ST. JOSEPH – The early season gauntlet continues this week for Griffon Football as Missouri Western’s 2018 home opener welcomes the defending MIAA Champions and fifth-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers to Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ or you can click here to listen.
Missouri Western dropped the season opener at then-No. 5 Northwest Missouri last week, 28-6. A visibly improved Griffon team moved the ball up and down the field against the vaunted Bearcat defense, but saw drives stalled by penalties and missed opportunities. Missouri Western totaled 324 yards of offense against the Northwest defense that limited opponents to 213 yards per game a season ago. A Griffon defense dotted with new names gave up 378 yards to Northwest, but 182 of those yards came on three long touchdown plays, all at least 34 yards and two more than 50. Missouri Western held Northwest to just one third quarter first down on four drives. Fort Hays State trailed Central Missouri for the first 45 minutes of its home opener last week, but a 5-yard touchdown pass with three minutes remaining clinched a 20-16 victory for the Tigers. Down 16-6 late in the fourth quarter, Fort Hays scored two touchdowns in less than two minutes to complete the comeback. The game winning score came three plays after an unforced fumble by Central Missouri’s back-up quarterback at the UCM 3-yard line.
Missouri Western quarterback Dom Marino led the Griffons with 75 rushing yards on 14 carries and passed for 226 yards without turning the ball over. Keylan Mack was Marino’s go-to target for much of the game, pulling in seven catches for 67 yards. Elijah Cunningham caught three passes, but averaged 21 yards per reception, totaling 64 receiving yards. Transfer tight end Luke Vang caught four passes for 50 yards. James Huskey didn’t look like a linebacker playing his first MIAA game since 2016. The redshirt senior led the Griffon defense with eight total tackles, 2.5 for loss. The Griffons also recorded a pair of sacks against the Bearcats. Kwentin Polk got a strip sack in the fourth quarter that ended a Northwest drive in Missouri Western territory. Tyler Basch went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts in week one. The senior was named to the Fred Mitchell Award preseason watch list. After making his last 10 attempts of 2017, Basch missed his first attempt of the 2018 season, but was true on his other two to give the Griffons their only points last week at Northwest.
Fort Hays State gave up 508 yards of offense to Central Missouri, most of it coming in the first half. The Mules rushed for 277 yards and passed for 263. Fort Hays State totaled 327 yards of offense, 134 on the ground and 226 through the air. Charles Tigner leads the Tigers on the ground with 83 rushing yards. Tigner averaged 7.3 yards per carry against Central Missouri. Jacob Mezera was 19-of-40 through the air for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Layne Bieberle caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Doyin Jibowu led four Tigers with double-digit tackle numbers. Jibowu had 12 total tackles with one sack. Tanner Hoekman had an interception and broke up two other passes.
The game is the second of three-straight against ranked opponents for the Griffons. Next week, Missouri Western travels to No. 21 Central Missouri, pitting the Griffons against the MIAA’s top-three teams from 2017 in the first three weeks of the 2018 season. Missouri Western’s first three opponents this season combined to win 28 games last season, while the other eight teams the Griffons will play this year won a total of 34 games in 2017.
Fans will find a new Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium feature this week as the Bill Snyder Pavilion debuts. On Griffon Football game days, the “Pavilion Party Deck,” is open to all fans with a ticket to the game. Fans will find food provided by VanZinos BBQ and Anheuser-Busch products provided by Hi-Ho Bar and Grill. The pavilion was dedicated this summer in honor of the St. Joseph native and legendary Kansas State football head coach. Snyder also attended Missouri Western, briefly, when it was St. Joseph Junior College. The pavilion was conceptualized and donated by Steve Craig.
— MWSU Athletics —