HAYS, Kan. — Missouri Southern football fell to Fort Hays State 31-7 Saturday evening at Lewis Field.
The Lions scored seven points in the first quarter but were held scoreless over the final three quarters.
Missouri Southern is 1-4 overall in 2026 and 0-3 in MIAA conference play. Fort Hays State is 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Isaiah Padello caught six passes for 107 yards. The outing marked his second career 100-plus yard game.
Isaiah Green added six receptions for 55 yards and returned three punts for 41 yards.
Allen Mitchell rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Peyton McKee led the MSSU defense with nine tackles.
Missouri Southern put together its scoring answer midway through the first quarter, moving from the FHSU 43 after Green's 19-yard punt return and finishing with Mitchell's 1-yard touchdown run before
Asher Huffman's kick tied it 7-7 at 7:07.
Earlier, the Tigers scored on a 75-yard run at 14:48, but the Lions' first offensive series crossed midfield behind
Tillman Martin completions to Green, Padello and
David Bethune before
Mitchell Cory pinned FHSU at its 4-yard line with a 38-yard punt.
The Southern defense followed with a stop highlighted by
Noah Conner's tackle for loss, and the Lions' offense turned the short field into its tying drive with a 16-yard Martin-to-Padello completion and two accepted Fort Hays State penalties. After the tying score, MSSU added another defensive stand with
Keylan Mitchell's tackle for loss and later got a
Kason Messenger sack in the final minute, helping the first quarter end tied 7-7.
Fort Hays State's 10-play, 55-yard touchdown drive put Missouri Southern in a 14-7 game with 5:45 left in the second quarter. Earlier, Green's 15-yard punt return gave the Lions the ball at their 44, and Martin hit Padello for 30 yards to move into Tigers territory before the drive stalled.
MSSU answered the touchdown with a 46-yard march from its own 8, getting an 8-yard third-down completion from Martin to Green and runs of 6 and 19 yards from Mitchell before a sack forced a Cory punt to the FHSU 18. The Lions' defense kept Fort Hays State out of the end zone on the final possession, with
Riley Hammons and Messenger breaking up passes before the second quarter ended with Fort Hays State ahead 14-7.
Missouri Southern was held scoreless in the third quarter while Fort Hays State added two touchdown passes and took a 28-7 score into the fourth stanza. The Lions opened the half with a three-and-out, and FHSU answered with Major Cantrell's 54-yard touchdown pass to Cade Evans that made it 21-7. Southern responded by moving from its 25 to the Tigers 30, highlighted by Martin's 29-yard completion to Padello, but the drive ended on an interception at the FHSU 17. The defense later had McKee drop a runner for a loss and Hammons break up a pass, but a Missouri Southern illegal-substitution penalty preceded Cantrell's 30-yard touchdown pass to Walter Flounory on fourth-and-7.
Martin completed two passes to Green on the final Lions possession of the third quarter, moving the ball to the Fort Hays State 37 before Cory's punt pinned the Tigers at their 15.
MSSU spent much of the fourth quarter defending a 15-play, 69-yard FHSU drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal at 6:49 and made it 31-7 Tigers.
Bethune's 20-yard kickoff return set up the Lion offense at the Missouri Southern 25, and Martin moved the drive with completions to
Dexter Merrell and Padello plus a pass-interference penalty before an interception at the Tigers 11 ended the threat.
The Lions defense answered with a stop, including McKee's third-down tackle for loss, and Green returned the ensuing punt 7 yards before a holding penalty pushed the next drive back to the Southern 40.
After Cory's 41-yard punt pinned Fort Hays State at its 16,
Stanley Mageo recorded a tackle for loss on the final possession, and Missouri Southern fell in the Saturday contest, 31-7.
The Lions next host Emporia State on Oct. 10 for MSSU's Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., CT at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
Fall MSSU Athletic tickets are currently on sale
online. Fans can also purchase an
MIAA Network subscription to support Missouri Southern Athletics and catch all the Lions action this 2026-27 season.
