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FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT KEARNEY, Neb. – It was not pretty at times, but Fort Hays State closed out the regular season with a 27-17 win at Nebraska-Kearney. The Tiger rushing game produced nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns. FHSU moved to 7-4, while Nebraska-Kearney closed its season at 1-10. Fort Hays State reaches seven wins in a season for the third consecutive year under head coach Chris Brown. Now the Tigers wait to see if there is any news of a postseason game, their only hope a potential bowl bid somewhere. Results around the rest of the MIAA could dictate if FHSU is part of a discussion for a bid. The Tigers gave a new look offensively to the opponent this week, lining up in a wildcat style formation quite often throughout the game. Charles Tigner took the majority of the snaps in the formation, while Shaquille Cooper took some as well. The duo combined for 250 of Fort Hays State’s 299 rushing yards. Tigner gave the Tigers the lead early with a 41-yard touchdown run at the 9:52 mark of the first quarter, but UNK scored a field goal in the opening frame and FHSU led 7-3 heading to the second quarter. The Tiger offense struggled to keep the momentum following the Tigner touchdown and the Lopers took advantage of a short field on a muffed punt to eventually take a 10-7 lead into halftime. Late in the third quarter, the Tigers opted to use a heavy dose of the special formation as Cooper and Tigner went to work following a short UNK punt that resulted in a short 36-yard field. Eleven plays later, Tigner leapt over his linemen for a 1-yard touchdown run giving the Tigers the lead back at 14-10. Tigner pushed the Tiger lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter with a 29-yard touchdown run out of the special formation, but the extra point was blocked. That was big considering UNK marched down the field and scored a touchdown to cut the FHSU lead to just three with 9:11 remaining in the game. Cooper dashed the hopes of a Loper comeback by rushing for 62 of his game-high 152 yards, capping a 75-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown. His 30-yard run to open the drive was big, securing the 11th 100-yard rushing game of his career, now the second most in school history behind Clint Bedore’s 13. UNK attempted a 56-yard field goal downwind with just over two minutes to go, but it missed wide left and the Tigers ran out the clock from that point for the 27-17 win. Tigner finished with 98 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Tigers. Kenneth Iheme added 59 yards on the ground. Brad Schencker threw just 19 times and completed seven passes for just 36 yards. Layne Bieberle led the receivers with two catches for 13 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Doyin Jibowu led the Tigers with nine tackles, followed by Sie Doe, Jr. with eight. Raheeme Dumas recorded his sixth interception of the season, just one shy of the single-season record at FHSU. For the Lopers, Ryan McFarlin threw for a team-high 133 yards. Blake Holtmeier had a team-best 67 receiving yards and Luke Quinn led the Lopers in rushing with 61 yards. On defense, MIAA tackle leader Tyke Kozeal had 17 tackles. Fort Hays State gained 335 yards for the game, while holding UNK to just 236 yards. |
