PITTSBURG STATE No. 24 CENTRAL MISSOURI

PITTSBURG STATE (6-3, 6-3 MIAA) vs

No. 24 CENTRAL MISSOURI (7-2, 7-2 MIAA)

GAME 10 • NOVEMBER 1, 2015 • 2:37 P.M. (CST) • WALTON STADIUM • WARRENSBURG, MO. GAME OFFICIALS: DWIGHT NEIBLING (REFEREE), ERIC COOPER (UMPIRE), JAKE WEATHERFORD (HEAD LINESMAN), SCOTT WETTERSTROM (LINE JUDGE), AUSTIN HILLS (SIDE JUDGE), MIKE BLOCK (FIELD JUDGE), TONY BROWN (BACK JUDGE), DON LAWRENCE (CENTER JUDGE) PITTSBURG STATE (6-3, 6-3 MIAA) S3 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14

at Northeastern State *........................................W, 38-14 LINDENWOOD *....................................................W, 56-28 WASHBURN *......................................................... L, 21-28 at Fort Hays State *...............................................W, 31-24 MISSOURI WESTERN *...........................................W, 31-27 at No. 18 Emporia State *...................................... L, 42-46 No. 3 NORTHWEST MISSOURI * (MIAA TV).................. L, 14-31 at Nebraska-Kearney *.........................................W, 24-19 MISSOURI SOUTHERN * (ESPN3)...............................W, 41-14 at No. 24 Central Missouri * (MIAA TV)............2:37 p.m. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA *............................................. 2 p.m.

* MIAA game

CENTRAL MISSOURI S3 S10 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14

(7-2, 7-2 MIAA)

MISSOURI WESTERN *...........................................W, 18-17 at Emporia State * (MIAA TV)..................................... L, 34-45 No. 3 NORTHWEST MISSOURI *.............................. L, 30-34 at Nebraska-Kearney *...........................................W, 38-7 MISSOURI SOUTHERN *.........................................W, 54-10 at Washburn * (MIAA TV)..........................................W, 38-28 at Central Oklahoma *..........................................W, 45-42 NORTHEASTERN STATE *.......................................W, 54-10 at Lindenwood *.....................................................W, 31-0 PITTSBURG STATE * (MIAA TV)........................2:37 p.m. at Fort Hays State *................................................... 2 p.m.

* MIAA game

GORILLAS ON RADIO/TV Gorilla fans can catch all of Pittsburg State’s football games locally on KKOW Radio (860 AM) & Rock 107.1 FM with Eddie Lomshek (play-by-play) and former PSU defensive lineman B.J. Harris (color analyst) describing the action. Fans can hear KKOW’s live broadcasts anywhere in the world on the internet at: www.kkowam.com KKOW’s pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff (1st hour on 96.9 FM, remainder on 860 AM/107.1 FM) on home games and an hour prior to kickoff on all away games. A detailed scoreboard show follows each contest. The Tim Beck Show also can be heard on KKOW each Monday night from 6:05 to 7 p.m. The show, presented by CDL Electric, is recorded live on location at Gusano’s, 200 E. Centennial Drive, Pittsburg. KSNF TV (Pittsburg cable channel 2) also hosts The Tim Beck Show on Sunday nights following the KSN Hometown News, with KSNF sports director Eric Knecht and Coach Beck recapping the week’s Gorilla football action and previewing upcoming contests. CAPS TV (Pittsburg cable channel 13) also tape delay broadcasts each Pitt State game, home and away, on Tuesday nights.

The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., Saturday (Nov. 7) for a key match-up against the University of Central Missouri. Kickoff is set for 2:37 p.m. (CST) at UCM’s Audrey J. Walton Stadium.

Saturday’s game will be televised live locally on The Cox Channel KS – channels 122 and 2122 (HD) as the MIAA TV Network Game of the Week. Additionally, the game will be available on a host of outlets across the MIAA geographical footprint, including KSMO-TV in Kansas City and KGCS-TV in Joplin, Mo. Pittsburg State, the winningest all-time NCAA Division II program, is 6-3 on the season. The Gorillas posted their 200th all-time MIAA victory with a 41-4 victory over Missouri Southern State University last Saturday (Oct. 31) in Pittsburg. Central Missouri is 7-2 on the season and ranked No. 24 in the most recent AFCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll [for complete poll, see page 5]. The Mules have won six straight games to overcome a 1-2 start to the season. UCM blanked Lindenwood University, 31-0, last Saturday at St. Charles, Mo.

THE COACHES

Tim Beck is in his sixth season as head coach at Pitt State with a 53-17 (.757) career record. Beck led his alma mater (PSU, ’88) to the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship three seasons ago, earning national coach of the year honors from Liberty Mutual, the Don Hansen Football Committee and FieldTurf™. Beck became the school’s 14th all-time head football coach in December 2009, after serving for 23 seasons as an assistant coach for the Gorillas including 16 years as the team’s offensive coordinator from 1994-2009. In his first season leading the Gorillas, Beck guided Pitt State to a 6-6 record and a victory in the 2010 Mineral Water Bowl. In 2011, Beck led the Gorillas to the program’s second NCAA national championship and the school’s fourth national title overall in a 13-1 campaign. Pitt State captured the MIAA Championship and ultimately the NCAA-II National Championship with a 35-21 victory over Wayne (Mich.) State on Dec. 17, 2011. In 2012, the Gorillas opened the season 5-0 before finishing the year 7-3 overall, while in 2013 Pitt State posted the program’s 20th all-time 10-win season during a 10-2 campaign. Last year, the Gorillas shared the MIAA regular season title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs during an 11-2 campaign. During his 16 seasons as offensive coordinator, the Gorilla offense consistently ranked among the finest units in NCAA Division II. In 2008, Beck was selected the inaugural NCAA Division II Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com, following a vote of his coaching peers. In 2004, Beck’s offensive unit established itself as the most prolific squad in the history of NCAA football. PSU shattered a 118-year-old scoring record, scoring an amazing 837 points (55.8 ppg). His squad also set the NCAA all division records for rushing (5,320 yards) and total offense (8,976 yards). Prior to assuming the offensive coordinator’s role, Beck served two years as Pitt State’s defensive coordinator (1992-93). He became a full-time assistant on the Pitt State staff in 1989, after serving first as a student assistant (1987) and then as a graduate assistant (1988). This will be Beck’s sixth meeting vs. the Mules. He is 4-1 vs. Central Missouri. UCM’s Jim Svoboda is in his sixth year leading the Mules and his 12th season as a collegiate coach. Svoboda (Northwestern College, ’83) has compiled a 48-21 (.696) record at UCM and a 100-40 (.714) overall mark. He is 1-4 vs. Pitt State.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

1

THE PITT STATE-CENTRAL MISSOURI SERIES

PSU SECOND NATIONALLY IN HOME ATTENDANCE Pitt State leads the MIAA and ranks second in NCAA Division II in home game attendance in 2015. The Gorillas have averaged 10,200 fans in their first five games in 7,950-seat Carnie Smith Stadium, filling the venue to 128% capacity with standing-room-only visitors. 2015 NCAA Division II National Attendance Leaders 1. Grand Valley State (GLIAC) 2. PITT STATE (MIAA) 3. Central Missouri (MIAA)

Avg 12,247 10,200 9,406

2015 PITT STATE TEAM CAPTAINS At the conclusion of spring drills each year, the Gorillas select captains for the following season by a team vote. Pitt State’s five team captains for the 2015 season are: #6 Montrae Strickland, 6-4, 245, SR, DE #36 Spencer Brown, 6-0, 214, JR, LB #55 Heath Wilson, 6-3, 256, JR, DE #80 Austin Daniel, 6-2, 212, JR, WR #88 Kyle Swartz, 6-3, 245, JR, TE

MIAA STANDINGS Team MIAA Overall Northwest Missouri (2)..................................9-0........................9-0 Emporia State (14).........................................8-1........................8-1 Central Missouri (24)............................7-2....................7-2 Pittsburg State....................................6-3....................6-3 Fort Hays State...............................................5-4........................5-4 Missouri Western............................................4-5........................4-5 Washburn ......................................................4-5........................4-5 Central Oklahoma..........................................4-5........................4-5 Lindenwood...................................................3-6........................3-6 Northeastern State.........................................2-7........................2-7 Missouri Southern..........................................1-8........................1-8 Nebraska-Kearney..........................................0-9........................0-9 This Week’s Action Saturday, November 7 ESU @ NWMSU, 1 p.m. MWSU @ UNK, 1 p.m. WU @ NSU, 1 p.m.

LWU @ UCO, 2 p.m. PSU @ UCM, 2:37 p.m. MSSU @ FHSU, 3 p.m.

Next Week’s Action Saturday, November 14 NWMSU @ WU, 1 p.m. MSSU @ MWSU, 1 p.m. NSU @ LWU, 1:30 p.m.

UNK @ ESU, 2 p.m. UCM @ FHSU, 2 p.m. UCO @ PSU, 2 p.m.

MIAA RECORDS SINCE 1989 Team Record Pct. Pittsburg State................................200-44-1............. .818 Northwest Missouri....................................198-48-0.................805 Nebraska-Omaha ++..................................17-10-0.................630 Central Missouri...............................148-97-1............. .604 Missouri Western........................................148-97-1.................604 Truman ^.................................................108-109-0.................498 Emporia State *........................................112-116-0.................491 Washburn................................................110-137-0.................445 Missouri Southern....................................101-143-0.................414 Central Oklahoma ***..................................16-24-0.................400 Lindenwood ***..........................................14-24-0.................368 Fort Hays State #..........................................31-60-0.................341 Nebraska-Kearney ***...................................8-31-0.................205 Southwest Baptist **.................................39-151-1.................205 Northeastern State ***..................................8-32-0.................200 Missouri S&T +..........................................17-126-2.................124 Lincoln ##......................................................3-36-0.................077 * ESU joined the MIAA in 1991 + MST left the MIAA following 2004 # FHSU joined the MIAA in 2006 ** SBU opted to play an independent schedule from 2007-11 ++ UNO competed in the MIAA from 2008-10 ## LU returned to the MIAA in 2011, after leaving in 1990 *** UCO, LU, UNK & NSU joined the MIAA in 2012 ^ TSU left the MIAA following 2012

2

This will be the 52nd all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Mules in a series that dates all the way back to the 1916 season. Pitt State holds a decided 41-8-2 (.824) advantage in the series, including a 20-5-0 record against UCM in Pittsburg. The Gorillas are 21-3-2 against the Mules at Warrensburg and 14-2 against UCM at Warrensburg since 1960, including a 31-21 victory the last time the two squads met at Walton Stadium on Oct. 12, 2013. Last year, sixth-ranked Pitt State started fast, then finished in a flurry to pull out a 38-31 victory over Central The chart below indicates the amount Missouri in front of a sellout crowd of 10,043 fans at of time Pitt State has spent in the lead, Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium on Nov. 8. or trailing its opponent, this year: Quarterback Anthony Abenoja tossed a 75-yard TD pass to wide receiver Marquise Cushon on the game’s In Lead (Behind) first offensive play to stake the Gorillas to a fast start. Northeastern 59:41 LINDENWOOD 39:14 (9:17) With the scored tied 31-13, the Pitt State defense forced WASHBURN 9:34 (30:04) the Mules into a four-and-out drive, giving the offense the Fort Hays 10:07 (31:39) ball back with 5:37 to play. Abenoja, who finished the game WESTERN 1:23 (53:37) with 428 passing yards, completed strikes of 21 and 27 Emporia 47:08 (10:29) yards to wide receiver Gavin Lutman on the crucial drive, NORTHWEST (37:37) before running back Jamal Tyler scooted into the end zone Kearney 30:00 (27:06) from 23 yards out for the winning score.

