The Ichabods fell to the unbeaten Pittsburg State Gorillas in the final home game of the season Saturday, Nov. 6. After a promising start to the day for Washburn, Pitt State held on to defeat the Ichabods, despite a second half comeback attempt.

The Ichabods jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, courtesy of an 84-yard passing strike to senior wideout James Letcher, Jr. from the arm of quarterback Jared Taylor. Letcher, Jr. racked up 127 receiving yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions on the day.

The Gorilla offense would not be down for long as the offensive explosion would lead to a 30-13 halftime lead over the Ichabods. Pitt State would finish the day with 425 total offensive yards and 196 yards by way of the running game.

The running game was unable to get going for the Ichabods after netting a total of 11 yards on the ground on 15 attempts. The Ichabod offense relied on Taylor stepping in for the injured Kellen Simoncic. Taylor would finish with 251 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

The Ichabod’s offense surrendered a total of 4 turnovers: 3 fumbles and an interception.

“You can’t turn the ball over against them … their offense is too good,” said Craig Schurig, Washburn head coach.

Turnovers were an issue for both sides with 7 total giveaways in the game. The Gorilla offense gave away 3 interceptions on the day.

Through the midway point of the third quarter, the Ichabods were able to cut the deficit to a touchdown with a score of 30-23. A controversial pass interference call against the Ichabods halted the comeback effort. Schurig expressed his disapproval with the officiating crew post-game.

“All they gotta do is look at the film … kid makes a good play and they call a ticky-tack one,” Schurig said.

The Ichabods acknowledged 12 graduating seniors who played their final home game at Yager Stadium during Senior Day.

“They’ve been tremendous; some of them have been here six years with us and that’s a lot of their adult life,” Schurig said. “We sure have enjoyed it.”

The final game of the regular season for the Ichabods will be against the Missouri Southern Lions Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. at Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin, Missouri. For more information, visit wusports.com for all upcoming Washburn Athletics events.

Edited by Glorianna Noland, Aja Carter