ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Newly No. 24-ranked Missouri Western will defend its new spot in the D2Football.com Top-25 Poll this Saturday in a 3 p.m. matchup with Washburn in Topeka, Kansas, at Yager Stadium.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Football will grace the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer on the call. The game will air 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 3 p.m., with pregame starting at 2. Game admission can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

ABOUT WEEK FIVE
MWSU
The Griffons (4-1, 3-1 MIAA) turned the heads of many across the country last Saturday in a nail-biting 34-31 win over then-No. 11/10 Emporia State at Spratt Stadium. While the Griffs did complete their first win over a ranked opponent since 2019 and their largest upset since defeating No. 5 Fort Hays State in 2018, it did not come easy. After MWSU took a 24-6 halftime lead thanks to touchdowns by senior wide receiver Caleb Martin, freshman running back Seth Cromwell and senior tight end Will Schwartz, Emporia (4-1, 4-1 MIAA) stormed back in the second half. Once the Hornets scored on a 7-yard TD run by junior running back Billy Ross Jr., ESU exploded for 18-fourth quarter points. However, a 51-yard TD run by Cromwell helped the Griffons keep pace, never falling behind in the fourth period. 

Once Emporia tied the game on a field goal with 46 seconds left to play, a timely 41-yard kickoff return by senior wide receiver Jalen Lampley set the stage for late-game heroics. After two 9-yard runs by junior running back Brandon Hall and an 11-yard reception by junior receiver Jonas Bennett, junior kicker Cody Watson drilled a 41-yard field goal to put MWSU up by three with five seconds to play. A late, desperate heave by Emporia senior quarterback Braden Gleason was picked off by sophomore defensive back TreVon Holmes, notching Gleason's first interception all year and the 39th win over a ranked team in Griffon history.

Washburn
Winless in two games at home this season, Washburn (1-4, 0-4 MIAA) fell 27-21 to Nebraska Kearney on the road last Saturday. The Ichabods trailed 6-0 at halftime and trailed 27-7 with 9:28 left to play in the fourth quarter before the fireworks began. Freshman Quarterback Sam Van Dyne got the 'Bods back on the scoreboard with a 15-yard TD strike to freshman receiver Maury Sullivan with 3:05 left to play. Van Dyne struck again with a 54-yard bomb to freshman receiver DJ Bell with 41 seconds left, but the onside kick was recovered by UNK, sealing Washburn's second-straight loss. While Van Dyne threw for three touchdowns and 378 yards, he threw one pick and was sacked six times, the most Washburn's offense has given up all season.

PROLIFIC POSITION PREVIEWS
Coaches
Head Coach Tyler Fenwick is currently 4-1 with MWSU and 57-49 overall as a head coach. During his heyday with MWSU as offensive coordinator from 2007-12, the Griffons went 3-3 overall vs. Washburn and 1-2 in Topeka. 

In his 21st year at Washburn and as a head coach, Craig Schurig is 138-96. Since 2002, he is 10-10 vs. MWSU and 6-5 when the Griffons come to Yager Stadium.

Quarterbacks
Senior Armani Edden threw for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Saturday's win over ESU. Edden also used his legs more than he had all fall, rushing for a season-high 56 yards on another season-high 10 attempts. His 8-yard TD pass to Martin in the first quarter put MWSU in front up until the 31-31 tie, giving the Griffons control all day long. His completion percentage of 66.4% this season ranks fifth in the MIAA, as do his 1,057 yards.

Taking over for an injured Kellen Simoncic, freshman Sam Van Dyne is one of the most sacked QBs in the MIAA. Out of the 14 sacks given up by Washburn this year, Van Dyne has eaten 11 of them. With those 14 sacks, Washburn is the most sacked team in the MIAA However, his three passing TDs at Nebraska Kearney are a career-high, as are his 30 completions and 45 attempts. Van Dyne is also the most inaccurate QB in the MIAA, hitting the mark only 57.3% of the time. 

