Northeastern State (0-3, 0-3 MIAA) at #18 Fort Hays State (3-0, 3-0 MIAA) Saturday, September 23 - 2 pm Hays, Kan. - Lewis Field Stadium
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Fort Hays State Football, ranked No. 18 in the latest AFCA Division II Poll, hosts Northeastern State on Saturday, September 23, at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. Game time is set for 2 pm. The Tigers enter at 3-0, tied with No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State for the MIAA lead, while Northeastern State comes in at 0-3.

The Tigers are looking for their first 4-0 start in the program's NCAA Division II history, something FHSU has not accomplished since 1983. The Tigers will be looking for their fourth consecutive win over Northeastern State. FHSU has won every meeting between the teams since NSU joined the MIAA. The Tigers hold a slight 3-2 edge in the all-time series.

The Tigers are coming off a thrilling 31-24 win at Central Oklahoma last week. Monterio Burchfield's 64-yard touchdown reception with 42 seconds remaining in the game lifted the Tigers to victory. He earned MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week for his 8-catch, 217-yard receiving performance against the Bronchos. It ranked fourth on the all-time single-game receiving yards performance list at FHSU, just 23 yards shy of the record. Burchfield helped propel Jacob Mezera over the 400-yard passing mark for the game. Mezera finished 27-of-37 for 401 yards. Mezera is completing 68 percent of his passes so far this year, averaging 291 passing yards per game.

The Tigers moved up three spots in the AFCA national rankings for their win at Central Oklahoma. In the supplemental D2Football.com Poll, the Tigers are rated No. 16 in the nation. Fort Hays State's rank in both polls are new highs for the program.
 
Kenneth Iheme is leading the Tigers in all-purpose yards, averaging 109.7 per game. He is the leading rusher on the team with 208 yards. Layne Bieberle also averages more than 100 all-purpose yards per game at 101.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Connor Shedeed leads the Tigers in tackles with 24, followed by Tanner Hoekman with 20. Wyatt Parker is the team sack leader at 1.5, while in the secondary, Kamon Clayton leads the team in pass break-ups with four.