Fort Hays State Football opens the 2016 season on Thursday night (Sept. 1) when it hosts Missouri Southern. Game time for the Eagle Communications Kickoff Classic is set for 7 pm at Lewis Field Stadium. The Tigers enter their sixth season under head coach Chris Brown.



Fort Hays State is coming off an 8-4 season in 2015, playing in its first postseason game since 1995 by earning a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl. Though the Tigers lost to Minnesota-Duluth 30-22, FHSU tied for third in the MIAA - its highest ever finish since joining the conference in 2006. The Tigers went 8-3 in MIAA play, also a new best, and tied the school record for wins in a season. FHSU is receiving votes in the AFCA Preseason National Poll.

Missouri Southern struggled to a 1-10 record in 2015. The Lions have been down the past two years, but posted a record of 7-3 back in 2013. FHSU has won the last three meetings between the schools with the last Missouri Southern win occurring in 2010. FHSU won the meeting last year in Joplin by a score of 42-31.

On offense running back Shaquille Cooper returns for his junior season after an All-America campaign as a sophomore in 2015. Cooper rushed for 1,441 yards and posted 309 receiving yards to earn unanimous All-MIAA First Team honors. He also earned All-Super Region 3 honors and eventually All-America honors from Don Hansen. Cooper was one of five Tigers to earn All-America honors in 2015, joining Brock Long, Treveon Albert, Matt Erbert, and Daniel Lindsey. Cooper is the only returning All-America selection to this year's team.

Sophomore quarterback Jacob Mezera has waited two years for his chance to take the reigns of the offense. He saw limited action in five games last year behind Albert, but will look for several weapons on the field to keep the Tiger offense rolling in 2016. The Tigers have several talented running backs and a bundle of experienced receivers to give Mezera plenty of options. FHSU set a new school record for rushing yards in 2015 with 3,013, averaging 251.1 yards per game.

The Tigers will have plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball, returning nine of 11 starters from the 2015 season. Four of those starters were All-MIAA selections last year, including defensive linemen Nathan Shepherd and Sie Doe, Jr., linebacker Alex Schmidtberger, and defensive back Doyin Jibowu. Another feather in the cap of FHSU is the return of two-time All-MIAA linebacker Justin McPhail, who missed nearly all of last year with an injury sustained in the first game. Schmidtberger is also a two-time all-conference selection, giving the Tigers four All-MIAA honors between their two starting linebackers. Cornerback Raheeme Dumas was second in the MIAA last year in passes defended and DeAndre James has been solid at safety and returning kicks.