SCENE SETTER
• The Washburn Ichabod football team will open its 136th season of action on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Kirksville, Mo. as they will take on former MIAA foe Truman at 6 p.m.
• The Ichabods are coming off a 3-8 overall mark with a 2-7 record in MIAA under second-year head coach Zach Watkins while the Bulldogs, who received votes in the preseason AFCA top 25 coaches poll, begins the 2026 season after an 8-4 mark going 7-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference before falling 57-14 to Indianapolis in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
• The Ichabods and Bulldogs are meeting for only the second time since Truman's last season in the MIAA before joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference for the 2013 season. The Ichabods won last season's meeting in Topeka in a 20-17 season-opening win.
• The Ichabods trail the all-time series with the former MIAA school 18-13, but have won the last seven in the series. The Bulldogs' last win in the series came in a 21-7 win on Oct. 21, 2006 in Kirksville. Overall the Ichabods have won the last three played in Kirksville.
• 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.
• The Bulldogs were selected second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason coaches poll, receiving 58 points and two first-place votes. Indianapolis was chosen as the preseason favorite with 63 points and seven first-place votes.
• The Ichabods are 82-47-6 in season openers and 1-1 against Truman in season openers.
• The Ichabods and the Bulldogs also faced off in the season opener on Sept. 19, 1958 with the Bulldogs winning 26-13 in Kirksville.
 
 BOD NOTES
• J.C. Heim lead the MIAA in tackles in 2025 and he finished second in the national rankings in tackles per game with 12.8 per contest.
• Heim's 6.45 solo tackles per game also lead the MIAA and he was third in the national rankings … his 142 tackles in 2025 was is fourth on the Ichabod single season chart trailing Zach Watkins (143) and Bill Guidetti (152) on the single season record book.
• The Ichabod defense was sixth in turnovers gained in the national rankings in 2025 and led the MIAA with 27 overall … the Ichabods were second in turnover margin and rank 15th in the nation overall … Washburn's 14 interceptions in 2025 was second in the MIAA and ranks 22nd in the final NCAA D2 rankings.
• Last time out, the 29-24 win by the Ichabods over Missouri Southern was an Ichabod football Scorigami as the score had never happened before … through 1,250 Ichabod games, there have been 300 games in which a score has happened only one time. In all, there have been 527 unique scoring games.
• The Ichabods are 2-4 in one score games this season with the lone wins coming against Truman in the season opener in a 20-17 win and over Missouri Southern in the season finale.
 
 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 Jacksonville.
• 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 3-8 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 Truman.
 
Truman head coach Kellen Nesbitt . . .            
• is in his third season as head football coach of the Bulldogs, after removing the interim tag following an 8-4 season in 2024 and is 16-8 overall.
• was promoted to interim head coach in February of 2024 following the retirement of his father, Gregg, after spending the previous 14 seasons as the Bulldogs defensive coordinator.  Nesbitt is the 23rd head coach in the program's history spanning 118 seasons.
• coached from 2007-09 at his alma mater, Central Missouri as defensive backs coach.
• was a four-year letterwinner for the Mules with over 120 career tackles and was the Special Teams Player of the Year in 2004 and earned the school's Markey Football Scholarship in 2006.
• is 0-1 against Washburn.
 
 NOTING THE BULLDOGS
• Head coach Kellen Nesbitt enters his third season leading the Bulldogs after guiding Truman State to an 8-4 overall record, a 7-1 mark in GLVC play, and a postseason appearance last fall. Nesbitt was named the GLVC Coach of the Year following the program's first playoff berth in more than three decades.
• The Bulldogs return a strong veteran nucleus from that squad, including 17 returning starters and a number of All-GLVC performers.
• Leading the offense is senior quarterback Dylan Hair, who earned Second Team All-GLVC honors after throwing for 2,463 yards and accounting for 33 total touchdowns last season. Hair will once again have one of his top targets available in senior wide receiver Nathan Ryan, a Second Team All-GLVC selection who caught nine touchdown passes in 2025. Along the offensive line, First Team All-GLVC selections Greg Krupa and Wyatt Bonnett provide valuable experience up front.
• Defensively, senior linebacker Jack Weltha returns after earning First Team All-GLVC honors and recording 94 tackles a season ago. Linebacker Logan Montoya and defensive linemen Tucker McDowell and Tyler Shanks also return after playing key roles in one of the conference's top defenses.
• Special teams continuity will be another strength for Truman State with senior punter Mason Gessert and sophomore kicker Diego Perez both back for the 2026 season. Perez converted all 48 of his extra-point attempts last fall, while Gessert averaged 38.8 yards per punt and recorded eight punts of 50 yards or more.
 
