John Ellis

Football 9/17/2018 10:13:00 AM MWSU Athletic Communications

Griffon Football Begins Two Game Homestand

Northeastern State visits for Military Appreciation Game

GRIFFON FOOTBALL vs NORTHEASTERN STATE
Saturday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. | Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium
MWSU Family Day | Military Appreciation Game | Postgame Fireworks Extravaganza

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Football (1-2) looks for a bounce-back this Saturday when Missouri Western hosts Northeastern State (0-3).

SATURDAY AT CRAIG FIELD AT SPRATT MEMORIAL STADIUM

Family Day at Missouri Western
Military Appreciation Game
Fireworks Extravaganza presented by Schneitter Fireworks following the game
Pavilion Party Deck on the Bill Snyder Pavilion featuring VanZinos BBQ and Budweiser products from Hi-Ho Bar & Grill
Plasma Biological Services Tailgate Zone featuring live music from Kindred and inflatable games for all ages

5 THINGS TO WATCH

The Griffon defensive line that has five sacks so far this season and had three at Northeastern State last year
Brandin Dandridge and the MWSU secondary. The Griffons have picked off 10 NSU passes in the last three meetings. Dandrige has an interception in each of his previous two games against Northeastern State.
MWSU's rushing offense. The Griffs rushed for 299 yards at NSU last year and the RiverHawks gave up 285 on the ground to Pitt State last week
Someone not named Dom Marino or Derek Gray Jr. to score a touchdown. Each has two, the only offensive scores this season for the Griffons
Carlos Thompson's increased involvement on offense and special teams

MISSOURI WESTERN LAST WEEK

Lost 51-14 at No. 20 Central Missouri
Trailed 27-14 with 9:08 left in the third quarter
Season-low six penalties for 40 yards
Dom Marino had first passing TD of the season
Anthony Williams with season-high 11 tackles
Kobe Cummings had nine tackles in first start

NORTHEASTERN STATE LAST WEEK

Lost 45-7 at home to #23 Pittsburg State
Allowed 24-unanswered points
Gave up 285 rushing yards

THE SERIES

Missouri Western leads 8-0
Griffons won 65-17 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma last year
MWSU has outscored NSU 295-92 in the previous eight meetings

MISSOURI WESTERN HEAD COACH MATT WILLIAMSON

2^ndseason at MWSU, 2^nd overall as a head coach
5-9 all-time record as a head coach
1996 Missouri Western graduate
2-time All-MIAA defensive tackle

NORTHEASTERN STATE HEAD COACH ROB ROBINSON

5^thseason as head coach at NSU, 5^thoverall as a head coach
6-41 record as a head coach
2000 graduate of William Jewell College

MISSOURI WESTERN NOTES

The Griffs haven't lost a night game at home since Sept. 17, 2016, a 38-34 loss to #14 Central Missouri
Rush defense ranks fourth in the MIAA, allowing opponents 116 rushing yards per game
Ranks third in punt return average in the MIAA, averaging 16.4 yards per punt return
Brandin Dandridge is second in the MIAA, averaging 16.9 yards per punt return
Luke Theis has had back-to-back impressive punting performances, averaging 46 yards last week and 44 yards the previous week
The Griffons had a season-low six penalties for 40 yards last week after being charged with 14 penalties for 147 yards one week earlier
Dom Marino was sacked twice at UCM, the first two sacks allowed by the Griffon O-line this season. MWSU still ranks second in the MIAA in fewest sacks allowed
The Griffons have picked off 10 Northeastern State passes in the last three meetings with the RiverHawks and NSU threw four interceptions last week against Pitt State
Jabbar Miles' two interceptions are tied for the most in the MIAA
Brandin Dandridge is second in the MIAA with five passes defended (4 break ups and 1 int.)
Anthony Williams is up to 11th in the MIAA with 24 total tackles. His 15 solo tackles are tied for 6th most
True freshman Kobe Cummings got his first career start last week at
Central Missouri and tied for the second most tackles on the team with nine, seven of them solo
James Huskey leads the team with three tackles for loss after missing the 2017 season with an injury. He's played virtually every snap of the season so far
Four different players have at least 20 carries for the Griffons this season: Dom Marino (34), Shamar Griffith (26), Derek Gray Jr. (22) and James Bailey Jr. (20)
The Griffons rank 10th in the MIAA in scoring offense, averaging 14 points per game
MWSU has four offensive touchdowns this season: two rushing TDs by Dom Marino and one rushing and one receiving for Derek Gray Jr.
12 different Griffs have caught at least one pass this season, but the only receiving TD of the year was by a running back, Derek Gray Jr.
The Griffons feature a host of NFL bloodlines. Defensive line coach Scorpio Horn is the brother of longtime Saints wide receiver Joe Horn. Horn's son, Joe Horn Jr. is a wide receiver for the Griffons. Elijah Cunningham's uncle is Randall
Cunningham and Arnold Crayton is the nephew of Neil Smith.
Senior kicker Tyler Basch was named to the Fred Mitchell Award presason watch list. The award is given to the nation's top non-FBS place kicker. Basch was a second team All-MIAA selection last year after leading the conference in made field goals (10)
The Bill Snyder Pavilion was dedicated this summer in honor of the legendary K-State head coach. Snyder is a native of St. Joseph, a graduate of
Lafayette High School and briefly attended St. Joseph Junior College which later became Missouri Western

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Players Mentioned

#1 James Bailey Jr.: RB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#4 Dom Marino: QB; 6' 2"; Senior

#7 Brandin Dandridge: DB; 5' 10"; Senior

#9 Elijah Cunningham: WR; 6' 2"; Senior

#13 James Huskey: LB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior

#3 Shamar Griffith: RB; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#23 Anthony Williams: LB; 6' 2"; Junior

#24 Derek Gray Jr.: RB; 5' 10"; Senior

#5 Jabbar Miles: DB; 5' 10"; Senior

#38 Luke Theis: P; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#1 James Bailey Jr.
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB

#4 Dom Marino
: 6' 2"; Senior
: QB

#7 Brandin Dandridge
: 5' 10"; Senior
: DB

#9 Elijah Cunningham
: 6' 2"; Senior
: WR

#13 James Huskey
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior
: LB

#3 Shamar Griffith
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: RB

#23 Anthony Williams
: 6' 2"; Junior
: LB

#24 Derek Gray Jr.
: 5' 10"; Senior
: RB

#5 Jabbar Miles
: 5' 10"; Senior
: DB

#38 Luke Theis
: 6' 3"; Junior
: P