MSSU football on the road Saturday at Fort Hays State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern football team will head out on the road as the Lions take on the Tigers of Fort Hays State University this Saturday. Kickoff from Lewis Field Stadium is set for 7 pm.

Game Information

Team Records: MSSU 1-2, 1-2 MIAA | FHSU 1-2, 1-2 MIAA
Date: Saturday, September 28, 2019
Kick-Off: 7:00 pm, CT
Location: Hays, Kan
Site: Lewis Field Stadium (6,362)
Series Record: FHSU leads the series 16-13-1
Coaches: Jeff Sims (1-2 at MSSU, 1-2 overall - first year as a 4-year head coach) | Chris Brown (59-36 at FHSU/overall)

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: Fox Sports Joplin 101.3, 101.7 and AM 1560; 88.7 FM KXMS - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Video Webcast: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions
Live Stats: https://www.fhsuathletics.com.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball
Lions on Instagram: @mososports

The Series : Fort Hays State leads the all-time series 16-13-1. The Lions have a 6-8 record at Hughes Stadium and are 7-8-1 at Lewis Field in Hays. The two teams renewed their series in 2006 for the first time since 1988, with the Tigers snapping a season-long losing streak with a 10-0 win over Southern. Prior to that, the last time for the two to meet was when both schools were a member of the NAIA Central States Intercollegiate Conference. Southern won that game 21-10. Southern has won nine of the last 16 games against the Tigers, dating back to the 1983 season.

The Dish On The Tigers: The Tigers are 1-2 after picking up their first win of the season last week, 41-38 in overtime at Washburn. Chance Fuller leads the passing attack with 937 yards on 73-of-122 passing with eight touchdowns and one interception. Harley Hazlett has 20 receptions for 265 yards and a score, while Layne Bieberle has 203 yards on 12 catches with a score. 

The Tigers have three different receivers with 100 yards or more and another with 98. Charles Tigner leads the rushing attack with 58 carries and 234 yards with one score. Te'Correy Tutson has 22 carries and 63 yards with a score. 

Defensively, Tanner Hoekman has 25 tackles with a half a sack and one interception. Jordan Starks has 20 tackles with an interception. The team has three sacks and three interceptions total. As a team, the Tigers rank in the top 20 nationally in six different categories. FHSU averages 437 yards of total offense with 333 coming in the air and 104 coming on the ground.

A Victory vs. The Tigers Would: snap a six game losing streak to the Tigers. It would also be the first road win in the MIAA for the Lions since the 2016 season when the Lions won at Northeastern State.

Lions On Radio: The Lions will partner with Fox Sports Joplin this year as Southern can now be heard on three separate FM stations, as well as an AM station. Fox Sports Joplin will air the Lions' games on 101.3 and 101.7 FM, as well as AM 1560. MSSU's KXMS 88.7 will also simulcast the games giving the Lions a larger reach in the four-states than they've ever had.

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has three teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Northwest Missouri is 7th, while Central Missouri and Pittsburg State are tied at 18th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has four teams in the top ten and has nine teams in the top 25. There are 12 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Lions On The Web: All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA Network. Fans can go to www.mssulions.com to view live and on-demand games.

Streaming Options: Fans now have even more options to view the Lions online in their homes and on the road. Not only can you view on your computer, fans can now view The MIAA Network on its over the top apps for either Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Android TV.

NCAA Team Stats Rankings: The Lions lead Division II in fourth down defense and blocked punts allowed, while ranking seventh in passing offense, 15th in blocked punts and 19th in passing yards per completion. The Lions also rank 24th in first downs, 26th in kickoff defense, 28th in tackles for a loss allowed (fewest), and 30th in team tackles for a loss. The team is 40th nationally in scoring.

MIAA Team Stats Rankings: This year, the Lions lead the MIAA in fourth down defense, blocked kicks and punts, as well as blocked punts allowed and team tackles for a loss.

Individual Stats Rankings: Individually, Jacob Park ranks sixth in both passing yards and yards per game, while ranking seventh in total offense and eighth in yards per completion. JaTece Wright is second in punt return touchdowns, while Dwayne Lawson is eighth in receiving yards and receiving yards per game. Brian Boyd is 20th in yards per reception, while Ben Phillips is 25th. Richard Jordan Jr. is 30th in total tackles.

Defensive Touchdowns: The Lions had a pair of defensive touchdowns against Northwest Missouri as Southern blocked a punt that JaTece Wright returned for a score, while Jaylon Alexander returned an interception 55 yards for a score.

Record Setting Passer: Park, the Lions' starting quarterback, set a new school record with 442 passing yards against Northwest Missouri, surpassing the previous record of 422 from Adam Hinspeter in 2008. He also became the first quarterback since Hinspeter to throw for 400 or more yards in a game, as well as being the first player since 2008 to be responsible for 400 or more yards in a game (Hinspeter). Park's total of 442 yards is also fifth-best all-time in a single game at Southern.

Lawson With The Catch: Dwayne Lawson made the switch from quarterback to receiver rather nicely as the junior caught six passes for 179 yards and two scores. That included a 93-yard touchdown catch. The 179 yards is tied for fifth-best all-time in a single game at MSSU.

Run, Sean, Run: Sean Kelly came into the game at Lincoln in the second half and ran for 126 yards (zero negative yardage) and two touchdowns.

Tacklers Are Us: Richard Jordan helped lead the defense for the Lions against Nebraska-Kearney as he had the fourth-best single-game tackle mark with 18 against the Lopers in week one.

Watch Party Headquarters: For those wanting to catch the Lions on the road, but not able to travel, Gusanos in Joplin will host the official road watch party each Saturday. Come by their location at 7th and Duquesne to check out all the action.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Hays area on Saturday calls for a high of 70 and cloudy conditions. Precipitation chance is listed at 20% with an east wind of 13 mph.

Up Next: The Lions will head back home to welcome Central Missouri to Fred G. Hughes Stadium for Homecoming. Kickoff on Saturday, October 5 is slated for 2 pm.