Time In A Bottle

GORILLAS ON THE ROAD

Pitt State has posted a 76-23-0 (.768) record in its last 99 road games (including post-season play). The Gorillas posted a school and MIAA record 20 straight road wins between the 2010 and 2014 seasons before dropping a 24-21 overtime decision to Minnesota State in the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs on Nov. 29, 2014. During the last 22 years (1994-pres.), the Gorillas are an equally impressive 87-25-1 (.774) on the road.

PSU’S REGULAR SEASON SUCCESS

Pitt State has won 281 of its last 333 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 281-50-2 (.847) mark during the past 31 seasons (1985-2015). PSU is 152-18-1 at home, 125-23-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

ALL-TIME WINNINGEST PROGRAMS

Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are in their 108th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 690-336-48 overall record, winning 66.5 percent of their 1,074 all-time games. Pittsburg State is one of just 20 NCAA Division II institutions to have recorded 500 all-time victories and the Gorillas are just one of five schools to have reached the 600-win plateau. Tuskegee is second on the alltime list with 666 victories, followed by Hillsdale (615), Carson-Newman (612) and Central Oklahoma (606). Central Missouri has a 534-503-51 (.514) record in 119 seasons of intercollegiate play. 2015 Pittsburg State Scoreboard Score By Quarters 1st 2nd Avg. Pittsburg State Opponents

98 73 19.0 83 76 17.7

SOUTHERN 59:48 Central Mo CENTRAL OKLA

Time Spent In The Lead: 256:55 Time Opp. In The Lead: 199:49 Games Held Lead In: 8 Games Trailed In: 7

Scoring Trends Points Off Turnovers Points scored on the drive following an opponent fumble/interception. Pitt State.......................59 Opponents........................... 43 UCM...............................54 Opponents........................... 31 Two-Minute Drill Points scored in the final 2:00 of game clock in the first half of games.

Pitt State.......................24 Opponents........................... 13 UCM...............................26 Opponents............................. 7

3rd 4th Avg.

69 58 14.1 45 27 8.0

OT

0 0

Total

Avg.

298 33.1 231 25.7

2015 Central Missouri Scoreboard Score By Quarters 1st 2nd Avg. 3rd 4th Avg. OT Total Avg. Central Missouri 61 111 19.1 110 60 18.9 0 342 38.0 Opponents 34 38 8.0 55 66 13.4 0 193 21.4

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE

PITT STATE IN THE AFCA TOP 25 POLL Pitt State has been ranked in Division II’s top 10 116 times in the last 211 polls and the Gorillas have been ranked in the top 25 poll in 183 of 211 weeks overall (dating back to the 1999 season).

PSU-NWMSU OFFENSIVE COMPARISON Total Offense Yards Central Missouri (1) 4519 Pittsburg State (7) 3564 Rushing Offense Yards Pittsburg State (3) 1989 Central Missouri (4) 1872 Passing Offense Yards Central Missouri (2) 2977 Pittsburg State (10) 1575 Scoring Offense Points Central Missouri (2) 342 Pittsburg State (5) 298 Passing Efficiency C-A-TD-I Yards Central Missouri (2) 196-327-20-4 2647 Pittsburg State (6) 129-229-13-15 1575 Kickoff Returns No/Yards Pittsburg State (1) 33/790 Central Missouri (11) 31/572 Third Down Conversions Tot Pittsburg State (5) 48/127 Central Missouri (7) 51/144 Time of Possession Avg Central Missouri (2) 32:24 Pittsburg State (5) 30:14 Penalties Tot/Yds Pittsburg State (4) 60/470 Central Missouri (5) 52/494

Avg. 502.1 396.0 Avg. 221.0 208.0 Avg. 330.8 175.0 Avg. 38.0 33.1 Rat. 145.7 119.7 Avg. 23.9 18.5 Pct. 37.8% 35.4%

Avg 52.5 54.9

( ) MIAA rank

Total Defense Yards Avg. Central Missouri (3) 3255 361.7 Pittsburg State (4) 3424 380.4 Rushing Defense Yards Avg. Central Missouri (2) 906 100.7 Pittsburg State (4) 1328 147.6 Passing Defense Yards Avg. Pittsburg State (8) 2096 232.9 Central Missouri (12) 2349 261.0 Scoring Defense Points Avg. Central Missouri (3) 193 21.4 Pittsburg State (6) 231 25.7 Passing Eff. Defense C-A-TD-I Yards Rat. Central Missouri (3) 191-366-17-15 2349 113.2 Pittsburg State (7) 162-306-17-12 2096 121.0 Punt Returns No/Yards Avg. Pittsburg State (5) 15/190 12.6 Central Missouri (6) 16/186 12.7 Turnover Margin Mar Avg Pittsburg State +2 +2.1 Missouri Southern +3 +3.3 Net Punting Tot/Net Avg Pittsburg State (3) 42/1612 35.9 Central Missouri (12) 49/1636 30.0 ( ) MIAA rank

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

97 scoring drives (86 TDs, 11 FGs)...........2:40 elapsed time 79 scoring drives (72 TDs, 7 FGs)..............2:14 elapsed time 64 scoring drives (55 TDs, 9 FGs)..............3:02 elapsed time 69 scoring drives (61 TDs, 8 FGs)..............3:23 elapsed time 49 scoring drives (44 TDs, 5 FGs)..............3:21 elapsed time 41 scoring drives (34 TDs, 7 FGs)..............3:04 elapsed time

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

78 scoring drives (60 TDs, 18 FGs)...........2:54 elapsed time 51 scoring drives (40 TDs, 11 FGs)...........2:58 elapsed time 83 scoring drives (70 TDs, 13 FGs)...........2:29 elapsed time 74 scoring drives (53 TDs, 21 FGs)...........3:06 elapsed time 43 scoring drives (37 TDs, 6 FGs)..............2:53 elapsed time

The Gorillas have been highly successful when they are quick out of the gates. Pitt State has scored on its opening drive 64 times (54 TDs, 10 FGs) in the last 130 games (including five of eight games this season), posting a 59-5 (.922) record in those games. By contrast, Pitt State is 37-29 (.561) in games it doesn’t score on its opening drive during the same span.

LEPAGE HANDLES STARTING QUARTERBACK ROLE

Redshirt sophomore Thomas LePage has started the last three games at quarterback for the Gorillas after freshman John Roderique, Jr. suffered a season-ending leg injury. LePage has played in eight games for the Gorillas. For the season he has completed 34 of 71 passes (.479) for 292 yards and three touchdowns; and he’s carried the ball 61 times for 130 net yards and one TD. He completed four of seven passes (.571) for 28 yards with an interception in six games in 2014. LePage was the first-team Missouri Class 6A All-State quarterback as a senior at Jefferson City (Mo.) High School in 2012, before signing with Pitt State. He passed for 1,650 yards and 15 TDs and rushed for 628 yards and nine scores his senior season. Roderique completed 94 of 157 passes (.599) for 1,264 yards (210.7 ypc) and nine TDs in six games for the Gorillas. He also carried the ball 80 times for 466 yards (5.8 ypc, 77.7 ypc) and nine scores. Roderique, a Webb City, Mo., native transferred to Pitt State in January after two seasons at FCS member Sam Houston State University where he redshirted in 2013 and did not use any eligibility in 2014.

Pitt State senior wide receiver Marquise Cushon became just the fourth player in school history to eclipse 2,000 receiving yards on Oct. 10. The Kansas City, Mo., native has 124 career receptions for 2,114 yards (17.0 ypc). He has a team-leading 32 catches for 408 yards (12.8 ypc) on the season. He had eight catches for 99 yards against Missouri Southern last Saturday, moving past Gavin Lutman for third place on the Gorillas’ career receiving yards list and moving past Ronnie West for third place on Pitt State’s career receptions list. Lutman caught 130 passes for 2,068 yards between 2010-14, while West caught 123 passes between 1990-91.

Pitt State Red Zone Statistics

PSU



PSU



CONVERT

TDS

FGS

M/FGS

TURNOVER

DOWNS

END HALF

34-37 28 6 2 0 1 0

OFFENSE (.919)

CONVERT

TDS

FGS

M/FGS

TURNOVER

DOWNS

END HALF

19-26 14 5 1 4 2 0

DEFENSE (.731)

GORILLA QB RECORDS (1985-PRES.) Record 35- 3- 0 30- 2- 2 26- 4- 0 27- 5- 0 38- 8- 0 28- 7- 0 24- 6- 0 15- 4- 0 18- 5- 0 21- 6- 0 42- 20- 0 304- 70- 2

in elapsed time figures.]

CUSHON JOINS 2,000-YARD RECEIVING CLUB

PSU-NWMSU DEFENSIVE COMPARISON

Quarterback (Min. 10 starts) 1. Jay Padden, 1988-90 2. Jeff Moreland, 1991, ’94-95 3. Gene Stegeman, 1985-87 4. Brian Hutchins, 1991-93 5. Neal Philpot, 2001-04 6. Anthony Abenoja, 2012-14 7. Mark Smith, 2006-08 8. Lateef Walker, 1999-2000 9. Zac Dickey, 2010-11 10. Zack Siegrist, 1996-98 ALL OTHERS 31-Year Totals

The Pitt State offense has exhibited a penchant for being a “quick strike” unit. During the last 11 seasons (2005-15), the Pitt State offense has generated 728 scoring drives (612 TDs, 116 FGs) and averaged just 2:52 of elapsed time per drive. [Overtime scoring drives not included

Pct. .921 .912 .867 .844 .826 .800 .800 .789 .783 .778 .677 .811

Central Missouri Red Zone Statistics

UCM



UCM



CONVERT

TDS

FGS

M/FGS

TURNOVER

DOWNS

END HALF

41-46 28 13 1 2 2 0

OFFENSE (.891)

CONVERT

TDS

FGS

M/FGS

TURNOVER

DOWNS

END HALF

18-28 12 6 3 4 3 0

DEFENSE (.643)

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

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INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing Shaquille Cooper, FHSU (1) Markel Smith, UCM (6) Passing Yards Brent Wilson, ESU (1) Garrett Fugate, UCM (2) Passing Efficiency TJ Eckert, UCO (1) John Roderique, PSU (3) Receptions Jaylen Zachery, UCM (1) Marquise Cushon, PSU (10) Receiving Yards Jaylen Zachery, UCM (1) Total Offense Brent WIlson, ESU (1) Garrett Fugate, UCM (2) Scoring Simon Mathiesen, NWMSU (1) Billy Greco, UCM (4) Kickoff Returns Shawn Bane, NWMSU (1) Marquise Cushon, PSU (7) Punt Returns Brandynn Clark, MWSU (1) Jaylen Zachery, UCM (4) All-Purpose Yards Shaquill Cooper, FHSU (1) Jaylen Zachery, UCM (4) Marquise Cushon, PSU (9) Punting Matt Klingler, LWU (1) Carter Anchors, PSU (4) Field Goals Billy Greco, UCM (1) Chad Levin, PSU (8) Tackles Connor Harris, LWU (1) QB Sacks Brock Long, FHSU (1) Heath Wilson, PSU (4) Jason Venckus, UCM (7) Tackles For Loss Brock Long, FHSU (1) Jaosn Venckus, UCM (5) Passes Defended Michael Jordan, MWSU (1) Austin Miller, UCM (6) Dino Teague, PSU (9) Interceptions Kevin Berg, NMWSU (1) Darnell Walker, PSU (2) Monteze Latimore, UCM (4)

