#8 Fort Hays State (7-0, 7-0 MIAA) at Missouri Western (4-3, 4-3 MIAA) Saturday, October 21 - 1 pm St. Joseph, Mo. - Spratt Memorial Stadium
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Fort Hays State, ranked No. 8 in the latest AFCA Division II Poll, focuses on another challenging road game Saturday (Oct. 21) at Missouri Western. The Tigers and Griffons are slated to kickoff at 1 pm at Spratt Stadium. The Tigers enter at 7-0, while the Griffons are 4-3.
 
Fort Hays State has a chance to set a new school record for best start to a season. With a 37-20 win last week against Washburn, the Tigers matched the 7-0 record of the 1917 team. But that was the entire season for the 1917 team, so this Tiger team has a chance to push the school's best-start mark higher. To do so, the Tigers will need to put a six-game losing streak to the Griffons in St. Joseph to bed. FHSU snapped an 11-game losing streak overall to MWSU last year with a 35-27 win in Hays.
 
To snap the drought in St. Joseph, the Tigers will have to be sharp with ball security Saturday as they face a Griffon team that ranks second nationally in turnover margin (+14) and turnovers gained (22).
 
Fort Hays State ranks second in the MIAA in scoring defense, allowing 16.6 points per game. That mark ranks 14^th nationally. The Tigers have held teams to 20 or less five out of seven games this year. FHSU is also second in the MIAA in total defense, allowing 312.9 yards per game to rank 33^rd nationally. Fort Hays State's run defense has been solid, allowing 85.4 yards per game on the ground. Six of the seven opponents this year have been held to 89 or less yards rushing.
 
The rushing defense will be put to the test once again as Missouri Western leads the MIAA in rushing at 246.7 yards per game. The Griffons have the conference's top rusher in Josh Caldwell, averaging 112 rushing yards per game, but Kenneth Iheme is hot on his heels at 109.9 rushing yards per game after eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark in each of the last three games. The stretch includes a career-high 189-yard rushing performance against Pittsburg State. He has 769 rushing yards for the season. Charles Tigner provides a strong second option with 407 rushing yards. He rushed for a career-high 171 yards against Washburn last week.
 
Balancing the rushing is a strong passing attack led by Jacob Mezera. His top three targets, Tyler Bacon, Monterio Burchfield, and Layne Bieberle, have combined for 87 receptions and 1,203 of the team's 1,919 receiving yards. Mezera is completing 67.3 percent of his passes and has 15 touchdowns. Last week, Mezera became the sixth Tiger quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard passing mark in a career.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Jose Delgado leads the Tigers in tackles with 60, averaging 10 per game. He also leads the team in sacks with 3.5. Doyin Jibowu leads FHSU in interceptions with three, while Kamon Clayton has a team-best 10 pass break-ups.