STORY LINES
• The Griffons are in their 44th season of football as the first year was in 1970.
• This marks the 42nd meeting and 22nd meeting in Topeka with the last coming in 2011 when the Griffons fell 41-20 September 22, 2011 in a television game.
• The Griffons opened up 2013, 7-0 which has only been done one other time in school history which was in 1981 when they also went 7-0. The 6-0 start in MIAA play is the best MIAA start in history.
• The Griffons has had the upper hand against the Ichabods in the last four years winning three of those meetings. Last season the Griffons defeated the Ichabods 56-28 on November 2, 2012 on the Griffons senior day.
• The Griffons lost back to back games for the first time since 2010 when they lost at #11 Central Missouri 43-21 and at Missouri Southern 23-6.
• This is the first time since 2008 that the Griffons have lost two home games in a row as the fell 47-18 against #17 Minnesota-Duluth on September 6 and 46-40 on September 20. 2008 was also the last time the Griffons lost three games in a row. As they lost to #9 NW Missouri State 45-35 in Maryville on September 13.
• The last time the Griffons lost consecutive home games on back-to-back weeks was in 1997 when they fell 52-13 against 5 NW Missouri State and against Missouri Southern 35-22 on October 4. The MSSU game was later forfeited by MSSU.
• Currently the Griffons have won 10 of 12 MIAA games dating back to the 2012 season...they won 12 straight ending the 2011 season and opening up the 2012 season 5-0 in MIAA play. They won seven straight MIAA game ending the 2011 season which is the most in a row in a season. They have won 21 of their last 24 MIAA games.
• The Griffons last victory in Washburn came on September 19, 2009 by a score of 37-34 when the Ichabods were ranked #22. The game had a lightening delay during it.
• The Griffons fall ten spots to #22 in this weeks AFCA poll. The Ichabods fall seven spots to #15.
• Coach Partridge is 10-6 overall against the Ichabods but just 3-4 on the road in Topeka. He is 7-2 in St. Joseph and has won three of the last four but has lost four of the last five meetings in Topeka.
• Missouri Western climbed all the way up to 4th in the AFCA and D2football.com poll this season. The #4 ranking in the AFCA is the highest in school history.
• Missouri Western is coming off their best season in school history where they posted a 12-2 record which was the most wins ever in a season. They also made their fourth trip in school history to the NCAA Division II National where they went to the quarterfinals. The Griffons hosted a home playoff game for the second consecutive season and won their first ever playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth by a score of 57-55 in triple overtime on November 17, 2012. They followed that up by winning their first ever road playoff game by a score of 45-21 against #6 Henderson State on November 24, 2012 in Arkadelphia, Ark.
• The 12 victories was the most in a season and was the seventh time in the last 10 years that they had at least victories in a season. (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 & 2012).
• The Griffons were voted 1st in the 2013 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and 2nd in the MIAA Media Poll.
COACHES
MWSU head football coach Jerry Partridge. . .
• Named the sixth head coach of the Griffon football program in 1997
• Is 131-66 (.665) in his 17th season as the Griffon head coach.
• Is 99-51 (.660) against the MIAA.
• Has led the Griffons to four NCAA Playoff
appearances and six Mineral Water bowl appearance.
• Led the Griffons to the 2012 MIAA Championship and 2003 Co-MIAA regular season championship.
• Led the Griffons to a school record 12 victories this season and to nine victories or more in eight of his 16 seasons.
• Is Missouri Western's all-time winningest coach with 131 wins.
• Is third in all-time wins in the MIAA.
• This marks the 17th meeting with MWSU...Coach Partridge is 11-5 all time against Emporia State.
• Played four years at Missouri Western (82-85).
• MIAA Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2012.
• Partridge is 73-25 at home in his career with three undefeated seasons at home (2003, 2006, 2010).
• This marks the 13th meeting between Partridge and Schurig.
• He led the Griffons to a tie for the best start in school history at 7-0 (2013, 1981).
Washburn head coach Craig Schurig. . .
• Named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001.
• Is 87-49 (.639) in his 11th season as the Ichabod head coach.
• Is 68-39 (.636) against the MIAA.
• Has led the Ichabods to three NCAA Playoff appearances and two bowl appearance championships.
• Led the Ichabods to the 2005 MIAA regular season outright championship.
• Has recorded eight straight winning seasons for the first time in the program's history.
• Led the Ichabods to the program's first 10-win season and their first NCAA or NAIA playoff game victory in school history with a win over Abilene Christian on Nov. 19.
• Is Washburn's all-time winningest coach with 87 wins.
• Is 5-6 against the Griffons.
TEAM NOTEBOOK
Quick Starts Key for Griffons
• In the last two seasons the Griffons are 21-2 when leading after the first quarter. Last season the Griffons were 11-1 when leading after the first quarter...This season they are 1-1 when trailing, 1-1 when tied and 5-0 when leading after the first quarter.
