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The Fort Hays State football team faces the No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division II, Northwest Missouri State, on Saturday in Maryville, Mo. Game time is set for 1 pm. The Tigers enter the game 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA, while the Bearcats are 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA.

Fort Hays State will be looking for its first win over Northwest Missouri State since joining the MIAA in 2006. The Bearcats have been ranked in the top 10 nationally for all five previous conference meetings since 2006. Northwest Missouri State holds a 48-game winning streak in MIAA play.

Northwest Missouri State became the new No. 1 team in the nation this week after Minnesota-Duluth lost last weekend to Wayne State (Neb.). The Bearcats moved up a spot from No. 2. Three of the top five teams in the nation last week lost.

Northwest Missouri State defeated FHSU last year in Maryville by a score of 45-27. That was the closest margin of victory for NWMSU against FHSU in Maryville since the Tigers joined the MIAA.

Fort Hays State is coming off a tough non-conference home loss to Southwest Baptist last week by a score of 30-28. The Tigers had a chance late to win the game, but a field goal from 42 yards missed with just under a minute remaining. That snapped a four-game winning streak for FHSU against non-conference opponents.

The Tigers are looking to snap a five-game road losing skid. The last road win for FHSU was in 2009 at Missouri Southern in the season finale.

Senior linebacker Alex Whitehill enters the game as the leading tackler in NCAA Division II. He has 54 for the season, averaging 18.0 per game. The next closest player has 42 tackles. He is already nearly halfway to his total of 118 from last year. Whitehill had a career-high 20 tackles against Southwest Baptist last week, the first player with at least 20 tackles in a game for FHSU since 2005 when Dustin Dunn had 20 against Western State.

Senior safety Korey Allison has also been racking up defensive stats for FHSU. He is third in the MIAA in tackles with 36 after producing a career-high 16 last week against Southwest Baptist. He is tied for ninth nationally in tackles per game (12.0). Allison is also leading the team in interceptions with two. He has forced three of the six turnovers Fort Hays State has produced out of their opponents this year.

Junior running back Andre Smith continues to lead the MIAA in rushing at 128.3 yards per game and ranks 10th nationally. He leads the MIAA and ranks third nationally in all-purpose yards per game with 201.0. Edward Smith ranks third in the conference in rushing at 84.0 yards per game. The Smith duo is helping the Tigers average 245.3 yards per game on the ground, which is second-best in the MIAA and 13th nationally.

Senior punter Ethan Kosjer leads the MIAA and ranks third nationally in punting average at 46.5 yards per punt. He is nearly averaging five more yards per punt than any other punter in the MIAA.

Northwest Missouri State enters the game averaging the most points (63.3) of any team at any NCAA level. The Bearcats produced a season-high 73 points last week against Lincoln. NWMSU scored over 60 in both of their conference wins this year. They also lead the MIAA in total offense (514.0) and total defense (251.7).