Dykstra receives DPOTW honor, Mules steady in playoff hunt
Published 8:27 pm Thursday, November 5, 2026
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WARRENSBURG — Central Missouri football’s game against Fort Hays State wasn’t typical.
Scheming to their opponent, the Mules still found a 31-13 win Saturday, Oct. 31, at Walton Stadium.
Defensively, the Mules had to adjust to Fort Hays State’s run offense. Anchored by sophomore AG Floyd, Hays is second in the MIAA in rushing yards, averaging 161.7 yards per game through nine games. UCM held the Tigers to 157 rushing yards. The offense meant defensive backs like senior Brian Dykstra were playing up front rather than going deep.
“All week, we prepped for two (Ayden Robinson-Wayne),” Dykstra said. “He’s a good receiver. We definitely had a lot more zone coverage planned out. Playing downhill as much as we did today, that’s what football is all about – making changes on the fly.”
Dykstra, who was named the co-MIAA Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 2, tallied two takeaways for the Mules.
In the third quarter, he scooped up a fumble forced by fifth-year linebacker Drew Kaufman four yards behind the line of scrimmage before returning it 27 yards for a touchdown. It was the first fumble returned for a score by the Mules since 2022.
Later in a fourth-and-4 situation, he intercepted Hays quarterback Major Cantrell on a 30-yard pass attempt.
“Our defense getting stops and getting turnover, [Dykstra] was a huge part in that,” Central Missouri head coach Josh Lamberson said. “Anytime you can get a defensive score, it brings so much momentum – as we’ve seen on the other side of it. There’s so much momentum in a defensive score. It just revs your whole football team up. I don’t know anything that can recreate that type of energy on the sideline.”
The win over Hays continued UCM’s unbeaten record at home on the season. It is 1-3 on the road, all three losses coming against Top 25 opponents.
This week, it will get a test against Pittsburg State at “The Jungle” of Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kansas.
This isn’t a traditional Pittsburg State team. The Gorillas are coming off a 23-13 loss to Missouri Southern, their first downfall to the Lions since 2013. They are 3-6 overall, including 3-4 in the MIAA.
The Gorillas are 2-2 at home, a place where UCM has won in two of its last three trips.
Pittsburg State is eighth in overall offense and defense in the MIAA. The Mules are second in the league in offense, but are ninth in defense.
“You pour so much into a week, and you get to this point and you take a breath for a second,” Lamberson said. “In the MIAA, going on the road is hard. No matter what the record is or the opponent. It’s hard. In my opinion, we’re going to one of the hardest places in the country to play – regardless of record or anything that’s going on down there, we’re going to have to play our best game of the year to get the result that we want.”
The trip to Pittsburg marks UCM’s last road game of the regular season. They return home Nov. 14 to host Nebraska-Kearney in their regular season finale.
As of this week, the Mules remain in the hunt for an appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, sitting No. 7 in the latest National Performance Index Super Region 4 rankings. The top seven teams advance.
UCM sits behind Central Washington and ahead of Southeastern Oklahoma State. Washburn and Midwestern State are in the hunt. This is the first year NPI has been used in D2 Football.
For D2 football, the NPI calculation is weighted with 25% winning percentage and 75% strength of schedule (SOS).
“I don’t know what’s going to happen; nobody’s going to know what’s going to happen with the NPI and how all of that works,” Lamberson said. “But for the final two games, all we can do is show up and take care of the thing we can take care of and let the chips fall down where they may. But I love our team, and I like our chances of being able to potentially keep playing. That’s what this team wants to do. They don’t want to leave each other, and they want to keep playing. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The region’s NPI also includes No. 1 Harding, No. 2 Colorado State – Pueblo, No. 3 Northwest Missouri State, No. 4 Emporia State and No. 5 Western Colorado.
Joe Andrews can be reached at 660-747-8123.
