ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -. The Missouri Western football team (2-2, 1-2 MIAA) will look to bounce back from a tough loss last time out this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against the Washburn Ichabods (0-3, 0-2 MIAA) at Spratt Stadium.
 
All Griffons fans are encouraged to wear USA/American-themed attire for the Military Appreciation/First Responders Day game theme.
 
Pregame coverage will begin at 1:00 p.m. on The Varsity Network app and at GoGriffons.com/listen. Tommy Rezac will provide play-by-play commentary; Kyle Schmidt of the St. Joseph News-Press will be the analyst and Chris Roush from KQ2 will be the sideline reporter.
 
BUY TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to skip the lines and save money. Tickets can be bought online through the Griffon Box Office or the HomeTown Ticketing Fan App. On game days, tickets will also be available at the Spratt Stadium ticket office.
 
WATCH ONLINE - MIAA NETWORK
All MIAA football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball regular season conference games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network. The MIAA Network showcased over 1,500 live broadcasts for its 14 member schools last season. For more information, visit https://www.themiaanetwork.com/.
 
LISTEN - VARSITY NETWORK APP & GoGriffons.com/listen
Live streams of Missouri Western athletics are now available on The Varsity Network app. All home and away football and men's and women's basketball games will be available to listen to for free on Varsity and at GoGriffons.com/listen. Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts. Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen to the Griffons, click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at GoGriffons.com/listen in the 'On Demand' section, and on the Griffon Sports Insider Podcast, which is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you podcast.
 
MIAA GAME OF THE WEEK ON 38 THE SPOT
Missouri Western fans will be able to watch the Griffons twice on local television this season on Optimum Channel No. 17. The first will be a road game against No. 2 Central Missouri on October 12 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a home game against Nebraska-Kearney on October 19 at 2:00 p.m.
 
MIAA STANDINGS
Missouri Western (1-2 MIAA) is currently in seventh place in the conference standings after a tough overtime loss at No. 13 Emporia State last weekend. In conference play, the Griffons won against Missouri Southern in their home opener, and both of their losses in MIAA play have been on the road against ranked teams.
 
No. 11 Emporia State and No. 23 Central Oklahoma are the only undefeated teams in the conference and are at the top of the standings. Just behind the Hornets and Bronchos is No. 10 Pittsburg State and a surging Northwest Missouri State team that has won two straight games.
  SHINNING IN THE STAT SHEETS
The Griffon running game has been outstanding this season, as they ranking second in the conference and seventh nationally with 830 yards (207.5 YPG). Senior Brandon Hall has been the standout performer, leading the conference and ranking second in the entire country with 557 rushing yards. He averages 8.3 yards per carry and 139.2 yards per game. Additionally, his 623 all-purpose yards (155.75 YPG) rank 10th in NCAA Division II.
 
The offensive line has also been crucial to Western's offensive success this season. They have allowed only two sacks over four games, which ranks second in the nation and leads the MIAA.
 
Defensively, MWSU ranks in the top 20 nationally in turnovers gained (14th), interceptions (15th) and fumbles recovered (18th) due to five interceptions and five fumbles recovered.  Antonio Taylor ranks second in the MIAA in passes defended with two interceptions and four pass breakups, and Jaden Brown's three sacks are tied for the most in the league.
 
HISTORY AGAINST WU
Missouri Western has a 29-20-2 record against Washburn since the inaugural game in 1972. In their last 10 meetings, the two teams split the series 5-5 and have traded wins in the last two games at Spratt Stadium. However, MWSU has historically performed well at home against WU, with a 15-7-2 record.
 
Last season, the No. 24 Griffons collected a dominant 61-21 win against the Ichabods in Topeka. After a closely contested first quarter, MWSU scored 47 straight points in the second and third quarters to secure the win. Standout offensive performances came from Seth Cromwell, who finished with 156 yards and a touchdown, and Jared Scott, who had an impressive three-touchdown game.
 
ABOUT THE ICHABODS
Washburn finished the 2023 season with a 2-9 (1-9 MIAA) record, finishing 10th in the final MIAA standings. They were projected to finish ninth in the 2024 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll with 16 points.
 
The Ichabods have arguably faced the most challenging schedule of any team this season. All of their losses have come against current AFCA top 10 teams. They started the season with a 30-14 loss to No. 11 Emporia State and then suffered close defeats to No. 4 Colorado Mines (31-28) and No. 10 Pittsburg State (39-31).
 
Wide receiver #6 Tre Richardson is the offensive player to watch for the Ichabods. The sophomore from Topeka leads the team in receiving with 13 receptions for 248 yards (82.67 AVG/G) and two touchdowns.
 
On defense, keep an eye on linebacker #5 L.J. Minner Jr. The sophomore from Ferguson leads the team with 26 tackles (15 solo). He has also achieved 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and forced a fumble against Colorado Mines.

The specialist to watch for Washburn is #0 Jaquez White. The sophomore from Blackshear, Georgia added a spark to the punt return game with a 92-yard touchdown against Pitt State last weekend.
 
LAST WEEK RECAP
Western dropped a 30-27 overtime classic to then No. 13 Emporia State last Saturday afternoon at Welch Stadium.
 
Emporia State Struck first with 4:21 left in the first quarter, following a 25-yard strike from Gunner Gundy to Trenden Collins. Three minutes later, Emporia kicker Caden Dodson extended their lead to 10-0 with a 25-yard field goal.
 
Following a crucial fourth down stop, senior running back Hall sparked life into the struggling MWSU offense with a 52-yard rushing score - his third touchdown this season longer than 47 yards. He finished the half with 103 yards, averaging 11.4 yards a carry.
 
On the next Missouri Western drive, quarterback Kody Kirk, who made his season debut Saturday, connected with senior Tyler Carey, who was wide open down the field for an 80-yard touchdown. This put the Griffons in the lead for the first time at 13-10.
 
After forcing a punt, Jonas Bennett caught a crucial 26-yard pass, putting Western in the red zone with less than a minute remaining in the half. The Kirk-Carey duo connected again - this time for a 13-yard touchdown with eight seconds left, giving Western a 20-10 lead heading at halftime.
 
The two teams exchanged possessions at the beginning of the second half before Emporia State reduced the deficit with a 33-yard field goal from Dodson. In the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Hornets tied the game with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Gundy to All-American receiver Tyler Kahmann.
 
Bennett gave the Griffons another boost when they were idling offensively, this time on special teams with a 56-yard punt return deep into ESU territory. MWSU took advantage of the field position with a seven-yard touchdown reception from Kirk to Hall with 6:36 left in regulation.
 
Following a two-minute warning, Emporia State quarterback Gunnar Gundy, who set school records in both passing and offensive attempts, scored the equalizer with a 30-yard passing touchdown. The Griffons missed a 55-yard field goal going into the wind as time expired, sending the game into overtime.
 
In overtime, Missouri Western's defense held Emporia State to a field goal and had a chance to convert on a 4th-and-1. However, the decision to go for it didn't pay off, as Emporia State hung on for a 30-27 victory.
 
On the 4th-and-1, Kirk rolled out on play action and had Jayden Williams in the end zone on a short lob, but Williams was unable to haul it in, ending the game.
 
Kirk finished 15-38 for 220 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in his Griffon debut. His top target for the afternoon was Carey, who caught five passes for a career-high 112 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Hall increased his conference-leading rushing total with 137 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. The Kansas City native also contributed 43 receiving yards and a touchdown.
 
Nicc Oliver led the team on defense with 11 tackles (nine solo), and Javerius McGuinn added the second-most with seven (1.0 tackle for loss). Additionally, MWSU finished with five sacks, led by Grant Finley with two.