ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — After defeating Central Oklahoma in the season opener, Griffon Football turns its sites to Lewis Field Stadium and the Fort Hays State Tigers for another edition of Thursday night Football.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN

Griffon Football is once again gracing the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac, color commentator Paul Smith and sideline reporter Derek Zimmerman-Guyer. The game can be heard on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream. The game is also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with pregame starting at 6.

ABOUT LAST WEEK'S WIN

Missouri Western is coming off its first season-opening shutout since Spratt Stadium's inaugural game at Spratt Stadium in a 44-0 drumming of Dana College. The Griffons' 35-0 shutout over Central Oklahoma marks the first shutout since Oct. 28 of 2019's 28-0 win over Emporia State. The Bronchos were befuddled on offense often, only crossing the 50-yard line three times with 12 first downs on an MIAA-low of 159 yards while going three-and-out three times.

The Griffon offense picked right back up where it left after averaging the second most points in the MIAA last season with 34 even. 19-3. Sophomore quarterback Reagan Jones recorded his third career game with 100 or more rushing yards. Accompanied by two read-option scores, Jones jolted the UCO defense for 117 yards 12 attempts, while sophomore Brandon Hall ran for a career-high 141 yards on a career-high of 30 carries. Hall also scored on a 53-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter to help him climb over the century mark, the third time he's done so in his short time at MWSU.

Junior tight end Cam Grandy snagged four receptions for 42 yards, catching his first official past in 999 days after missing 2020 and 2021 with an injury. Sophomore tight end Tycen Gray continued making strides seeing more of the last season with an eight-yard touchdown reception midway through the first quarter. Sophomore wide receiver Traveon James caught seven passes for 63 yards, including the longest catch of the night with a 15-yard grab.

Senior safety Kobe Cummings led the defense with eight total tackles, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. True freshman defensive end Grant Finley had a feeding frenzy in the fourth quarter, notching one and a half sacks in back-to-back plays. 

ABOUT LAST WEEK'S LOSS

Meanwhile, Fort Hays gave a good fight to No. 2/4 Northwest Missouri but was ultimately defeated, 33-19. Despite leading early with 12-7 lead, FHSU gave up 26-unanswered points for over 35 in-game minutes. Senior quarterback Chance Fuller had a prolific night, passing 36-for-61 for 309 yards and two scores. 

His 61-attempt display in week one is second to his career-high of 63 at MWSU during week two of the 2021 season. The Tigers' rushing attack only netted 13 yards on the ground — the least by any MIAA team in the season opener. Missouri Western's defense held UCO to 65 yard rushing yards.

PROLIFIC POSITION MATCHUP PREVIEWS

Coaches
With Thursday's win, Griffon Head Coach Matt Williamson is 27-20 overall and 25-20 in the MIAA with a 3-1 mark against the Tigers. Fort Hays Head Coach Chris Brown is 71-44 overall, 66-39 in the MIAA and 2-8 vs. the Griffons since taking the reins in 2011. The Griffons have won the last three matchups.

Quarterbacks
Thursday night's QB matchup places the definition of a diverse, dual-threat quarterback against a true pocket passer. Week two marks Jones' first start against FHSU. He completed 1-of-2 passes for 34 yards with eight rushes for 47 yards during last season's skirmish. Meanwhile, Fuller is 0-2 vs. MWSU with 807 passing yards on 63-of-112 passes with a TD/INT ratio of 5-4. Last year, Fuller threw for a career-high in yards (474) and passes (63) while throwing three scores and three picks, including an 80-yard pick-six by Cummings.

Wide Receivers
While junior WR Cooper Burton had a quiet night vs. UCO with two receptions for 15 yards, the former Benton Cardinal burst ono the scene in 2021 vs. FHSU with a career night, tallying four receptions for 136 yards and a score from 86 yards out. Fort Hays WRs Manny Ramsey and Trevor Watts both had successful nights at Maryville. Ramsey record eight receptions for 90 yards, while Watts went for 88 yards on 10 catches. Key figures like Hunter Budke and Adrian Soto are also back. Even though they had a reserved week one, Budke (9-122) and Soto (5-105) combined for 14 receptions, 227 yards and two touchdowns vs. MWSU in 2021. 

Cornerbacks
Senior CB D.J. Stirgus made name vs. FHSU last season with a career-high five pass breakups. Fort Hays' secondary is led by junior Jaqualen Brown, who helped the Tigers to the third-best passing defense in the MIAA last season with 219.9 yards given up per game. However, Northwest Missouri found success in week one, as the Bearcat passing attack went 20-for-32 with 147 yards and two touchdowns.

