By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
If Washburn football coach Craig Schurig had gotten a pick for the Ichabods' season-opener it may not have been defending MIAA champion and top five-ranked Pittsburg State on the road.
Craig Schurig, the winningest football coach in Washburn University history, will begin his 21st season Thursday night at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]
But Schurig, a former Pittsburg State assistant, also knows that Thursday's 7 p.m. clash will teach his team a lot about where it is at this point and where it needs to go this fall.
"This will be fun,'' Schurig said. "Game 1 it's too early to tell everything, but we have an interesting group because we have inexperience with experience and we'll see how it meshes together. We have talent and the sooner we can figure it out as coaches and players, that this is how it's going to fit together, we could be pretty good.
"It seemed like our practices have been good -- the intensity level, the commitment by the upperclassmen -- because they knew who we were getting ready to play. You can't lie on that. When you're opening up with a Pitt, it's right there and you don't even have to say anything.''
The Ichabods are coming off a 7-4 season and received votes in the AFCA Preseason Coaches Top 25 poll and were picked fourth in both the MIAA Coaches and media polls, while the Gorillas were 12-1 last season while going 11-0 in the MIAA. Pitt State was picked No. 4 in the AFCA Preseason Poll and No. 3 in the D2Football.com Preseason Poll.
Washburn is 80-46-6 all-time in season-openers and the Ichabods have never faced the Gorillas in their season opener. Overall, the Ichabods have won their last six season-openers dating back to 2016.
Schurig has 10 of Washburn's 27 wins against Pittsburg State in the 92 overall meetings and the Ichabods are looking for their fifth straight win in the Jungle dating back to the 2011 NCAA second-round playoff game. Schurig, WU's all-time winningest football coach, is 137-92 (.599) in his 21st season as the Ichabod head coach and is the sixth-longest tenured football coach in MIAA history.
Kellen Simoncic will begin his junior season as Washburn's quarterback Thursday after ranking among the nation's passing leaders last fall. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn junior quarterback Kellen Simoncic finished the 2022 season 12th in the nation in completions per game with 21.8 and was also 13th in passing yards per game at 265.9 and 18th in total offense with 270.9 per game. Simoncic's 31 passing touchdowns is tied for 10th all-time at Washburn.
Former Salina Central star Taylon Peters begins his senior season No. 10 on Washburn's career rushing list with 1,871 yards. [File photo/TSN]
Running back Taylon Peters enters his senior season 10th on Washburn's all-time rushing chart with 1,871 yards and will be looking to end his career with a flourish.
"I'm just trying to focus on the present and go one game at a time and control what I can control,'' Peters said. "Yes, I'd love to go out with a bang, but of course it's about the team.
"I would like the team to go out with a bang for my last season. That's all I could really want.''
Pitt State reached the second round of the NCAA playoffs in 2023 after topping Indianapolis 35-0 in the first round before falling to eventual national champion Ferris State, 17-14.
The Gorillas were tabbed as the preseason favorites in the 2023 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and MIAA Preseason Media Poll and welcomed back 14 players (seven offense, seven defense) who started four or more games in '22.
Former Cair Paravel Latin star Noah Hastert is a redshirt freshman tight end for Pittsburg State while former Topeka High standout Tyrell Everett is the Gorillas' assistant head coach, defensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Washburn dropped a 37-23 decision to the Gorillas last fall.
Washburn is 575-599-44 (.484) in its 133rd year of football.
The Ichabods will return to Yager Stadium for their home opener on Sept. 7, hosting Missouri Southern at 6 p.m.