G 9 9 G 9 8 G Yds 8 1098 6 965 G 9 9 G 9 G 9 8 G 9 9 No. 15 13 No. 14 15 G 9 9 9 No. 38 38 FG/FGA 15/20 6/8 G 9 G 9 9 9 G 9 9 G 9 9 9 G 8 8 9

Yards 1149 773 Yards 2887 2214 TD-INT 9-4 9-7 Rec 48 32 Yards 877 Yards 3116 2214 Pts 88 82 Yards 369 289 Yards 194 164 Yards 1373 1285 940 Yards 1673 1487 Pct. .750 .750 Tot. 153 Total 9.0 6.0 4.5 Total 20.5 12.5 Tot. 20 13 10 No. 7 5 4

Avg. 127.7 85.9 Avg. 320.8 276.8 Rat. 158.6 137.5 Avg. 5.3 3.6 Avg. 97.4 Avg. 346.2 341.8 Avg. 9.8 9.1 Avg. 24.6 22.2 Avg. 13.9 10.9 Avg. 152.6 142.8 104.4 Avg. 44.0 39.1 FG/G 1.7 0.7 Avg. 17.0 Avg. 1.00 0.67 0.50 Avg. 2.28 1.39 Avg. 2.22 1.44 1.11 Avg. 0.88 0.63 0.44

Tails Never Fails Pittsburg State has lost the coin toss in seven of its first nine games. # = lost coin toss

Opposition Opening Drives Northeastern State #… 3 plays, 0 yards, punt Lindenwood #… 10 plays, 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN Washburn #… 4 plays, 4 yards, punt Fort Hays State #… onside kick, recovered by PSU Missouri Western… 10 plays, 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN Emporia State # … 3 plays, 8 yards, punt Northwest Missouri #… 6 plays, 48 yards, TOUCHDOWN Nebraska-Kearney … 7 plays, 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN Missouri Southern #… 5 plays, 25 yards, PICK SIX! Central Missouri … Central Oklahoma…

SEYBOLD 12TH IN CAREER RUSHING

Senior running back Jeff Seybold, Jr. ranks 12th on Pitt State’s all-time rushing list. The Lincoln, Neb., native has 442 career carries for 2,586 yards (5.85 ypc) and 30 touchdowns. He has rushed the ball 131 times for a team-leading 620 yards (4.7 ypc) and six scores this season. Seybold needs 24 yards to pass Justin Johnson (1995-97, 2609 yds.) for 11th place and he needs 66 yards to crack the top 10 list and pass Joey Tobin (1989-93, 2651 yds.). With a touchdown against Nebraska-Kearney on Oct. 24, Seybold broke into the top 10 on the career rushing touchdown list. He is currently in10th place on the list with 30 TDs. In addition to his rushing totals, Seybold has been a key receiving target for the Gorillas. He has 16 catches for 174 yards (10.9 ypc) and three TDs this season; and he’s made 55 career receptions for 525 yards (9.5 ypc) and seven scores.

WILSON CONTINUES TO ASSERT HIMSELF

Junior defensive end Heath Wilson continues to assert himself up front on the the Pitt State defense. The Wagoner, Okla., native has made 34 stops (17 solo) with a team-leading 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 quarterback sacks. Wilson, a first-team All-MIAA and honorable mention All-America selection as a sophomore in 2014, has made 111 tackles with 27.0 tackles-for-loss and 15.0 quarterback sacks in 34 career games for the Gorillas.

( ) = MIAA Rank

2015 Pitt State Players of the Week (as selected by PSU Coaches) GAME

OFFENSIVE BACK

DEFENSIVE BACK

OFFENSIVE LINE

DEFENSIVE LINE

WORK TEAM OFFENSE

WORK TEAM DEFENSE

SPECIAL TEAMS

BIG HIT

@NORTHEASTERN

Michael Rose

Dino Teague

Kyle Swartz

Montrae Strickland

Brenner Clemons

Jacob Carpenter

Carter Anchors

Brian Poston/ Demetrius Bernard

John Roderique, Jr.

Deron Washington

Kelly Wortham

Heath Wilson

Levi Wyrick

Connor Cherry

Levi Copelin

Dino Teague

LINDENWOOD WASHBURN

Jeff Seybold, Jr.

Devron Moore

Bo Farrow

Drake Humphrey

Carson Letchworth

William Bazzle IV

Chad Levin

Marquise Cushon

@FORT HAYS

John Roderique, Jr.

Deron Washington

Ryan Cipriani

Heath Wilson

Ben Sinclair

Garrett Larson

Kip Keeley

David Cardinal, Jr.

WESTERN

Marquise Cushon

Spencer Brown

Gavin Rainwater

Taye Irvin

Aren Martin

Ryan McNerlin

Brady Bradbury

Devron Moore

@EMPORIA

Jeff Seybold, Jr.

Deron Washington

Chase Carney

Demetrius Bernard

Jackson Krull

Ethan Mitchell

DeAndre Murray

Quad Ware

NORTHWEST

Marquise Cushon

Dino Teague

Kyle Swartz

Heath Wilson

Brenner Clemons

Ben Saint

Alex Howdeshell

Demetrius Bernard

@KEARNEY

Michael Rose

Dino Teague

Bo Farrow

Spencer Brown

Kiah Kintchen

Nick Wuthnow

Chad Levin

Demetrius Bernard

SOUTHERN

Thomas LePage

Spencer Brown

Gavin Rainwater

Taye Irvin

DeMarcus Edwards

LaRon Mitchell

Slade Nordic

Deron Washington

@CENT. MO.

CENT. OKLA.

4

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

NORDIC NAMED MIAA SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF WEEK

Redshirt freshman Slade Nordic was named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week against Missouri Southern on Oct. 31. The Bartlesville, Okla., native sparked the Gorillas by returning the opening kickoff of the game 100 yards for a touchdown. Nordic became just the fourth player in Pitt State history and the 17th player in MIAA history to record a 100-yard kickoff return. For the season, Nordic has returned seven kickoffs for a 36.9-yard average. He also has three catches for 27 yards (9.0 ypc) as a wide receiver.

SCOUTING THE MULES

Offensively, UCM is averaging 38.0 points and 502.1 yards of total offense on the season, while the Mules are surrendering 21.4 points and 361.7 total yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Garrett Fugate has completed 157 of 263 passes (.597) for 2,214 yards (276.8 ypg) and 15 TDs with just three INTs. He also has carried the ball 120 times for 520 yards (4.3 ypc) and a team-leading eight TDs, averaging 341.8 yards of total offense per game. Freshman running back Markel Smith has carried the ball a teamleading 159 times for 773 yards (4.9 ypc) and six scores. Sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Zachery has made a team-leading 48 catches for 877 yards (18.3 ypc) and four scores, while senior tight end Ian Toalson has 30 catches for 416 yards (13.9 ypc) and seven TDs. Sophomore linebacker Austin Miller has made a team-leading 59 tackles (33 solo) with 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, three INTs, eight PBUs and four fumble recoveries, while senior defensive end Jason Venckus has made 35 tackles (18 solo), 12.5 TFLs and 4.5 quarterback sacks. Redshirt freshman Billy Greco has converted 15 of 20 (.750) field goal attempts, while freshman Peter Smith has punted 38 times for a 34.0-yard average with five kicks inside the opponent 20 yard line.

THE LAST TIME…

PSU shut out an opponent: 9/20/14, at Washburn (42-0) PSU was shut out: 11/24/01, at North Dakota (38-0) PSU rallied from a 4th quarter deficit: 10/3/15, vs. Missouri Western (trailed 27-21; won 31-27) PSU lost 4th quarter lead, game: 10/10/15, vs. Emporia State (led 35-32 & 42-39; lost 46-42) PSU committed 2 or fewer penalties: 12/4/10, vs. Concordia-St. Paul (2 penalties - 17 yards) PSU eclipsed 400 yards rushing: 10/24/09, vs. Fort Hays State (406 yards) PSU eclipsed 500 yards rushing: 10/2/04, at Washburn (538 yards) A Gorilla eclipsed 100 yards rushing: 9/26/15, John Roderique, Jr. (117) vs. Fort Hays State A Gorilla eclipsed 200 yards rushing: 11/15/08, Mark Smith vs. Nebraska-Omaha (212) A Gorilla eclipsed 300 yards rushing: 11/11/05, Germaine Race vs. Central Missouri (309) A Gorilla rushed for 4 TDs: 11/22/08, Brandon Clark vs. Northwest Missouri (4 TDs) PSU eclipsed 300 yards passing: 11/8/14, vs. Central Missouri (428 yards) PSU eclipsed 400 yards passing: 11/8/14, vs. Central Missouri (428 yards) A Gorilla eclipsed 300 yards passing: 11/8/14, Anthony Abenoja, vs. Central Missouri (428 yards) A Gorilla eclipsed 350 yards passing: 11/8/14, Anthony Abenoja, vs. Central Missouri (428 yards) A Gorilla passed for 4 TDs: 10/11/14, Anthony Abenoja, vs. Harding (4 TDs) PSU eclipsed 600 yards of total offense: 11/8/14, vs Central Missouri (605 yards) PSU eclipsed 700 yards of total offense: 9/28/13, at Lincoln (787 yards) A Gorilla eclipsed 350 yards of total offense: 10/10/15, John Roderique, Jr., vs. Emporia State (372 yards) A Gorilla eclipsed 400 yards of total offense: 11/8/14, Anthony Abenoja, vs. Cent. Missouri (446 yards) A Gorilla eclipsed 100 yards receiving: 10/3/15, Marquise Cushon (104 yards) vs. Missouri Western A Gorilla eclipsed 200 yards receiving: 11/8/14, Marquise Cushon (221 yards) vs. Central Missouri A Gorilla caught 2 TDs: 11/29/14, Gavin Lutman, vs. Minnesota State (2 TDs) A Gorilla caught 3 TDs: 11/22/14, Austin Panko vs. Harding (3 TDs) PSU returned a punt for a TD: 9/22/12, John Brown, 68 yards vs. Lincoln * PSU returned a kickoff for a TD: 10/31/15, Slade Nordic, 100 yards vs. Missouri Southern PSU returned an interception for a TD: 10/31/15, Dino Teague, 51 yards vs. Missouri Southern PSU returned a fumble for a TD: 11/22/14, Heath Wilson, 28 yards vs. Harding PSU had a punt returned for a TD: none since 1982, individual game stats n/a prior to 1982 * PSU had a kickoff returned for a TD: 10/30/10, Camren Torneden, Nebraska-Omaha (94 yards) PSU had an interception returned for a TD: 10/24/15, Shai Harris, Nebraska-Kearney (35 yards) PSU had a fumble returned for a TD: 10/17/15, Brandon Yost, Northwest Missouri (0 yards) * excluding blocks

2015 NCA A Division II Top 25 Poll [Rel. Nov. 3, 2015] 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14t. 14t. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

School (1st votes)

W-L

Pts.

