Nov. 6, 2021 in Pittsburg and the first win in Topeka since Nov. 9, 2019 in a 49-38 win over the Gorillas.
• moved the Ichabods past last season's win total of three games with their fourth over Pitt State.
• Aidan Battle's three field goals were the most by an Ichabod since Trenton Brehm hit three against Emporia State on Oct. 14, 2023.
