SCENE SETTER
• The Washburn Ichabod football team opens its home slate on Saturday hosting the Colorado School of Mines in Yager Stadium with a 9:05 a.m. start.
• The Ichabods are coming off  a 27-21 road win over Truman on Aug. 29. The Bulldogs, who received votes in the preseason AFCA top 25 coaches poll, went 8-4 mark in 2026 going 7-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference before falling 57-14 to Indianapolis in the first round of the NCAA playoffs after being picked second the GLVC preseason coaches poll.
• The Orediggers are 0-1 this season after opening the 2026 campaign with a 22-20 loss to Western Oregon on Aug. 29 in Golden.
»   The Ichabods are 13-7 all-time against the Orediggers and will be looking to end a two-game skid against Mines.
• The Ichabods have won 7 of the last 10 over the Orediggers.
• 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 Ichabods improved to 83-47-6 in season openers and 2-1 against Truman in season openers after the win on Saturday.
 
 IT'S HOT IN TOE-PEE-KA
• When Washburn and Colorado School of Mines first met on Sept. 18, 1953, Topeka was in the midst of one of the hottest September stretches in city history. The day before the game, temperatures reached 103 degrees, and the city would later hit 104 degrees the next day.
• The hottest Washburn-Mines matchup was Oct. 5, 1963, when Topeka reached 96 degrees, which remains the hottest Oct. 5 ever recorded in Topeka.
• Washburn and Colorado School of Mines have met in conditions ranging from a chilly 34-degree November afternoon in 1959 to 97-degree late-summer heat in 2008, with three series meetings overall played in temperatures of 94 degrees or higher.
 
 BOD NOTES
• After recording 15 catches or 113 yards in 2025, Tre Calhoun had seven catches for 117 yards against Truman.
• Aidan Battle scored a career-high nine points against Truman and Brody Hayes led the team with a career-high 10 tackles (5 solos) … Nathan Lewis, Jr. had career highs of nine receptions and 72 receiving yards … Logan Madden had career-highs of 24 rushing yards, 38 passing attempts, 28 passing completions and 328 total passing yards.
• The 446 total yards of offense against Truman was the most by an Ichabod team since recording 547 on Nov. 9, 2024 against Central Oklahoma.
• Last time out, the 27-21 win by the Ichabods over Truman was not an Ichabod football Scorigami as the score had happened three times before … through 1,251 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.
• After going 2-4 in one score games in 2025, the Ichabods opened with a six-point win over Truman.
 
 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 4-8 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 0-1 against Mines.
 
Mines head coach Bob Stitt . . .            
• was announced as the new head coach of Mines Football on Feb. 7, 2025 returning to Golden after 10 years away to take over the program that he built into a national contender.
• he is 113-66 in his 17th season at Mines and has a 136-81 overall coaching record in his 20th season.
• was originally the Orediggers' head coach from 2000 to 2014, winning three RMAC titles, earning the first three NCAA playoff appearances in program history, and compiling a record of 108-62. The winningest head coach in Mines history, Stitt built Mines into a power program in the RMAC and NCAA Division II, winning the program's first conference title in more than 50 years in 2004 and going on to have 19 all-Americans and 168 all-RMAC selections over 15 seasons.
• is 2-6 against Washburn.
 
 NOTING THE OREDIGGERS
• The Orediggers are 0-1 this season after opening the 2026 campaign with a 22-20 loss to Western Oregon on Aug. 29 in Golden.
• Pierce Richards set the Mines program record for receptions in a game with 18 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown as the favored target of Joseph Capra, who went 30-of-49 for 232 yards and a touchdown. The Orediggers (0-1) rallied back from 16-7 at halftime sparked by Mo Russolillo's 32-yard scoop and score off Parker Johnson's forced fumble to open the third quarter. The Wolves (1-0) held Mines to 41 rushing yards and went ahead on Jordan McCarty's fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Jaydan Burns, one of two scores for Burns on the day.
• Colorado School of Mines was selected third in the RMAC preseason coaches' football poll. The  have 16 returning starters from last year's team and were picked behind defending champion CSU Pueblo and NCAA qualifier Western Colorado, just ahead of Chadron State. Colorado Mesa, New Mexico Highlands, South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State, Fort Lewis, and Adams State rounded out the poll, in that order.
• Mines was well-represented in preseason honors, with punter Lucas LeSieur being named to the D2football Elite 100 list and kicker Preston Kyle appearing on the Fred Mitchell Award watchlist. In addition, running back Max Barnes, wide receiver Pierce Richards, and tight end Blake Smotherman were named to the preseason all-RMAC offensive team, and Mines dominated on the specialists team with long snapper Josh Hildebrand joining Kyle and LeSieur in being recognized.
 
