By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
There are no playoff implications or bowl game possibilities on the line.
But don’t think Missouri Southern and Fort Hays State have nothing to play for in today’s football season finale at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
For starters, the winner is assured of at least a share of sixth place in the MIAA with a 4-5 league record.
The Lions (3-6) need a victory to post a winning home record (3-2) and match last season’s victory total. The Lions have won at least four MIAA games twice since 1997 — 4-5 in 2004 under head coach John Ware and 5-4 in 2007 in Bart Tatum’s second year.
“We’d really like to have a great game to send our seniors our with some style and some class because that’s what they are,” Tatum said. “There is still a lot to play for, and we intend to show up and give our best effort.”
Fort Hays State (5-5) is looking for its first winning season since 2004. The Tigers won a total of four league games in their first three seasons in the MIAA.
“It would be huge for the kids, huge to the program, especially being able to get the first winning season in the MIAA after the transition (from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference),” Tigers head coach Kevin Verdugo said.
The Tigers ranked last in the conference in scoring in each of the past three years, but the offensive production has jumped to 31.7 points per game this season, ranking sixth in the league and 36th in Division II. The Tigers have scored at least 40 points in five games this year, and with 317 points this season, they need four points today to become the second-highest scoring team in school history.
Junior quarterback Mike Garrison’s 2,409 passing yards this season rank fifth in school history, and he’s 191 yards shy of climbing into third place. Running back James Walker ranks sixth in the league in rushing (79.3) and all-purpose yards (106.4), and he’s caught a team-high 41 passes. Wide receiver O.J. Murdock leads the club with 689 receiving yards on 33 receptions.
“Having the skill players around (Garrison) makes his life much better,” Verdugo said. “When we’re healthy, we are a solid two-deep in a four-receiver set, and I don’t mind playing any of them.”
‘It never hurts for a quarterback to have a good stable of receivers,” Tatum said. “They’ve gone out and added a couple of transfers at receiver who are very talented guys. Garrison has weapons, and he has taken his game to another level. He is playing well.”
Fort Hays has one of the nation’s best special teams threats. C.J. Lovett has averaged 38.8 yards on nine punt returns and 28.2 yards on 17 kickoff returns. He’s returned three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns.
The Tigers lead the nation with their 32.1 punt return average, but the Lions haven’t spent any extra time on special teams this week.
“It’s tough to do. We invest more time in our kicking game than anywhere I’ve ever been,” Tatum said. “We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully not kick it to that guy.”
The Lions and Tigers have another common thread — injury-depleted defenses. The Lions, of course, lost four projected defensive starters — two in preseason, one in the opener, and one in the first series of the second game. The Tigers have lost eight defensive starters — six original starters and two backups who went in to replace them.
The Tigers have lost shootouts the last two weeks — 59-41 at Pittsburg State and 66-40 at home against Northwest Missouri State.
Missouri Southern, meanwhile, split two road games against ranked teams, winning 35-34 over Missouri Western before losing 27-17 to Central Missouri.
“Southern is playing really well,” Verdugo said. “They continue to get better throughout the season. The last two weeks against Missouri Western and Central, they have played at a different speed. They are going to be a tough ball club.”
The Lions average 350 yards per game — 153 rushing and 197 passing compared to the opponents’ 148 yards rushing and 301 yards passing. MSSU’s 449 yards in total defense ranks ninth in the MIAA, and the Tigers are 10th at 456 yards.
