FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State football was picked eighth in both the 2014 MIAA Coaches and Media Preseason Polls, released on Tuesday morning (Aug. 5) at MIAA Football Media Day in Kansas City, Mo. The Tigers were picked eighth for the second straight season and finished eighth last season at 6-5 overall and 4-5 in the MIAA.
The Tigers are at MIAA Football Media Day on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. Head Coach Chris Brown, wide receiver Ed Williams and defensive lineman Jesse Trent will speak with the media in a press conference at 9 am.
For the second consecutive season, the 2013 Tigers saw an improvement in wins under Brown, finishing above the .500 mark (6-5) for the first time since 2009. FHSU was 5-6 the season prior and 4-7 in 2011, Brown’s first season at the helm. The Tigers matched their highest amount of wins in MIAA play for a season with four, also accomplished in the 2012 and 2009 seasons. This is the ninth year of competition for Fort Hays State in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State opens practice next week at Lewis Field Stadium, with full-time access to the state-of-the-art Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training Facility next to the stadium.
The Tigers have 15 starters from 2013 returning, six on offense, nine on defense.
Defensive players Michael Jordan and Jesse Trent were named to the USA College Football 2014 NCAA Division II Preseason All-America Watch List, and were All-MIAA selections last season. Additionally, Jordan was named All-Region First Team by Daktronics last season, and Michael Terry, Justin McPhail and DeAndre James return as 2013 All-MIAA selections.
Jordan ranked third on the team in tackles with 70 and led the team in interceptions with five. He had at least seven tackles in six contests last year with 10 as his season high. Trent, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, record 41 tackles last year, including seven for loss with a half-sack along the way. Both Jordan and Trent have started 22 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2012 season. McPhail led FHSU with 90 tackles on the season, while Terry was second with 75 tackles, leading the Tigers with two fumble recoveries.
Offensively, Edward Smith returns after a 2013 campaign that saw him gain 438 yards on 74 attempts, leading the team with eight rushing touchdowns. Treveon Albert enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in history for a Tiger quarterback last season, throwing for 2,338 yards and 28 touchdowns with 59.2 percent accuracy (170-for-287), in addition to rushing for 596 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. On the receiving end, Williams caught seven touchdowns last season and emerged as a deep threat for FHSU.
NCAA Division II National Champion Northwest Missouri State tops both MIAA polls, with Pittsburg State earning the second slot in each. NWMSU gained 121 votes (11 first-place votes) in the coaches poll and 466 votes (37 first place votes) in the media poll, while PSU had 106 votes (one first-place) in the coaches and 422 tallies (one first-place) in the media. Central Missouri (94 votes), Emporia State (88 votes) and Missouri Western (82 votes) round out the top five of the coaches’ poll, with Washburn and Missouri Southern sitting just ahead of FHSU. The Tigers had 50 votes in the coaches’ poll.
The media poll’s top five is slight re-arranged, with Emporia State (353 votes, one first-place), Missouri Western (348 tallies) and Washburn (306 votes) earned slots three through five. Central Missouri and Missouri Southern, with 285 and 258 votes, respectively, are ahead of Fort Hays State’s 191 votes.
The Tigers open their 2014 campaign with a home matchup against Central Oklahoma on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 7 pm.
Below are the complete preseason polls for the 2014 season…
2014 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (11) 121
2. Pittsburg State (1) 106
3. Central Missouri 94
4. Emporia State 88
5. Missouri Western 82
6. Washburn 79
7. Missouri Southern 67
8. Fort Hays State 50
9. Lindenwood 39
10. Central Oklahoma 26
11. Nebraska-Kearney 23
12. Northeastern State 17
2014 MIAA Preseason Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (37) 466
2. Pittsburg State (1) 422
3. Emporia State (1) 353
4. Missouri Western 348
5. Washburn 306
6. Central Missouri 285
7. Missouri Southern 258
8. Fort Hays State 191
9. Lindenwood 142
10. Nebraska-Kearney 109
11. Central Oklahoma 96
12. Northeastern State 66