FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
HAYS, Kan. – Turnovers loomed large in a 22-10 season opening win for Fort Hays State over Missouri Southern. The Lions were better in several categories, including total yards, first downs, time of possession, and total plays ran, but the Tigers used several big plays and never trailed to pick up their seventh win in the last eight home contests dating back to 2014.
Fort Hays State’s first drive showcased Shaquille Cooper and Malik Thomas. Cooper broke free for what could have been a 95-yard touchdown run, but he stepped out of bounds up the sideline limiting the run to a 20-yard gain. But just four plays later, Malik Thomas broke a 61-yard run for a touchdown giving FHSU an early 7-0 lead. The drive came on the heels of the FHSU defense stopping the Lions on downs at the 1-yardline, preventing an early touchdown.
Missouri Southern moved deep in Tiger territory once again early in the second quarter, but a fumble forced by Jose Delgado gave the ball back to the Tigers on the FHSU 10-yardline. Delgado went on to lead the Tigers in tackles with 14 on the night. The Lions finally got on the board with a 29-yard field goal with 7:50 to go in the first half to make it 7-3 in favor of FHSU.
The huge defensive play of the night for FHSU came with just under two minutes remaining in the first half as Raheeme Dumas picked off a tipped pass to go untouched to the endzone for a 25-yard interception touchdown return. The extra point was missed and FHSU led 13-3 at halftime.
The Tigers settled for three Brandon Brown field goals in the second half from 29, 34, and 36 yards to hold off the Lions. Missouri Southern scored its lone touchdown on a TJ Fleeton six yard pass to Demontra McNealy with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter. But the MSSU offense never advanced inside the FHSU 35-yardline the remainder of the game. Brown’s 34-yard field goal at the 1:31 mark in the third quarter made created a two-score deficit the Lions could not overcome.
Joining Delgado in double digit tackles for the Tigers were Alex Schmidtberger with 13, Doyin Jibowu with 11, and Sie Doe, Jr., with 10. Doe also had the only two sacks on the night for FHSU and added a forced fumble.
Thomas led the Tiger rushing attack with 115 yards. Cooper nearly reached the 100-mark with 98 yards. Thomas averaged 8.8 yards per carry and Cooper averaged 8.2 per carry. In his first start at quarterback, Jacob Mezera finished 15-of-32 passing for 147 yards. Tyler Bacon was his top target, finishing with six catches for 71 yards. FHSU finished with 207 rushing yards, moving to 17-1 since the start of the 2013 season when rushing for 200 or more yards as a team.
Missouri Southern possessed the ball for 33:19, compared to 26:41 for FHSU. The Lions used short gain plays to generate 27 first downs on the night, compared to 16 for the Tigers. MSSU did the majority of its damage with short passes, throwing for 272 yards. Overall, MSSU gained 394 yards compared to 354 for FHSU.
Fleeton had all 272 passing yards for MSSU, completing 36-of-51 attempts. Jay Hadley led the Lions in rushing with 56 yards, while Scott Lathrop hauled in 10 passes for 80 yards.
The Tigers hit the road to face Central Missouri, currently ranked No. 20 in the nation, next week in Warrensburg, Mo. Game time is set for 7 pm from Walton Stadium on Thursday, September 8. The Mules picked up a 34-27 win over Pittsburg State in their season opener.