Prev.

West Georgia (25) Northwest Missouri (6) Ferris State (1) Colorado State-Pueblo Ashland Shepherd (W. Va.) Minnesota State Sioux Falls (S.D.) Henderson State Slippery Rock Midewestern State Texas A&M Commerce Humboldt State Emporia State Tuskegee Colorado Mesa Grand Valley State Indianapolis North Alabama Charleston (W. Va.) Colorado Mines Michigan Tech Valdosta State Central Missouri Bowie State

9-0 9-0 8-0 8-1 9-0 8-0 8-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 7-2 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 7-2 8-1 6-2 8-1 7-2 6-2 6-2 7-2 8-1

790 772 733 685 672 638 619 556 510 473 449 423 406 372 372 325 251 240 212 170 163 131 128 101 63

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 13 14 8 15 17 16 19 9 20 21 23 12 22 24 25 NR

This Week’s Action

Next Opponent

d. Mississippi College, 38-21 d. Missouri Western, 24-10 d. Lake Erie (Ohio), 70-19 d. Black Hills State, 42-10 d. No. 9 Grand Valley State, 45-31 d. West Liberty (W. Va.), 44-10 d. Southwest Minnesota State, 55-17 d. Concordia-St. Paul, 49-0 d. Southern Nazarene, 76-7 d. Edinboro, 52-10 d. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 49-41 lost to Sam Houston State, 38-24 d. Simon Fraser , 57-0 d. Washburn, 47-21 d. Central State (Ohio), 19-78 d. No. 12 Colorado Mines, 31-17 lost to No. 5 Ashland, 45-31 d. William Jewell, 63-35 d. Delta State, 43-17 d. West Virginia Wesleyan, 65-21 lost to No. 19 Colorado Mesa, 31-17 d. Tiffin, 39-38 OT d. West Alabama, 55-28 d. Lindenwood, 31-0 d. Lincoln (Pa.), 57-3

Nov. 7 at Florida Tech Nov. 7 vs. No. 14 Emporia State Nov. 7 at Northern Michigan Nov. 7 vs. No. 16 Colorado Mesa Nov. 7 vs. No. 22 Michigan Tech Nov. 5 at Fairmont State Nov. 7 at No. 8 Sioux Falls Nov. 7 vs. No. 7 Minnesota State Nov. 7 at Oklahoma Baptist Nov. 7 vs. Clarion Nov. 7 vs. Eastern New Mexico Nov. 7 vs. Angelo State Nov. 7 at Dixie State Nov. 7 at No. 2 Northwest Missouri Nov. 7 vs. Miles (Ala.) Nov. 7 at No. 4 Colorado State-Pueblo Nov. 7 at Tiffin Nov. 7 vs. Missouri S&T Nov. 7 at Shorter (Ga.) Nov. 7 vs. Alderson Broaddus (W. Va.) Nov. 7 vs. Western State Nov. 7 at No. 5 Ashland Nov. 7 at Delta St. Nov. 7 vs. Pittsburg State Nov. 7 at Elizabeth City Stte

Others Receiving Votes: Assumption, 45; Carson-Newman, 28; Virginia Union, 22; Minnesota Duluth, 19; Augustana (S.D.), 9; Indiana (Pa.), 8; North Greenville, 7; Catawba, 4; Fort Hays State, 3; Arkansas Tech, 1.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

5

GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS Pittsburg State 38, Northeastern State 14

Pittsburg State 56, Lindenwood 28

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Seventh-ranked Pittsburg State University scored on each of its first two offensive plays and jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead over Northeastern State University, before settling for a 38-14 season opening victory Thursday (Sept. 3).

PITTSBURG — Fifth-ranked Pittsburg State University blocked a pair of punts during a 35-point second quarter outburst, including one the Gorillas returned for a touchdown. The scoring frenzy helped Pitt State turn a 14-7 deficit into a 42-14 advantage as the Gorillas pulled away for a 56-28 victory over Lindenwood University before a sellout crowd of 10,362 fans at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

Freshman transfer quarterback John Roderique, Jr. scored on a 39-yard touchdown scamper on the first play of the game. Marquise Cushon set up the play with a 47-yard kickoff return into RiverHawk territory. After a quick three-and-out by the Pitt State defense, Cushon popped a 38-yard punt return and an NSU personal foul – one of several in the contest – set up the Gorillas at the NSU 36. Roderique again broke loose on a zone option play to make it a 14-0 game 60 seconds into the contest. Michael Rose added a seven-yard touchdown run for a 21-0 Pitt State advantage with 5:40 to play in the opening period. NSU countered with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Pantastico to running back Joel Rockmore two minutes later. The RiverHawks got the ball back and had a chance to slice further into the Pitt State lead, but the Gorillas’ Dino Teague intercepted Pantastico in the end zone to halt the threat. Roderique led the Gorillas 92 yards in seven plays late in the first half, punctuating the drive with a five-yard touchdown run for a 28-7 halftime advantage. Rose, who rushed for a game-high 127 yards, added a second score – on a 23-yard jaunt – late in the third quarter for the Gorillas and Chad Levin booted a 26-yard field goal with 10:39 to play for the game’s final points. Roderique rushed for 91 net yards – he was sacked three times in the game. He also completed 10 of 16 passes for 122 yards. Levi Copelin caught four passes for a team-leading 51 yards. Pantastico was 20 of 44 passing for 275 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for NSU, which dropped its 12th straight game dating back to 2014. Rockmore carried the ball 17 times for 92 yards. Spencer Brown made a team-leading six tackles and the Gorilla defense registered five quarterback sacks in the contest.

Pittsburg State Northeastern State Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

21 7

7 0

7 7

3 0

— —

PSU: 7-0 PSU: 14-0 PSU: 21-0 PSU: 21-7 PSU: 28-7 PSU: 28-14 PSU: 35-14 PSU: 38-14

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Rose 17-127-2, Roderique 9-112-3, Seybold 11-79-0, Poston 7-23-0, LePage 7-29-0; NSU - Rockmore 17-93-0, Pantastico 11-16-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - Roderique 10-16-0, 122, 0; NSU - Pantastico 20-44-2, 275, 2. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Copelin 4-51-0, Cushon 3-29-0, Poston 1-29-0, Seybold 1-11-0; NSU Powell 5-63-0, Butler 4-79-0, Pope 4-49-1.

6

Roderique scored on runs of 26 yards in the first quarter and one yard in the second quarter. He added TD passes of 23 yards to sophoore running back Michael Rose and five yards to senior tight end Kyle Swartz in the second period as well as a 19-yard TD toss to senior running back Jeff Seybold, Jr. in the third quarter. Junior Levi Copelin blocked a Lindenwood punt, recovered the ball and scored from 16 yards out to give Pitt State a 35-14 lead with 1:53 to play in the second quarter. He also blocked and recovered a punt at the LWU 2 yard line earlier in the period to set up another score. Rose added a 17-yard touchdown run with 6:21 to play in the game. Junior cornerback Darnell Walker, Jr. recorded a pair of second-half interceptions. The Gorillas secondary registered three picks and deflected 12 passes in the game. Lindenwood quarterback Jesse Scroggins completed 17 of 38 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Lions back-up Mason Bendigo went 4 of 9 for 51 yards with two interceptions. Four players – junior safeties Devron Moore and Deron Washington, senior linebacker Colby Hall and junior linebacker Spencer Brown – each made a team-leading nine tackles for the Gorillas. Dreu White made two of the Gorillas’ four quarterback sacks.

Lindenwood Pittsburg State Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

38 14

NSU PSU 24 27 35-106 55-334 20-44-2 10-18-0 122 275 381 456 4.8 6.2 1-1 0-0 7/279 8/348 13/128 6/63 29:41 30:19 3/13 4/13 4/29 5/48

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 14:41 PSU – John Roderique 39 run (Chad Levin kick) [0:19, 1-39] 14:00 PSU – Roderique 36 run (Levin kick) [0:08, 1-51] 5:40 PSU – Michael Rose 7 run (Levin kick) [3:17, 7-44] 3:55 NSU – Joel Rockmore 47 pass from Kevin Pantastico (Eddie Garcia kick) [1:42, 7-75] Second Quarter 3:52 PSU – Roderique 5 run (Levin kick) [2:39, 7-92] Third Quarter 3:45 NSU – Jamari Pope 6 pass from Pantastico (Garcia kick) [3:51, 10-68] 00:39 PSU – Rose 23 run (Levin kick) [0:05, 1-23] Fourth Quarter 10:39 PSU – Levin 26 field goal [3:44, 9-48]

Freshman quarterback John Roderique, Jr. completed 19 of 21 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns and he rushed the ball 12 times for a game-high 84 yards and two more scores leading the Gorillas offense to 429 total yards in the contest.

14 7

0 35

7 7

7 7

— —

28 56

LWU PSU 23 21 35-129 43-225 22-48-3 19-22-0 307 204 436 429 5.3 6.6 1-0 1-0 3/22 3/135 5/25 12/84 31:19 28:41 7/16 6/12 1/9 4/14

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 10:24 LWU – Calen Campbell 6 run (Brandon White kick) [4:36, 10-76] 7:01 PSU – John Roderique 26 run (Chad Levin kick) [3:17, 8-75] 5:41 PSU – Tré Roby 63 pass from Jesse Scroggins (White kick) [1:12, 5-83] Second Quarter 3:52 PSU – Roderique 5 run (Levin kick) [2:39, 7-92] 9:14 PSU – Jeff Seybold 1 run (Levin kick) [1:40, 4-2] 3:15 PSU – Roderique 1 run (Levin kick) [4:33, 11-64] 1:53 PSU – Levi Copelin 16 blocked punt return (Levin kick) 0:16 PSU – Kyle Swartz 5 pass from Roderique (Levin kick) [0:36, 4-36] Third Quarter 12:02 PSU – Seybold 19 pass from Roderique (Levin kick) [2:50, 6-80] 00:39 LWU – Lavorrie Johnson 3 run (White kick) [7:19, 18-98] Fourth Quarter 12:10 LWU – Campbell 28 run (White kick) [3:10, 11-66] 6:21 PSU – Rose 17 run (Levin kick) [1:49, 4-31]

LWU: 7-0 TIE: 7-7 LWU: 14-7 TIE: 14-14 PSU: 21-14 PSU: 28-14 PSU: 35-14 PSU: 42-14 PSU: 49-14 PSU: 49-21 PSU: 38-28 PSU: 56-28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): LWU - Campbell 10-70-2, Johnson 12-51-1; PSU- Roderique 13-93-2, Cushon 3-67-0, Rose 8-42-1, Murray 6-19-0, Seybold 7-16-1. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): LWU- Scroggins 17-38-1, 235, 1; Roderique 19-21-0, 204, 3. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): LWU- Roby 5-86-1, Warren 5-76-0, Coble 5-74-0; PSU- Seybold 4-41-1, Panko 4-40-0, Rose 3-53-1, Swartz 3-17-1.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS Washburn 28, Pittsburg State 21

Pittsburg State 31, Fort Hays State 24

PITTSBURG — Quarterback Derek McGinnis passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns and the Washburn University defense held No. 4 Pittsburg State University on a potential game-tying drive in the game’s final minute to lead the Ichabods to a 28-21 victory over the Gorillas Saturday (Sept. 19).

