THIS WEEK IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL
Missouri Western (8-3) vs Henderson State (9-2)
Agent Barry Live United Bowl | Texarkana, Arkansas
Noon | December 7, 2019
 
ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Football gets a crack at a ninth win on the season and the 300^th for the program this Saturday in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl.
 
In their second straight trip to the Live United Bowl, Missouri Western will take on Henderson State. The Reddies finished 9-2 and third in the Great American Conference. Henderson State's two losses came to Ouachita Baptist and Harding, both made the DII playoffs, by a combined four points.
 
RETURN TO THE POSTSEASON

• Missouri Western is back in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl after defeating Southern Arkansas 30-25 last year. It was the program's first postseason appearance since advancing to the 2012 NCAA Division II Quarterfinals.
• The Griffons made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since making eight straight between 2005 and 2012.
• Overall, Missouri Western is 10-6 all-time in postseason games; 8-2 in bowl games.

 
THEY MEET AGAIN

• Missouri Western and Henderson State have met just one other time in the history of the programs: the second round of the 2012 DII Playoffs.
• The Griffons defeated the then No. 6-ranked Reddies 45-21 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas before falling the next week at Minnesota State.

 
CAN THEY BECOME THE FIRST?

• A win would make Missouri Western the first-ever two-time Live United Bowl winner
• Southern Arkansas is the only other team to appear more than once in the bowl game, losing three-straight from 2016-18.

 
FAMILIAR FOES MEET AGAIN

• Missouri Western head coach Matt Williamson is no stranger to the Great American Conference or to Henderson State head coach Scott Maxfield.
• The pair of coaches met twice while Williamson was coaching at Central Arkansas. Both were wins for Central Arkansas first in 2008 while Williamson was the defensive line coach and again in 2011 when he was defensive coordinator.
• Maxwell actually commented during the Agent Barry Live United Bowl announcement press conference that he had reached out to Williamson about an opening at Henderson State just before Williamson accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater.
• Williamson's first full-time coaching position came at current GAC member Arkansas-Monticello as a defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in 1999.

 
HOME SWEET ROAD

• The Griffons have won 10 straight away from St. Joseph. One more would be a program record.
• Missouri Western's last loss in a stadium not named Spratt came on Sept. 15, 2018 at Central Missouri.
• Since then the Griffs have outscored opponents on the road by an average of more than 20 points per game (418-213) and have trailed in just four of those contests for a total of 45 minutes.

 
IN SEARCH OF 300 IN 50

• A win in the Live United Bowl would be the program's 300^th all-time.
• In its 50^th season, Missouri Western is 299-241 all-time.
• The season-long celebration of the 50^th season included a new gold uniform, throwback helmet decals and the naming of five all-decade teams.

 
STEADY RE-BUILD

• In his third season at the helm, Williamson guided his alma mater to its first eight-win season since 2013.
• The Griffons have already won one more game than they did with the postseason victory last year.
• Williamson went 4-7 in his first year as head coach (2017) at MWSU, which was the Griffons' second consecutive 4-7 campaign.
• The 2016 losing season was the program's first since 2004 and the back-to-back sub-.500 years in '16 and '17 were a program-first since 1997 and '98.
• Since 1999, Griffon Football has went 158-86 with 12 postseason appearances.

 
MISSOURI WESTERN AT A GLANCE

• The Griffons went 8-3 to finish third in the MIAA.
• All three losses came to postseason teams and MWSU led or was tied in all three.
• Missouri Western led in the fourth quarter against Northwest Missouri State in the season opener before the Bearcats came back to win 45-35.
• Scoring 45 second half points, 29 in the fourth, MWSU forced overtime against Central Missouri in week three before a UCM field goal in OT spoiled the comeback bid.
• MWSU had a brief 7-6 lead early against Nebraska Kearney in a game otherwise controlled by the Lopers.
• The Griffons had a string of five-straight games scoring at least 43 points and put up more than 500 yards of offense in three-straight.
• The team had 16 All-MIAA selections including three first team honorees in Hayden Eatinger (OL), Trey Vaval (Ret.) and Sam Webb (DB).
• Vaval became the Griffons' first All-American selection of 2019, earning AFCA second team honors as an all-purpose player.