ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Coming off a clutch win at Central Oklahoma, Griffon Football returns home for a two-game stay, facing Fort Hays State this Saturday at 6 p.m. on Family Day and Military Appreciation Day inside Spratt Stadium.
TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Football is gracing 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 noon, with pregame starting at 11 a.m. Game admission and parking tickets are available in the "Tickets" tab.
FAMILY DAY & MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
Saturday's game is Family Day and Military Appreciation Day at Spratt Stadium. Weather pending, there is a flyover scheduled during pregame. All active military members will be allowed in free of charge. For more info on Family Day, click here.
ABOUT WEEK THREE
MWSU
Missouri Western (2-1, 1-1 MIAA) won both games in its two-game road trip, defeating Central Oklahoma in last-minute fashion last Saturday in Edmond. After hopping out to a 20-0 lead in the second, the Western offense was halted while UCO scored 17 straight points to make things interesting. Eventually falling behind 31-27 with 4:39 to play in the fourth quarter and trailing for the first time all day, MWSU turned to senior quarterback Armani Edden. The Griffon signal-caller responded by leading MWSU on a 10-play, 65-yard drive, capping it off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jonas Bennett. Senior defensive back Taylor Williams picked off a UCO pass with 39 seconds left to play, giving the Griffons win No. 2 and Head Coach Tyler Fenwick his first in the MIAA.
Fort Hays
The Tigers (2-1, 2-1 MIAA) have all of NCAA Division II talking after they knocked off then-No. 15 Northwest Missouri State in Hays, Kansas. Coming out of a 3-3 halftime deadlock, Fort Hays sophomore quarterback Jack Dawson hit Bryson Smith from 18 yards out to put the Tigers up for good at 10-3. Northwest chipped in a field goal later in the third, but another hookup between Dawson and Smith of 33 yards sealed the deal and dealt Northwest a 17-6 loss, its first time with back-to-back defeats since 2017. Coincidentally enough, the Tigers beat the Bearcats to hand them their second consecutive loss on Nov. 4, 2017.
PROLIFIC POSITION PREVIEWS
Coaches
Head Coach Tyler Fenwick is currently 2-1 with MWSU and 55-49 overall as a head coach. In his time with MWSU as offensive coordinator from 2007-12, the Griffons went 6-0 vs. Hays, beating the Tigers by an average margin of 23.5 points.
Now in his 12th year with Hays, Chris Brown is 76-52 overall, going 52-29 in the last seven seasons. He was the 2017 and 2018 MIAA Coach of the Year and the 2017 Don Hansen Football Committee Super Region 3 Coach of the Year. Since 2011, Brown is 2-9 vs. MWSU and 1-4 in St. Joe.
Quarterbacks
Now 2-1 as a Griffon starter, Edden is the fourth-most efficient QB in the MIAA with a rating of 161.2. He also has the third-best completion percentage at 66.7. Edden has thrown for 701 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, completing a season-high 19-of-30 passes at UCO. Edden also threw for 233 yards and one touchdown against the Bronchos, with that one score turning out to be the difference maker with 1:25 left to play. Junior QB Reagan Jones did throw one pass last Saturday, completing a 37-yard strike to senior tight end Will Schwartz.
Dawson is adjusting quite well in his second year at Hays, coming in this week with the third-best efficiency rating at 161.9. With 771 yards and nine touchdowns, he ranks third in both categories. However, his 59.1 completion percentage is second to last in the MIAA. Versus Northwest, he threw for 289 yards, two touchdowns and one pick, completing 17-of-33 attempts. He is also the most sacked QB in the league, hitting the deck an MIAA-high six times, with four of those instances occurring vs. Northwest.
QB STATS VS. OPPONENT
- MWSU - Reagan Jones: 1-0 starting record | 8-of-18, 44.4%, 140 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 1 sack, long pass of 40 yards. Rushing: 21 attempts, 118 yards, 1 TD, long rush of 23.
- MWSU - Armani Edden: N/A
- FHSU: Jack Dawson: 0-1 starting record | 17-of-33, 51.5%, 243 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 0 sacks, long pass of 43 yards. Rushing: five attempts, 25 yards, 1 TD, long rush of 11.