HAYS, Kan. — Fifthteenth-ranked Pittsburg State University rallied from a 24-14 halftime deficit, holding Fort Hays State University scoreless in the second half to claim a 31-24 victory Saturday (Sept. 26) at Lewis Field Stadium.

Washburn (2-1, 2-1 MIAA) built a 28-10 lead with 6:04 to play in the third quarter and then withstood a fourth quarter comeback bid by Pitt State (2-1, 2-1 MIAA) before a sellout crowd of 11,383 fans at Brandenburg Field/ Carnie Smith Stadium. Pitt State’s DeAndre Murray scored on a 16-yard run and quarterback John Roderique, Jr. tossed a 2-point conversion pass to tight end Kyle Swartz to trim the margin to 28-18 with 2:57 remaining in the third quarter. Kicker Chad Levin booted a 30-yard field goal for the game’s final margin with 7:12 to play in the game. The Pitt State defense, which surrendered 457 yards of total offense in the game, forced a three and out, giving the Gorilla offense the ball back with 5:49 remaining in the game. Roderique found wide receiver Marquise Cushon open for a 31-yard gain on a 4th-and-22 play from the PSU 48, but the Ichabods defense stiffened in the red zone and held Pitt State on downs at the Washburn 17 with 31 seconds to play. Roderique completed 16 of 33 passes for 256 yards with one interception in the game. Jeff Seybold, Jr. carried the ball 22 times for 102 yards, including a four-yard touchdown on Pitt State’s opening drive of the game. Cushon had six catches for 93 yards.

The Gorillas posted their 22nd consecutive regular season road win by outscoring the previously unbeaten Tigers, 17-0, over the final 30 minutes to play. John Roderique, Jr. rushed for a game-high 117 yards with two fourth-quarter touchdown runs. He knotted the score at 24-24 with a six-yard run with 12:38 remaining and then put the Gorillas in front, 31-24, with another six-yard run with 5:36 to go. Pitt State utilized an 18-yard run by Darian Taylor on a fake punt to extend the drive on the Gorillas’ game-tying possession. Pitt State had originally settled to try a potential go-ahead 38-yard field goal by Chad Levin later in the final stanza, but a roughing the kicker penalty by FHSU extended the drive and led to Roderique’s final TD. The Gorilla defense, which struggled to contain FHSU’s duo of Traveon Albert and Shaquille Cooper in the first half, came up with key stops after halftime to allow the comeback bid. Heath Wilson twice sacked Albert on FHSU’s final drive, including a 15-yard loss on 4th-and-10 from the PSU 31 with 2:59 to play in the contest. The Pitt State offense picked up a first down and ran out the remainder of the clock to seal the win.

Devron Moore made a game-high 11 tackles, while Deron Washington added 10 stops. Darnell Walker, Jr. made seven tackles and added four pass break-ups.

Wilson finished the game with six stops, including three tackles-for-loss and 2.0 quarterback sacks. Darnell Walker also snared his fourth interception of the game, halting a FHSU drive in the Pitt State red zone on the first series of the third quarter.

Brandon Bourbon carried the ball 18 times for 143 yards and a touchdown for the Ichabods, while Anthony Daniels had six catches for a game-high 107 yards and a score.

Roderique completed 21 of 32 passes for 225 yards, including a 12-yard TD pass to running back Jeff Seybold on the opening drive of the game. Seybold also rushed the ball for 85 yards, while DeAndre Murray carried the ball three times for 47 yards with a 48-yard TD scamper to his credit.

Washburn Pittsburg State

Levi Copelin made four catches for a game-high 94 yards.

Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

7 7

7 0

14 11

0 3

— —

28 21

Albert completed 14 of 21 passes for 141 yards and he rushed the ball 17 times for 107 yards, while Cooper also carried the ball 19 times for 104 yards.

WU PSU 23 10 39-174 41-182 23-40-2 16-33-1 283 256 457 438 5.8 5.9 1-0 1-1 7/253 4/152 15/140 8/51 31:03 28:57 9/17 6/16 1/13 3/16

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 12:54 PSU – Jeff Seybold 4 run (Chad Levin kick) [2:06, 5-68] 03:20 WU – Brandon Bourbon 1 run (Schmiedeler kick) [4:52, 10-76] Second Quarter 00:04 WU – Anthony Daniels 11 pass from McGinnis (Schmiedeler kick) [1:17, 9-52] Third Quarter 12:33 WU – Bryce Chavis 21 pass from McGinnis (Schmiedeler kick) [2:27, 7-75] 9:58 PSU – Levin 28 field goal [2:32, 8-33] 06:04 WU – Crimmins 20 pass from McGinnis (Schmiedeler kick) [3:49, 10-82] 02:57 PSU – Murray 16 run (Kyle Swartz pass from John Roderique) [3:04, 8-78] Fourth Quarter 07:12 PSU – Levin 30 field goal [3:03, 9-60]

Pittsburg State Fort Hays State

PSU: 7-0 tie: 7-7 WU: 14-7 WU: 21-7 PSU: 21-10 WU: 28-10 WU: 28-18 PSU: 28-21

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Seybold 22-105-1, Roderique 12-51-0, Murray 2-27-1, Rose 2-16-0; WU Bourbon 18-144-1, Groves 9-48-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - Roderique 16-33-1, 256, 0; NSU - McGinnis 23-38-0, 283, 3. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Cushon 6-93-0, Copelin 3-57-0, Swartz 2-22-0, Panko 2-20-0; NSU Daniels 6-105-1, Chavis 6-80-1, Crimmins 3-39-1.

14 14

Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

0 10

3 0

14 0

— —

21 28

PSU FHSU 29 19 49-302 38-212 33-21-1 21-14-1 225 141 527 353 6.4 5.9 3-0 2-1 3/41.3 3/42.3 4/25 2/20 34:04 24:56 6/16 7/12 2/17 1/6

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 12:51 PSU –Seybold 12 yd pass from Roderique (Chad Levin kick) [2:09, 7-75] 08:20 FHSU – Gaughan 16 yd pass from Albert (O’Brien kick) [3:23, 8-66] 04:56 FHSU - Cooper 31 yd run (O’Brien kick) [1:53, 5-64] 03:21 PSU - Murray 48 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [1:35, 4-75] Second Quarter 12:52 FHSU - O’Brien 27 yd field goal [5:24, 13-71] 05:03 FHSU – Cooper 55 yd run (O’Brien kick) Third Quarter 03:03 PSU – Chad Levin 28 yd field goal [3:42, 9-50] Fourth Quarter 07:12 PSU – Roderique 6 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [3:59, 10-62] 05:36 PSU – Roderique 6 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [5:38, 11-73]

PSU: 7-0 tie: 7-7 FHSU: 14-7 PSU: 14-14 FHSU: 17-14 FHSU: 24-14 PSU: 24-17 PSU: 24-24 PSU: 31-24

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Seybold 18-85-1, Roderique 18-117-2, Murray 3-47-1, Tyler 3-20-0; FHSU Albert 17-107-1, Cooper 19-104-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - Roderique 21-32-1, 225, 0; FHSU - Albert 14-21-1, 141, 3. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Cushon 3-7-0, Copelin 4-94-0, Swartz 3-38-0, Otting 1-7-0; FHSU - Bacon 4-40-1, Maxi 2-28-1 Gaughan 2-24-1.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

7

GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS Pittsburg State 31, Missouri Western 27

Emporia State 46, Pittsburg State 42

PITTSBURG — For the second time in as many weeks, the Pittsburg State University offense came alive after a slow first half and the Gorillas defense clamped down in the final 30 minutes of play to pull out a hard fought win. The 15th-ranked Gorillas overcame a 27-7 halftime deficit Saturday (Oct. 3) to rally with 24 unanswered points for a 31-27 victory over Missouri Western State University.

EMPORIA, Kan. — Quarterback Brent Wilson tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Kavaski Ervin with 2:06 to play in the game to lift No. 18 Emporia State University to a 46-42 victory over No. 13 Pittsburg State University in a high scoring contest Saturday (Oct. 10) at Welch Stadium.

The Pitt State defense, which allowed 247 yards of offense in the first half, limited Western (3-2, 3-2 MIAA) to 94 yards of offense after halftime. Jeff Seybold capped a 14-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard run on the Gorillas’ opening drive of the third period and Levi Copelin hauled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from John Roderique, Jr. four minutes later to draw Pitt State (4-1, 4-1 MIAA) within six points, 27-21, heading into the fourth quarter. Chad Levin booted a 27-yard field goal with 11:26 to play in the game to make it a 27-24 game. The two teams traded three-and-out drives, before the Griffons threatened to expand their lead before being stopped in Pitt State territory. Taye Irvin tackled running back Josh Caldwell for a one-yard loss on 4th-and-3 from the PSU 23 with 4:50 to play in the contest. Roderique then took the Gorillas 74 yards in eight plays for the go-ahead score. He connected with wide receiver Marquise Cushon on a 36-yard pass to the MWSU 38, then broke loose for a 12-yard run two plays later. He then found Copelin for 11 yards to the MWSU 9, before Jamal Tyler scooted into the end zone from seven yards out two plays later with 1:23 remaining. Skyler Windmiller missed on five of seven pass attempts, including his final four tries, for Western and Pitt State held the Griffons on downs at their own 28 to seal the victory with 32 seconds to play.

The Hornets (6-0, 6-0 MIAA) trailed 14-0 early in the contest to the Gorillas (4-2, 4-2 MIAA) and Pitt State took a final lead, 42-39, with 4:44 remaining in the contest on John Roderique, Jr.’s two-yard run. Wilson completed 26 of 43 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed the ball 10 times for a gamehigh 108 yards, including a 36-yard TD scamper that put the Hornets up 39-35 with 10:41 to play in the game. Following Wilson’s TD run, ESU recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and had a chance to take a two-possession lead, but the Gorillas stopped the Hornets on a 4th-and-goal play from the PSU 1. Wilson fumbled the ball into the end zone on the play and the Gorillas Zach Bessette recovered the ball with 8:15 remaining. Roderique then led Pitt State 80 yards in 11 plays. He converted an eight-yard pass to Marquise Cushon on a 4th-and-6 play from the ESU 26 to set up the go-ahead score. Roderique completed 16 of 31 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns in the game, but he also was intercepted four times. Running back Jeff Seybold carried the ball 19 times for a team-leading 80 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a 32-yard TD pass from Roderique. Roderique rushed the ball 13 times for 72 yards and two scores.

Seybold rushed 13 times for a game-high 100 yards, while Tyler added 88 yards on just five caries. Roderique completed 12 of 25 passes for 158 yards and two TDs and he rushed for 69 yards. Cushon posted Pitt State’s first 100-yard receiving day of the season with six grabs for 104 yards.

Deron Washington made a team-leading 12 tackles for the Gorillas, while Quad Ware and Spencer Brown added nine stops apiece.

Windmiller, who started the game 4-for-4 for 131 yards and two touchdowns, finished the contest 10 of 26 passing for 187 yards with an interception. Raphael Spencer carried the ball 22 times for 74 yards and Caldwell added 11 rushes for 46 yards. Dee Toliver had three catches for 101 yards, including an 84-yard TD connection in the first quarter.

