Kickoff
The 16th ranked Missouri Western football team makes its third road trip of the 2012 season on Saturday, October 20 taking on the #7 Pittsburg State University Gorillas in Pittsburg, Kan. Kick off is set for 2:00 pm on Brandenburg Field in Carnie Smith Stadium. 

Game Information Date / Time: October 20, 2012 / 2:00 p.m. CST Site: Pittsburg, Kan. - Carnie Smith Stadium (8,342) Radio: Griffon Sports Network (KFEQ 680 AM St. Joseph & KMRN 1360 AM Cameron)     Talent: Dave Riggert (pxp), Bob Orf (analyst),       Brett Esely (sideline) Twitter Updates: @gogriffons Series: PSU leads 27-10     St. Joseph, Mo.: PSU leads 13-6     Pittsburg, Kan.: PSU leads 14-4     First Meeting: September 19, 1970 - at     MWSU; PSU defeated MWSU 63-14     Last Meeting: September 1, 2011- at MWSU     PSU won 34-7

Missouri Western Grffons (6-1, 5-1 MIAA) Football Page Roster Statistics (2012) Schedule Game Notes Athletic Website

Pittsburg State (5-1, 5-1 MIAA) Football Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Athletic Website

Live Audio   Live Stats Live Video

STORY LINES
• This marks just the 38th meeting between the Gorillas and the Griffons.
• This marks the 19th meeting in Pittsburg with the last coming in 2009 when the Griffons won 45-40 on September 26.
• The Griffons are 2-0 at home this season and 2-0 in MIAA play at home...MWSU beat Fort Hays State 21-3 and Northeastern State 45-31.
• The Griffons have won the last two games that have been played in Pittsburg, Kan.
• The Griffons have struggled with the Gorillas in October. MWSU is 1-9 overall and 0-5 in Pittsburg, Kan. when playing the Gorillas in October.
• The only victory in October against the Gorillas for the Griffons was on October 12, 1996 when MWSU won 38-28 in St. Joseph, Mo.
• Since 2006 the Griffons are 4-2 against the Gorillas winning twice in Pittsburg (2007, 2009) and twice in St. Joseph (2006, 2010).
• The Griffons highest ranking ever in the AFCA poll is 4th while their highest in the D2Football.com poll is 3rd.
• Before last weekends loss the Griffons had won 13 straight regular season games with 12 being MIAA gagmes.
• Missouri Western broke the single game record for yards per rush against William Jewell with 8.8 yard per carry average. The old record was 7.8 which was set on October 22, 2005 vs. Southwest Baptist.
• Taylor Anderson broke the record for most consecutive PATs made in a season with 36 and has made 42 straight in his career.
• MWSU leads the MIAA in rushing yards per game averaging 281.3 yards per game while senior running back Michael Hill is third in the the nation averaging 161.14 yards per game.
• The Pittsburg State Gorillas lead the MIAA in rushing defense giving up just 108.8 yards per game.
• Hill is third in the nation in All-Purpose yards per game averaging 174.57 per game while PSU's John Brown is 1st with 219.67 per game.
• Missouri Western is coming off a season where they went 9-3 and made their third trip in school history to the NCAA Division II National Playoffs and hosted its first ever playoff game at Spratt Stadium.
• Travis Partridge has thrown for or ran for 23 touchdowns in MIAA games this season.
• The nine victories tied a school record for most victories in a season. Missouri Western has done it six times (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011).

COACHES
MWSU head football coach Jerry Partridge. . .
• Named the sixth head coach of the Griffon football program in 1997
• Is 118-63 (.652) in his 16th season as the Griffon head coach.
• Is 89-48 (.645) against the MIAA.
• Has led the Griffons to three NCAA Playoff
appearances and six Mineral Water bowl appearance.
• Led the Griffons to the 2003 Co-MIAA regular season championship.
• Has recorded six winning seasons in last seven years
• Led the Griffons to a school record nine victories in six of his 15 seasons which included last season.
• Is Missouri Western's all-time winningest coach with 118 wins.
• Is third in all-time wins in the MIAA.
• This marks Coach P's 16th meeting with Pittsburg State.
• Played four years at Missouri Western.
• Partridge id 68-23 at home in his career with three undefeated seasons at home (2003, 2006, 2010).
• Marks the third meeting against coach Beck...each team has won on the opponents home field.
• PSU and NWMSU are the only two MIAA schools Coach P has a losing record against.

