By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
After a 36-7 road victory over Emporia State on Nov. 2, the Fort Hays State University football team is sitting just one spot out of a playoff berth with one week left in the regular season. With their victory over ESU and other results in the region during FHSU’s bye week this past weekend, the Tigers (7-3, 5-3) are now No. 8 in the most recent NCAA Super Region 3 rankings. The top seven teams in the region will make the playoffs.
FHSU, now ranked No. 23 in the NCAA DII National Poll, will conclude the regular season on Saturday against Nebraska Kearney on the road.
FHSU Head coach Chris Brown is aware of the possible playoff situation but has decided to make sure his team will accomplish its mission against UNK rather than think about the different scenarios that might get FHSU into a playoff spot.
“First of all, we need to make sure that we are doing our job and getting a big win against Kearney, which is a very good football team,” Brown said. “If we start looking at the different scenarios, we’ll just get crazy, so we are just going to focus on what we need to do. Hopefully, we will get to play more football this season.”
Preparing for the game against UNK, Fort Hays will have to face a UNK defense that allows 21 points per game, good for the third best mark in the conference. Fort Hays is ranked first in the MIAA, allowing 16 points per game.
“They have a very good front line,” Brown said. “We will have to protect Caleb (Heavner) in the pocket and establish our run game. We will watch a lot of film to get ready, and Shane Watts and Caleb will have to step up and establish our run game against that defense.”
Watts has been playing at a different level in the last few weeks and said he hopes to carry his good form to the final game of the regular season. The senior running back became the first player in FHSU history to record two consecutive games of 200+ rushing yards, as he managed 201 yards against Missouri Southern and ran for 250 yards on the ground against Emporia State.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my offensive line,” Watts said. “We really connected, and they are helping me be more patient and make better decisions. Nebraska Kearney has a similar defense to ours, so we have a lot of respect for them. But I think that if we play our own game, we can get the job done.”
Brown also complimented Watts and the offensive line for the improved performance of late.
“The offensive line is playing more like a unit, sealing blocks and creating bigger holes in the opponent’s defense,” Brown said. “And Shane is doing a lot better in recognizing his opportunities. He is stronger and faster this year; he is doing Shane things.”
FHSU and UNK have a rivalry that goes back beyond both schools’ time in the MIAA, as the Tigers and Lopers formerly played in the Rockey Mountain Athletic Conference. Additionally, FHSU has struggled on the road this season, with only one road victory against Emporia State.
“I do think it’s a rivalry because we are geographically close to each other, and we compete for the same recruits,” Brown said. “It is a hard place to play on the road, but so has been every place for us this season, except for that one time. I hope we have changed our luck with that win and that we will do more of the same this Saturday.”
FHSU and UNK will kick off at 12 p.m. on Saturday in Kearney. In addition to needing a win, the Tigers will also likely need some other teams ahead of FHSU to lose in order to stay in the race for a playoff spot.