FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State Football heads to Joplin, Mo., this Saturday (Nov. 7) to take on Missouri Southern. Game time is set for 3 pm at Hughes Stadium. FHSU enters at 6-3, tied for fourth in the MIAA while Missouri Southern enters at 1-8.
The Tigers are still very much alive for postseason play and a win on Saturday can strengthen those chances. Though the Tigers are not currently in the NCAA Super Region 3 Rankings, they are lurking behind several teams with tough games to close out the season. Ten teams are regionally ranked and the top seven are selected for the NCAA Playoffs. A win this week could have the Tigers knocking at the door of the region rankings and keep them in a good position to make a bowl game if not selected to the playoffs.
The Tigers own a two-game win streak over Missouri Southern. FHSU defeated MSSU last year in Hays by a score of 49-41. Chris Brown is 2-0 against the Lions in his coaching career with the Tigers, also claiming a 29-14 win in his first season of 2011. This will be the first time a Brown-led squad plays in Joplin, as both of the previous meetings with Brown at the helm were in Hays.
Shaquille Cooper continues to lead the team and MIAA in rushing at 127.7 yards per game. He has a total of 1,149 rushing yards this season, the 10th-most for a single season in FHSU history. He has a great chance to leap much higher on that list on Saturday. Treveon Albert ranks third in the MIAA in rushing yards per game (111.2), helping FHSU to the most potent rushing attack in the MIAA at 266.2 rushing yards per game as a team. The Tigers rank 12th in the nation in rushing yards per game.
Leading the defense is Brock Long with 136 tackles. He ranks fourth nationally in tackles and fifth in tackles per game (15.1). He also ranks second nationally in tackles for loss with 20.5, already holding a new single-season record at Fort Hays State in that category. His nine sacks rank 12th in the nation.
With a win on Saturday, the Tigers can match their win total from last year of seven. Fort Hays State won the last meeting between the teams in Joplin back in 2009 by a score of 48-34.
Missouri Southern’s lone win this season came in Week 3 at home against Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 24-14.