Missouri Southern (1-3, 0-2 MIAA)
Fort Hays State (2-2, 1-1 MIAA) at
Saturday, October 3 – 7 p.m.
Hays, Kan. – Lewis Field Stadium

Fort Hays State continues MIAA play on Saturday night (Oct. 3) when it hosts Missouri Southern for its annual Homecoming football game in Hays. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Lewis Field Stadium. The Tigers enter at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA, while the Lions are 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA.

HOW TO WATCH
The remaining 8 games on Fort Hays State's regular season schedule will be available on The MIAA Network. Subscriptions to the network are as follows…
 
All-Access Pass: $140 (all sports, all events on The MIAA Network in 2026-27)
Monthly Pass: $35 (all events on the network within a calendar month from time of subscription)
Individual Broadcast Pass: $15
 
SERIES HISTORY
FHSU leads 21-14-1
Last Meeting: FHSU won 28-21 in Joplin (10/4/25)
FHSU Record in Hays: 10-7-1
FHSU Record in St. Joseph: 11-7
 
Fort Hays State and Missouri Southern meet for the 37th time on Saturday. The first meeting occurred back in 1970 in Hays. FHSU leads the series 21-14-1. FHSU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the teams, which includes three straight wins going back to 2023. Missouri Southern's last win was in 2022 by one point, 25-24, in Hays. 

WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Head Coach Chris Brown talked about the upcoming game with Missouri Southern. Defensive lineman Cody Abston and running back LaAngelo Bell also fielded questions. Watch video below courtesy of ECTV and Hays Post Sports.  



WEEKLY TIGER TALK
Head Coach Chris Brown and defensive lineman Jaden Barker join Voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock on the September 28, 2026 edition of the show.
 


TIGERS IN THE AFCA POLL THIS YEAR
Fort Hays State opened the 2026 season receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 Poll. After a win over Angelo State in the season opener, FHSU moved into the Top 25 at No. 25. However, after a loss to No. 5 ranked CSU Pueblo, the Tigers moved back into the receiving votes section, where they resided for for three-straight polls now. The Tigers were not referenced in the latest poll after a loss to Missouri Western. 

TIGERS IN THE D2FOOTBALL.COM TOP 25 THIS YEAR
After the season-opening win at Angelo State, Fort Hays State moved into the D2Football.com Top 25 at No. 23. However, a loss in the next game to a top-10 ranked CSU Pueblo squad pushed the Tigers back outside of the Top 25. After the win over Pittsburg State, the Tigers returned to the poll at No. 25, but then dropped out again after a loss to Missouri Western.
 
LAST YEAR'S MEETING WITH MSSU IN JOPLIN
Fort Hays State never trailed in last year's meeting with Missouri Southern, winning 28-21. The Tigers moved into the lead for good with a field goal in the 2nd quarter, making the score 10-7 before leading 17-14 at halftime. The Lions scored a touchdown with 1:11 remaining and then looked like they were going to get the ball deep in Tiger territory with very little time left, but a penalty on a blocked punt gave FHSU an automatic first down and the ability to run out the clock.
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown is only three wins shy of 100 for his career, now in his 15th season leading the Tigers. In the head-to-head matchup with MSSU coach Atiba Bradley, Brown is 4-1. He is 11-1 overall against the Lions while leading the Tigers. Bradley holds an overall record of 19-41 at MSSU, now in his seventh year.
 
AGAINST THE LIONS IN MIAA PLAY
Fort Hays State holds a record of 13-4 in MIAA play since joining the conference in 2006. In that span, FHSU has a 6-3 record against the Lions in Hays and a 7-1 mark in Joplin. The Tigers have won the last 7 meetings between the teams in Joplin. Chris Brown holds a record of 11-1 against Missouri Southern.
 
TIGERS SCORING WELL IN LAST 14 VS. LIONS
Fort Hays State is averaging 38.6 points per game in the last 14 contests with Missouri Southern. FHSU scored at least 40 points in 8 of those 14 games. FHSU eclipsed 50 twice in that span.
 
RECENT HOMECOMING SUCCESS
Fort Hays State has won 3-straight Homecoming games going back to the 2023 season. The Tigers started the string with a 71-3 win over Lincoln in 2023, a 31-21 win over then No. 12 ranked Central Missouri in 2024, and a 31-23 win over Missouri Western last year.
 
TOP RECEIVERS ON DISPLAY
Isaiah Green of Missouri Southern currently ranks 3rd in the MIAA in receiving yards per game (94.3). Keyshawn Dooley is ranked 4th at 90.5 per game. Ayden Robinson-Wayne, a former player at Missouri Southern, is 8th in the MIAA at 71.3 yards per game.
 
