Story by CAYDEN SANDERS Photos by DANIELA SALINAS and SILOE MONTIELSANG
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State Tiger football team welcomed MIAA foe Missouri Western State for homecoming in Hays on Saturday. The Tigers used a 14-point fourth quarter to win 31-23.
The Tigers completed the victory in front of 8,211 people. FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown said it was a team victory for everyone around.
“You’ll take the win any way you can. But man, hats off to our fans. I mean, they’re tremendous. They come out, week in, week out,” he said. “Hats off to our band, the cheerleaders, the Tiger Debs. I mean, everybody is a part of this. I just can’t thank our fans enough. I want to thank our administration and everyone that makes game day happen. This is a team win.”
Trailing 23-17 in the fourth quarter, FHSU (3-2, 2-1) took a one-point lead after junior quarterback Caleb Heavner connected with redshirt senior receiver Tariq Logan on a 38-yard touchdown pass to go up 24-23.
Then, with under three minutes remaining, sophomore running back Curtis Douglas broke open a 59-yard touchdown run up the middle to secure the Tiger victory.
In the first half, FHSU led 14-10 with 1:07 left before halftime; however, MWSU (1-3, 0-2) scored twice in that time to take the lead, first connecting on a 26-yard field goal, before regaining possession after Heavner threw an interception with 32 seconds remaining.
With the ball just beyond midfield and with only three seconds left on the clock, MWSU was forced into a last-second heave to the endzone from Griffon quarterback Kane Donovan, but Malik Moore emerged from the pile with the football, giving MWSU a 20-14 halftime lead after the 44-yard hail mary attempt.
“It’s just maturity. We still have to improve. We’re letting little things slide,” senior linebacker John Johnson said of the defensive lapses at the end of the first half. “So I just think we’ve got to step our game up, become a mature team that we can be.”
During the halftime break, Brown and the Tigers focused on what they could do to improve in the second half, which included cleaning up turnovers. In addition to Heavner’s late first-half interception, the Tigers also fumbled the ball in the first quarter, setting up MWSU’s first touchdown.
“The conversation was about believing within yourselves, having confidence and going out there and playing as a football team, and that’s something we didn’t really do,” Brown said. “The first half, turnovers killed us, and we allowed them to score on those turnovers, and missing tackles and getting field goals instead of touchdowns.”
The Tigers and Griffons exchanged field goals in the third and fourth quarters before the Tigers scored twice in the fourth to take the lead and the victory.
Fort Hays State’s rushing attack also helped secure the homecoming victory as the Tigers gained 203 yards on the ground compared to just 171 passing yards. FHSU’s backs gained 6.8 yards per carry. Douglas ran just four times but gained 73 yards and two touchdowns, while Joshua Clark ran the ball 12 times for 70 yards.
“I think it means a lot. Everybody knows we had a great, winning back in Shane Watts (last year), so we all knew we had big shoes to fill. We all know what we need to do. We need to help hold each other accountable,” Clark said. “We know how to pick your brother up. Don’t play selfish. Just compete. We talked to each other the whole time. It’s all friendly competition and a lot of fun, and at the end of the day, a big moment for both of us. I’m really proud of my brother Curtis (Douglas).”
Brown also praised his backs Douglas and Clark, who also are filling in for Travis Dixon, who was injured against UNK earlier this month.
“Hats off to Curtis Douglas and Josh Clark for carrying the rock, and showing me that we have some running backs that can actually break tackles, get physical, get down the whole field, and just win,” Brown said.
Individually, Johnson carried the Tigers’ defense with eight solo tackles and eight assisted tackles, leading both teams with 16 tackles total.
“You don’t think about how well you’re doing during the game. I just kind of go with the flow. I try to make the plays when you know an opportunity comes,” Johnson said.
As a team, FHSU limited the Griffons to just 124 rushing yards, but gave up 314 yards through the air. The Tigers were outgained 438-374 in the contest.
“They had long drives that really kill the defense. We stayed locked in, stayed focused. We talked about playing for four quarters, but I thought we played for two,” Brown said. “I didn’t think we played real well in the first half, but in the second half, we came out and played some good football, and we got some points on the board.”
FHSU next plays on the road against Missouri Southern State. Kickoff from Joplin is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.