Pittsburg State head coach Tim Beck. . .
• Tim Beck enters his third season as Pittsburg State University's head football coach and his 26th year on the Gorillas' staff.
• Beck led Pitt State to the school's fourth all-time national championship and a 13-1 record in his second season leading the Gorillas. He earned NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year honors from Liberty Mutual, the Don Hansen Football Committee and FieldTurf™, as well as MIAA Coach of the Year accolades.
• Beck served for 16 years as the Gorillas' offensive coordinator and 22 seasons as a member of the Pitt State coaching staff before becoming his alma mater's 14th Head Football Coach at a press conference on Dec. 9, 2009.
• Beck, a member of the American Football Coaches Association, has been a frequently-requested guest speaker at several national and regional coaching clinics as well as regional and local civic events.
• Beck was a two-year football letterman at Pittsburg State, playing defensive back for the Gorillas from 1985-86.  He earned All-CSIC honors both seasons and was an NAIA All-District 10 pick as a senior.  Beck also was a team captain in 1986.
• Beck, a Ness City, Kan., native, played football at Dodge City Community College for two years before joining the Gorilla program.  He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from PSU in 1988 and a master's degree in physical education from PSU in the summer of 1989.

TEAM NOTEBOOK
Quick Starts Key for Griffons
• Missouri Western was 5-1 when leading after the first quarter last season and are 6-1 this season...The Griffons were ahead 7-0 against MSSU on Saturday after the first quarter but lost 31-30.

September Success
• In the month of September under Partridge the Griffons are 38-24 overall and 19-12 in Spratt Stadium and 19-12 on the road.

Outstanding October
• In the month of October under Partridge the Griffons are 47-22 overall and 25-9 in Spratt Stadium and 22-13 on the road...Against PSU under Partridge in October the Griffons are 0-2. The Griffons are 0-1 at home and in Pittsburg, Kan. The game in October against PSU was on October 24, 2004 when the Griffons fell 48-21 in St. Joseph. The last game in Pittsburg in October was on October 2, 1999 when MWSU fell 31-6.

Playing on October 20
• The Griffons are 3-2 all-time on October 20. The Griffons are 2-1 at home and 1-1 on the road. MWSU is 2-0 on October 20 under Partridge going 1-0 at home and 1-0 on the road. The last time the Griffons played on October 20 was in 2007 when they beat Emporia State 52-21 in Emporia, Kan.

In Spratt Stadium
• The Griffons are 121-64-3 since 1979 in Spratt Stadium...MWSU is 4-1 this season.

Red Zone Success
• In their first five games of the season Missouri Western is 28-31 with 22 touchdowns and six field goals when in the red zone.

• In 2011 the Griffons continued that trend scoring on 46 of 51 trips into the red zone with 29 touchdowns and 17 field goals. Opponents scored on 29 of 37 trips in the Griffons red zone collecting 21 touchdowns with eight field goals.

• In the 2009 and 2010 seasons the Griffons were outstanding in the red zone converting on a combined 95 of 115 trips into the red zone scoring 71 touchdowns with 24 field goals.

Missouri Western at home when ranked since 1989
• When the Griffons are ranked and play at home under coach Partridge they are 16-8.
• The Griffons are 26-18 when they are ranked.
• Missouri Western is 26-16 when ranked under Partridge.

Missouri Western against ranked opponents
Western is 20-36 against DII ranked opponents after defeating 3rd ranked NW Missouri State 31-28 on November 4, 2011 in Spratt Stadium. Under head coach Jerry Partridge the Griffons are 16-29 against ranked opponents as their previous victory came on September 10, 2011 by a score of 23-6 against the 12th ranked Central Missouri Mules.

Missouri Western against ranked opponents at home
The Griffons are 12-14 under Partridge at home against ranked opponents after their victory against Northwest last season. The previous victory at home against a ranked opponent was on September 10, 2011 when they beat #12 Central Missouri by a score of 23-6.

Missouri Western against ranked opponents on the road Under Partridge
Missouri Western is 4-15 under coach Partridge on the road against ranked opponents. Western's last victory on the road came last season in Washburn by a score of 36-33 on September 18, 2010. The Griffons first victory against a ranked opponent under Partridge on the road was on October 2, 2004 when they defeated 16th ranked Central Missouri 49-44.

Griffons in TV Games Under Partridge
Missouri Western is 5-4 under Partridge in television games after defeating Nebraska-Kearney 38-14 on Saturday evening. Missouri Western went 2-1 last season in televised games. Last season MWSU defeated UCM and NWMSU on the MIAA Television Network and lost to Washburn on CBS College Sports. In 2010 the Griffons went 1-1 in television games defeating Pittsburg State 42-24 on September 25 in St. Joseph and falling 42-0- against Northwest Missouri State on October 2. Western fell at 10th ranked Pittsburg State 21-14 back on November 6, 1997 and to #18 Emporia State on October 8, 1998 by a score of 42-34 in St. Joseph, Mo. Western is 0-1 in nationally televised games falling to Washburn last season.

When rushing for over 200 yards since 2011
Last season the Griffons were 10-0 when they rushed for over 200 yards as a team. This season they are 6-1 as the went for 260 in their loss against MSSU. In their victories they went for 237 against Northeastern State, 243 against Central Oklahoma, 264 against Fort Hays State., 358 against Nebraska-Kearney, 216 yards against Central Missouri Mules and 398 against William Jewell.

When controlling the time of possession
When the Griffons lead in time of possession they are 12-1 since last season. They were 8-1 in 2011 and 4-0 this season controlling the ball.

