Story by MAYAN PAZ Photo by BENNY ARMSTRONG
Tiger Media Network
After falling short against the University of Central Oklahoma 49-24 last weekend, the Fort Hays State University football team will be back at Lewis Field Stadium on Saturday. FHSU (3-2, 1-2) will face No. 13 Central Missouri as part of FHSU Homecoming Week.
The Tigers, who usually are strong on the defensive side, struggled to keep up with the potent Central Oklahoma offense. According to FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown, the main momentum shift in the game happened when the FHSU offense had a pass intercepted in the end zone, which led to UCO extending its lead to 14-0 and taking control of the game.
This play, among others, led Brown to replace starting quarterback Jack Dawson with sophomore backup Caleb Heavner at the end of the first quarter who went 22-33 for 275 yards and one touchdown in just over three quarters of play. Brown said Heavner was impressive and will likely keep the change going into their game against UCM.
“Caleb really impressed us when he stepped in, and we are probably going to start with him this weekend,” Brown said. “There is still going to be a competition for that spot in practice, but right now, Jack (Dawson) has to prove again he is the right guy for us, and we will try to go with Caleb.”
For redshirt freshman wide receiver Jabari Lewis, whether Dawson or Heavner starts makes no difference in his preparation for the game.
“To be honest, it doesn’t really matter to me,” he said. “I love and support both of them, and it’s my job to catch the ball from whoever is throwing it.”
Central Missouri (3-1, 1-1) has won their two last games by a margin of a single point (32-31 vs Davenport and 36-35 vs UNK). The Mules will present a diverse offense that is capable of providing surprises for the Tiger defense.
“We have to be ready for a lot of options,” Brown said. “They have a large variety of plays and a quarterback (Zach Zebrowski) with a great vision that is dangerous when scrambling out of the pocket. We will have to keep him in the pocket, when he gets out of there, his opponents suffer.”
FHSU defensive end Myles Menges added to the defense’s preparations for the UCM offense.
“We’ve got to execute all the way around,” he said. “We need to keep the quarterback in the pocket and make our tackles. It is going to be challenging, but we are definitely capable of getting the job done.”
Zebrowski, a redshirt senior, has thrown 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions this season and averages 452.5 yards per game through the air.
FHSU is just one game back of UCM in the MIAA standings, and this week is important for the rest of the season. A win on Saturday will pull the Tigers to an even 2-2 in conference play, and get them back in contention for the conference title.
“This year, the MIAA is an open race,” Brown said. “We have a lot more games to play, and no team has yet to really create a gap in the table, but this is a very important game that we have to win to stay in contention.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Lewis Field Stadium. In addition to being the homecoming game, it is also Oktoberfest weekend in Hays.