SCENE SETTER
• The Washburn Ichabods will be on the road for the first of two consecutive MIAA contests as they will travel for the first match up with Central Missouri on Oct. 17 in Warrensburg, Mo. for the Mules' Homecoming game.
• The Ichabods (4-1-1, 3-1 MIAA) are in a three-way tie for second place in the MIAA standings along with Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri.
• The Mules (4-2, 3-1 MIAA) are coming off their first loss of the season in a 42-20 defeat at then No. 11 Northwest Missouri last time out … the Mules received votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 coaches poll.
• The Ichabods also received recognition in the lastest AFCA Top 25 poll picking up a solitary vote. It marked the first time since the Sept. 24, 2022 poll the Ichabods had received votes … Washburn was also ranked 25th in the D2Football.com poll that same week.
• Washburn won the last meeting with Central Missouri in a 37-17 win in Topeka on Oct. 18, 2025 in game the Ichabods forced eight turnovers in the win including six interceptions tying a school record.
• The Ichabods are off to their best start since the 2017 season when they started the year 5-1.
• The Washburn Ichabods were tabbed No. 8 in both the MIAA preseason coaches and preseason media polls that were released on Aug. 27 by the league office at the annual MIAA Football Media Day hosted by Washburn inside the Sneed Indoor Athletic Facility.
 
 WEATHER CHECK
• Saturday's weather forecast calls for a Sunny with a high of 62 (yes 62) and only a 2% chance of rain.
 
 BOD NOTES
• Tre Calhoun and Nathan Lewis, Jr. each lead the team with 33 catches while Calhoun has 484 yards and Lewis has 419 yards … the duo has combined for 150.4 yards per game of Washburn's 254.7 receiving yards per game.
• Logan Madden has completed 121 of 214 passes for 10 scores and six interceptions averaging 248 yards per game.
• Aidan Battle was the named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance in Washburn's 16-9 win over Pittsburg State on Saturday in Yager Stadium as he was responsible for 10 of Washburn's 16 points in the Ichabods' victory over the Gorillas on Hall of Fame Saturday. He went 3 of 3 on field goals connecting on attempts from 25, 34 and 25 and his only PAT with 1:19 to go in the game putting Washburn up by a touchdown.
• Aden Canty scored his second touchdown of his Ichabod career with the go-ahead score against Pitt State.
• Ryne Jensen had career-highs of five tackles with his first sack against the Gorillas.
• Jalen Johnson had his first career reception against the Gorillas.
• Braiden Lagafuaina had a career-best seven tackles against the Gorillas.
• The interception by Reece Watkins against Pitt State to seal the game was his first collegiate pick.
• Cam Robinson leads the team with 337 yards and three scores averaging 56.2 yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry … Quinton Renfro has 237 yards and 4.8 yards per carry with two scores and 40 yards per game.
• The Ichabod defense leads the national lead with 10 fumble recoveries.
• Last time out, the 16-9 win by the Ichabods over Pittsburg State was not an Ichabod football Scorigami as the score had happened before two times … through 1,256 Ichabod games, there have been 301 games in which a score has happened only one time. In all, there have been 528 unique scoring games.
 
 PRO BODS
• The Washburn Ichabods have one former player on an NFL roster this season and one in the Canadian Football League.
• Kyle Hinton is on the 53-man roster of the Atlanta Falcons.
• James Letcher, Jr. is a standout return specialist and wide receiver  in the Canadian Football League playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in his third season in the CFL.
 
 COACHES
Washburn head coach Zach Watkins . . .
• is 7-9-1 in his second season as the Ichabod head coach.
• named the 38th head coach in Washburn program history on Nov. 26, 2024.
• first Ichabod alumnus to lead the program in more than 30 years.
• spent 11 seasons as Washburn's co-defensive coordinator before becoming head coach
• four-year starter at linebacker for Washburn (2006–09).
• recorded 100+ tackles each season, finishing with a school-record 473 career tackles (third all-time in NCAA Division II at the time).
• has had 10 players earn all-MIAA honors, an all-region selection, a CSC Academic All-American®, and 70 MIAA Academic Honor Roll picks adding five MIAA Scholar Athletes and three MIAA Academic Excellence selections after his first season as the Ichabod head coach.
• bachelor's degree in Finance and Business Management, Washburn University (2009).
• master's degree in Sports Administration, Fort Hays State (2013).
• married to Amanda; two children, Parker and Naomi.
• is 1-0 against Central Missouri.
 
Central Missouri head coach Josh Lamberson . . .            
• is in his fifth season on the Mule sidelines going 33-19 at UCM and has a 34-41 overall coaching record in season number six.
• named the 30th head football coach of the Mules football program in February 2022.
• served as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the Mules from 2010-14 under former UCM head coach Jim Svoboda, after serving as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for Division I Abilene Christian University from 2017-21.
• before Abilene Christian, he served as the head coach at MIAA member Nebraska Kearney from 2015-17.
• is 2-4 against Washburn.
 
 NOTING THE MULES
• The Mules are 4-2 this season and suffered their first MIAA loss of the season 42-20 at then-No. 11 Northwest Missouri.
• DJ Brown leads the team in rushing at 88.7 yards per game averaging 5.4 yards per carry adding 10 touchdowns and 540 total yards … Tank Young has 215 rushing yards averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
• Jordan Pachot has completed 154 of 244 attempts for 1,895 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
• Jake Weber has 386 receiving yards leading the team on 31 catches with two scores at 64.3 yards per game … Jack Pospisil has 42 catches for 343 yards while Marion Lindsey, Jr. has 18 catches for 381 yards and five touchdown scores.
• Defensively, UCM is led by Marcus Williams who has 53 tackles adding 4.5 tackles for loss for 24 yards and two interceptions and a forced fumble.
• Will Peacock is 3 for 5 on field goals and has hit 2 of 3 between from 30 to 39 yards with a long of 35.
• Brody Graber is averaging 39.3 yards per punt with a long of 62 yards.
• The Mules are ranked 12th in the nation in third down conversions, 11th in first downs and fourth in passing offense at 336.3 yards per game.
 