Pittsburg State Emporia State

Missouri Western Pittsburg State Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

14 7

13 0

0 14

0 10

— —

Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

27 31

MWSU PSU 17 18 41-136 43-254 13-29-1 12-24-1 205 158 341 412 4.9 6.1 1-0 3-1 4/183 4/115 0/0 5/25 30:08 29:52 10/19 5/13 3/22 2/7

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 10:00 MWSU – Trey Lewis 27 pass from Skyler Windmiller (Tanner Pettet kick) [5:00, 10-75] 08:55 MWSU – Dee Toliver 84 yd pass from Windmiller (Pettet kick) [0:11, 1-84] 04:20 PSU – Austin Panko 11 pass from John Roderique (Chad Levin kick) [4:32, 10-71] Second Quarter 10:49 MWSU – Daylon Harper 1 run (Pettet kick) [2:20, 5-24] 05:00 MWSU – Pettet 38 field goal [1:30, 4-8] 00:45 MWSU – Pettet 41 field goal [2:53, 8-21] Third Quarter 08:16 PSU – Jeff Seybold 1 run (Levin kick) [6:44, 14-65] 04:23 PSU – Levi Copelin 8 pass from Roderique (Levin kick) [2:51, 6-82] Fourth Quarter 11:26 PSU – Levin 27 field goal [3:31, 10-61] 04:23 PSU – Jamal Tyler 7 run (Levin kick) [3:27, 8-76]

MWSU: 7-0 MWSU: 14-0 MWSU: 14-7 MWSU: 21-7 MWSU: 24-7 MWSU: 27-7 MWSU: 27-14 MWSU: 27-21 MWSU: 27-24 PSU: 31-27

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Seybold 13-101-1, Roderique 16-74-0, Tyler 5-88-1; MWSU - Spencer 22-79-1, Caldwell 11-50-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - Roderique 12-24-1, 158, 2; MWSU - Windmiller 10-25-1, 187, 2. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Cushon 6-104-0, Copelin 4-35-1, Panko 2-19-1; MWSU - Clark 5-42-1, Toliver 3-101-1, Lewis 3-42-1.

8

14 7

14 15

7 10

7 14

— —

42 46

PSU ESU 23 29 40-188 51-223 17-33-4 26-43-1 308 336 496 559 6.8 5.9 1-1 3-1 2/92 5/189 9/85 9/78 27:20 32:40 7/14 5/17 2/8 1/4

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 11:37 PSU – Kyle Swartz 17 yd pass from John Roderique (Levin kick) [3:23, 9-79] 08:55 PSU – John Roderique 29 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [0:59, 3-65] 05:02 ESU – Antonio Brown 2 yd run (Morton kick) [3:48, 12-74] Second Quarter 13:09 PSU – Jeff Seybold 32 yd pass from John Roderique (Levin kick) [0:34, 2-41] 08:58 ESU – Ervin 6 yd pass from Wilson (Morton kick failed) [4:05, 10-63] 04:35 ESU – Foote 4 yd pass from Wilson (Wilson pass failed) [2:51, 10-59] 01:58 PSU – Levi Copelin 29 pass from John Roderique (Levin kick) [2:32, 6-71] 00:00 ESU – Morton 36 yd field goal [1:54, 12-73] Third Quarter 10:08 ESU – Morton 29 yd field goal [2:30, 6-24] 04:37 ESU – Reed 56 yd pass from Wilson (Morton kick) [1:07, 5-71] 02:11 PSU – Jeff Seybold 1 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [2:21, 5-73] Fourth Quarter 10:41 ESU – Wilson 36 yd run (Morton kick) [1:55, 6-72] 04:44 PSU – John Roderique 2 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [3:31, 11-80] 02:06 ESU – Ervin 14 yd pass from Wilson (Morton kick) [2:33, 8-72]

PSU: 7-0 PSU: 14-0 PSU: 14-7 PSU: 21-7 PSU: 21-13 PSU: 21-19 PSU: 28-19 PSU: 28-22 PSU: 28-25 ESU: 32-28 PSU: 35-32 ESU: 39-35 PSU: 42-39 ESU: 46-42

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Seybold 19-83-1, Roderique 13-80-2, Murray 3-15-0; ESU - Wilson 10-116-1, Brown 15-69-1, Nault 16-43-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - Roderique 12-24-4, 229, 3; ESU - Wilson 26-43-1, 336, 4. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Panko 4-922-0, Cushon 4-52-0, Copelin 3-71-1; ESU - Ervin 6-88-2, Foote 6-53-1, Nault 3-50-0.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS Northwest Missouri 31, Pittsburg State 14

Pittsburg State 31, Nebraska-Kearney 14

PITTSBURG — Third-ranked Northwest Missouri State University scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to break open a 7-7 game against No. 22 Pittsburg State University. The Bearcats rode that first-half momemtum to a 31-14 victory in front of 10,189 fans at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

KEARNEY, Neb. — The Pittsburg State University football team rallied from from an early 13-0 deficit to claim a 24-19 road win over the University of Nebraska-Kearney Saturday (Oct. 24).

With the win and Emporia State’s 27-23 loss to Fort Hays State, the Bearcats (7-0, 7-0 MIAA) are the only remaining unbeaten team in the MIAA. The Gorillas fall to 4-3. Brady Bolles tossed a pair of first-half touchdown passes for the Bearcats and Brandon Yost recovered a fumble in the Pitt State end zone for a defensive score. After Bolles first scoring pass to George Sehl, Marquise Cushon tossed a 19-yard reverse pass to tight end Kyle Swartz to get Pitt State on the board and knot the score at 7-7 with 7:31 remaining in the first quarter. Bolles then finished a 15-play, 65-yard drive that consumed 7:32 of play clock by hitting Clayton Wilson in the end zone from five yards out. After Yost’s score put the Bearcats in front, 21-7, Randy Schmidt tossed a 68-yard reverse pass to Sehl to make it a 28-7 Bearcat lead with 7:21 to play in the first half. Thomas LePage, making his first career start for an injured Pitt State starter John Roderique, Jr., completed 13 of 27 passes for 76 yards. He tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to running back Michael Rose to draw the Gorillas within 14 points, at 28-14, with 6:45 to play in the third quarter. The Pitt State defense limited the Bearcats to 121 yards in the second half. Dino Teague intercepted a Bolles pass in the end zone to halt a potential scoring drive and then Pitt State forced four punts and a fumble among Northwest’s final six drives. The Gorillas had opportunities to climb back into the contest, but four of Pitt State’s final six possessions ended in interceptions. Colby Hall made a game-high 13 tackles for the Gorillas, while Deron Washington added 10 stops and a forced fumble. Jacob Vollstedt recorded a team-leading 11 tackles for Northwest, including two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.

Northwest Missouri Pittsburg State Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

7 7

21 0

0 7

3 0

— —

31 14

UNK (0-8, 0-8 MIAA) drove 75 yards for a score on the opening drive of the game, then struck again when Shai Harris returned a tipped pass for a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown to build a 13-0 lead four minutes into the game. Pitt State (5-3, 5-3 MIAA) finally got on the board on the first play of the second quarter when quarterback Thomas LePage scored on a 10-yard run. The drive was set up when UNK’s George Brown fumbled a punt return at the UNK 30. The Lopers stretched their lead to 16-7 on Brendon Wentling’s 45-yard field goal with 7:52 remaining in the second quarter. Pitt State again used a big special teams play to find the end zone. Levi Copelin blocked Payton Fluckey’s punt attempt and Deron Washington recovered it at the UNK 7. Two plays later, running back Michael Rose sprinted into the end zone from six yards out to narrow the margin to 16-14 with 3:43 left in the half. The Gorilla defense forced a three-and-out and wide receiver Marquise Cushon broke off a 42-yard end around run to flip the field for Pitt State. Chad Levin capped the drive with a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give the Gorillas a 17-16 lead. Running back Jeff Seybold stretched the Gorillas’ lead to 24-16 with a one-yard run with 2:27 to play in the third quarter. Safety Darian Taylor forced UNK’s Caleb Lundgren into a fumble five plays early to give Pitt State the ball at the UNK 34. The Lopers added a 21-yard field goal from Wentling with 10:06 to play in the game to make it a 24-19 game, but the Pitt State defense kept UNK out of the end zone on its final two drives to seal the win. Heath Wilson was credited with tackling UNK quarterback Bronson Marsh for a two-yard loss on a 4th-and-six play from the PSU 45 with 34 seconds remaining in the game to halt the Lopers’ final drive. Rose rushed for a team-leading 59 yards for the Gorillas. Cushon added 53 yards, while Seybold finished with 49 yards and LePage chipped in with 42 ground yards. LePage completed five of 14 passes for 36 yards with two interceptions. Spencer Brown made a team-leading 13 tackles, while Kip Keeley added 10 stops. Dino Teague intercepted a pass in the PSU end zone in the first half to stop a potential UNK scoring drive..

Pittsburg State Nebraska-Kearney

NWMSU PSU 19 15 37-119 36-80 18-33-1 14-28-4 223 175 342 175 4.9 2.7 1-1 4-1 6/381 7/275 7/70 4/43 31:14 28:46 5/14 6/15 3/21 3/18

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 10:13 NWMSU – Sehl 3 yd pass from Bolles (Mathiesen kick) [2:49, 6-48] 07:31 PSU – Kyle Swartz 19 yd pass from Marquise Cushon (Chad Levin kick) [2:36, 6-49] Second Quarter 14:55 NWMSU – Wilson 5 yd pass from Bolles (Mathiesen kick) [7:32, 15-65] 09:48 NWMSU – Yost 0 yd fumble recovery (Mathiesen kick) 07:21 NWMSU –Sehl 68 yd pass from Schmidt (Mathiesen kick) [0:46, 2-75] Third Quarter 06:45 PSU – Michael Rose 15 yd from Thomas LePage (Levin kick) [5:47, 13-80] Fourth Quarter 04:48 NWMSU – Mathiesen 32 yd field goal [2:17, 6-28]

The Gorillas defense blocked a punt and forced three fumbles to help spark the comeback win.

NWMSU: 7-0 TIED: 7-7 NWMSU: 14-7 NWMSU: 21-7 NWMSU: 28-7 NWMSU: 28-14 NWMSU: 31-24

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - LePage 14-27-0, Seybold 10-25-0, Rose 5-15-0; NWMSU - Zimmerman 7-51-0, Jackson 8-37-0, Wilcox 10-30-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - LePage 13-27-4, 76, 1; NWMSU - Bolles 15-30-1, 148, 2. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Seybold 3-16-0, Copelin 3-10-0, Swartz 2-28-1, Michael Rose 2-14-1; NWMSU - Williams 4-42-0, Bane 4-34-0, Lewis 3-42-1.

