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Garrison Leads Tigers To Win Over East Central (9/4/10)
Senior Mike Garrison threw five touchdown passes and
rushed for another, leading the Fort Hays State Tigers to a
45-23 victory over East Central (Okla.) Saturday night.
Garrison passed for 358 yards and rushed for 52. Garrison
connected with O.J. Murdock on touchdown strikes of 66, 16 and
80 yards. Cordarol Scales also had two catches, both for
touchdowns, of 13 and 34 yards. The Tigers jumped out to a
10-0 lead. Tyler Kimbrough kicked a 31 yard field goal set up
by Ed Alcin's 52 yard kickoff return to start the game. Up
17-14, Garrison hit Scales on a 13 yard TD pass with 0:34 to
play in the second quarter. Scales second TD catch came on the
Tigers first possession of the third quarter. Following a
safety on a botched punt attempt which pulled ECU to within
38-23, the Tiger defense got a "three-and-out". FHSU then put
together a 10-play 84-yard drive capped by a Garrision 7-yard
TD run for the final margin. Garrison now has 31 career
touchdown passes which is fifth all-time in FHSU history.
Verdugo
Happy With Running Game (8/30/10)
James Walker rushed for 91 yards on eleven carries and
scored two touchdowns in the first half of Fort Hays State’s
45-20 victory over Western State Saturday night. Walker
didn’t play in the second half, giving junior college
transfer Ricky Jacques and freshman Ed Smith the carries.
Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo said during Monday's weekly news
conference that the move wasn’t planned but worked out well
"I felt he was sharp, thought he did some good things. He
got some good carries" Verdugo said referring to Walker's
play. "Those other guys I thought would do a good job. I
thought they needed the reps." Verdugo said.
Jacques rushed for 55 yards on ten carries and had five
catches for 40 yards. Smith carried the ball nine times for 51
yards and two scores and says he’s still adjusting to the
college game "Everybody's fast. You can't keep cutting
back like high school days" Smith said. The Tigers
are back at home this Saturday night against East Central of
Ada, Oklahoma.
Tigers Win Season Opener (8/28/10)
For the second straight season, the Fort Hays State Tigers
open the season with a win over Western State. The Tigers
amass 543 yards of total offense in a 45-20 victory in front
of 5,125 at Lewis Field. FHSU scored 17 points on its final
three possessions of the second quarter to take a 24-7 lead
into the halftime lockerroom. Sophomore Tyler Kimbrough
started the strong finish with a career-best 52 yard field
goal. Mike Garrison hit Cordarol Scales on a 48 yard TD
strike. Garrison then connected with James Walker from eight
yards out with 0:28. Garrison added a 65 yard touchdown run
early in the fourth quarter. Freshman Ed Smith also ran for
two touchdowns in the win. Garrison finished with 100 yards
rushing and completed 18 of 30 passes for 248 yards and two
touchdowns. James Walker rushed for 91 yards on eleven carries
and a score. Junior college transfer Ricky Jacques had ten
carries for 55 yards and led the Tigers with five catches for
40 yards. The Tiger defense held the Mountaineers to 33 yards
rushing and 250 yards overall.
FHSU
Ready To Begin Season (8/27/10)
The Fort
Hays State Tigers are a little more than 24 hours away from
the start of their new season when they host the Western State
Mountaineers tomorrow night in the Eagle Communications
Kickoff Classic. With 17 starters back from a team that
finished 6-5 a year ago, expectations are high but coach Kevin
Verdugo is quick to point out that last year has no bearing on
this season "They've got to go out and play and produce
before they're going to be able to leave a mark on
anything" said Verdugo during his weekly news conference
earlier this week. "There not judged by what we do in
practice, they're judged on wins and losses and what those
scores are." Verdugo said. "We've got to go out and
perform well before we can really see what mark we've
left." Kickoff is at seven o’clock Saturday night at
Lewis Field. Our coverage begins at six on Tiger Radio Mix-103
with the Fort Hays Auto Sales Pre-Game Show.
