THIS WEEK IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Missouri Western (7-2) vs Nebraska Kearney (5-4)
 
ST. JOSEPH – Deep in the midst of a playoff hunt, Griffon Football hosts upset-minded Nebraska Kearney this Saturday in the final regular season home game of 2019.  
 
Missouri Western's last loss came on Sept. 21 to currently No. 10-ranked Central Missouri, 48-45, in overtime. Since then the Griffons have won six consecutive games, finding themselves in position to possibly make the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since 2012. During the win streak, the Griffons have done it with offense, special teams, and recently a stingy defense hungry to impress. Meanwhile Nebraska Kearney enters with the desire to complete another upset this season. The Lopers are 5-4 after defeating Northwest Missouri on Oct. 19 then losing one-score games to Fort Hays State and Central Missouri.
 
In the 50^th season of Griffon Football, Missouri Western sits two wins away its 300^th as a program. The Griffons are 298-240 all-time heading into this week's game.
 
SETTING THE STAGE

• The Griffons enter nationally ranked for the first time since 2014. Missouri Western was No. 25 in this week's D2Football.com poll and received votes for a third consecutive week in the AFCA Top-25.
• Missouri Western is in the midst of a playoff hunt. The Griffons were ranked No. 8 in the first two NCAA
• DII Super Region 3 polls with the top-seven teams advancing to the playoffs. Missouri Western last appeared in the DII playoffs in 2012.
• A sixth straight win last week for Missouri Western got the Griffons to 7-2 on the season, the team's most regular season wins since 2014 and a match of last season's win total including the Live United Bowl. A win this week would give MWSU its longest win streak since opening the 2013 season 7-0.
• A win would also give the Griffons their first winning season at Spratt Stadium since going 4-2 in 2015.
• MWSU went .500 at home each of the last three seasons and sits 2-2 headed into Saturday.
• Nebraska Kearney is two games behind the Griffons and Fort Hays State in the MIAA standings, tied for fourth. UNK is 5-4 after two close losses to Fort Hays State and Central Missouri. The Lopers have a win over Northwest Missouri this season.

 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS

• Missouri Western won its ninth straight game away from Spratt Stadium last week, 35-21 at Pittsburg State. The Griffon starting defense limited Pitt State to 259 yards, 14 first downs and seven points through the first three quarters before the Gorillas scored 14 points with 11 first downs and 212 yards on reserves in the fourth quarter.
• Before Pittsburg State scored on its opening possession of the third quarter, the Griffon defense had held opponents scoreless for six straight quarters, shutting out Emporia State two weeks ago and holding the Gorillas out of the end zone for the first 30 minutes last week.
• During the win streak, the Griffons outscored opponents by an average of 20 points per game (43-23). In the first half, the scores have been even more lopsided: 180-53 for an average halftime score of 30-9.
• 17 Griffons have scored touchdowns this season, 16 offensive. Four different tight ends have at least two touchdown catches and collectively the position group has 13 with seven in the last three weeks.
• MWSU recovered a muffed punt return last week and has relied heavily on a strong special teams unit all season. The Griffs lead the MIAA with four blocked kicks. They lead the MIAA and rank 9^th nationally, averaging 25.7 yards per kickoff return. They're 4^th in the MIAA in punt returns, averaging 10.27 yards per return and rank 2^nd in the nation in punt return defense, allowing less than one yard per return. Luke Theis has coaxed 23 fair catches this season and has downed punts inside opponents' 20-yard lines 12 times this season.
• Wyatt Steigerwald had a long streak of passes without an interception broken last week at Pittsburg State when the Gorillas picked him off twice in the fourth quarter. Still, the senior has thrown just five interceptions to 25 touchdowns (6^th in DII) this season.
• True freshman Trey Vaval ranks 3^rd in the nation with 792 kick return yards this season. He also leads the MIAA and is 11^th in the nation, averaging 13.8 yards per punt return.
• Markel Smith got his 12^th rushing touchdown of the season last week, leading the MIAA and ranking 9^th nationally. Smith's 782 rushing yards are 2^nd in the MIAA.
• Starting corners Sam Webb and DJ Stirgus have collectively defended 22 passes this season. Webb has 12 with nine break ups and three interceptions. Stirgus has broken up nine passes and has one interception.

 
SCOUTING NEBRASKA KEARNEY

• Central Missouri scored 17 unanswered points, including a last second 63-yard touchdown pass to come back and defeat UNK last week.
• UNK has lost back-to-back one score games and is 1-3 this season in games decided by eight points or fewer.
• The Lopers are the first Griffon opponent in seven weeks to have won one of out its last three games. UNK pulled off the upset of the year in the MIAA with a 24-17 win over Northwest Missouri three weeks ago in Kearney, Nebraska.
• UNK ranks 2^nd in the MIAA in scoring defense, holding opponents to 24.9 points per game. The Lopers are 3^rd in the conference in total defense (355), 2^nd in rush defense (112.8) and 9^th in pass defense (242.2).
• That stout run defense is countered with the MIAA's top rushing offense. At 315 rushing yards per game, the Lopers rank 3^rd in the nation.
• Dayton Sealey (8.2) and David Goodwin (8) rank 1^st and 2^nd in the MIAA in average yards per rush and have 538 and 760 rushing yards this season, respectively.
• The Lopers are 10^th in the MIAA in passing offense, averaging 141.4 yards per game, and have nine passing touchdowns to five interceptions.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Old CSIC foes, the Griffons are still making up ground in the all-time series, trailing 17-12.
• Missouri Western's 25-17 comeback win in Kearney last year was the Griffons' ninth in its last 10 games against UNK.
• Missouri Western is 7-7 in St. Joseph against UNK, but hasn't lost a home game to the Lopers since 1987.

 
MISSOURI WESTERN HEAD COACH MATT WILLIAMSON

• The 1996 MWSU graduate and two-time All-MIAA defensive lineman is 18-14 in his third season as a head coach.
• After beginning his coaching career at MWSU as a graduate assistant, Williamson spent 11 years as an assistant at Arkansas-Monticello, Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin.

 
NEBRASKA KEARNEY HEAD COACH JOSH LYNN

• In his third season as head coach at UNK, Lynn is 13-18 leading the Lopers
• After head coaching stints at Eastern New Mexico and New Mexico Military Institute, Lynn is 50-45 as a head coach overall.