Story by ELI BLANKINSHIP Photos by BLAINE KINDERKNECHT
Tiger Media Network
With fall weather in full swing, the cool night air didn’t hinder the competitive nature of Saturday’s contest between No. 12 Northwest Missouri State and Fort Hays State. In a contest that came down to the final possession, NW Missouri outlasted FHSU 24-23.
While the Tigers (3-4, 2-3) came up short, FHSU head coach Chris Brown said it was good to see his team put together a full four quarters of football against Northwest (5-1, 4-1).
“Our kids had a lot of energy; I’m proud of them. They battled till the very end. I think this is the best four quarters we’ve played consistently together as a team,” Brown said. “We actually played a full game. It was good to see those things, but it came back to this whole week that our kids did everything we asked them to do… and when you do the little things right, good things usually happen for you.”
The FHSU Tigers run out onto the field. 
#0 AG Floyd points up to the sky during the team runout. 
#2 Taderian Partee has a moment before the game. 
#19 Kody Guy makes a throw on the run. 
#0 AG Floyd runs upfield with the ball. 
#70 Jacob Mattice holds up #5 LaAngelo Bell for a touchdown celebration. 
#14 Darell Jones celebrates after a big defensive play. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne prepares to catch the ball. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne catches the ball. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne looks back at the Northwest Missouri player. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne dives for the touchdown. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne celebrates after his touchdown. 
#53 Earl Evoy celebrates after a defensive stop. 
#5 LaAngelo Bell tries to avoid the defender. 
#1 Matthew McBride tackles the wide receiver. 
#1 Matthew McBride celebrates after his defensive stop. 
#18 Kolton Coleman signals a first down. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne dives for the catch. 
#2 Ayden Robinson-Wayne and #18 Kolton Coleman chest bump. 
#19 Kody Guy drops back for a pass.
FHSU almost had one more good thing happen late in the fourth quarter. Trailing by 7 with less than 2 minutes on the clock, first-time starter Kody Guy connected with Ayden Robinson-Wayne for a touchdown. Brown and his staff elected to go for a two-point conversion to try and win the game.
Guy threw a pass that seemed to be caught by tight end Noah Bruce; however, the ball was ultimately broken up by two Bearcat defenders before Bruce was able to get both feet down in the endzone. Northwest was able to bleed the clock to 12 seconds before time ran out on the Tigers on their final offensive possession.
“The two-point conversion, that was planned way ahead in advance with like still six minutes on the clock,” Brown said. “I said our defense is going to get a stop. We’re going to go down and score, and we’re going to go for two points to win this ball game. And I said, ‘You guys in?’ ‘Absolutely.’ And so, you know, you listen to your kids. It’s sometimes off of emotions, how they’re feeling, and if they’re confident and feeling good about things, then you go for it and you do it.”
With questions throughout the week as to whether or not starting quarterback Major Cantrell would be healthy enough to play, Guy ended up being “the guy” and made the start for FHSU, where he took full command of the Tiger offense.
Guy threw for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21-of-34 passing, including a 66-yard touchdown pass to Robinson-Wayne in the second quarter.
“I felt in control from the first snap,” Guy said. “That’s kind of my job. I can’t go out there and be fearful of other people, like another team; I can’t go out and be fearful of the number next to their team, like their rank. I can’t be fearful of that, but the long touchdown did allow me to get settled in just a little bit more for sure.”
Robinson-Wayne, who returned to the lineup for the first time since leaving the game early against Missouri Western on September 26, was Guy’s favorite target on the night, hauling in 6 receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. The performance marked Robinson-Wayne’s second 100+ yard contest as a Tiger.
“[He] made some really big catches for us to get first downs, but you know, having him back, he’s a tremendous ball player,” Brown said. “He’s smart, he’s headsy, and for as small as he is, he’s a physical runner and can break tackles too. He had a heck of a game for us.”
Regarding his acrobatic catch in the end zone to bring the game within one point in the fourth quarter, Robinson-Wayne said his teammates’ belief in him made the play easier.
“My number got called, and before I could even hear the play call, everybody was already believing in me to make that play,” he said. “So when you’ve got everybody behind you, it’s easy to just go out there and make the play.“
FHSU was able to rely on their ground game as well, running for 149 yards against a Northwest defense that allowed just 67.1 yards per game on the ground entering the game.
Junior running back LaAngelo Bell ran for a game-long 42-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. It was the first rushing touchdown the Bearcats’ defense had conceded all year.
“[It was] good game planning by our coaching staff,” Brown said. “Trying to find angles, different ways to get to the linebacker in the middle, different ways to block their defensive tackles, and you know just a good plan [all] together, [and] our kids executing that game plan and allowing us to get some runs.”
Northwest also had success running the football with 195 yards on the ground. Leading the charge was sophomore running back Quincy Torry, who accounted for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns, bringing his season total to 9 touchdowns on the year.
The Tigers return to the turf at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Lewis Field Stadium when they host the Washburn University Ichabods (4-2-1, 3-2). Tiger Media Network will once again broadcast the game live on the MIAA Network. Pre-game coverage will begin at 12:45 p.m.