Jacques
Sees Different Tiger Team (8/25/10)
One of
the new faces around the Fort Hays State football team is
running back Ricky Jacques. The former standout from Liberal
was recruited by Fort Hays State out of high school, but opted
to sign at Butler Community College. After leading the
Grizzlies in rushing a year ago, Jacques is now a Tiger and
says he can see a different program from when he was first
recruited. "It's been a whirlwind of difference coming
out of high school and seeing Fort Hays since I left
Butler." Jacques said. "The mentality is still
almost the same (as at Butler) putting up big points, beating
opponents as bad as we can, wanting to win games."
Jacques is expected to backup returning starter James Walker
at the tailback position when the Tigers open up Saturday
night at home against Western State.
Verdugo
Confident Tigers Will Be Good In Return Game
(8/23/10)
Last season, the Fort
Hays State Tigers led Division II in punt return
yards and had three returns for touchdowns. They
also had two kickoff returns for scores. Both
players responsible for the returns are no
longer on the team but Tigers head coach Kevin
Verdugo said at Monday's weekly news conference
that he is confident they will be good there
again. Speedy wideout O.J. Murdock will return
kicks along with South Florida transfer Ed Alcin.
Alcin, who is a senior, will be joined by junior
college transfer Korey Allison on punt returns.
FHSU
Receivers Coach Reason For Success (8/20/10)
If you’ve ever stayed for the end of a Fort Hays State
football practice, you’ll always notice all of the wide
receivers huddled around their position coach. Al McCray has
his group doing pushups and sit-ups following practice,
something he credits for their success. "We
condition our body to play six quarters of football,"
McCray said.. "We want to be able to start the game full
speed and end the game full speed. We want make sure that
defensive coordinators can't sleep at night and defensive
backs are having nightmares the night before they play so in
order to do that, we have to work." Fort Hays
State returns nine of its 11 offensive starters and six of
it’s top seven pass catchers from last year’s team that
scored the second-most points (365) in school history. The
Tigers scored at least 31 points in nine of their eleven games
last season and scored 40 or more in six games in 2009.
Bryant
Happy As Defensive Coordinator (8/19/10)
Among the
changes on defense for the Fort Hays State football team this
season is a new man calling the shots. Greg Bryant is in his
fifth year as an assistant but first as the team’s defensive
coordinator and one of the first orders of business was the
return to the 4-3, which Bryant feels has made them better
already. "I think they're playing faster," Bryant
said. "When they're playing faster that means they're
confident. As long as we get them playing faster, plays will
happen, regardless of mistakes." Bryant is the third
defensive coordinator in three years following the departure
of Shawn Menninga to South Dakota State and Kyle Nystrom to
Central Michigan.
Tigers
Defense Looks To Improve (8/18/10)
One of
the biggest changes Fort Hays State fans will notice in the
Tigers season opener a week from Saturday is the new look
defense. The Tigers are back to the 4-3 after running a 4-2-5
look a year ago. Tiger senior safety Seth Blackwell, who was
second on the team in tackles a year ago, says the move fits
the team well. "We threw out the film of the defense we
ran last year. We just didn't have the personnel"
Blackwell said. "It's the same defense that we ran when
we did really well. We definitely have a sense of pride
running this defense" Blackwell says.
FHSU
Continues Football Workouts (8/16/10)
Fort Hays State held their third two-a-day session
yesterday. Coach Kevin Verdugo calls this the toughest part of
camp. Verdugo says for the most part, the starters have filled
their roles with several backup positions still being
challenged. The Tigers are a little more than a week
and-a-half out from their first game against Western State
August 28th.
