ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Football (2-6, 1-5 MIAA) is back home to face the Washburn Ichabods (2-6, 1-5 MIAA) on a Military and First Responders' Appreciation Day game.
 
Kickoff from Spratt Stadium is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and on the MIAA Network.
 
Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac will be on the call with Kyle Schmidt of NewsPress-NOW as the analyst.
 
This game has also been labeled as the 'MIAA Game of the Week,' and therefore will be televised regionally over the air on 38 The Spot (Optimum Channel 17 in St. Joseph).
 
About Last Week
Griffon Football broke a five-game losing streak and rushed for 200 yards in a 19-12 win at Missouri Southern on a rainy, breezy and cool Saturday at Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin, Missouri.
 
MoWest scored both its first conference win and road win of the season, winning 12 of its last 13 meetings with Missouri Southern since 2013.
 
Brandon Hall finished with season-highs in carries (25), yards (129) and touchdowns (1). He now has 16 career rushing scores, tying him for 10th most all-time in school history.
 
Rickie Dunn finished with 11 carries for 51 yards and a score. Kane Donovan completed 10-of-17 passes for 108 yards and an interception. Brecken Manus had a team-best eight tackles and an interception on the final play of the first half.
 
Khalid Sereal had a career-best two solo sacks, while Grant Finley had a sack-and-a-half. The Griffon defense forced a season-best four sacks and tied a season-best with three takeaways. Southern was held to -12 rushing yards on 19 attempts. The -12 yards is the fewest by a Griffon opponent over the last 20 years.
 
Stopping the Run
MoWest ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 24 in NCAA Division II in rushing defense, holding opponents to an average of 100.9 rush yards per contest.
 
The Kane Chronicles
Kane Donovan has taken command of the MoWest offense in 2025, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA in completions (160), No. 3 in completions per game (20), No. 5 in passing yards (1622), No. 4 in passing touchdowns (10), No. 6 in passing yards per game (202.8) and No. 6 in total offense (1643).
 
Since transferring in from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2024, Donovan has made 12 starts for the Griffons, throwing for 2009 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing 58% of his passes in that time.
 
Long Drive Runnin'
MoWest is No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 31 in the country in time of possession, averaging 32:07 per game. The Griffons have had touchdown drives of 89 yards or more in four of their games this season.
 
Ichabod Breakdown
After a season-opening win over Truman State, Washburn went on a five-game slide of their own before a convincing 37-17 win over Central Missouri in Topeka on October 18.
 
The Ichabods nearly pulled another upset last week, but Washburn ultimately fell, 13-10 in overtime, to Fort Hays State on Washburn's Homecoming at Yager Stadium.
 
Just like MoWest, three of Washburn's six losses are by a single possession. What's more, Washburn's strength of schedule is ranked as the No. 1 toughest in the nation per the Massey Ratings.
 
Washburn's defense has been leaky at times this season, as the Ichabods allow 238.3 rushing yards per game - more than any other MIAA team. The Ichabods' secondary, however, has impressed with 11 interceptions (2nd MIAA, t-6th nation). Washburn's defense has come up with 20 total takeaways this season (2nd MIAA, t-4th nation).
 
One of Washburn's defensive leaders has been Kamble Havercamp. The free safety has three INTs, two fumble recoveries and a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks. Defensive end Quay Wright has impressed with 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Linebacker J.C. Heim leads Washburn and the MIAA with 101 total tackles.
 
On the offensive side, Washburn has allowed 26 quarterback sacks - more than any other MIAA team. The Ichabods, however, have been at their best offensively while in the red zone. Washburn ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 18 in the nation with an 89.5% success rate in the red zone, scoring on 17-of-19 attempts.
 
Washburn has been inconsistent in the passing game this season, averaging just 198.1 yards through the air (8th MIAA). The Bods have split time at QB between Justin Lewis, Logan Madden and Keller Hurla.
 
Washburn does have one of the best pass catchers in the MIAA. Chase Allen-Jackman leads the league with 7 TD grabs.
 
Series History
Saturday will be the 53rd all-time meeting between MoWest and Washburn. The Griffons lead this all-time series 27-23-2. These two have split each of the last six meetings since 2018. Three of the last six meetings have been settled by a single possession.
 
Washburn has won in their last two trips to St. Joseph, including last September, when the Bods topped the Griffs, 24-16. MoWest hasn't beaten Washburn at Spratt Stadium since 2018.
 
Special Teams Standouts
Kicker Mason Grove has been impressive again in 2025 on kickoff with 28 touchbacks (No. 1 MIAA) on 38 attempts. Grove, as a freshman in 2024, was No. 2 in the MIAA with 28 touchbacks, putting him up to 56 in his career.
 
In the return game, MoWest is still the only team in the MIAA with a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2025, thanks to Jaelon Dixon's 98-yard run to the house vs. Central Missouri on September 20. MoWest has now returned a kickoff for a touchdown in four of the last six seasons, including twice in 2019.
 
The Griffons are also No. 1 in the MIAA currently with 115 punt return yards, thanks in large part to a 57-yard return by Crew Myers at Missouri Southern on October 25.
 
Halling the Load
Two-time all-MIAA running back Brandon Hall is back for a fifth and final season after a promising 2024 was cut short with an ankle injury in week four. Even though he missed seven games last year, Hall was the team's lead rusher in 2024 with 557 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 139.25 rush yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry, while also hauling in 11 passes for 66 yards and a score.

Hall currently ranks No. 6 in program history with 2781 career rushing yards, having surpassed Mike Connaker for 6th most all-time this season. Hall's career average of 5.8 yards per carry is currently No. 5 in the program record books, and his 482 career carries now ranks eighth all-time.
 
This season, Hall ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in rushing yards (541), No. 2 in attempts (117) and No. 4 in yards per game (67.6).

Personnel Pieces
Missouri Western welcomes back a plethora of talent in 2025 with 21 total starters back, including 11 players on the offensive side who started four games or more in 2024.
 
The Griffons also made some key additions in the offseason, signing 30 freshmen and 10 transfers. The position of choice in this class was defensive backs with 14 DBs joining the team.
 
MoWest also signed seven new receivers, as each of the top four pass catchers from 2024 graduated. The Griffs did, however, bring back each of their top five rushers from 2024, returning 97.4% of their 1800 net rushing yards from last season.
 
Game of Inches
Since the start of the 2023 season, MoWest has played in 31 games - 17 of them have been decided by a single possession. The Griffons are 7-10 in those contests. Dating back to November 2022, 11 of the last 18 losses for MWSU have come by eight points or less.
 
Workin' Overtime
MoWest has gone 0-5 in overtime games since 2022 and 0-6 since 2013. The last overtime victory was in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division II playoffs - a 57-55 3OT win at home vs. Minnesota-Duluth. The last regular season game that went to overtime and ended with a Griffon victory was the 2006 season opener - a 32-29 double overtime win at Central Oklahoma.

Tune Into the Griffons
The Griffon Sports Network will once again provide live and free coverage all season long for all home and away games.
 
Tommy Rezac is back as 'Voice of the Griffons' for a fifth season. All games can be heard for free on the Varsity Network App and at GoGriffons.com/listen. To listen on the Varsity Network App, simply search "Missouri Western" once you have downloaded the app on your mobile device. Pregame coverage for each radio broadcast starts 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
 
What's Next
MoWest has its final road game of the season on November 8, going 40 minutes up Highway 71 to face rival Northwest Missouri Stat. Kickoff from Bearcat Stadium in Maryville is set for 2 p.m. MoWest hasn't played in Maryville since 2022 and hasn't won there since 2012.