WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fort Hays State fell to Central Missouri by a score of 31-13 on Saturday (Oct. 31). The Tigers held a 13-10 lead early in the third quarter, but saw the Mules score 21 unanswered points the rest of the way. FHSU moved to 3-6 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA, while UCM went to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State did a great job at controlling tempo in the first half against one of the most potent offenses in the nation. The Tigers held the Mules scoreless on three of their five drives in the first half and trailed by just four points at halftime. The Tigers and Mules traded field goals in the first quarter, each scoring on their first drives of the game. The Mules went up 10-3 with a touchdown in the second quarter, but the Tigers countered with a field goal late in the first half and UCM led 10-6 at halftime.
Fort Hays State took the lead early in the second half when
Taderian Partee had a strip sack recovered by
Cody Abston deep in UCM territory. Right after,
Major Cantrell found
Tristen Davidson in the endzone on an 11-yard touchdown pass. FHSU led 13-10 with 11:40 to go in the third quarter.
The tide turned back in favor of the Mules a few minutes later when UCM quarterback Jordan Pachot broke loose for a 38-yard touchdown run on a 3
rd-and-1 situation. On the ensuing FHSU drive, the Tigers fumbled the ball on just the second play of the drive and Bryan Dykstra scooped the ball and ran 27 yards for a UCM touchdown. In the blink of an eye, the Tigers went from leading by three to down by 11.
FHSU turned the ball over two more times in the third quarter and then UCM put the game away with a 31-yard touchdown run by Damien Brown early in the fourth quarter.
AG Floyd led FHSU with 87 rushing yards, while Cantrell threw for 142 yards.
Shadryon Blanka led the Tiger tackling effort with 12, while
Matthew McBride added eight and
Gaven Haselhorst had six.
Brown rushed for 181 yards for UCM, while Pachot threw for 200 yards. Marcus Williams led UCM in tackles with nine.
Fort Hays State travels to Nebraska-Kearney next Saturday (Nov. 7) for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