Murdock
Looking For Big Year (8/13/10)
One of the
reasons the Fort Hays State Tigers football team produced
their first winning season since 2004 last year was the
improved play at wide receiver. Seven new wideouts helped the
team score the second most points in school history (365) and
ranked in the top-five (2,604) in school history for passing
yards in a season. O.J. Murdock led the Tigers in yards per
catch (19.9) and receiving touchdowns (8) and was named
2nd-team All-MIAA. The senior is looking for more in 2010 and
says the team has put their success from a year ago behind
them. Murdock is a Tiger who may have a chance to play at the
next level, being listed as one of the top draft prospects at
wide receiver in Division II.
Smith Looks To Return From Injury (8/13/10)
As a sophomore, Anthony Smith had to split time between
receiver and quarterback and even started several games as the
Tigers signal caller when Mike Garrison went down with a
broken jaw. Last year Smith suffered through a hamstring
injury and missed two games. Now as a senior, he’s geared up
for a big season and says he takes pride in being a part of a
program that has gone from one-win several years ago to a
winning season last year with the prospects of more this year.
Despite his injury, Smith still caught 25 passes last season
and was a part of a Tiger offense that scored the second most
points in school history and was in the top-five in passing.
Tigers
Begin Two-A-Days (8/12/10)
The
Fort Hays State football team holds their first two-a-day
workouts today as they begin day six of their 2010 training
camp. Yesterday they put on the full pads for the first time
and the defense got the better of the offense in the few live
plays they ran. One of the keys to that offense is running
back James Walker who rushed for 903 yards and ten touchdowns
and led the Tigers with 42 receptions and was named 2nd-team
All-MIAA. The Tigers are a little over two weeks away from the
start of their season August 28th against Western State in the
Eagle Communications Kickoff Classic.
FHSU
Looks To Return To Form In Return Game (8/10/10)
Special
teams was a key element last year in the Fort Hays State first
winning football season since 2004. The Tigers returned three
punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns and led Division II in
punt return average, however they must replace the to players
responsible. C.J. Lovett and Kenny Kinard are no longer in the
program but coach Kevin Verdugo says speedy wide receiver O.J.
Murdock, true freshman running back Ed Smith and one of their
transfers should fill the role. The Tigers are also looking to
replace kicker Nathan Rausa who hit 10-of-14 field goal
attempts and 45 of 48 extra point tries last season. Sophomore
transfer Tyler Kimbrough, who made 4 of 6 field goal attempts
and 16 of 21 extra point tries as a backup at Division II West
Alabama, appears to be that guy.
FHSU Looks To Improve Defensively (8/10/10)
Two years ago, Fort Hays State had one of the top
defensive units in the MIAA. Last year they slipped. The
Tigers were next to last in the conference in stopping the run
and pass and allowed the most points in the league. This year
they hope to return to their old form. Greg Bryant takes over
as defensive coordinator and returns the team to a 4-3. Senior
safety Michael Walker is happy for the switch.
FHSU Football Picked 7th In Both MIAA Football Polls (8/2/10)
The Fort Hays State Tigers are picked 7th in both the
coaches and the media preseason football polls which was
released at the MIAA Football Media Day in Kansas City. The
Tigers open the new season at home August 28th vs. Western
(Colo.) State.
2010 MIAA
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (9) – 81 pts.
2. Nebraska-Omaha – 65 pts.
3. Washburn (1) – 62 pts.
4. Missouri Western – 61 pts.
5. Central Missouri – 49 pts.
6. Pittsburg State – 48 pts.
7. Fort Hays State – 29 pts.
8. Missouri Southern – 26 pts.
9. Emporia State – 16 pts.
10. Truman – 13 pts.
2010 MIAA
Preseason Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (33) – 330 pts.
2. Washburn – 259 pts.
3. Missouri Western – 258 pts.
4. Nebraska-Omaha – 236 pts.
5. Central Missouri – 210 pts.
6. Pittsburg State – 159 pts.
7. Fort Hays State – 148 pts.
8. Missouri Southern – 94 pts.
9. Emporia State – 72 pts.
10. Truman – 49 pts.
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