Defending MIAA champion Fort Hays State heads to Maryville, Missouri for another big showdown with Northwest Missouri State on Saturday (Nov. 3). The No. 10/5 ranked Bearcats play host to the RV/No. 22 Tigers for a second straight year with postseason and conference title aspirations hanging in the balance. Northwest Missouri leads the MIAA at 8-1 with FHSU and Pittsburg State right on its heels at 7-2 each. Game time is set for 1:30 pm at Bearcat Stadium.
 
The game on Saturday is part of the NCAA Football Showcase. It will be available for viewing on multiple platforms this week, as well as local TV channels. Here's the list of how you can watch the game.
 
Local Television Options
Eagle Communications – Channel 614 (HD) or Channel 14 (SD) for Hays, Ellis, Munjor, Russell, Victoria and WaKeeney. Channel 2 (SD) in Abilene, Bennington, Chapman, Clay Center, Ellsworth, Enterprise, Florence, Hillsboro, Kanopolis, Marion, Minneapolis, Solomon and Wakefield.
Nex-Tech – Channel 609 for the Hays area.
Spectrum Sports 2 – For the Kansas City area Channel 324
Altitude Sports - Check your local listings (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and some parts of Idaho)
Cox Kansas - Channel 2122
 
Webstreaming Platforms
FHSU Athletics Facebook Page – The NCAA will be providing the stream of the game live on the Fort Hays State University Athletics Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/fhsuathletics/
The MIAA Network - If you have already paid for a subscription package to watch games on the MIAA network, the game will still be available as normal just like any other week. Here is the link to the FHSU portal on the MIAA Network -  http://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/ . The MIAA Network OTT apps are available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV.
NCAA Division II Twitter Account - @NCAADII on Periscope app
 
A win for the Tigers on Saturday would keep them alive for a chance at a second-straight MIAA Championship with one week remaining on the schedule going forward. A loss would deny that opportunity, and could ultimately damage the Tigers' chance at a second straight trip to the NCAA Playoffs. Entering Saturday, the Tigers are No. 7 in the NCAA Super Region 3 Rankings, right on the cut line for getting into the playoffs. The top seven teams from the Super Region are selected to the NCAA Playoffs. Northwest Missouri is in the middle of the pack among the top seven at No. 4.
 
Lurking just behind Fort Hays State in the region rankings is Pittsburg State at No. 8, which also has a shot at an MIAA Championship. Like the Tigers, the Gorillas are also 7-2 and host Washburn this week at home. The final week of the season, Pitt State goes to play a Missouri Southern squad with just one win on the season. If FHSU defeats NWMSU on Saturday, there could be a three-way tie for first in the conference standings going into the final week should PSU win this week against Washburn. In the final week of the season, Fort Hays State hosts a winless Northeastern State squad, while Northwest Missouri State goes on the road to Central Missouri.
 
Fort Hays State enters Saturday on a three-game win streak. FHSU is 2-0 against AFCA Top 25 ranked teams this year. The Tigers are ranked No. 22 in the D2Football.com Top 25, but sit just outside the top 25 in the AFCA poll as the third-highest receiving votes team listed. Northwest Missouri State is No. 10 in the AFCA Poll and No. 5 in the D2Football.com Poll. FHSU is 2-2 in road games this year, while NWMSU is a perfect 4-0 at home so far.
 
Fort Hays State won a defensive battle between the teams last year in Maryville by a score of 13-12. That win gave the Tigers the MIAA Championship outright, snapping Northwest Missouri's four-year reign at the top of the conference standings.
 
The Tiger defense must stay disciplined on Saturday facing a very balanced offensive attack. The Bearcats average 233.8 passing and 215.3 rushing yards per game. Jose Delgado leads the Tiger defense with 88 tackles this year from his linebacker position, while safety Connor Shedeed has 75 tackles to his credit and a team-high three interceptions. Wyatt Parker has forced four fumbles up front on the defensive line, while Sterling Swopes leads the Tigers in sacks with 4.5 as a defensive end.
 
It will be key for the Tigers to have some success in the run game on Saturday. NWMSU has owned one of the best run defenses in the country for several years in a row, allowing just 74.2 yards per game on the ground so far this season. The Tigers average just 117.7 rushing yards per game with the pass attack doing more of the damage this year at 295.9 yards per game. Jacob Mezera leads the passing attack with 2,015 yards on 168 completions this year, but Chance Fuller has been getting better week-to-week with the reps he continues to get, now with 620 passing yards on the season. Fuller had a season-high 274 passing yards against Lindenwood last week.
 
Layne Bieberle, Harley Hazlett, and Matt Wendelberger have been the most consistent contributors to the passing attack. Bieberle leads the team in receiving yards with 640 on 39 catches, while Hazlett leads the team in receptions with 55 to go with 587 yards. Wendelberger at tight end has put together a strong junior campaign with 478 yards on 30 catches.
 
Dante Brown continues to be a huge factor for the Tigers on special teams, serving as both placekicker and punter. He leads NCAA Division II in field goals, making 22-of-27 attempts this year, and averages 42 yards per punt.

Ever since falling to Central Oklahoma 31-21 on the road in Week 4, Northwest Missouri State's average margin of victory in its current five-game win streak is 29 points. Among that run was a 27-13 victory over Nebraska-Kearney, the closest winning margin for the Bearcats in their five-game run. The Bearcats have not allowed more than 17 points in any of their wins this season.