September Success
• In the month of September under Partridge the Griffons are 42-24 overall and 21-12 in Spratt Stadium and 21-12 on the road. The Griffons went 4-0 last seaosn and this season in September. They are a perfect 8-0 in the last two years.
Outstanding October
• In the month of October under Partridge the Griffons are 52-23 overall, 26-10 in Spratt Stadium and 26-13 on the road.
Playing in November
The Griffons are 25-13 in November under coach Partridge...MWSU is 16-5 at home and 9-8 on the road...two of the road losses came in the Division II playoffs...they were 4-0 last season in November with two wins coming in the NCAA Division II Playoffs...the Griffons are 8-4 in November against the Ichabods...The Griffons are 7-1 at home and 1-3 in Topeka. They are 3-1 under Partridge in November against. They are 3-0 at home and 0-1 in Topeka.
In Spratt Stadium
• The Griffons are 126-66-3 since 1979 in Spratt Stadium...MWSU was 6-1 last season...Partridge is 67-24 at home since 1997.
Red Zone Success
• In their 14 games last season Missouri Western was 61-68 with 53 touchdowns and eight field goals when in the red zone...In their nine games this season the Griffons are 38-of-42 in the redzone with 35 touchdowns. They were 2-of-3 against Central Missouri and 3-for-3 against Missouri S&T in red zone opportunities. The Griffons were 5-for-5 against Nebraska-Kearney with four touchdowns and one field goal. Against Fort Hays State the Griffons converted on 6-of-7 red zone opportunities with all six being touchdowns. Against UCO the Griffons were 8-for-8 in the redzone with all of them being touchdowsn. On homecoming against Northeastern State the Griffons were 5-6 while against Missouri Southern they were 4-4 with three touchdowns. Against PSU they were 1-1 and against ESU they were 4-of-5.
• 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.
Playing on November 9
• The Griffons have struggled on November 9 in history going just 1-4.
• The Griffons are 0-2 at home and 1-2 on the road.
• The Griffons are 0-1 under coach Partridge losing to #4 NW Missouri State 13-10 in 2002.
Rushing Attack
• The Griffons rushed for 227 yards with quarterback Travis Partirdge going for a career high 130 yards against ESU.
• The Griffons went for over 300 yards against against Northeastern rushing for 311.
Raphael Spencer went for 115 and two touchdowns. The Griffons rushed for six TD's.
• The Griffon rushing attack continued to rack up the yards going for 319 yards against UCO.
Raphael Spencer rushed for 221 yards while
Travis Partridge plunged in for four touchdowns.
•They Griffons went for 240 yards against Fort Hays State.
Raphael Spencer,
Dominic Thomas and
Dalton Krysa all had rushing touchdowns in the game.
• Against Nebraska-Kearney the Griffons rushed for 210 yards.
Raphael Spencer had a career day with 171 yards on 27 carries.
• The Griffons had two players rush for over 100 yards against the Miners of Missouri S&T.
Raphael Spencer rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns while
Tra Brown rushed for 109 and a touchdown.
• The last time two Griffons ran for over 100 yards was on November 12, 2011 when
Michael Hill ran for 182 yards and
Travis Partridge rushed for 105.
Non-Conference Success Under Partridge
• Under Partridge the Griffons are 31-11 in non-conference games.
• Missouri Western is 4-2 in neutral site games with all six games coming in the Mineral Water Bowl.
• The Griffons are 17-3 in home games in non-conference games which includes a victory in the playoffs last season against Minnesota-Duluth and this years victory against Missouri S&T.
• Missouri Western is 10-6 in road non-conference games with three of the losses coming in the NCAA Playoffs against Midwestern State in 2006, Northwest Missouri State in 2010 and Minnesota State in 2012.
Success when going over 200 yards rushing
When the Griffons rush for over 200 yards in a game they are almost perfect. The Griffons are 5-1 this year when racking up over 200 yards on the ground. They had over 300 against NSU, UCO & Missouri S&T, 210 against Nebraska-Kearney and 240 against Fort Hays State. Thier lone loss came against ESU. Last season the Griffons were 11-1 when rushing for over 200 yards as a team with their lone loss coming against Missouri Southern. In 2011 the Griffons were a perfect 8-0 when going over 200 yards on the ground.
Missouri Western when ranked since 1989
• When the Griffons are ranked and play at home under coach Partridge they are 21-10.
• When on the road the Griffons are 18-9.
• The Griffons are 40-21 when they are ranked since 1989.
• Missouri Western is 39-19 when ranked under Partridge.