Defensive Success
This season the Griffons defense has been outstanding. MWSU is second in the MIAA and is T-21st in the nation giving up just 18.29 points per contest. They are also 20th in the nation and third in the MIAA sacking the quarterback 3.00 times per game. David Bass is tied for 29th in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA averaging 0.86 sacks per game.

Against PSU when Ranked Under Partridge
The Griffons are 3-2 against PSU when ranked in the top-25 and are 1-2 in Pittsburg.

Against PSU Under Partridge when PSU is ranked
The Grifofns are 5-8 against PSU when the Gorillas are ranked under Partridge. MWSU is 3-3 at home adn 2-5 on the road. When the Gorillas are ranked 7th when we play them under Partridge the Griffons are 2-1 and 1-0 in Pittsburg.

About PSU:
• The Gorillas suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday falling 31-21 against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. The Gorillas have played three of the same teams that the Griffons have played. They beat Central Oklahoma 34-19, Northeastern State 41-20 and Central Missouri 30-21.
• The Gorillas have outscored their opponents 237-117 and have given up just 108.8 yards on the ground per game.
• The Gorillas have gotten off to fast starts outscoring its opponents 153-37 in the first half.
• PSU is led by wide receiver John Brown catching 39 passes for 627 yards for an average of 104.5 per game. He has also caught six touchdowns on the season.
• Quaterback Anthony Abonoja has thrown for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions...he is averaging 277.2 yards per game...running back Briceton Wilson has six touchdowns and is averaging 54.4 yards per game.
• On defense the Gorillas are led by junior linebacker Nate Dreiling with 47 tackles with just 11 being solo...he has five tackls for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Defensive lineman Gus Toca has 9.5 tackles for a loss this season and five sacks.

Griffon Football History
Western is 251-204-9 in their 43rd year of Griffon football.

A win for Missouri Western would
Lift the Griffons to 252-204-9 in their football history...be the fifth win in seven years  and third straight in Pittsburg over the Gorillas...lift the Griffons to 11-27 against PSU..improve coach Partridge to 7-9 all-time against the Gorillas....lift the Griffons to 5-14 in Pittsburg...give quarterback Travis Partridge his first victory over the Gorillas.

A loss for Missouri Western would
Drop the Griffons to 251-205-9 in their football history...put Pittsburg State up 28-10 alltime in the series...be the first win for the Griffon in the series since a 42-25 win over the PSU on September 25, 2010...drop the Griffons to 4-15 in Pittsburg...drop Partridge to 6-10 all-time against PSU.

Series Notes
This marks the 38th meeting between the two schools. The Gorillas hold the 27-10 advantage in the series. Pittsburg State has won 13 of the 19 meetings in St. Joseph. The Griffons have won four of the last six games which includes a 42-25 victory on September 25, 2010 in St. Josdph. The Gorillas longest winning streak in the series had been 11 while the Griffons have had a two game winning streak three times which includes their current streak.. The largest margin of victory for the Griffons came in 1983 when they defeated PSU 61-14 in St. Joseph. The largest margin of victory for the Gorillas was in 1970 when they defeated the Griffons 63-14 in St. Joseph. Coach Partridge is 6-9 all time against the Gorillas and is 4-4 in St. Joseph, Mo and 2-5 in Pittsburg with the only two wins coming the last two times in Pittsburg. This marks the third meeting between Partridge and coach Tim Beck. MWSU Western has scored 30 or more points against the Gorillas in six of the last seven seasons.

Climbing The Record Books
Griffon senior running back Michael Hill keeps climbing the record book in the rushing category. Hill sits in 1st all-time with 3,929 yards in his career. He is also first all-time in carries with 776 which broke the career mark of Thomas Hodges (693). Defensively David broke the MWSU record for sacks in a career with 35. He broke the record the second week of the season against William Jewell.  In 2011, Bass sent a single season record with 20.0 tackles for a loss last season. He broke Eric McDowells mark of 18.5 which was set in 2003. He had 14.5 sacks which was .5 sack behind Eric McDowell's record of 15 set in 2003 and he has 35.0 sacks in his career broke Kinney Redding 30.5 which he set during the stretch of 1974-1977. He is 3.5 tackles for a loss away from tying Michael Cobbins 50 which was set between 2002-2006. Taylor Anderson broke the school record for most PAT's made consecutively in a season with 36.

Griffons in the National Polls
The Missouri Western Griffons were tabbed No. 16 in the AFCA preseason top 25 poll. Missouri Western has been ranked in the top 25 in the last 15 polls and has received votes in 33 of the last 36 polls by the American Football Coaches Association. Missouri Western was listed at No. 13 in the d2football.com media poll. The #3 ranking the Griffons had earlier this season is the highest ranking for the Griffons. The #4 ranking was the highest by the AFCA.

Up Next
The Griffons continue its two game road swing on Thursday, October 25 when they travel to Emporia, Kan. to take on the Emporia State University Hornets. The game is the MIAA Game of the Week and will kcikoff at 6:00 pm in Jones Field at Welch Stadium.