By MAYAN PAZ Photo by CORBYN MARQUESS
Tiger Media Network
FHSU football will play its first of two straight road games on Saturday, when the Tigers travel to Maryville, Missouri, to face the No. 19 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.
FHSU (4-3, 3-2) is coming off a loss to Central Oklahoma last week, which puts any hopes of making the NCAA postseason in serious jeopardy. However, NWMSU (5-1, 4-0) will prove to be a challenging foe for the Tigers, as the Bearcats are at the top of the MIAA conference standings.
FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown said that despite the tough loss against the Bronchos, the Tigers tried to get back to their normal routine and to stay positive ahead of their upcoming game.
“On Monday, the players lifted, and we just tried to have a normal Monday and get back to our routine. There is still a lot of football to play, and a lot of teams still have to play each other. At the end, there is a committee that will make their decisions, and we need to keep playing hard,” Brown said. “Yes, our backs are against the wall, but I like it because the pressure is good for us, and that’s life. We just need to stay positive and focused on the target.”
The Bearcats excel on both sides of the field, scoring 34.2 points per game, good for second in the MIAA, and give up just 21.2 points, third in the conference. They have an especially strong rushing game, averaging 233.5 rushing yards per game, while their overall offense is gaining 454 yards on average.
Compared to the Bearcats, the Tigers present a different, slower type of football, averaging 345.1 yards per game and scoring 22.6 points per contest. However, FHSU also has a solid defense, ranking 4th in the MIAA, conceding 23.7 points per game.
Brown said that stopping the run will be the key for the Tigers in order to overcome the Bearcats.
“They have a great team, and they have been doing a great job. They are excellent on both sides of the field and have a great special team as well,” Brown said. “They always have a great atmosphere in their stadium, and they are confident and enthusiastic. But we need to adopt the same mindset and be confident too. We need to stop their run game and make them throw the ball, and if we do that, we will have a great football game.”
Referring to the need to stop the Bearcats’ offense, and their running game in particular, junior defensive back Keiyon Turner said the FHSU defense is ready for the challenge.
“We need to make sure our execution is perfect, and that we do our job. We have better chemistry among the defensive players now than we had at the beginning of the season, and as a defensive back, I have the utmost confidence in our defensive line,” he said. “If they do their job, it will be easier for me to help with what’s necessary.”
After a stretch of 13 straight losses to NWSMU from 1979-2016, FHSU has kept the series competitive, winning back-to-back years on the road in Maryville to secure FHSU’s most recent MIAA championships in 2017 and 2018. However, the Bearcasts have won four of the last five meetings, including two straight in Maryville. The Tigers defeated NWMSU in Hays 17-6 in 2023.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Bearcats is at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.