DII football: Fort Hays State upsets No. 13 Central Missouri, starts 2-0 in MIAA NCAA.com
CHAMPS
PRESENTED BY The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association is arguably the toughest conference in Division II football. The conference is stacked, featuring the back-to-back (and overall six-time) national champion Northwest Missouri State, as well as perennial playoff contenders like Emporia State, Central Missouri and Pittsburg State. It’s imperative to get off to a hot start. Last week, Mezera took home MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors, leading FHSU to a decisive 48-7 victory over Missouri Southern. Thursday night, Mezera was instrumental in the Tigers' upset of No. 13 Central Missouri, a game dominated by Fort Hays State 35-6. INSTANT REPLAY: Layne Bieberle makes the catch and the run to give the Tigers their 4th touchdown — FHSU Athletics (@fhsuathletics) "Going into halftime, we thought they had the momentum," Mezera said. "We kept doing short routes and they kept jumping them. So at halftime we told our receivers that we're going to throw one deep over the top because they aren't respecting the deep ball right now. I just let it go. I got stuck on that play. I'm just laying there on the ground watching him run into the end zone. It was a great feeling taking a hit on the play and him just running into the end zone. You don't feel any hurt after that." The Tigers are now 2-0. They have outscored their opponents by a score of 83-13. While Mezera is off to a hot start -- 472 yards passing, five touchdowns through the air to go along with one on the ground, and no interceptions -- FHSU has been balanced. The defense has been as stingy as they come, which only feeds the Tigers' offense and helps them get more comfortable. "The past couple of years, we've relied on our defense a lot," Mezera said. "Maybe we weren't the best offensive team, and they got us on the field a lot to let us make plays. I think we're doing a really good job this year of helping each other out, special teams, offense and defense, at the same time. It's worked out really well so far." After winning 48-7 in week 1, Fort Hays State looks to prove that they can compete with the top teams in the MIAA: — NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) While many teams would be able to rest and enjoy an early season upset, that isn’t the case for the Tigers. They play in the battle-tested MIAA, and Central Missouri is only the start of what’s to come. It's a long road, and to consider Fort Hays State a playoff contender may be a bit premature, but they are startng to show they are in the conversation. A November 4 showdown with Northwest Missouri is certainly on their radar. "Obviously Northwest has been the head dog for years and years now. We get talked to about that all the time. 'Northwest is doing this, what are you all going to do? Are we going to go work on routes and watch video on Sunday morning when no one has any practice or anything? Because Northwest is probably doing that." We use them as some fuel and motivation to get to where we need to be. Hopefully we can do some things this year. We'll see them towards the end of the year, and see what happens." and . His work has appeared on Bleacher Report, MLB.com, AJC.com, SB Nation and FoxSports.com and in publications like The Advocate and Lindy's Sports. Follow him on Twitter at . The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Subscribe To Email Updates
Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners Sign Me Up DII football