Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern football team will open up the 2016 campaign with a road trip to Hays, Kan. to take on Fort Hays State University. Kickoff from Lewis Field Stadium is slated for 7 pm, Thursday evening. 

Game Information
Team Records: MSSU - 0-0, 0-0 MIAA | FHSU - 0-0, 0-0 MIAAA
Date:Thursday, September 1, 2016
Kick-Off: 7 pm, CT
Location: Hays, Kan.
Site: Lewis Field Stadium (6,362)
Series Record:  The series is tied at 13-13-1
Coaches: Denver Johnson (1-10 at MSSU, 70-76 overall) | Chris Brown 30-26 overall/at FHSU)

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: ESPN Joplin 101.3, 103.5 FM and AM 1560; 88.7 FM KXMS - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Video Webcast: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/mssu/
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/fhsu/football
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball

The Series:  The series between the two teams is tied at 13-13-1.  The Lions have a 6-6 record at Hughes Stadium and are 7-7-1 at Lewis Field in Hays. The two teams renewed their series in 2006 for the first time since 1988, with the Tigers snapping a season-long losing streak with a 10-0 win over Southern. Prior to that, the last time for the two to meet was when both schools were a member of the NAIA Central States Intercollegiate Conference. Southern won that game 21-10.  Southern has won nine of the last 13 games against the Tigers, dating back to the 1983 season.

The Dish On The Tigers: The Tigers were 8-4 last year and were tied for third place in the MIAA with an 8-3 overall record, falling in the final game of the season to Minnesota-Duluth at the Mineral Water Bowl. Hays is receiving votes in the preseason AFCA Coaches Poll and return six starters on offense, however the bulk of its offense from a season prior is gone as Shaquile Cooper is the only Tiger to return with an offensive touchdown from 2015. Cooper rushed for 1,441 yards on 245 carries, while catching 37 passes for 309 yards. He had nine rushing and five receiving scores. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Mezera will be making his first start under center for the Tigers and he threw four passes last year for 12 yards.  Cooper is the leading returning receiver from 2015 but Isaiah Maxi and Tyler Bacon both caught double-digit passes in 2015. Defensively, the Tigers return nine starters and 15 total on defense. Doyin Jibowu leads the way with 91 tackles and seven tackles for a loss, while Sie Doe Jr. had 70 stops and 15 tackles behind the line to go with 6.5 sacks. Alex Schmidtberger had 85 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The Tigers will be at Central Missouri in week two of the MIAA season. 

A Victory vs. Fort Hays State Would:  stop a three-game winning streak for the Tigers. It would give the Lions and the Tigers a split of the previous eight meetings.

NFL Representation: The Lions will have two different starters on NFL rosters to start the season. Brandon Williams is a starter on the defensive line for the Baltimore Ravens, while Allen Barbre will start on the offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFL Leaders: Brandon Williams has become a leader on the defense for the Baltimore Ravens, shoring their defensive line. Last year, the third-year pro had a career-high 52 tackles and two sacks. He was listed by many as a notable snub for the NFL Pro Bowl in 2015. Allen Barbre will be in his second year as a starter on the offensive line for the Eagles and head coach Doug Pedersen is very high on Barbre, naming him the starter prior to training camp. Barbre started all 16 games for the Eagles in 2015.  

NFL Executive: Former Lion and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash is in his second season serving as the NFL and NFLPA's Appeals Officer. He hears all appeals for the NFL regarding on-field player discipline. Thrash played 12 seasons in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.  

Lions On Radio: The Lions will partner with ESPN Joplin this year as Southern can now be heard on three separate FM stations, as well as an AM station. ESPN Joplin will air the Lions' games on 101.3 and 103.5 FM, as well as AM 1560. MSSU's KXMS 88.7 will also simulcast the games giving the Lions a larger reach in the four-states than they've ever had.  

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has three teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Northwest Missouri is 1st, while Central Missouri is 20th and Emporia State is 24th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has nine teams in the top 25. There are 17 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Lions On TV:  Missouri Southern's KGCS will air every Lions home game live this year during the season. They will also re-broadcast the games on Sunday evenings at 7 pm.   

Lions On The Web:  All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA's streaming contract with Stretch Internet. Fans can view games live by clicking on the link on www.mssulions.com.  

New Coaches:  Bill Bleil (offensive line) and Darius Hart (defensive line) will join the Lions this year on coach Denver Johnson's staff. Bleil comes to Southern from the University of Rhode Island, while Hart previously coached at Trinity Valley Community College. 

MIAA Preseason Poll:  Missouri Southern was picked 10th by the coaches and 11th by the media in the annual MIAA Preseason Poll the league released in early August. Defending National Champion Northwest Missouri was the pick by both the coaches and the media to repeat as League champs. 

Call Me A Hall Of Famer:  Allen Barbre will go into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame this year. Barbre was a multiple All-American offensive lineman in his four-year career for the Lions and is now a starter with the Philadelphia Eagles.  

Expanded Roster:  Last season, the Lions carried between 80-90 players on their roster and that provided depth issues for the team. This year, Southern has between 130-140 players, much more to the liking of head coach Denver Johnson.   

QB Competition:  The Lions had a pair of D-I transfers battling it out in spring and fall camp for the starting quarterback job. Memphis transfer Brayden Scott and last year's starter TJ Fleeton (Northwestern State) went head-to-head and Fleeton has been named the starter. 

Welcome back:  Southern welcomed back a pair of former starters to the lineup after both had sat out last year with an injury. Lars Lindquist and Scott Lathrop are both back, but both are playing different positions. Lindquist has moved to the offensive line after serving as a starter on the other side, while Lathrop will move from quarterback to receiver.  

Expanded Radio Coverage Area:  The map below shows a detailed area of the new coverage for MSSU radio. 

Weather Report:  The weather report for the Hays area on Thursday calls for partly cloudy conditions and a high of 79 degrees with a 20 percent chance of participation.