Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Redshirt freshman receiver Charles Tigner ran for three touchdowns out of the Wildcat formation and junior back Shaquille Cooper had a big second half as Fort Hays State held off Nebraska-Kearney, 27-17, Saturday afternoon at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.

This was the regular season finale for both teams.

With winds blowing 20 miles an hour out of the Southwest, both offenses had to alternate their game plans when facing the gusts. Also, both teams had to use reserve quarterbacks due to injury.

Hays (7-4) went with senior Brad Schencker, in relief of sophomore Jacob Mezera, with UNK starting Alex McGinnis (Crete) as Steve Worthing (Elkhorn South) and Justin Roberts (Arvada, Colo.) were sidelined. Another Loper redshirt freshman, Ryan McFarlin (Jacksonville, Fla.), ended up taking the majority of the snaps.

Tigner, at 5-11 and 185 pounds, scored on runs of one, 29 and 41 yards. He finished with seven carries for 98 yards after toting the ball four times for 63 yards and score in the previous 10 games. 

His 29-yard scoring scamper came at the 14:11 mark of the fourth quarter and made it 20-10. Sophomore end Tye Spies (Mullen) blocked the ensuing PAT, keeping in a two-score game.

With the wind at its back, the UNK offense responded with a 10-play, 70-yard drive. McFarlin started things off with a 27-yard completion to sophomore Blake Holtmeier (Kearney Catholic) and then McGinnis entered when the Lopers got down to the Tiger two.

Out of the "Wild Loper" formation, McGinnis tossed a shovel pass to true freshman Lorenz Allen (Manatee, Fla.), who scooted in for his second collegiate score with 9:11 to play.

However, Hays countered with its best drive of the game, a nine-play, 75-yard march that lasted five minutes. Cooper began things with a 30-yard burst and then ran four straight times to move the ball to the UNK 18-yard line.

After a botched snap and a false start, Hays faced third and 19 from the UNK 29-yard line. Facing the wind, Schencker lofted a pass down the left sideline and redshirt freshman Layne Bieberle couldn't make a catch in the end zone.

But, UNK was called for pass interference. Two plays later, Cooper ran 12 yards for a game sealing TD. A 2015 All-American, Cooper tallied 152 yards on 26 carries with the majority of that work (21 carries and 127 yards) coming in the second half.

Kearney still had a chance as they drove 47 yards in eight plays. But, a 56-yard field goal from Grand Island junior Brendan Wentling was just wide left with 2:07 remaining.

"They scored early but we never gave up. We showed people we can play with the best of them and put four quarters together," said UNK co-captain Tyke Kozeal. "We had our chances if we could've stopped some of those big runs. Two, three and twenty-three are great backs and they were finding the seams."

The Tigers ended up with 335 yards and were 7 of 14 on third down. Besides Cooper and Tigner, junior back Kenneth Iheme had 14 carries for 59 yards with Schencker going 7 of 19 for 36 yards.

Facing the MIAA's second best defense, UNK tallied 236 yards in 65 plays. Seeing extensive action for the second time in his career, McFarlin went 15 of 22 for 133 yards and also ran 11 times for 24 yards.

Next, McGinnis was 2 of 5 for eight yards, one TD and one INT. He gave UNK a 10-7 lead as he ran five yards for a TD, out of the "Wild Loper" formation, with 9:34 left in the first half. The Tigers didn't grab the back until Tigner dove into the end zone late in the third quarter.

Holtmeier led UNK's receivers, having seven for 67 yards. Junior receiver Malcolm Moore (Excelsior, Minn.) and sophomore back Luke Quinn (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had four a piece, good for a combined 57 yards.

"Incredibly proud the way these guys fought. When we went down 7-0 early, it could've been very easy to turn the other way. But these guys didn't. They took the lead at halftime and did some really incredible things," said Loper coach Josh Lamberson. "We're still building. These guys rolled up their sleeves every day, they were a good practice team and they battled in every game. They continue to build on the relentless effort, the always competing and the ten strong that we talk about every single day."

Moore finishes with 60 receptions, making him just the eighth Loper to reach that total in a single season. They went for 707 yards and four scores. Before leaving in the second half due to injury, Quinn had 16 carries for 61 yards. He ends with 713 rushing yards and nine TD's.

Finally,  Kozeal recorded 17 tackles (eight solo), including one TFL. He ends a 44-game career with 604 stops (13.7 avg.). He joins Lindenwood's Connor Harris as the only NCAA players to reach the 600-career mark.

"I remember by redshirt year making second team kickoff. I called my dad because I was super excited. It's crazy how it turned out. I basically took it day by day and tried to get better each day," said Kozeal.