FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State looks to accomplish a feat it has never reached in its NCAA Division II history on Saturday (Sept. 26) at 7 pm in the annual Tailgreat game at Lewis Field Stadium. Standing in the way of what could be the first-ever 4-0 start in Fort Hays State’s NCAA Division II history is No. 15 ranked Pittsburg State. FHSU enters the game at 3-0, tied with two other schools for the MIAA lead, while PSU enters at 2-1.
Fort Hays State has never rattled off four consecutive wins to open a season since it became members of NCAA Division II in 1991. The last time any Fort Hays State team started 4-0 was 1983. The Tigers have already reached their first 3-0 start under head coach Chris Brown.
Another accomplishment the Tigers look for Saturday is back-to-back wins against Pittsburg State for the first time since 1975 and 1976. The Tigers upset a then No. 8 ranked Pittsburg State team last year in Pittsburg by a score of 7-6. The last two wins over PSU in Pittsburg have each been by one point, with a 20-19 win in 1976 being part of the last time FHSU had back-to-back wins in the series history.
Fort Hays State will also be looking for its first win over Pittsburg State in Hays since 1978. The Gorillas have a record of 10-0-1 over the last 11 meetings in Hays that dates back to 1979.
History aside, this match up is big for the Tigers in order to stay in first place in the MIAA standings. FHSU is tied with No. 3 ranked Northwest Missouri State and Emporia State for the conference lead. Both FHSU and ESU are receiving a solid amount of votes in the AFCA Division II Poll, just outside of the Top 25. All three are one game clear of Pittsburg State, Washburn, and Missouri Western in the standings, which all sit at 2-1. Fort Hays State moved to 3-0 last week with a 30-7 win at Lindenwood, while then No. 4 ranked Pittsburg State fell at home to Washburn, 28-21.
The match up on Saturday showcases the top two rushing offenses in the MIAA. Fort Hays State leads the MIAA in rushing yards per game (297.7) and has the top two rushers in the conference. Running back Shaquille Cooper leads the MIAA at 161 yards per game, while quarterback Treveon Albert is second at 98.7 yards per game. Both are averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Pittsburg State averages 247 rushing yards per game, led by quarterback John Roderique, Jr. at 69 yards per game.
Defensively Brock Long leads the Tigers in tackles with 44, averaging 14.7 per game. Alex Schmidtberger has 36 tackles, while leading the team in sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (5.0). Raheeme Dumas has a team-best two interceptions so far, while DeAndre James has forced two fumbles to go with 29 tackles.