Offensive Line
The Griffon offensive line has only given up one sack all season, the best mark in the MIAA alongside Emporia State. The hitmen up front are also partially responsible for MWSU's 185.7 rushing yards per game, the second-best average in the conference. The Griffons have sprung loose for over 100 rushing yards each contest, going off for 115 vs. Central Missouri, 260 at Lincoln and 182 more at UCO. Missouri Western is tied for fifth in Division II and leads the MIAA with nine rushing touchdowns.
RIVALRY RECORD RABBIT HOLE
By the Numbers
Headed into the 32nd matchup of a rivalry that started in 1976, the Griffons lead the series 18-12-1 and are winners of four in a row from 2018-22. In this span, MWSU is winning by an average of 11 points. The Griffons are 10-5-1 when hosting Hays at home.
Last Time Out
Missouri Western made its way to a 2-0 start in last season's 35-19 win over the Tigers on Oct. 8 in Hays. The Griffons dominated the run game, rushing for 311 yards and five touchdowns, spearheaded by a 125-yard, two-touchdown night by then-junior running back Jared Scott. Then-sophomore running back Brandon Hall complemented Scott with 101 yards, scoring two touchdowns of his own in the first quarter as the Griffons built a 21-7 halftime lead.
GRIFFS' HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE FLIES SOLO
The Griffons average 46.7 points per game, the most in the MIAA and sixth-most in Division II. Missouri Western has reached 34 points or more in each bout, putting up 38 vs. UCM, 68 at Lincoln and 34 more against the Bronchos last Saturday.
B-HALL IS BACK
Junior running back Brandon Hall substantially boosted the Griffon offense in Saturday's game at UCO. Hall ran for a season-high 109 yards on just 11 carries, catching two passes for 39 yards. It's his first game over the century mark since slicing up Hays for 101 yards last season. Overall, this is Hall's fifth career 100-yard outing.
CROMWELL CRUNCH
Freshman running back Seth Cromwell totaled a career-high three touchdowns last Saturday, punching in each touchdown from 9 yards or less. Combined with his Week 1 score vs. UCM, Cromwell is tied for the MIAA lead in rushing touchdowns with four alongside Mules running back Marcellous Hawkins.
THE MEAN STREETS
Senior defensive lineman Dakari Streeter has been nothing short of destructive this season. He leads the MIAA with four sacks for 27 yards lost, and his average of 1.33 sacks per game also stands alone on top of the conference. Streeter had 1.5 sacks vs. UCM, one at Lincoln and 1.5 more at UCO. Streeter, who has 10 career sacks, is chasing fellow senior D-lineman CJ Ravenell on the all-time sack leaderboard. Ravenell is currently 10th with 12.5 sacks in his career.
BALLROOM BLITZ
Missouri Western leads the MIAA with eight sacks for 55 yards lost. The Griffons have brought down the QB multiple times in each game, sacking UCM three times, Lincoln twice and UCO thrice. Meanwhile, Hays' six sacks given up leads the conference. The Tigers gave up a season-high four sacks vs. Northwest.
ACROSS THE NATION VOL. 2
Tied for ninth in the nation, the Griffon defense leads the MIAA with 29 tackles for a loss. Ravenell leads the Griffs and the MIAA with 4.5 TFLs.
WILLIAMS' WAY OR THE HIGHWAY
Last Saturday marked two weeks in a row senior defensive back Taylor Williams has notched an interception. His 69-yard pick-6 at Lincoln was the first of his career, and his takeaway last Saturday in crunch time with 39 seconds left to play slammed the door shut on another Broncho comeback.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY
Sept. 22 | Box Score | Video Recap
While it wasn't exactly on this day, 11 years ago, Michael Hill made Missouri Western history at the expense of Fort Hays. Hill led the Griffons to a 21-3 win in Hays, America, exploding for 198 yards on 26 rushes. With this effort, Hill became MWSU's all-time rushing leader, a record that now stands at 4,969 yards. Meanwhile, QB Travis Partridge threw for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one pick, completing a pass to seven different Griffon receivers.
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