Box Score

Fort Hays State held on for a 28-26 win over Lincoln on Saturday (Oct. 20) at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. A pair of blocked punts returned for touchdowns were key in the Tiger win as they scored 21 first quarter points. An interception by A.J. Woodall deep in Tiger territory helped seal the win for the Tigers late. FHSU moved to 3-5 overall and 3-5 in the MIAA with the win, while Lincoln dropped to 1-7 overall and 1-7 in the MIAA.

Lincoln got on the board first with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Morris to Jammell Trammell at the 11:07 mark of the opening quarter. That's when Fort Hays State's special teams began change the complexion of the game. FHSU blocked the extra-point attempt, which would prove to be big later with the tight score.

On the next Lincoln possession, Shaquille Cooper came through almost untouched for a blocked punt and the ball tumbled all the way to the endzone where Anthony Sheppard picked it up for the easy touchdown. The Tigers took a 7-6 lead at the 5:07 mark of the opening quarter with the extra-point by Drew O'Brien.

The Tigers struck again with another punt block on the very next Lincoln series, this time Seth Klausmeyer got the block and Anthony Sheppard scooped the ball once again and scurried 25 yards to the endzone for his second touchdown of the game. That put FHSU up 14-6.

The defense set up the third score of the game when Keke Paul had a 42-yard interception return to the Lincoln 4-yardline. Tarean Austin punched the ball in with a five-yard rush for the touchdown with 26 seconds left in the first.

With all the chaos created by special teams and defense, the Tiger offense did not see the field for very long in the first half. They struggled to find a rhythm and the Blue Tigers took advantage by getting two touchdowns in the second quarter to pull within two points at 21-19. The 2-point conversion pass attempt failed as Andreas Ashwood dropped the Blue Tiger receiver short of the endzone.

Lincoln took the lead 26-21 in the third quarter with 8:32 remaining on a Donald Malone 2-yard touchdown run. That capped a 10-play, 98-yard drive for the Blue Tigers.

FHSU finally got the big offensive play it needed late in the third when Shaquille Cooper broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run. That would prove to be the winning score with the Tigers on top 28-26.

The Tigers dodged a pair of golden opportunities for the Lincoln offense to take the lead. A low kick on a 34-yard field goal attempt by Lincoln kicker Michael Ashley was blocked by Aaron Burton with 12:22 remaining in the game. Later, with Lincoln at the FHSU 16-yard line, A.J. Woodall picked off a desperation pass by Lincoln quarterback Jacob Morris at the FHSU 3-yard line to thwart another Lincoln threat deep in Tiger territory. That gave FHSU the ball back with 1:48 to play.

Shaquille Cooper put the game away for the Tigers by getting a first down with a strong second effort on 3rd-and-5. FHSU ran out the clock from that point.

Cooper had a huge game for the Tigers with 115 rushing yards on 13 carries, an average of 8.8 yards per attempt, and the blocked punt that resulted in the first score of the game for FHSU. Micheal Jordan led the Tiger defense with nine tackles. Shane Smith, Kyle Perry, and Tyler Richards all recorded sacks for FHSU and Jesse Trent had a forced fumble.

Morris had a big game passing for Lincoln, completing 24-of-39 attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Morris Henderson led the Blue Tiger rushing attack with 109 yards on 15 carries. Trammell had 128 receiving yards and Maurice Woodard had 109 receiving yards.

Fort Hays State plays its only non-conference game of the season on the road next week at South Dakota School of Mines. Game time is set for 1 pm in Rapid City, S.D.