HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Football, ranked No. 11 in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, hosts Pittsburg State for Homecoming on Saturday night at Lewis Field Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 pm. It will be the 75th meeting all-time between the schools as the Tigers look to remain undefeated on the season, while the Gorillas look to snap a two-game losing streak.
There will be plenty of entertainment surrounding the game, sponsored by Big Creek Crossing. Lane Haas, a musician from Coldwater, Kansas, will be playing an acoustic show from 5:00-6:45 pm just outside of the front entrance on the east side of Lewis Field. Following the game, there will be a FIREWORKS SHOW sponsored by Horizon Appliance & Electronics, the Hays CVB, and Jamie and Brianna Day. The show will start approximately 10 minutes after the game is over, so stick around after the game and enjoy the fireworks!
The game has big implications from a historical standpoint for both programs. The Tigers are looking for their first win over the Gorillas in Hays since 1978. Although the Tigers two of the last three meetings between the teams, both in Pittsburg, the Gorillas have a mark of 11-0-1 in Hays since 1979. The one result in that span keeping the Gorillas from owning a 12-game win streak in Hays was a 16-16 tie in 1995.
On the flip side, Pittsburg State is looking for its 700th win in program history. Lindenwood and Washburn denied the historic milestone over the past two weeks in Pittsburg. The Gorillas are on the verge of being the first program ever in NCAA Division II to reach that mark. Pittsburg State has an all-time record of 699-345-48. Pittsburg State has a 19-win lead on Tuskegee (680) for all-time wins by NCAA Division II programs. Pittsburg State is looking to become the 33rd program across all levels of college football to reach the 700-win barrier.
Fort Hays State also looks to push Pittsburg State into unfamiliar territory for the first time in 25 seasons. Entering the game at 2-3 overall, Pittsburg State has not been two games under the .500 mark overall since the 1993 season when it started that year 0-2.
Going into the 2014 season, Pittsburg State had not lost to Fort Hays State in 20 straight contests (19-0-1). The Tigers ended the futility against the Gorillas with a 7-6 win in Pittsburg in 2014 when the Gorillas ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Poll. The following year, the Tigers had a 10-point lead (24-14) at halftime in Hays, only to see the 15th-ranked Gorillas reel off 17 unanswered points in the second half and escape Hays with a win by a score of 31-24. Last year’s meeting in Pittsburg was an offensive shootout in which the Tigers prevailed 54-41, with Jacob Mezera setting a new Fort Hays State record for total offense in a game with 508 yards (446 passing, 62 rushing). The long unbeaten run by the Gorillas against the Tigers from 1979-2011 gave them plenty of separation in the all-time series, which sits in their favor at 46-19-9.
Even with the historic implications of the game, the No. 11 ranked Tigers enter Saturday looking to maintain at least a share of the MIAA lead with Northwest Missouri State. The two-time defending national champion Bearcats ran their win streak to 35 games last week pulling out a 24-20 thriller over Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Northwest Missouri plays host to Central Oklahoma (2-3) this week. Fort Hays State looks for its first 6-0 start since the 1983 season.
The Fort Hays State defense looks to get back on track this week after surrendering a season-high 438 yards and 35 points at Lindenwood last week. The previous highs were 369 yards and 24 points at Central Oklahoma in Week 3. At home, the Tigers are allowing an average of 244 yards per game through two contests. The Tigers held their opponent under 10 points in both of those contests (6 allowed to Central Missouri in Week 2 and 7 allowed to Northeastern State in Week 4). The Tigers have held their opponents under 10 points in three of five contests so far this year. Overall, FHSU is allowing just 15.3 points per game and 302.8 yards per game to rank second in the MIAA in both categories behind Northwest Missouri State. The Tigers are 19th in the nation in scoring defense and 26th in total defense.
Pittsburg State enters the game averaging 383.4 yards of total offense, but its allowing 424.8 yards per game. Fort Hays State is averaging 462.6 yards of total offense. Pittsburg State allowed more than 400 yards to three of its five opponents this year, with 354 as its least allowed.
Mezera looks to become the sixth quarterback in Fort Hays State to reach the 4,000-yard passing mark. He is just 68 yards shy of the mark entering Saturday. Mezera has completed 70 percent of his passes this year (112-of-160) for 1,379 yards and 12 touchdowns. His top two targets are Monterio Burchfield and Tyler Bacon, each with 24 receptions. Burchfield is averaging 20.8 yards per catch with a total of 498 receiving yards on the season. Kenneth Iheme is the top rusher for FHSU at 477 yards, coming off a career high 174-yard performance at Lindenwood. He produced 232 all-purpose yards in that game, also a career high.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jose Delgado leads the Tigers with 38 tackles (9.5 per contest). With 14 tackles and a sack last week, Delgado shared MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Kolt Trachsel had a big 25-yard interception return for a touchdown that proved to be the winning score at Lindenwood last week.