QB STATS VS. OPPONENT

• Reagan Jones: 0-1 starting record | 20-of-34, 59%, 243 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 0 sacks, long pass of 36 yards. | Rushing: 6 attempts, 51 yards, 0 TDs, long rush of 22 yards.
• Armani Edden: N/A
• Sam Van Dyne: N/A

Running Backs
The Griffons ran rampant all over ESU, rushing for 247 yards, the second most MWSU has put up this year. Hall led the way with 86 yards on 12 totes, ripping off a long of 19. Cromwell scored twice and ran for 77 yards on 11 rushes, going off for a 51-yard score to put MWSU up by 10 in the fourth quarter. Cromwell's eight touchdowns are tied for the league lead in the MIAA, and he is tied for third in the nation. Meanwhile, Hall's 294 yards rank seventh in the MIAA, and senior running back Jared Scott's 270 ranks him eighth. Hall's run of 60 yards vs. Central Oklahoma in week three is currently tied for the longest by any player in the conference. As a team, MWSU is third in the MIAA with 187 rushing yards per game.

The 'Bods are led by senior Taylon Peters, who has cracked the century mark twice this season. Peters is fifth in the MIAA with 385 yards, and his long run of 60 at Lincoln in week three is tied with Hall. That run also happens to be Peters' only score of the season. Peters ran for 51 yards on 14 carries last week at UNK, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Washburn's defense, however, is giving up 158.8 YPG, the third most in the conference. 

RIVALRY RECORD RABBIT HOLE
By the Numbers
Headed into game No. 51 in a series that dates back to 1972, MWSU leads Washburn 26-22-2. The last 10 games have been split, with MWSU last winning on Oct. 5, 2019. The Griffons are 11-14 when playing in Topeka. 

Last Time Out
For just the second time in 50 games, MWSU and Washburn went to overtime last year on Sept. 24 in St. Joseph. The Ichabods jumped out to a 14-3 lead before Martin hauled in a 36-yard TD pass from Reagan Jones to trim the deficit to four. Another TD throw from Jones with 45 seconds left to play forced overtime at 31-31. However, a 25-yard TD run by Peters put Washburn ahead for good, giving the Ichabods a 38-31 win. 

GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A GRIFF AFTER MIDNIGHT) VOL. 2
On defense, the Griffons are playing like dogs running after runaway tires this season, gaining the second-most turnovers in the nation and the most in the MIAA with 14. Out of those 14 turnovers gained, eight are interceptions, the fourth most in the conference. The Griffons forced two turnovers vs. ESU as Gleason fumbled and also threw the game-clinching pick.

EXIT LIGHT, ENTER NIGHT
The Griffons have the No. 1 pass rush in the MIAA. Missouri Western's 16 sacks rank first in the conference and 15th in the country.  The Griffons also have taken up real estate in the backfield, burying ball carriers 44 times this fall, the most in the MIAA and seventh most in the country.

DOWN ON MEAN STREET
Despite not registering a sack vs. ESU, senior defensive lineman Dakari Streeter still leads the MIAA by a wide margin with seven sacks. The next closest to him are four players with three sacks. Streeter is now third in the nation, trailing the Division II leader by 1.5 sacks.

Y'ALL WANNA WIN, PUT CROMWELL IN
Running loose like he's Boobie Miles from "Friday Night Lights," Seth Cromwell is a freshman possessed this season. His eight rushing TDs are the third most in the country and are tied for the MIAA lead.

THAT'S MY QUARTERBACK
The Griffon offensive line must really love Armani Edden. Missouri Western has only allotted three sacks all year, the lowest amount in the MIAA and the third-lowest total in the country.

GRIFFON GASSERS
Missouri Western's offense is beyond potent this season, averaging the second-most points per game in the MIAA with 40.4. That's good enough for 15th in all of DII.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY
Oct. 7 | Box Score | Video Recap
Collecting their own third-straight win, the 2017 Griffons laid into Lindenwood all day long. Forcing five turnovers and collecting two pick-6s, defensive back Sam Webb collected the first in the second quarter, taking a tipped pass back 99 yards. Linebacker Cody Lindsay returned a 25-yard pick-6 later on in the third quarter to put MWSU up 37-0. Meanwhile, running back Josh Caldwell ran for 171 yards and two TDs on 21 attempts, running all over the Lions in a 40-8 victory at Spratt Stadium.