 LAST MEETING WITH THE MULES
(Oct. 18, 2025)TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn turned Hall of Fame Saturday into its best performance of the year, using six interceptions and forcing two more fumbles as the Ichabods scored 30 points off of Central Missouri turnovers adding a balanced offensive attack to take down the Mules 37–17 at Yager Stadium for their first MIAA win of the season. 
Making his first career start, Logan Madden sparked the Ichabods early, capping an 8-play, 45-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter to give Washburn a 6–0 lead. The Ichabods, after winning the opening coin toss, took advantage of UCM's a UCM fumble on the second play from scrimmage that was forced and recovered by Jordan Finnesy setting the Ichabods up and the UCM 45 less than a minute into the game.
On the ensuing drive by the Mules, after driving down to their own 41, the Mules fumbled again as J.C. Heim recovered a fumble that was forced by Bryson Alexander as the Ichabods took over, but later punted after coming up short on a third down conversion.
After the teams traded punts, Central Missouri cut the lead in half at 6-3 after a 36-yard field goal by Will Peacock cutting the margin to 6–3 with 1:24 to play in the opening frame.
The Mules briefly went ahead 10–6 in the second quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Donovyn Omolo to Bo Reeves capping a 12-play, 81-yard drive with 8:24 to go in the first half, but the Ichabods quickly regained control. The Ichabods punted after the UCM score, but Josh Grant intercepted a pass at the UCM 15-yard line and three plays later Madden found Ky Thomas on a 9-yard touchdown strike just 90 seconds later, giving Washburn a 13–10 halftime edge.
The third quarter belonged entirely to the Ichabods as on UCM's first drive of the half, L.J. Minner Jr. jumped in front of a pass for a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown less than four minutes in, extending the lead to 20–10. UCM again ended its next drive with an interception by Kamble Haverkamp and after returning it 54 yards to the UCM 21, the Ichabods needed seven plays to score again as Madden connected with Chase Allen-Jackman on a 6-yard touchdown pass stretching the Ichabod advantage to 27-10 with 5:27 to play in the third quarter.
For the third straight UCM drive, UCM tossed another interception by Jordan Finnesy and returned it to the UCM 25 setting up an Aidan Battle 49-yard field goal moments later to push the lead to 30–10 heading into the final frame.
Again UCM was picked off on its third play of its next drive, again by Finnesy ending the UCM drive.
But after an Ichabod punt, Central Missouri found the end zone early in the fourth to make it 30–17, but Washburn answered once again with a Thomas 8-yard touchdown run, putting the Ichabods up 37–17 with 6:57 to play to wrap up the scoring as the Ichabods snapped a four-game losing streak.
Madden completed 20 of 31 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns while adding 14 rushing yards and a score. Thomas posted 87 rushing yards and 33 receiving yards with two total touchdowns, and Allen-Jackman caught seven passes for 73 yards and a TD.
Defensively, J.C. Heim led the charge with 15 tackles (12 solo) and a fumble recovery. Jordan Finnesy intercepted two passes and added nine tackles, while Minner Jr., Braiden Lagafuaina, Josh Grant, and Kamble Haverkamp each had interceptions — Haverkamp returning his 54 yards to set up a score. Washburn's defense finished with six interceptions, three sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Finnesy's two interceptions were the most by an Ichabod in a single game since Grant Bruner recorded two at Central Missouri on Sept. 8, 2022.
The Ichabods forced a school-record eight takeaways topping the previous highwater mark of seven set at Missouri Southern on Oct. 8, 2016..
 
 SERIES HISTORY WITH THE MULES
• The Mules lead the all-time series 30-22-2 over the Ichabods in 54 all-time meetings.
• Washburn is 8-16 in games played in Warrensburg and 14-14-2 in games played in Topeka.
• the Ichabods are 15-24-1 in MIAA games with the Mules.
• the largest win over the Mules by the Ichabods was a 34-0 win on Sept. 29, 1963.
• Washburn is 4-6 in the last 10 match-ups with the Mules.
   LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Oct. 10, 2026) 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.
 
 A WIN OVER THE MULES WOULD
• move the Ichabods' record to 5-1-1 on the season.
• be the second consecutive win over the Mules.
• move the Ichabods to 4-1 in MIAA games.
• be the first Ichabod four-game winning streak since the Ichabods won six in a row from Oct. 9 to Nov. 13 in the 2021 season when the Ichabods reached the NCAA Playoffs.
 
  A LOSS TO THE MULES WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 4-2-1 on the season and 3-2 in MIAA games.
• be the second loss in a row to the Mules in Warrensburg.
• drop 22-31-2 all-time against the Mules.
 
 ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 588-623-45 (.484) in the 136th year of Ichabod football.
• The Ichabods are 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 187 all-MIAA picks and 63 first team all-MIAA selections.
• Washburn has had 97 overall All-American selections and 73 individual 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.
 
 UP NEXT
Washburn returns to the road facing Fort Hays State on Oct. 24 before returning home on Oct. 31 in a Halloween Homecoming contest against Missouri Western.