The Ichabod football team looks to bounce back from its first loss since week one of the season when the team takes on Central Missouri University for Homecoming.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. in Yager Stadium as the teams battle for third place in the MIAA standings. Both teams enter the contest with identical 5-2 records.

Washburn dropped a hard-fought 37-20 decision to then No. 8-ranked Fort Hays State last time out snapping the Ichabods’ four-game winning streak. On the other side of the ball, the Mules are coming off a 71-22 win over Missouri Southern for their Homecoming game putting up a school-record 726 yards of total offense. The 71 points scored by UCM in the win was the highest point total by any MIAA school this season.

Washburn has twice played the Mules on Homecoming at Washburn and has gone 2-0, but have not played the Mules since the 1996 season.

In the game, the Ichabods will be looking to snap a five-game losing slide to the Mules not beating Central Missouri since a 36-21 win over the Mules in Topeka Sept. 26, 2009.

Ichabod junior linebacker Derrick McGreevy continues his outstanding play this season and is ranked second in the MIAA in tackles at 10.6 per contest, which also ranks him ninth in all of NCAA Division II stats.

Senior safety D.J. Olmstead collected his MIAA-best sixth interception against Fort Hays State returning it 60 yards for a touchdown and in the process snapped a Washburn record for the most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single season with his third against the Tigers. The record was previously shared by by Fletcher Terrell (2005), Dave Bowen (1970) and Zuri Stokes (1996). 

The Ichabods are having a solid year in the return game with a pair of cornerbacks being ranked in both punt returns and kickoff returns. Corey Ballentine is ranked 15th in the nation and second in the MIAA in kickoff return average at 29.8 yards per return and Josh Wright is ninth in the nation in punt return average at 15.8 yards per return. Both Ichabods are also members of the Washburn track and field teams.

The Ichabods are looking for their second-straight Homecoming win after beating Missouri Western last season 16-13. 

In last week’s game, the Ichabods led 20-10 at the break, but could not hold the lead as they were outscored 27-0 in the second half by the No. 8 Fort Hays State Tigers falling 37-20. 

Washburn was held to 291 yards of offense on 64 plays while the Tigers had 549 yards on 83 plays. Washburn was outgained 267 to 47 on the ground in the game and offensively Washburn was dominated 174 to 8 in the third quarter and 145 to 81 in the fourth. 

Mickeel Stewart had 28 rushing yards to lead the Ichabods on seven carries. James Brania-Hopp had career-highs of nine receptions for 122 yards and one score for Washburn and quarterback Blake Peterson was 18 of 38 passing for 244 yards and one score. Heath Tucker led the Ichabod defense with a career-high 10 tackles with seven solo stops and Josh Wright had nine tackles with eight solo stops. Derrick McGreevy had eight tackles with one for loss and five solo stops.