0 13

Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

17 3

7 0

0 3

— —

24 19

PSU UNK 11 14 45-199 40-126 5-14-2 12-23-1 36 138 235 264 4.0 4.2 0-0 2-2 7/262 7/229 7/52 3/30 27:43 32:17 1/13 6/16 4/12 3/22

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 12:06 UNK – Bronson Marsh 22 yd run (Brendon Wentling kick) [2:54, 7-75] 11:01 UNK – Shai Harris 37 yd interception return (kick blocked) Second Quarter 14:56 PSU – Thomas LePage 10 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [2:26, 5-30] 07:52 UNK – Wentling 45 yd field goal [3:46, 10-32] 03:43 PSU –Michael Rose 6 yd run (Levin kick) [0:40, 2-7] 00:00 PSU –Chad Levin 44 yd field goal [2:23, 5-34] Third Quarter 02:27 PSU – Jeff Seybold 1 yd run (Levin kick) [1:11, 4-34] Fourth Quarter 10:06 UNK – Wentling 21 yd field goal [7:18, 14-66]

UNK: 7-0 UNK: 13-0 UNK: 13-7 UNK: 16-7 UNK: 16-14 PSU: 17-16 PSU: 24-16 PSU: 24-19

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - LePage 16-65-1, Seybold 13-49-1, Rose 11-66-1; UNK - Marsh 15-62-1, Quinn 12-40-0, Cotton 3-40-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - LePage 5-14-2, 36, 0; UNK - Marsh 12-23-1, 138, 0. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Copelin 1-32-0, Daniel 1-18-0 ; UNK - Sealey 5-39-0, Navarrette 3-28-0, Lane 2-28-0.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

9

GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS Pittsburg State 41, Missouri Southern 14 PITTSBURG — Slade Nordic returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and Dino Teague returned an interception 51 yards for a score five plays later as Pittsburg State University started fast en route to a 41-14 victory over Missouri Southern State University Saturday (Oct. 31). The Gorillas (6-3, 6-3 MIAA), who trailed the University of Nebraska-Kearney 13-0 four minutes into the game last week, turned the tables on the visiting Lions (1-8, 1-8 MIAA) in front of 8,251 fans at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium. Michael Rose added a five-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter as Pitt State built a 21-0 lead. Southern trimmed the margin to 21-14 on E.J. McKenzie’s 35-yard interception return and a 37-yard T.J. Feeton to Jocqui Davis touchdown pass. The Gorillas countered with a pair of Thomas LePage touchdown passes to restore order and put the game out of reach. LePage capped a nine-play, 55-yard drive with an 11-yard TD pass to Kyle Swartz with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter. Then, after Tyree Jefferson’s interception gave the Gorillas the ball at the MSSU 14, he tossed a 13-yard fourth quarter scoring strike. Jeff Seybold closed out the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run with 6:00 to play in the game. Seybold rushed the ball 18 times for a game-high 92 yards, while LePage added 45 yards on 10 carries. Rose finished the game with 11 carries for 43 yards as Pitt State compiled 225 ground yards. LePage completed 15 of 24 passes for 171 yards and two scores. He completed eight balls to Marquise Cushon for a game-high 99 yards. Feeton was 14 of 25 passing for 188 yards with two interceptions. Will Gregory gained 77 rushing yards on 12 carries for the Lions. Spencer Brown made a team-leading 12 tackles with two stops behind the line of scrimmage for the Gorillas. Taye Irvin registered five tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles-for-loss.

Missouri Southern Pittsburg State Team Statistics First Downs Rushing Passing Passing Yards Total Offense Avg./Play Fumbles/Lost Punting Penalties/Yards Time of Possession Third Downs Conv. Sacks By/Yards

0 21

7 0

7 6

0 14

— —

14 41

MSSU PSU 13 25 32-103 56-225 14-25-2 15-24-2 188 171 291 396 5.1 4.9 1-1 1-0 6/268 5/178 3/26 5/42 24:32 35:28 3/12 7/15 1/5 3/33

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter 14:48 PSU – Slade Nordic 100 yd kickoff return (Chad Levin kick) 12:55 PSU – Dino Teague 51 yd interception return (Chad Levin kick) 00:10 PSU – Michael Rose 5 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [2:45, 7-78] Second Quarter 02:59 MSSU – McKenzie 35 yd interception return (Renken kick) Third Quarter 10:13 MSSU – Davis 37 yd pass from Fleeton (Renken kick) [0:45, 2-30] 06:22 PSU – Kyle Swartz 5 yd pass from Thomas LePage (Chad Levin kick blocked) [3:47, 9-55] Fourth Quarter 09:57 PSU – Levi Copelin 13 yd pass from Thomas LePage (Chad Levin kick) [1:22, 3-14] 06:00 PSU – Jeff Seybold 20 yd run (Chad Levin kick) [2:18, 6-55]

PSU: 7-0 PSU: 14-0 PSU: 21-0 PSU: 21-7 PSU: 21-14 PSU: 27-14 PSU: 34-14 PSU: 41-14

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Seybold 18-93-1, LePage 10-50-0, Rose 11-46-1; MSSU - Gregory 12-89-0, Henderson 5-24-0, Fleeton 15-39-0. Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int., Yds., TDs): PSU - LePage 15-24-2, 171, 2; MSSU - Fleeton 14-25-2, 188, 1. Receiving (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): PSU - Cushon 8-99-0, Copelin 2-21-1, Swartz 2-16-1, Panko 1-20-0; MSSU Crawford 5-35-0, Day 4-85-0, Davis 1-37-1.

10

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

PITT STATE “GORILLAS” 2-DEEP PITTSBURG STATE OFFENSE WR TE LT LG C RG RT WR WR QB FB RB

8 82 88 89 76 74 61 71 66 59 70 71 72 73 9 2 80 17 10 5 37 34 1 30 3

Levi Copelin (6-2, 190, Jr.) Slade Nordic (6-1, 190, Fr.-RS) Kyle Swartz (6-3, 240, Jr.) Andy Otting (6-3, 239, So.) Chase Carney (6-5, 270, So.) Jacob Ralph (6-3, 301, So.) Gavin Rainwater (6-3, 297, Sr.) Alex Jones (6-4, 297, Fr.-RS) Bo Farrow (6-2, 270, So.) Jake Wall (6-1, 261, Jr.) Tyler Stiff (6-4, 307, Fr.-RS) Alex Jones (6-4, 297, Fr.-RS) Ryan Cipriani (6-5, 282, So.) Ryan Dodd (6-5, 300, Fr.) Marquise Cushon (5-10, 162, Sr.) Andre Taylor (5-9, 162, Jr.-RS) Austin Daniel (6-2, 212, Sr.) Austin Panko (6-0, 192, So.) Thomas LePage (6-3, 198, So.) Grayson Tempel (6-0, 185, Fr.-RS) David Cardinal, Jr. (5-9, 206, Jr.) Brian Poston (6-0, 225, Sr.) Jeff Seybold, Jr. (5-9, 199, Sr.) Michael Rose (5-10, 177, So.) Jamal Tyler (5-11, 197, Sr.)

PK LS H

46 48 17

Chad Levin (5-9, 171, Jr.) Alex Howdeshell (6-1, 250, Sr.) Austin Panko (6-0, 192, So.)

CENTRAL MISSOURI OFFENSE WR 5 Andrew Bakker (6-3, 205, Jr.) 4 Alex Strong (6-4, 195, Jr.) TE 45 Ian Toalson (6-4, 255, Sr.) 85 Tyler Nugent (6-6, 235, So.) LT 58 Brian Berzanski (6-1, 200, Jr.) 62 Shayne Parsons (6-4, 280, Sr.) LG 54 Chris Gomez (6-3, 305, So.) 74 Markus Zimmerman (6-4, 280, R-Fr.) C 75 Tycie Linneman (6-3, 280, Sr.) 76 Drew Padget (6-2, 280, Sr.) RG 72 Layne Fischer (6-4, 310, So.) 67 Zach Berdnik (6-6, 295, R-Fr.) RT 55 Derrick Puni (6-6, 290, So.) 78 Nick Warren (6-4, 280, R-Fr.) WR 1 Jaylen Zachery (5-11, 185, So.) 8 Kyle Echols (6-2, 195, So.) WR 15 Clayton Cooper (6-2, 205, Sr.) 16 TylerJones (6-2, 200, Jr.) QB 10 Garrett Fugate (6-3, 210, Jr.) 11 Eric Siebenshuh (6-4, 220, Jr.) FB 87 Josh Pickrell (6-3, 235, Sr.) 18 Jordan Keeney (6-2, 250, Sr.) RB 7 Markel Smith (5-11, 230, Fr.) 37 Rodney Smith (5-9, 195, Jr.) PK LS H

97 Billy Greco (5-10, 175, R-Fr.) 46 Garrett Cline (6-4, 220, So.) 10 Garrett Fugate (6-3, 210, Jr.)

PITTSBURG STATE DEFENSE DE NG DT DE LB LB CB SS FS WS CB

6 86 99 95 45 94 55 90 51 57 52 36 47 35 27 11 16 22 31 32 16 21 4

Montrae Strickland (6-4, 245, Sr.) Dreu White (6-6, 250, Jr.) Taye Irvin (6-1, 339, Sr.) Drake Humphrey (6-0, 231, Fr.) Zach Bessette (6-3, 243, Sr.) Brad Hefley (6-4, 288, Sr.) Heath Wilson (6-3, 256, Jr.) José Speer (6-3, 246, So.) Colby Hall (5-11, 204, Sr.) Kip Keeley (6-0, 205, Fr.) Eric Brantley (5-11, 200, Sr.) Spencer Brown (6-0, 214, Jr.) Demetrius Bernard (6-0, 225, So.) Matt Magee (6-0, 180, Fr.-RS) Jonathan Gilkey (5-9, 165, Fr.-RS) Darian Taylor (6-3, 205, Fr.-RS) Brady Bradbury (5-10, 190, So.) Deron Washington (6-1, 200, Jr.) Jaxon Wright (6-0, 174, So.) Quad Ware (6-0, 192, Jr.) Brady Bradbury (5-10, 190, So.) Dino Teague (6-0, 185, Sr.) Tyree Jefferson (6-0, 185, Jr.)

P PR KR

43 9 9 82

Carter Anchors (6-1, 190, Fr.) Marquise Cushon (5-10, 162, Sr.) Marquise Cushon (5-10, 162, Sr.) Slade Nordic (6-1, 190, Fr.-RS)

CENTRAL MISSOURI DEFENSE DE NG DT DE LB LB LB CB SS FS CB

52 41 90 99 96 92 94 50 47 33 39 32 49 26 27 36 21 9 42 3 40 29

Josh Powell (6-3, 260, Jr.) Jack Cronin (6-3, 250, Jr.) Triphinue Taylor (6-3, 300, So.) Anthony Saputo (6-0, 295, Sr.) Connor Flagel (6-4, 265, So.) Tony Leachman (6-3, 280, So.) Jason Venckus (6-4, 255, Sr.) Christian Cunningham (6-6, 240, Sr.) Sam Smith (6-1, 225, Sr.) Chase Bollinger (6-2, 235, Sr.) Alex Lackey (6-1, 230, So.) TuiSamoa Magalei (6-3, 240, Jr.) Austin Miller (6-0, 230, So.) Manuel Cole (6-1, 215, R-Fr.) Kadarius Green (5-10, 180, Sr.) Jordan Dickson (6-1, 190, R-Fr.) Tevin Teamer (6-4,210, Jr.) J.R. Alexander (6-0, 215, Jr.) Jackson Newman (6-1, 190, R-Fr.) Travion Vaughn (6-1, 190, Jr.) Monteze Latimore (5-11, 190, So.) Kenny Mings (6-1, 190, Sr.)

P PR KR

98 1 1 42

Peter Smith (5-10, 175, R-Fr.) Jaylen Zachery (5-11, 185, So.) Jaylen Zachery (5-11, 185, So.) Jackson Newman (6-1, 190, R-Fr.)

