HAYS – Fort Hays State saw their 12-game regular season win streak snapped in a 28-17 loss to Missouri Western State Thursday night at Lewis Field. It’s the first regular season loss at home since the 2016 season, when they fell 28-7 to a then No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State. It’s also the first 0-2 start for the Tigers since 2013.
Fort Hays State drove to the Griffons (1-1) two-yard line on their first possession but had to settle for a Dante Brown field goal following a false start. Brown missed on a 49-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter and the Griffons would take advantage, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second quarter.
Wyatt Steigerwald connected with on a 37-yard touchdown pass to Damen Wheeler, Jr. at the 12:36 mark, giving Missouri Western the lead 7-3.
Following a muffed punt by the Tigers which gave MWSU a short field at the FHSU 20-yard line, the Griffons scored on the next play, a 20-yard pass from Steigerwald to Kyle Berry to push their lead to 14-3 with 8:29 to go in the second quarter.
Missouri Western marched 62 yards in seven plays for yet another touchdown, a 12-yard run by Shamar Griffith at the 4:07 mark and led 21-3 at halftime.
The Tigers could not advance the ball past midfield on their first two drives of the second half. They advanced to the Griffons 24-yard line on their third possession but DJ Stirgus intercepted a Fuller pass at the goal line.
Fuller found Manny Ramsey on a 28-yard scoring strike with 8:24 to go in the game, however, the two-point conversion failed and the Griffons led 21-9.
A bad snap on a punt with 5:33 remaining in the game gave Missouri Western the ball at the Tiger 26. Markel Smith would score on a 6-yard touchdown run four plays later to push the score to 28-9.
The Tigers picked up one more touchdown late on a four-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Hunter Budke, but it was too-little, too-late.
Fuller threw for 333 yards for a second straight week, completing 23-of-49 attempts. Ramsey and Harley Hazlett each had five receptions, Ramsey finishing with 102 yards and Hazlett with 90. Charles Tigner led the ground game with 44 yards but the Tigers were held to 14 as a team.
Hayden Kreutzer, making the first start of his career, led the Tigers with nine tackles.
Steigerwald completed 17-of-29 passes for 197 yards for the Griffons. Smith ran for a team-high 84 yards and Devon Holmes had seven catches for 70 yards.