D-Line
Junior defensive end C.J. Ravenell notched the Griffons' first sack of the season after leading the team seven last season. With the emergence Finley last week, senior A.J. Crayton and sophomore Brandon Johnson will be players to watch, as they both recorded half a sack vs. FHSU last season. The Griffons brought down the QB three times last week (Finley 1.5; Ravenell 1; Marvin Gant 0.5). Meanwhile, Fuller was sacked five times at Northwest, while Bearcat offensive line kept its passers upright all night long. The Tigers' top-four sack leaders all left the program after 2021.

LAST SEASON'S SHOOTOUT AT THE SPRATT

After a string of defensive contests, 2021's 38-31 Griffon victory was the highest-scoring game in the rivalry since 2016's 35-27 final in favor Fort Hays. Between both MWU (497) and FHSU (558), 1,055 yards of offense were unleashed upon the crowd on Craig Field at Spratt Stadium. After FSHU went up 7-0 on its first possession thanks to a one-yard plunge by Soto, Missouri Western eventually got on the board with a Shen Butler-Lawson, Jr. rushing TD of one yard late in the fourth quarter. 

Griffon kicker Cody Watson put MWSU up 10-7 with a field goal just a few minutes later after a Trey Vaval interception. The Tigers responded in the second quarter with a six-yard TD strike to Budke from Fuller. After a FHSU field goal pushed the lead to 17-10 at halftime, Cummings started the third quarter with a bang — picking off Fuller for an 80-yard crib call to tie the game. Barely over a minute later, Fuller hit Soto for 67 yards to retake the lead at 24-17. 

Safety Domanic Chapa knotted the game just three minutes later on a 30-yard-scoop-and-score that was caused by Brandon Johnson. A 19-yard run to paydirt by Butler-Lawson, Jr. put MWSU up for good, and an 86-yard bomb to Burton late in the third iced the game for good. 

RIVALRY HISTORY

For the third season in a row, Griffon Football takes on Fort Hays in the second game of the season. Coincidentally enough, MWSU is 3-0 in that span, winning 23-13 in 2018, 28-17 in 2019 and 38-31 in 2021. Williamson's 3-1 tally vs. the Tigers marks his best record against any team in the MIAA not named Northeastern State or Lincoln. 

Missouri Western is 14-3 against FHSU since the turn of the century and 8-2 in the last decade. While the program is 7-7 overall in Hays, Kansas, this is Williamson's second trip out West as head honcho after 2019's 28-17 handling of a No. 25 Tigers team. Missouri Western's 23-13 victory over No. 5 FHSU was Williamson's first win over a ranked team during his tenure.

If MWSU wins this Thursday and pushes its win streak against Fort Hays to four, it'll match one quarter of the Griffons' 12-game winning streak over the Tigers from 2001-15. Overall, Missouri Western is 17-12-1 overall against FHSU. The first-ever matchup in Hays resulted in a 28-23 Tiger win during week four on Sept. 30, 1978.

BY THE NUMBERS

In Williamson's four games vs. FHSU, his defense averages 22.8 points per game given up with a high of 31 allowed last fall. The Griffons' offense averages 19.8 points per Tiger contest, while the team as a whole 24.8. In the rivalry's entirety spanning back to 1976, MWSU averages 26.6 points per game.

While FHSU featured an offense last season with the MIAA's fifth-best average of 31.2 points per game that proved true in week two, MWSU's defense has been suffocating during the Williamson regime. The Griffons' defense dominated the Tigers' top-three offenses of 2018 (30.4) and 2019 (41.4), holding their conference counterpart to 17 and 24 points less than their average respectively. 

CHASING THE CENTURY MARK

With both Jones and Hall hitting 117 and 141 yards respectively, MWSU is 19-3 in the Williamson era when the Griffons have a 100-yard rusher. Weirdly enough, no Griffon rusher has broken the century mark against FHSU with Williamson in command. The last time a Griffon team won vs. FHSU with a 100-yard rusher was in 2015 when Spencer Raphael's 28 carries for 160 yards and a score helped MWSU beat the Tigers, 26-21.

Missouri Western's 9.7 yards per run ranks second best in program history, as its 398 rushing yards sits at No. 5 on the all-time team records list.

THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY: SEPT. 8

It's been 10 years exactly since MWSU last played on Sept. 8, resulting  56-0 win over William Jewell in week two of the 2012 season. in that game, legendary Griffon running back Michael Hill ran for 210 yards and two scores on 14 attempts. Meanwhile, the Griffon defense dominated with four sacks and three caused turnovers with a fumble recovery and two interceptions.