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

11

PITT STATE NUMERICAL ROSTER

NO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

NAME POS HT WT Jeff Seybold, Jr. RB 5-11 199 Andre Taylor WR 5-9 162 Jamal Tyler RB 5-11 197 Tyree Jefferson CB 6-0 185 Greyson Temple QB 6-0 185 Montrae Strickland DE 6-4 245 Ramsey Hamilton QB 6-2 204 Levi Copelin WR 6-2 190 Marquise Cushon WR 5-10 162

CL SR JR SR JR FR SR JR JR SR

EXP 3L SQ 1L TR RS 3L 2L TR 3L

HOMETOWN Lincoln, Neb. St. Petersburg, Fla. Rock Hill, S.C. Philadelphia, Pa. Garden City, Kan. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Beggs, Okla. Broken Arrow, Okla. Kansas City, Mo.



10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Thomas LePage Darian Taylor Tanner Eikenbary Darnell Walker, Jr. Jared Vincent Ethan Fugitt Brady Bradbury Austin Panko DeAndre Murray John Roderique, Jr.

QB S S CB PK/P LB S WR RB QB

6-3 6-3 6-1 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-4

198 205 202 182 180 242 190 192 180 220

SO FR FR JR FR SO SO SO FR FR

1L RS RS TR HS 1L 1L 1L RS TR

Jefferson City, Mo. Manhattan, Kan. Kansas City, Kan. Lawrenceville, Ga. Claremore, Okla. Oak Grove, Mo. Adair, Okla. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Springdale, Ark. Web City, Mo.



20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Kellen Sims Dino Teague Deron Washington DeMarcus Edwards Devron Moore L.A. Purnell Aren Martin Jonathon Gilkey Ryan McNerlin Steven Sullivan

WR CB S RB S CB WR CB S RB

5-11 6-0 6-1 5-11 6-0 5-7 6-1 5-9 5-9 5-10

173 185 211 197 192 178 190 165 190 184

SO SR JR FR JR SR SO FR SO SO

SQ 3L 2L RS TR 1L SQ RS S 1L

Wichita, Kan. Tulsa, Okla. Raymore, Mo. Lee Summit, Mo. Carthage, Mo. Topeka, Kan. Lebanon, Mo. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Stilwell, Kan. Blue Springs, Mo.



30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

Michael Rose Jaxon Wright Quad Ware Dre Holman Brian Poston Matt McGee Spencer Brown David Cardinal, Jr. Courtney Green Skylarr Gatson

RB CB CB RB RB CB LB RB WR S

5-10 6-0 6-0 5-9 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-9 6-2 5-11

177 174 192 215 225 180 214 206 209 198

SO SO JR JR SR FR JR SO SR JR

1L SQ 2L 2L 3L RS 2L 1L SQ 2L

Albuquerque, N.M Holton, Kan. Broken Arrow, Okla. Oklahoma City, Okla. Carthage, Mo. Carl Junction, Mo. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Hays, Kan. Kansas City, Mo. Wichita, Kan.



40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

Nick Wuthnow Cameron Ginther Kohl Slaughter Carter Anchors Drew Dawson Zach Bessette Chad Levin Demetrius Bernard Alex Howdeshell Carson Letchworth

S TE TE P S DL PK LB LS TE

5-11 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-3 5-9 6-0 6-1 6-3

197 229 220 190 193 243 171 225 250 221

FR FR FR FR FR SR JR SO SR SO

RS RS TR HS RS 2L SQ RS 3L SQ

New Cambria, Kan. Atwood, Kan. Webb City, Mo. Kansas City, Mo. Pittsburg, Kan. Ulysses Kan. Bentonville, Ark. O’Fallon, Mo. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Blue Springs, Mo.



50 51 52 53 54 55 57 59

DeShane Lewis Colby Hall Eric Brantley Drew Gill James Peoples III Heath Wilson Kip Keeley Jake Wall

DL LB LB LB DL DE LB OL

5-11 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-1

240 204 200 204 290 256 205 261

SO SR SR JR JR JR FR JR

TR 3L 3L SQ RS 2L TR 1L

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Lamar, Mo. Kansas City, Mo. Pittsburg, Kan. Ottawa, Kan. Wagoner, Okla. LaCrosse, Kan. Carl Junction, Mo.



60 61 62 63 65 66 67

Jake McCain Gavin Rainwater Dexton Robertson Nick Weisenborn Ben Saint Bo Farrow Garrett Lawson

LS OL OL OL DL OL DL

6-0 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-2 6-3

212 311 303 282 298 270 261

FR SR SO SO SO SO FR

RS 3L SQ RS SQ 1L RS

Bellevue, Neb. Neosho, Mo. Cashion, Okla. St. Peters, Mo. O’Fallon, Mo. Broken Arrow, Okla. McPherson, Kan.



NO 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

NAME Tyler Stiff Alex Jones Ryan Cipriani Ryan Dodd Jacob Ralph Travis Funk Chase Carney Kelly Wortham

POS OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL

HT 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-3

WT 307 297 282 300 372 297 255 275

CL FR FR SO FR JR JR SO SO

EXP RS RS SQ HS SQ 1L SQ 1L

HOMETOWN Liberty, Mo. Lawrence, Kan. Overland Park, Kan. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Bentonville, Ark. Kearney, Mo. Fayetteville, Ark. Yukon, Okla.



80 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 89

Austin Daniel Cailon Shaw Slade Nordic T.J. Molway Dreu White Grayson Handel Trey Myers Kyle Swartz Andy Otting

WR WR WR WR DE WR DE TE TE

6-2 6-5 6-1 6-0 6-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-3

212 210 190 185 250 175 245 245 239

SR SR FR FR JR FR JR JR SO

3L TR RS RS SQ RS SQ 2L SQ

Webb City, Mo. Montezuma, Ga. Bartlesville, Okla. Kansas City, Mo. Kansas City, Kan. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Kansas City, Mo. Olathe, Kan. Topeka, Kan.



90 91 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

José Speer Justin Strong Antoine Brown Brad Hefley Drake Humphrey Sam Harvill Ethan Mitchell Braxton Early Taye Irvin

DE DL DE DL DL DL DE DE DL

6-3 6-1 6-4 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-1

246 255 220 288 231 285 245 248 339

SO SR SO SR FR SO FR FR SR

SQ SQ SQ 1L HS TR RS TR 3L

Webb City, Mo. Harrisonville, Mo. Tulsa, Okla. Joplin, Mo. Webb City, Mo. Springdale, Ark. Salina, Kan. Grove Hill, Ala. LaGrange, Ga.

190 180 215 220 285 185 220 245 215 255 205 255 170 235 180 190 165 185 220 240 185 215 268 185 190 185 230 230 175 280 240 230

SO FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR SR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR

TR HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS TR HS HS HS HS HS HS 2L HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS HS

Arkansas City, Kan. Kansas City, Mo. Overland Park, Kan. Carl Junction, Mo. Lake St. Louis, Mo. Herman, Neb. Savonburg, Kan. Lawton, Okla. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Wichita, Kan. Lawton, Okla. Anthony, Kan. Oklahoma City, Okla. Olathe, Kan. Wichita, Kan. Webb City, Mo. Blue Springs, Mo. Kansas City, Mo. Smithville, Mo. Pittsburg, Kan. Wichita, Kan. Lamar, Mo. St. Louis, Mo. Stilwell, Kan. Carl Junction, Mo. Pittsburg, Kan. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Stilwell, Kan. Lawton, Okla. Wentzville, Mo. Camdenton, Mo. Elk City, Kan.

ADDITIONAL SQUAD MEMBERS Derrick Banks S 6-0 William Bazzle IV CB 6-2 Ned Bingaman DE 6-4 Kaden Brannin LB 6-2 Tyler Brave OL 6-4 Dash Cameron WR 5-10 Jacob Carpenter LB 6-2 Connor Cherry DL 6-4 Brenner Clemons WR 6-2 Josh Fatkin DL 6-1 Mahlik Hanna DB 6-0 Jaden Helms OL 6-3 Cassius Hill S 5-10 Mitch Holsinger DE 6-2 Josh Hornback S 6-2 Dalton Humphrey LB 5-10 Keeyon Incle CB 6-0 Kiah Kintchen RB 5-9 Jackson Krull TE 6-6 Sage Mahnken OL 6-3 Marcus Malcolm S 6-2 Brett McDonald LB 6-3 Robert McField TE 6-6 Sam Randall WR 6-0 Keynan Scheurich RB 5-9 Austin Seward P 6-0 Benton Sinclair OL 6-0 Dylan Smith LB 6-0 Lorenzo West WR 5-11 Danny Williams DL 6-3 Alexx Wilsman DE 6-4 Levi Wyrick QB 6-4

COACHING STAFF: Tim Beck, Head Coach; Dave Wiemers, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator; Steve Rampy, Offensive Coordinator; Lance Cullen, Safeties; Ryan Hellwig, Defensive Line; John Pierce, Running Backs; Carl Roth, Linebackers; Derrick Sherman, Wide Receivers; Steve Wells, Offensive Line; Larry Garman, In-Season Recruiting; Matt Nelson, Strength Training/Nutrition; Trey Derryberry, Graduate Assistant; Luke Miller, Graduate Assistant; Rashad Pittman, Graduate Assistant; Chance Riley, Graduate Assistant.

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GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

2015 SEASON STATISTICS

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

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GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

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2015 STARTING LINEUPS OFFENSE Northeastern State Lindenwood Washburn Fort Hays State Missouri Western Emporia State Northwest Missouri Nebraska-Kearney Missouri Southern Central Missouri Central Oklahoma DEFENSE Northeastern State Lindenwood Washburn Fort Hays State Missouri Western Emporia State Northwest Missouri Nebraska-Kearney Missouri Southern Central Missouri Central Oklahoma

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WR Copelin Copelin Copelin Copelin Copelin Copelin Copelin Copelin Shaw

WR/TE Cushon Cushon Cushon Cushon Cushon Cushon Cushon Cushon Cushon

LT Carney Carney Carney Carney Carney Carney Carney Carney Carney

LG Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater Rainwater

C Farrow Farrow Farrow Farrow Farrow Farrow Farrow Farrow Farrow

RG Wortham Wortham Wortham Stiff Stiff Stiff Stiff Stiff Stiff

RT Robertson Cipriani Cipriani Cipriani Cipriani Cipriani Cipriani Cipriani Cipriani

WR/TE Swartz Daniel Daniel Swartz Swartz Swartz Daniel Swartz Daniel

WR/FB/TE Daniel Cardinal Panko Otting Daniel Daniel Panko Rose Panko

QB Roderique Roderique Roderique Roderique Roderique Roderique LePage LePage LePage

TB/WR Seybold Seybold Seybold Seybold Seybold Seybold Seybold Seybold Seybold

DE Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson Wilson

NG Irvin Irvin Irvin Humphrey Irvin Irvin Irvin Irvin Irvin

DT/LB Bessette Bessette Hefley Hefley Bessette Bernard Bessette Bernard Bernard

DE Strickland Strickland Strickland Strickland Strickland Strickland Strickland Strickland Strickland

LB Hall Hall Hall Hall Hall Hall Hall Keeley Hall

LB S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown

CB Teague Teague Teague Teague Teague Teague Teague Teague Teague

SS (Gorilla) Gatson Gatson Gatson Gatson Gatson Bradbury Bradbury D. Taylor D. Taylor

FS Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington

S (Bandit) Moore Moore Moore Moore Moore Moore Ware Ware Ware

CB Walker Walker Walker Walker Walker Walker Walker Walker Magee

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

GAME #10 • GORILLAS VS. MULES • NOV. 1, 2015 • WARRENSBURG, MO.

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