BALL SECURITY BY BOTH TEAMS
Fort Hays State and Missouri Western are among the nation's best in securing the football right now. Missouri Western leads the MIAA in turnovers allowed with just 1 this season, while FHSU has only 2 turnovers for the season. MWSU is tied for third nationally and FHSU is tied for 11th nationally. East Central and Slippery Rock are the only teams remaining without turnovers this year.
 
BALANCED OFFENSE
FHSU is averaging 421.8 yards of total offense per game so far this season, which currently sits 3rd in the MIAA and 32nd in NCAA Division II. Fort Hays State is averaging 160.5 rushing yards through 4 games this season, which also ranks 3rd in the MIAA, and 4^th in passing offense at 261.3 yards per game. Quarterback Major Cantrell is averaging 313 total yards of offense per game, which ranks 6^th nationally. He has thrown for at least 225 yards in all four games this season, including a season-high 318 last week at Missouri Western., while rushing for over 50 yards in a contest twice.
 
FLOYD HEADING THE RUSHING ATTACK
AG Floyd is off to a strong start this season at running back. He ranks 5th in the MIAA for rushing average at 72.5 yards per game, while ranking 2^nd in rushing touchdowns (6), scoring (9.0 ppg), total points (36), and total touchdowns (6). With a season-high 145 rushing yards against Pittsburg State, Floyd had the most rushing yards by a Tiger since Shane Watts ran for 175 yards against Nebraska-Kearney in the 2024 season finale.
 
ALL-AMERICAN ON THE DEFENSIVE FRONT
Gaven Haselhorst is the lone All-America performer returning for FHSU in 2026. Last year, he was a unanimous All-MIAA First Team selection before garnering D2CCA All-Super Region 4 First Team honors and then All-America Honorable Mention selections by Don Hansen Football Committee and D2Football.com. Haselhorst has the most career tackles of any returner on the Tiger defense with 123, while also being the active career leader in tackles for loss (30.5) and sacks (13).
 
TIGERS TIED FOR MIAA LEAD IN INTERCEPTIONS
Fort Hays State is tied for the MIAA lead in interceptions this season with 8. The Tigers produced half of their total in the win over Pittsburg State with four, their first 4-interception game as a team since the season opening 56-0 win over Northeastern State in 2023. FHSU ranks 4th nationally in interceptions, tied with Missouri Western. Minnesota State leads NCAA Division II with 11.
 
TIGERS 6th NATIONALLY IN TURNOVER MARGIN
Fort Hays State currently ranks 6th in NCAA Division II for turnover margin at +1.5. The Tigers have 11 takeaways compared to 5 turnovers committed for the season. Henderson State leads NCAA D2 at +2.0. FHSU leads the MIAA and ranks 7^th nationally in turnovers gained (11).
 
4^TH DOWN CONVERSIONS
Fort Hays State is 6-of-7 on 4th down conversions this season. The Tigers currently rank 9th in NCAA Division II and tied for 1st in the MIAA. Northwest Missouri State is also 6-of-7 on 4th down conversions this season. 

WHEN THE TIGERS SCORE 30
Fort Hays State is 65-6 under head coach Chris Brown when reaching 30 points in a game. The Tigers went 2-0 last season and 2-0 so far this season when reaching 30 points in a game. They now have a streak of 10-straight wins when scoring 30.
 
REACHING 200 RUSHING YARDS UNDER BROWN
The Tigers have a record of 44-2 since the start of 2013 when rushing for over 200 yards in a game. They had 211 in the season opener at Angelo State and 207 against Pittsburg State. The last time the Tigers rushed for over 300 yards in a game was November 2, 2024 with 331 at Emporia State on the way to a 36-7 win.
 
BROWN HOLDS FHSU COACHING WINS AND TENURE RECORD
Chris Brown is in his 15th year guiding the Tigers and owns the FHSU Football coaching wins record with an overall mark of 97-65. He has 42 more wins than previous record holder Bob Cortese. Brown is also the longest tenured head coach in program history as he passed Wayne McConnell for the longest stint in history last year.

ABOUT THE LIONS:

• Missouri Southern finished the 2025 season 3-8 overall and 1-8 in the MIAA.
• Missouri Southern is led by head coach Atiba Bradley, now in his 7th season leading the Lions. He has an overall record of 19-41 at Missouri Southern.
• Allen Mitchell leads the MSSU rushing attack with 121 yards on 27 attempts, while quarterback Tillman Martin has thrown for 705 yards this season.
• MSSU receiver Isaiah Green ranks 3^rd in the MIAA in receiving yards per game, averaging 94.3.
• Riley Hammons is the top tackler for MSSU with 33 for the season.