 LAST MEETING WITH THE OREDIGGERS
(Sept. 13, 2025) GOLDEN, Colo. – The Washburn Ichabod football team put together a strong second-half push but could not overcome a big rushing day from No. 24-ranked Colorado School of Mines, falling 41-27 on Saturday afternoon in Golden, Colo., withstanding more than four hours of lightning delays in the second.
Mines jumped out to a 27-7 lead at halftime, leaning on a ground attack that piled up 365 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the day. Washburn struggled to contain the Orediggers' explosive plays, but the Ichabods battled back after the break with 20 second-half points, including a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that narrowed the deficit.
Quarterback Logan Madden, playing near his hometown of Arvada, Colo., completed  11 of 17 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in his first action as an Ichabod. Justin Lewis added 106 yards through the air on 9 of 20 passing with two scores of his own. Combined, the duo accounted for all four Ichabod touchdowns, throwing passes to eight different receivers.
Henry Mohrmann proved to be a reliable red-zone target with two touchdown grabs, finishing with 30 yards on two catches. D.J. Bell provided the biggest spark, catching five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown while also breaking free on a 37-yard rush. Overall, Washburn tallied 256 passing yards but was limited to just 42 net rushing yards on 27 attempts, as Mines' defense controlled the line of scrimmage.
Defensively, the Ichabods were led by J.C. Heim who recorded a game-high 17 tackles with seven solo stops for a career-high tally. L.J. Minner, Jr. recorded 11 stops.
Jake Zeller booted eight punts for an impressive 43.6-yard average.
 
 SERIES HISTORY WITH THE OREDIGGERS
• the Ichabods are 13-7 all-time against the Orediggers and will be looking to end a two-game skid against Mines.
• the Ichabods have won 7 of the last 10.
• the series between the schools restarted in 2024 after a 14-year hiatus.
• Washburn is 6-3 against the Orediggers all-time in Yager Stadium and 7-4 in road games.
• The 1953 Washburn team that earned the first win in the series over Mines also captured a conference championship that season, one of the program's 12 all-time conference titles.
   LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(August. 29, 2026) KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Washburn Ichabods opened the 2026 season with a 27-21 road win over Truman State on Saturday night, controlling the game for most of the contest behind a balanced offense and a defense that repeatedly delivered momentum-changing plays. The Ichabods built a 27-7 lead early in the fourth quarter and improved to 1-0.
Washburn finished with 446 yards of total offense, 27 first downs and held the ball for 37:08 while forcing two turnovers. The Ichabods limited Truman State to just 183 total yards through the first three quarters, allowing only one touchdown during that span while building a 24-7 advantage.
After Truman State scored on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Hair to Adam Hall in the first quarter, Washburn's defense stopped another Bulldog scoring threat when quarterback Dylan Hair fumbled at the Washburn 13-yard line. Defensive lineman Malo Mata'u recovered the loose ball to keep the deficit at seven.
The Ichabods answered in the second quarter when Cam Robinson capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
Washburn took the lead for good on its next scoring drive as Logan Madden connected with Dwayne Moorehead on a 27-yard touchdown pass, finishing an 11-play, 76-yard march. Aidan Battle added a 24-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining before halftime, sending Washburn into the break with a 17-7 lead.
The biggest offensive play of the night came midway through the third quarter when Madden found Tre Calhoun behind the Truman State secondary for a 45-yard touchdown pass, extending the Ichabod lead to 24-7.
The defense came up with another takeaway later in the third quarter. With Truman State driving inside Washburn territory, Braiden Lagafuaina forced a fumble from Nathan Ryan and Cortlin Dalton recovered at the Washburn 28-yard line, ending a Bulldog scoring threat.
Battle connected on a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 27-7. Truman State scored twice in the final 12 minutes, but the Ichabods ran out the final 1:40 to secure the victory.
Brody Hayes led the team with 10 tackles while J.C. Heim added eight tackles and a sack. Gage Depee recorded seven tackles, while Lagafuaina forced a fumble. Al-Mani Jimerson and Heim each recorded sacks.
Madden completed 28 of 38 passes for a career-high 328 yards and two touchdowns while adding 24 rushing yards. Calhoun led all receivers with seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Lewis Jr. added nine receptions for 72 yards, while Moorehead finished with three catches for 38 yards and a score. Robinson rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown, while Quinton Renfro added 54 rushing yards.
 
 A WIN OVER THE OREDIGGERS WOULD
• move the Ichabods' record to 2-0 on the season.
• snap a two-game losing streak to the Orediggers.
• move the Ichabods to 7-3 all-time in home games against Mines.
• move Washburn to 14-7 all-time against the Orediggers.
• move the Ichabods to 2-0 to start the season for the first time since the 2022 campaign.
 
  A LOSS TO THE OREDIGGERS WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 1-1 on the season.
• be the third in a row to Mines and the second in a row in games played in Topeka.
• drop the Ichabods to 13-8 all-time against Mines.
 
 ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 585-622-44 (.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 MIAA play on Sept. 12 at Northwest Missouri starting at 1:30 p.m. in Maryville.