By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State football team will continue its 2025 season journey against the University of Central Oklahoma on Saturday night at Lewis Field Stadium. The Tigers (4-2, 3-1) are ranked No. 20 in the D2Football.com top 25 poll and receiving votes in the AFCA Poll and still vying for a postseason berth. On the other hand, reigning MIAA Champion UCO (2-3, 2-2) is coming to Hays after a 35-34 loss against Central Missouri last week.
Historically, UCO holds a 10-7 record against the Tigers and is 5-3 in Hays. Last year, the Tigers lost 49-24 against UCO in Edmond, Oklahoma, but in 2023, the last time UCO visited Hays, the Tigers emerged victorious with a 34-0 win.
In their last two games, the Tigers struggled to win against Missouri Western and Missouri Southern, two teams with a 0-3 MIAA record. FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown talked about how his team hasn’t reached its full potential yet.
“The sad part is that we have been playing badly and still winning, and so it’s hard to imagine where we could have been if we had played to our potential,” Brown said. “We have not played really good football yet. Every game, we get some good plays which make me think like it might finally happen, but then we make some mistakes, and that feeling is gone. We need to keep doing what we do well and make sure to correct those mistakes we are making.”
This season, UCO plays fast, scoring 25 points per game while conceding 31.8 points per contest. In their loss to Central Missouri, UCO gained a season-high 617 yards of total offense, including 394 passing yards. The Tigers average 24 points per game, and concede 24.1 points per game.
FHSU senior linebacker Jack Hilleman spoke about UCO’s fast tempo, which is expected to continue in Saturday’s game, and how the defense prepares for that challenge.
“We’ve got to be on our toes and ready to go. We know that they will bring a fast-tempo game, and we need to be ready for that,” Hileman said. “For the entire season, we practiced a tempo game at least once a week, so we have been preparing for teams like UCO. It’s going to be a tiring game, and we need to lock in when it’s our turn to be on the defense.”
After suffering some injuries in the early stages of the season, UCO will bring a healthier squad to Hays. Brown spoke about the challenges that the UCO team will provide to the Tigers.
“Their negative record is misleading; they had some injuries, and now they are bringing a lot of players back. Their quarterback is back, and he is a very strong player,” Brown said. “They also have some running backs who will get back to play, and it’s basically the same team that beat us last year. So it’s going to be challenging, and we have prepared our guys for that match-up the entire week.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at Lewis Field Stadium in the MIAA Game of the Week. In addition to its usual airing on the MIAA Network, the game will be broadcast on 38 the Spot in Kansas City, and on cable in the Oklahoma City market.