SCENE SETTER
• The Washburn Ichabod football team returns to the road on Saturday opening MIAA play at Northwest Missouri at Bearcat Stadium with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. The game will also be the Spot 38 MIAA Game of the Week.
• The trip is the first for the Ichabods to Maryville as the last three games in the series have all been played in Topeka.
• The Ichabods (1-0-1) are coming off a 16-16 tie with Colorado Mines after the game was called due to extreme heat prior to the start of overtime on Sept. 5 in Yager Stadium.
• The Bearcats (1-0) are coming off their bye week after a 48-3 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Aug. 29.
• The Bearcats lead the all-time series 37-7.
• The Bearcats have won the last four overall and the last three in Topeka.
• 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 are 20-16 in MIAA openers.
 
BOD NOTES
• Nathan Lewis, Jr. had career highs of two touchdowns and 141 receptions against Mines recording back-to-back career high reception games of nine against Truman and six against Mines.
• Brody Hayes led the Ichabods in tackles with a career high 13 with eight solo stops …Gage Depee had a career high nine tackles against the Orediggers … Logan Madden had a career high 31 yards rushing on nine carries including a career-long 25-yard rush … Julian Stratford making his first start as an Ichabod had four catches for 56 yards.
• Last time out, the 16-16 tie by the Ichabods with the Orediggers was anIchabod football Scorigami as the score had never happened … through 1,252 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.
•  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 4-8-1 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 0-1 against Northwest Missouri.
 
Bearcat head coach John McMenamin. . .            
• is 10-3 in his second season at Northwest and 17-7 in his third season overall.
• named the new head coach of the Bearcat football program on Dec. 5, 2024.
• served as the offensive co-coordinator/pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., from December 2021 to July 2023. He helped orchestrate the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA history as the Green Wave went from 2-10 to 10-2. Tulane scored a 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over USC, 46-45. The Green Wave ranked No. 9 in the nation in team passing efficiency (160.48), No. 18 in scoring (36.0 points/game) and No. 20 in red-zone offense (86.8 scoring percentage).
• Northwest is McMenamin's second head coaching job. He was the head coach at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb., from December 2019 to December 2021 when he left to go to Tulane. McMenamin delivered the program's first seven-win seasons in 11 years with a 7-4 record that included victories over nationally-ranked foes in Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State.
• is 1-0 against Washburn.
 
 NOTING THE BEARCATS
• The Bearcats are coming off a 48-3 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville and ranked No. 4 in the latest AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the D2Football.com poll.
• Northwest ranks No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 3.0 points per game. Northwest is one of five NCAA Division II teams to have not allowed a touchdown scored this season joining Harding, Mars Hill, Northwood and Fort Lewis.
• Northwest Missouri has won its last five home games and Saturday's game with the Ichabods will be their home opener.
• The Bearcats ranked No. 2 in pass efficiency defense, No. 6 in total defense - allowing 179.0 yards per game.
• Te'Shaun Porter leads the team in rushing with 100.0 yards per game after their opener on 16 carries adding three touchdowns.
• Zechariah Owens has completed 11 of 17 passes for 144 yards and Jiadyn Doss has five catches for 71 yards.
• Cody Simoncic, the younger brother of Ichabod tight ends coach Kellen Simoncic, leads the team with five tackles adding a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
 
 LAST MEETING WITH THE BEARCATS
(Sept. 6, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. -- Northwest Missouri State controlled the tempo from the opening kickoff and handed Washburn a 34-7 loss in the MIAA opener at Yager Stadium. Washburn will step back out of MIAA play, traveling next weekend to face Colorado School of Mines next Saturday in Golden, Colo.
The Bearcats struck quickly in the first quarter with a pair of touchdown passes, building a 13-0 lead. The Ichabod defense held strong in the second quarter, keeping Northwest off the board, but the visitors extended their advantage in the second half behind a balanced offensive attack that finished with nearly 500 total yards.
Washburn's lone score came early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Justin Lewis connected with wide receiver D.J. Bell for a 69-yard touchdown strike down the sideline. The score pulled Washburn within 27-7.
The Ichabods finished with 143 yards of total offense, including 162 through the air. Lewis completed 14 of 30 passes, tossing for 162 yards with one touchdown. He was sacked five times, which contributed to Washburn's negative rushing total of –19 yards. Bell collected four passes for 86 yards highlighted by the long touchdown grab. He also added four kickoffs for 79 yards to finish the afternoon with 152 all-purpose yards.
Running back Ky Thomas contributed 10 yards on the ground and added a six-yard reception, while Lucas Oitker chipped in with four rushing yards and a six-yard catch.
Defensively, Washburn faced a heavy workload as Northwest dominated possession, holding the football for nearly 40 minutes compared to the Ichabods' 20. J.C. Heim led the Ichabods with a career-high 15 tackles with seven solo stops. L.J. Minner, Jr. had 13 tackles and Josh Grant had seven.
The Bearcats gained 495 total yards and converted 9 of 18 third-down attempts to sustain drives.
Jake Zeller's 10 punts were the most by and Ichabod since Ben Boswell had 10 against Pittsburg State on Oct. 11, 2003. The school high-water mark is 11.
 
 SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEARCATS
• The Bearcats lead the all-time series 37-7.
• The Bearcats have won the last four overall and the last three in Topeka.
• Washburn's last win in Topeka was on Oct. 16, 2021 in a 17-16 win.
• Washburn's last win over the Bearcats in Maryville was on Oct. 8, 2005 in a 31-28 victory as the Ichabods would go on to win the MIAA Championships that season.
• Washburn is 5-18 in games played in Topeka.
• Washburn is 2-18 in games played in Maryville, Mo. including the last eight meetings.
   LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Sept. 5, 2026) TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn and the Colorado School of Mines were set to settle a hard-fought season opener in overtime Saturday in a game that was the earliest start in program history before extreme heat conditions forced the game to be suspended, leaving the teams with a 16-16 tie. The draw marked Washburn's first tied game since 1977 and closed a contest that featured multiple lead changes and late-game drama before the teams could begin the extra period.
Washburn (1-0-1) took the opening kickoff as the Ichabods struck first drive of the game when Logan Madden capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Lewis Jr. just 3:20 into the game. Mines (0-1-1) answered with a 43-yard field goal from Preston Kyle, trimming the deficit to 7-3 on the ensuing drive.
Washburn extended its lead just before halftime when Aidan Battle connected on a 26-yard field goal following a 10-play, 80-yard drive that moved the Ichabods inside the Mines' 10-yard line. The Ichabods held a 10-3 advantage at the break after outgaining the Orediggers 233-167 in total offense during the opening half.
Mines took control in the third quarter. Joseph Capra found Nick Stone for a 24-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 10-10 with 8:43 remaining in the period before Kyle drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired in the quarter to give the Orediggers a 13-10 lead.
Kyle's third field goal of the game, a 29-yarder with 5:34 left in regulation, pushed the Mines' lead to 16-10 after a 14-play, 51-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes off the clock.
The Ichabods responded quickly. After forcing a punt, Madden led an 82-yard drive in just 1:12, highlighted by a 47-yard touchdown strike to Lewis with 1:48 remaining. The extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving the score tied at 16-16.
Mines drove into Washburn territory in the final minutes and attempted a 64-yard field goal at the buzzer, but the kick fell short and to the left, sending the game to what would have been overtime before play was halted.
Prior to the start of overtime, the wet globe temperature moved pass the safety zone, the teams were sent to the locker rooms and the fans were asked to leave the stadium. After nearly an hour delay, the game was called.
Madden finished 20 of 35 passing for 268 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Lewis turned in a career performance with six receptions for 141 yards and both Washburn touchdowns, including scoring plays of 28 and 47 yards. Tre Calhoun added six catches for 57 yards while Julian Stratford recorded four receptions for 56 yards.
Defensively, Brody Hayes and J.C. Heim led the Ichabods with 13 tackles apiece. Gage Depee added nine stops while Evian Thompson recorded a sack and forced fumble that led to a third-quarter takeaway. Ryne Jensen recovered the fumble for Washburn.
Mines held advantages in rushing yards (147-76), total offense (361-344), and time of possession (36:06-23:54), while Washburn generated 268 passing yards and averaged 5.7 yards per play.
The Ichabods finished with 18 first downs and matched the Orediggers with two touchdown drives in a game that ended in a rare tie, the first for Washburn since a 7-7 tie with Missouri Western on Oct. 7, 1977.
 
 A WIN OVER THE BEARCATS WOULD
• move the Ichabods to 2-0-1 on the season.
• snap a four-game losing streak to the Bearcats.
• be the first win by the Ichabods in Bearcat Stadium since Oct. 8, 2025 in a 31-28 win en route to the MIAA Championship.
• move Washburn to 8-37 all-time against the Bearcats.
• move the Ichabods to an undefeated mark after three games since the Ichabods started the 2013 season with eight-straight wins.
 
  A LOSS TO THE BEARCATS WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 1-1-1 on the season.
• be the fifth loss in a row to Northwest.
• drop the Ichabods to 7-38 all-time against Northwest Missouri.
• be the ninth loss in a row to the Bearcats in Maryville..
 
 ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 585-622-45 (.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
The Ichabods return home on Sept. 19 to host Central Oklahoma at noon in the Spot 38 MIAA Game of the Week.