RV/#25 Fort Hays State (2-1, 1-0 MIAA) at
Missouri Western (1-2, 0-1 MIAA)
Saturday, September 26 – 7 p.m.
St. Joseph, Mo. – Spratt Stadium

Fort Hays State continues MIAA play on Saturday night (Sept. 26) in St. Joseph, Mo., when it takes on Missouri Western. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Spratt Stadium. The Tigers enter at 2-1 overall, while the Griffons are 1-2 overall and 0-1 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
MWSU leads 19-14-1
Last Meeting: FHSU won 31-23 in Hays (9/27/25)
FHSU Record in Hays: 9-8
FHSU Record in St. Joseph: 5-11-1
 
Fort Hays State and Missouri Western meet for the 35th time on Saturday. The first meeting occurred back in 1976 in St. Joseph. MWSU leads the series 19-14-1. The Griffons won the first 10 meetings with the Tigers in MIAA play from 2006-2015. FHSU won back-to-back games from 2016-2017, then MWSU won five more in a row from 2018-2023. FHSU is now on a 2-game win streak since 2024.
 
WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Head Coach Chris Brown talked about the upcoming game with Missouri Western. Defensive lineman Taderian Partee and wide receiver Ayden Robinson-Wayne also fielded questions. Watch video below courtesy of ECTV and Hays Post Sports.  



WEEKLY TIGER TALK
Head Coach Chris Brown and quarterback Major Cantrell join Voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock on the September 21, 2026 edition of the show.
 


TIGERS IN THE AFCA POLL
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 have been for three-straight polls now. The Tigers have been referenced in all five polls released so far this season.
 
TIGERS BACK IN THE D2FOOTBALL.COM TOP 25
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 last week's win over Pittsburg State, the Tigers returned this week at No. 25.
 
LAST YEAR'S MEETING WITH MWSU IN HAYS
FHSU defeated MWSU last year in Hays 31-23. MWSU held a 20-14 halftime lead, but FHSU outscored MWSU 17-3 in the second half. The Tigers moved into the lead in the 4th quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Heavner to Tariq Logan with 12:25 remaining. The Tigers added another touchdown with 2:40 on the clock on a 59-yard touchdown run by Curtis Douglas. MWSU reached the FHSU 11-yard line, but threw 4 straight incompletions (3 in the endzone) which ended their threat of potentially tying the game.
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Chris Brown is 4-10 against MWSU while leading the Tigers. He has just one win against the Griffons in St. Joseph, which was in 2017. Tyler Fenwick is in his fourth season coaching Missouri Western, currently with a 16-21 record leading the Griffons. He has been head coach at three NCAA Division II institutions, leading Missouri S&T for six years from 2013 to 2018 and Southeastern Oklahoma State for three seasons from 2019 to 2022 (no season in 2020 due to COVID-19) before his current stint at Missouri Western. Fenwick has an overall coaching record of 69-69. He is 1-2 against FHSU while at Missouri Western.
 
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.
 
STRONG PLAY ON THE ROAD IN RECENT HISTORY
Fort Hays State is 5-2 in road contests since the start of the 2025 season. That includes a 1-0 mark so far this season after a win at Angelo State in the season opener. One of those five wins was over a No. 5 ranked CSU Pueblo squad in 2025. Both road losses were to nationally ranked teams (Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State) in 2025.
 
STRONG DEFENSE
Fort Hays State has ranked among the top three of the MIAA in total defense seven of the last nine seasons (2nd four times, 3rd three times). The Tigers have an 11-year streak of allowing less than 400 yards per game on defense. Fort Hays State allowed 384.3 yards per game in 2025, which ranked 5th in the MIAA. FHSU had to face four of the top-20 offenses in the nation in 2025. So far this season, FHSU is allowing 383 yards per game, which ranks 6th in the MIAA.
 
BALANCED OFFENSE
FHSU is averaging 425.7 yards of total offense per game so far this season, which currently sits 4th in the MIAA and 32nd in NCAA Division II. The Tigers rank 3^rd in the MIAA in rushing offense at 183.3 yards per game, and 5^th in passing offense at 242.3 yards per game. Quarterback Major Cantrell is averaging 308 total yards of offense per game, which ranks 8^th nationally. He ranks 4^th in the MIAA in passing yards per game  (242.3) and 6^th in rushing yards per game (65.7). Cantrell has thrown for at least 225 yards in all three games this season, while rushing for at least 46 yards in each contest.
 
FLOYD HEADING THE RUSHING ATTACK
AG Floyd is off to a strong start this season at running back. He leads the MIAA in rushing yards per game (87.0), rushing touchdowns (6), scoring (12.0 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. With his performance last week, Floyd was named the MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week.
 
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 117, while also being the active career leader in tackles for loss (30.5) and sacks (13).
 
TIGERS LEAD MIAA IN INTERCEPTIONS
Fort Hays State currently leads the MIAA in interceptions this season with 7. The Tigers produced more than 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 3rd nationally in interceptions, just one behind the lead shared by Carson-Newman and Minnesota State each with 8.
 
TIED FOR NATIONAL LEAD IN TURNOVER MARGIN
Fort Hays State is currently tied for the national lead in turnover margin at +2.67. The Tigers have 10 takeaways compared to just 2 turnovers committed for the season. FHSU is tied with Henderson State at the top of the national list. FHSU is one of five teams with an average of +2 or better. FHSU ranks 4th nationally in turnovers gained (10).
 
4^TH DOWN CONVERSIONS
Fort Hays State is 6-of-7 on 4th down conversions this season. The Tigers currently rank 13th in NCAA Division II and rank 2nd in the MIAA. Northwest Missouri State is still perfect on 4th down this year, converting 5-of-5 attempts.
 
STOPPING TEAMS ON 3^RD DOWN
Fort Hays State has the second best 3rd down conversion percentage defense in the MIAA, allowing a 31.3 percent success rate. Only Central Oklahoma is slightly better at 31.0 percent. FHSU ranks 37th nationally in that category.
 
FIRST DOWN DEFENSE
Fort Hays State ranks 3rd in the MIAA in first down defense with 47 allowed this season. Central Missouri leads the MIAA with 45. FHSU ranks 19th nationally.
 
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 97-63. 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.

CHEWING UP CLOCK
Fort Hays State ranked 3rd in the MIAA in time of possession last season with an average of 30:32. FHSU was in possession of the ball for over 31 minutes in 6 of its 11 contests in 2025. The season low for the Tigers was 23:44 at Northwest Missouri State. FHSU had the ball a season-high 36:24 at Pittsburg State. So far this season, the Tigers have an average of 34:34 on time of possession, which leads the MIAA and ranks 9th in NCAA Division II.

ABOUT THE GRIFFONS:

• Missouri Western finished the 2025 season 3-8 overall and 2-7 in the MIAA.
• Missouri Western is led by head coach Tyler Fenwick, now in his 4th season leading the Griffons. He has an overall record of 16-21 at Missouri Western. He has an overall coaching record of 69-69, which spans 13 seasons at three different NCAA Division II schools (Missouri S&T, Southeastern Oklahoma State, and Missouri Western).
• Rickie Dunn leads the MWSU rushing attack with 222 yards, while quarterback Isaiah Tate has 693 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns.
• The Griffons have two players with over 200 receiving yards this season, which includes Crew Myers (254) and Malik Moore (242).
• Broc Worcester is the top tackler for MWSU with 29 for the season.