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Tigers win wild game
11/3/2007
By NICK McQUEEN
Hays Daily News
It was probably only fitting that the Tigers had to hang on for their fourth win at Lewis Field Stadium, just three days after Halloween.
All week long, Fort Hays State University football coach Kevin Verdugo called Southwest Baptist University a "scary team."
In Saturday's 36-30 Fort Hays win, the Bearcats showed exactly why they have struck fear into the hearts of members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, despite a winless mark.
The Bearcats took the Tigers to the wire, coming back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter, forcing an ugly, yet satisfying fourth victory for the Tiger program heading into the season finale at University of Central Missouri.
"All I can say is wow. I think that kind of sums it up and describes it,"¬ Verdugo said of Saturday's win. "On all extremes positive and negative."
In a wild, and equally ugly, contest, the Bearcats and Tigers combined for 826 yards of offense, 66 points, 21 penalties and 173 plays in a contest that lasted more than 3 1/2 hours.
Despite taking an early 13-0 lead in the first quarter with a pair of offensive touchdowns, the Tigers thought their play was a little less than desirable.
"They were a little bit down, because they kind of thought they played sloppy," Verdugo said. "I didn't have to say boo to them about it. I'm happy they're difficult on themselves, but I want them to enjoy it tonight and we'll come back and critique it later.
"Gotta enjoy it for 24 hours. Regardless, you have to enjoy the outcome,"¬ Verdugo added.
The Tigers took a 6-0 lead when senior quarterback Ryne Salyer hooked up with freshman Matt Brevi for a 32-yard touchdown pass, capping a four-play, 53-yard drive.
The second score came on a 1-yard dive by senior tailback Jordan Hickel, capping a 41-yard drive after a failed fourth-down conversion for Southwest Baptist (0-10, 0-8 MIAA).
The Bearcats answered at the start of the second quarter with a 36-yard field goal by freshman Jeremy Ware and were aided by a pair of big penalties to narrow the gap to 13-10 on their next possession.
"You cannot play undisciplined football. You've got to keep your composure,"¬ Verdugo said. "They draw a lot of personal fouls for their team. We need to keep our composure. Their style of offense leads to big points and you don't want to let them stay around."
On the 77-yard scoring drive, the Bearcats were helped out by a roughing the passer penalty and a personal foul penalty in the first of two series where a pair of personal foul calls kept drives alive for the Bearcats.
Southwest Baptist took the lead midway through the second quarter when senior Tony Hollman picked off a tipped pass by Salyer and returned it 51 yards for the score.
"It was major-league gut check. Our kids hung in there and they never quit playing," Verdugo said. "I'd like to say we played well, but I don't think we played as well as we could have. Bottom line is we ended up 36-30."
Fort Hays (4-6, 2-6) quickly responded. After a 64-yard kickoff return by Brevi, senior kicker Justin Barr hit a 20-yard field goal to cut the lead to one and just before halftime, Barr then hit a 41-yard field goal with a wicked cross wind to give Fort Hays the lead.
"He played his draw. He had to kick it outside and let it kind of fall in,"¬ Verdugo said.
Fort Hays got a fast start in the second half without its offense taking the field. Junior Bryan Haynes took the opening kickoff and zoomed 93 yards for the TD. Seven plays into the Bearcats' first possession, sophomore defensive back C.J. Lovett picked off Gachette and hugged the Bearcats' sideline for a 78-yard score.
"The third quarter might have been the slowest played quarter in the history of mankind and football," Verdugo said. "It was painful the first five minutes. We got some points out of it and it obviously helped us get the win today."
Barr's 25-yard field goal, his third of the day, gave the Tigers a 36-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.
"We had some good plays on the punt team today and the kicking team did a respectable job, so it was a good day today for special teams,"¬ Verdugo said.
Southwest Baptist chipped away at the Tigers' lead with a 68-yard drive, with the longest play a 12-yard scoring pass from Gachette to senior Lamarcus Windham that made the score 36-23 after the failed 2-point conversion.
"They did a good job of keeping things in front of them. The toughest job for anyone on the field today was for the D-lineman," Verdugo said "Rushing the passer just wears you down. They had 98 plays and almost every one of those things was a pass rush."
After an interception by Salyer late in the fourth quarter, Baptist capitalized with a 15-yard pass from Gachette to senior Nick Smart to pull the Bearcats within six.
"This was a huge game for us, a huge game for them and a huge game for our program. If you look at their record, everyone assumes that's just a team you should whitewash,"¬ Verdugo said. "They're a team that's scary."
Game notes
* Baptist's Smart had 18 catches and became NCAA Div. II's all-time single season record holder for receptions with 120. He had 125 of Gachette's 362 passing yards and one score.
* Fort Hays put up its highest scoring output in MIAA play, aided by two offensive touchdowns. In the previous four MIAA contests, the Tigers had one offensive score.
* In the third quarter, Brevi caught a pass for a short gain and was knocked out of bounds and took a header into the electrical box on the visiting sideline, bending to a 45-degree angle. Brevi left the game but later returned.
* Of the 21 combined penalties, 12 of them were charged to Fort Hays with more than half of them coming on personal fouls. There were a total of 233 penalty yards combined.
Sports reporter Nick McQueen can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 128 or by e-mail at nmcqueen@dailynews.net.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
