HAYS — Fort Hays State improved to 2-1 overall by holding off Washburn 30-24 in Hays Saturday. The No. 16 ranked Tigers led 30-10 before a pair of late Ichabod touchdowns made the game uncomfortable with a minute to play. FHSU recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

Turnovers were a key for the Tigers, winning the battle 4-1. The Tigers scored 14 points off turnovers compared to seven for the Ichabods, covering the difference in the final score. The Tigers used a short 33-yard field after recovering a fumbled punt in the first quarter, running the ball five times and eventually reaching the endzone on a four-yard burst by D.J. Hickman at the 1:19 mark. That put the Tigers up 14-3 early.

Up 23-10 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers widened their lead benefitting from another fumble, this time on a sack by Wyatt Parker recovered by Sheldon Schmidt. The Tigers marched 59 yards, capping their final touchdown drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Mezera to Jacoby Williams. The 20-point margin of 30-10 was too much for the Ichabods to overcome, although they made the game interesting late.

A Hunter Browning 1-yard touchdown run and an extra point with 6:30 remaining made the score 30-17. Then, with just over a minute remaining, Austin Tillman intercepted Mezera and returned the ball 63 yards for a touchdown. An extra-point tacked on made it 30-24, giving Washburn a chance to pull off an improbable comeback. However, the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, allowing the Tigers to run out the clock.

Both teams struggled converting on third down all night, the Ichabods going just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) and the Tigers just 3-of-16 (18.8 percent). That resulted in 17 punts between the teams. Perry Schmiedeler of Washburn averaged 44.6 yards per punt on eight attempts, while Dante Brown averaged 43.2 yards per punt on nine attempts. Both players finished with one field goal make in the game.

Fort Hays State trailed only one time in the game after Washburn opened the scoring with a 43-yard Schmiedeler field goal at 9:30 remaining in the first quarter. A Mezera 26-yard touchdown pass to Harley Hazlett put the Tigers up 7-3 at the 5:47 mark and they led the rest of the way.

Charles Tigner led the Tigers in rushing with 98 yards on 20 carries, reaching the endzone once at the 5:44 mark of the second quarter. Mezera finished with 130 passing yards and two touchdowns. He became the third Tiger quarterback in history to eclipse the 6,000-yard career passing mark, joining Mike Garrison and Robert Long. Dandre Reed led the Tigers in receptions on the night with five, while Williams had a team-high 38 yards receiving on just two catches. Chance Fuller also took the first snaps of his career at quarterback for the Tigers, going 3-of-6 for 35 yards.

Connor Shedeed led the Tiger tackling effort with 12 to go with an interception. Sterling Swopes and Wyatt Parker each had 1.5 sacks in the game, while Parker added an interception off a tipped pass.

Blake Peterson generated the majority of the offense for Washburn, passing for 124 yards and rushing for 55. James Brania-Hopp was the top receiving target for Washburn, finishing with 96 yards on eight catches. Derric McGreevy led the Ichabods in tackles with 16.

The Tigers (2-1) head to Missouri Southern Sept. 22 for a 6 pm kickoff in Joplin.