 LAST MEETING WITH THE BULLDOGS
(Aug. 30, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod football team opened a new era starting the 2025 season with a 20–17 win over Truman State on Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium in Topeka as head coach Zach Watkins picked his first win in his head coaching debut.
The former MIAA foe Bulldogs (0-1) struck first, marching 68 yards in nine plays before quarterback Dylan Hair found Jackson Overton for a 23-yard touchdown. Truman added to its early lead later in the opening quarter on a 32-yard field goal from Vinni Calvaruso to go up 10–0.
Washburn answered in the second quarter behind the arm of quarterback Justin Lewis. He connected with Chase Allen-Jackman on a 16-yard touchdown to put the Ichabods (1-0) on the board. A 37-yard field goal by Aidan Battle, tied the game at 10–10 midway through the second half, and with less than a minute left in the half, Lewis and Allen-Jackman connected again, this time from 27 yards out giving Washburn a 17–10 halftime advantage.
The defenses controlled the third quarter as neither team was able to break through. Early in the fourth, Washburn extended its lead when kicker Aidan Battle drilled a booming 51-yard field goal, one shy of the school record of 52 set in 1972 by Russ Hill against Northern Colorado and Charles Goodnight against Emporia State in 1985. The boot stretched the  Ichabod margin to 20–10.
Truman State came right back, putting together a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Denim Cook with just under six minutes left cutting the lead to three, but the Ichabods ended the game with a 12-play drive converting three first downs to run out the clock giving the Ichabods their seventh-straight win over the Bulldogs in the series and their first since 2012.
Statistically, the Bulldogs edged Washburn in total offense, 333 yards to 315, holding the ball for more than 34 minutes. Truman also controlled the ground game with 136 rushing yards, 86 of those from Cook, while the Ichabods were held to -37 negative yardage on the ground.
Washburn's success came through the air as Lewis completed 33 of 42 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns. Lewis, in his Washburn debut, completed at one point 20-consecutive passes breaking an MIAA and a Washburn single game record. Allen-Jackman hauled in nine passes for 127 yards and both scores, while D.J. Bell added nine catches for 98 yards. Truman's passing attack produced 197 yards, with Overton leading the receivers with 70 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by L.J. Minner, Jr. and J.C. Heim with 11 tackles each. Minner added a fumble recovery and Kamble Haverkamp had seven tackles, all solo stops with three tackles for loss for 18 yards and two sacks.
 
 SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BULLDOGS
• The Ichabods trail the all-time series with the former MIAA school 18-13, but have won the last seven in the series.
• Washburn topped the Bulldogs 20-17 on Aug. 30, 2025 in Topeka in the last meeting in the series.
• Washburn is 8-9 against the Bulldogs in Topeka and 5-9 against the Bulldogs in Kirksville.
• The first meeting between the two schools on Sept. 19, 1958 in Kirksville in a 26-13 loss.
   LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Nov. 15, 2025) JOPLIN, MO. – The Washburn Ichabod football team closed its 2025 season with a hard-fought 29–24 victory at Missouri Southern, powered by a pair of late scoring drives, a defensive touchdown two huge defensive stops on fourth down in the Lion redzone.
The Ichabods (3–8, 2–7 MIAA) made the most of their opportunities despite being outgained 442–345, finishing 4-for-4 in the red zone and scoring 13 points off turnovers—including the play of the game, an 83-yard fumble return touchdown by Josh Grant that flipped momentum early in the second half.
Washburn opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Keller Hurla capped an 80-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Henry Mohrmann with :32 left in the quarter. Missouri Southern responded quickly with a 54-yard touchdown pass and added a field goal to take a 10–6 lead midway through the second quarter.
Logan Madden then engineered a crisp 64-yard drive, hitting Ty Weber on a 16-yard scoring strike to push Washburn back in front 13–10. The Ichabods added a 26-yard field goal from Aidan Battle just before halftime for a 16–10 advantage.
Early in the third quarter, Missouri Southern drove inside the Washburn red zone before the Ichabod defense provided a massive turning point. Keith Guidry forced a fumble that Grant scooped and returned 83 yards for a touchdown, extending the Washburn lead to 23–10. The Lions answered with consecutive touchdown drives to take a 24–23 lead late in the third quarter.
Trailing in the fourth, Washburn delivered its best drive of the day. Starting at its own 18, Madden guided a 12-play, 82-yard march featuring steady runs from Cam Robinson and efficient short passes. Madden finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mohrmann—his second of the game—with 4:16 remaining. The Ichabod defense held from there, posting a fourth-down stop in the red zone to secure the victory. On a 4th and two from the Ichabod nine, the Lions running back was tackled by J.C. Heim and forced a fumble as Kamble Haverkamp recovered the ball at the Ichabod 7 ending the play and two kneel downs later, the Ichabods picked up the win.
Madden finished 21 of 26 for 186 yards and two touchdowns while Hurla added a 4-for-5 passing performance and a touchdown along with 49 rushing yards. Robinson led the ground attack with 82 yards on 17 carries. Trey Harmison caught six passes for 72 yards, and Nathan Lewis Jr. added five receptions for 32 yards.
Defensively, J.C. Heim led Washburn with 12 tackles, while Jordan Finnesy and Jaren Heim added eight apiece. Grant recorded the game-changing fumble return touchdown and had five tackles, and Haverkamp added an interception.
Washburn totaled 147 rushing yards on 35 attempts and completed 25 of 31 passes for 198 yards. The Ichabods converted 7 of 12 third downs and 4-for-4 red zone chances while forcing two turnovers and scoring on both.
 
 A WIN OVER THE BULLDOGS WOULD
• move the Ichabods' record to 1-0 on the season.
• be the eighth-straight win over the Bulldogs.
• be the fourth-straight win over the Bulldogs in Kirksville.
• move the Ichabods to 6-9 against Truman in Kirksville.
• move Washburn to 14-18 all-time against the Bulldogs.
• be the second consecutive year the Ichabods opened the season with a win over the Bulldogs.
• move the Ichabods to 83-41-6 in season openers and 2-0 against Truman in season openers.
 
  A LOSS TO THE BULLDOGS WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 0-1 on the season.
• snap a three-game winning streak over the Bulldogs in Kirksville.
• be the Ichabods' first loss in Kirksville since Oct. 21, 2006 in a 21-7 loss.
• move the Ichabods to 82-42-6 in season openers and 1-1 against Truman in season openers.
 
 ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 584-622-44 (.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
The Ichabods will open the 2026 home schedule with Colorado School of Mines on Saturday, Sept. 5 in Yager Stadium with kickoff set for noon. The Orediggers received votes in the AFCA preseason coaches poll.