Missouri Western against ranked opponents
MWSU is 26-39 against DII ranked opponents after going 6-1 last season against ranked opponents. The Griffons are 0-2 this season after falling 34-14 against #12 Pittsburg State and 35-30 against #14 Emporia State. In 2012 the Griffons only loss against a ranked opponents was against #5 Minnesota State. The Griffons defeated #7 Pittsburg State, #15 Emporia State, #25 Washburn, #4 Northwest Missouri State, #7 Minnesota-Duluth and #6 Henderson State. All those games were consecutive.
Missouri Western against ranked opponents at home
The Griffons are 14-16 under Partridge at home against ranked opponents. The Griffons fell 34-14 against #12 Pittsburg State and #14 Emporia State in 2013. In 2012 the Griffons defeated #25 Washburn and #7 Minnesota-Duluth at home.
Missouri Western against ranked opponents on the road Under Partridge
Missouri Western is 8-16 under coach Partridge on the road against ranked opponents after going 4-1 last year. The Griffons defeated #7 Pittsburg State and #15 Emporia State in back to back weeks on the road and then won the MIAA Title in Maryville against #4 NW Missouri State before defeating #6 Henderson State on the road in the NCAA II Playoffs.
Griffons against WU when either team is ranked
• Since 1990 the Griffons and the Ichabods have played seven games in which one of or both teams have been ranked. The Griffons are 4-3 all-time.
• The Griffons are 2-1 against the Ichabods when WU is the only team ranked. They are 2-0 at home and 0-1 on the road.
• The Griffons are 1-2 when they are the only team ranked. They are 1-1 at home and 0-1 on the road.
• When both teams have been ranked the Griffons are 1-0 against the Ichabods with the #11 Griffons defeating the #15 Ichabods 36-33 in Topeka on September 18, 2010.
Griffons in TV Games Under Partridge
Western is 7-4 under Partridge after their victory over Central Missouri last Thursday which was aired on the MIAA Broadcasting Network. Last season the Griffons went 3-0 in televised games. The Griffons defeated Nebraska-Kearney, Emporia State and NW Missouri State in televised games. Missouri Western went 2-1 in 2011 in televised games beating UCM and NWMSU and losing to Washburn. 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. MWSU 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. Missouri Western is 0-1 in nationally televised games falling to Washburn in 2011.
Griffon Football History
Missouri Western is 264-207-9 in their 44th year of Griffon football.
A win for Missouri Western would
Lift the Griffons to 265-207-9 in their football history....give MWSU their fourth victory in five seasons against the Washburn Ichabods...lift the Griffons to 23-17-2 all-time against the Ichabods....lift MWSU to 9-12-1 in Topeka...lift coach Partridge to 11-6 all-time against the Ichabods.
A loss for Missouri Western would
Drop the Griffons to 264-208-9 in their football history...give MWSU their third straight loss...drop Partridge to 10-7 against the Ichabods...drop MWSU to 22-18-2 against WU...drop MWSU to 8-13-1in Topeka.
Series Notes
This marks the 42nd meeting between the two schools. The Ichabods have gotten the best of the Griffons four of the last seven seasons but MWSU defeated the Bod's in three of the past four seasons. MWSU leads the overall series 22-17-2 and are 14-5-1 in St. Joseph. WU leads the series in Topeka 12-8-1. Two of the Griffons last three victories came by less then six points. MWSU three two years ago 36-33 in Topeka and back on September 19, 2009 by a score of 37-34 in St. Joseph. The Ichabods last victory in St. Joseph came in 2007 when they defeated the Griffons 31-24. Coach Partridge is 10-6 all time against the Ichabods and 7-2 in St. Joseph. This marks the fourth time in five seasons that both teams will be ranked in either the AFCA or D2Football.com poll. Partridge is just 3-4 on the road against Washburn.
Griffons in the National Polls
The Missouri Western Griffons were tabbed No. 22 in the AFCA top 25 poll after falling 35-30 against Emporia State. Missouri Western has been ranked in the top 25 in the last 29 polls and has received votes in 49 of the last 50 polls by the American Football Coaches Association. Missouri Western was ranked 13th in the latest d2football.com poll. The #3 ranking the Griffons has last season at this time is the highest ranking for the Griffons. The #4 ranking was the highest by the AFCA.
Dominic Thomas Named MIAA and Beyond Sports Network Special Teams Player of the Week
Missouri Western running back
Dominic Thomas has been named MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in his career for his performance last week in the Griffons 52-21 victory over the Fort Hays State Tigers. For his efforts he was also named Beyond Sports Network's Special Teams Player of the Week.
Raphael Spencer Named Beyond Sports Network Running Back Player of the Week
Spencer had a career night rushing for 221 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry with a long of 48 yards.
Up Next
The Griffons continue their string of games against top-25 opponents on Saturday, November 16 when they return home to take on rival #2 Northwest Missouri State in St. Joseph, Mo. It will be Senior Day on the campus of MWSU. Kickoff is set for 1:30 pm in Spratt Stadium.
