ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Griffon Football will face a ranked team for the third time this season when it takes on No. 5 Pittsburg State this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kansas.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Football is once again gracing the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac, color commentator Paul Smith and sideline reporter Derek Zimmerman-Guyer. The game can be heard on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream.

The game is also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. with pregame starting at 1. Game admission can be found by clicking on the "Tickets" tab. 

ABOUT LAST WEEK'S GRIFFON WIN
MWSU 23, NSU 16 - Oct. 15, 2022 - Box Score
Last Saturday's seven-point win over Northeastern State (0-7, 0-7 MIAA) evens Missouri Western's (3-4, 3-4 MIAA) one-possession record this season to 1-1, as the Griffons finally shook the monkey known as a four-game losing streak off their backs. With a 6-0 Griffon lead heading into halftime, Missouri Western now has three first-half shutouts this season, holding Central Oklahoma (14-0) and Northwest Missouri (3-0) to goose eggs earlier this season. While MWSU did trail 16-6 in the fourth quarter, quarterback Ty Baker scored his first-ever collegiate touchdown on a 13-yard run to eventually bring his team back from the brink.

The Griffons' 10-point comeback is also MWSU's first come-from-behind victory this season and first since its 21-point resurgence to beat Emporia State, 38-37, on Sept. 18, 2021. Several Griffon defenders recorded season-firsts vs. the RiverHawks, with Kobe Cummings and D.J. Stirgus picking off the quarterback for the first time this season. Defensive end Garrett Watson and linebacker Isaac Wallace walloped the quarterback for their first sacks of the season, marking QB takedowns for the Griffon defense in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season.  

ABOUT LAST WEEK'S GORILLA WIN
PSU 49, LU 10 - Oct. 15, 2022 - Box Score
The Gorillas (7-0, 7-0 MIAA) got hot on the ground vs. Lincoln (0-7, 0-7) last weekend, going off for a season second-best 205 rushing yards, highlighted by four different running backs finding the end zone. Pitt State utilized a diverse backfield to build a 21-0 lead by the second quarter.  Pitt State QB Chad Dodson only threw the ball for a season-low 14 times but completed 11 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

Pitt State's No. 1 scoring defense in the MIAA held Lincoln to just 10 points, the fifth time its defense has held an opponent to 14 points or less this season. The Blue Tigers didn't score their only touchdown until there were 25 seconds left in the game. After a trip on the road, the Gorillas return to Pittsburg for their homecoming week.

PROLIFIC POSITION PREVIEWS
Coaches
Missouri Western Head Coach Matt Williamson is 29-24 overall and 27-24 in the MIAA. In six years at MWSU. Williamson and the Griffons are 1-4 vs. Pitt since 2017, with the lone win occurring on Nov. 2, 2019, in a 35-21 Griffon triumph in Pittsburg. 

Brian Writer is in his third year at Pitt's head coach, holding a 15-3 overall and MIAA record. Wright is 1-0 vs. MWSU after last season's 34-14 final in St. Joseph.

Quarterbacks
Despite being benched for Baker late in the third quarter, Reagan Jones is back under center as the starting QB at Pitt State. Jones is tied in the MIAA for the second-most rushing TDs at five with four other players and is fourth in pass attempt (209), fifth in completions (112) and fifth in passing yards (1,329). Going 12-for-18 for 143 yards, last week's game vs. NSU breaks a streak of four games with an interception for Jones. 

With the third-most passing yards in the conference at 1,793, Chad Dodson Jr. has thrown for over 200 yards in four-straight games and is tied with two others for the second-least number of interceptions with two. Dodson Jr.'s sharp eye and decision-making skills has allowed his to toss 18 touchdowns this season — the second most in the MIAA, throwing at least one each game so far. However, he's in the bottom half of the league in completion percentage, completing 56.8% of his passes to place him at eighth among his MIAA peers.

QB STATS VS. OPPONENT

• Reagan Jones: 0-0 record - 7-for-11, 142 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, long of 39, 0 sacks - 8 attempts, 77 yards, 1 TD, long of 20
• Chad Dodson Jr.: N/A

Wide Receivers
Traveon James comes into Saturday's matchup as the MIAA's fourth-best wide receivers with 507 yards, as he is on pace to top last year's total of 639. However, James is just one two WRs in the MIAA with 400 yards or more still searching for his first score this season. After snagging 40 receptions in 2021, James is second in the MIAA this time around the sun with 37.

Pitt has a trio of WRs in the MIAA's top-10 nest of receiving yards, with the Gorillas gaining ground through the air thanks to Bryce Murphy (sixth; 406), Devon Garrison (eighth; 388) and Christian Carter (ninth; 381). Garrison is the deep threat of the three, gaining 20.4 yards per catch — the fourth most in the MIAA. Murphy is right on his tail, marking 20.3 yards per reception to place him at fifth. 

RIVALRY RECORD RABBIT HOLE
By the Numbers
Heading into the 47th all-time meeting in this MIAA matchup, Pitt State leads MWSU, 33-13. The Gorillas are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings and are 16-6 in Pittsburg vs. MWSU. Coincidentally enough, while the Griffons are that's exactly where their last win took place, with the Griffons' last win coming in 35-21 fashion on Nov. 2, 2019. 

In the Williamson era, the Griffons' offense averages 18.3 points per game, while the defense allows just 25.3 per contest. All-time, the Griffons are averaging 21.43 total points a game in 46 meetings since 1970.

Last Time Out
It was actually the special teams that sparked last season's 34-14 Gorillas win. Dallis Flowers, now graduated opened the game with a 98-yard touchdown on the opening kick, kick starting a 27-0 Gorillas lead into the third quarter. Shen Butler Lawson Jr. scored on a one-yard plunge in third, while Jones scampered in from eight yards out to begin the fourth quarter. 

STACK THE SACKS
With two sacks vs. Northeastern, the Griffons have taken down the quarterback in back-to-back weeks for the first time all fall after sacking Nebraska-Kearney's T.J. Davis twice during MWSU's homecoming week. The Gorillas are in fifth in the MIAA with 13 sacks given up but didn't give up any sacks last week for just the second time in 2022.

A PUNISHING PITTSBURG DEFENSE
Pitt is proving to be one of the toughest teams to put points up against this season, holding teams to an MIAA-low 15.1 points per game. The Gorillas' longest play given up on defense is a pair 46-yard reception given up against Northeastern on Sept. 17 and Missouri Southern on Oct. 1. T.J. Davis is the only rusher with any luck on the ground, going for 30 yards on a single rush way back on Sept. 8. He's also the only player to rush for 100 yards against PSU, plundering the Gorilla defense for 139 yards. 

Pitt has a knack for getting after the QB, though, recording 17 sacks so far to tie the Gorillas for second in the MIAA with Missouri Southern. Deubem Okonkwo is sixth in the conference with four sacks, bringing the QB for at least half a sack in his last three outings.

READING THE RED-ZONE REPORT
Both teams feature some of the better red-zone offenses in the MIAA, with Pitt boasting a 78.6% success rate (fourth; 22-28) and MWSU right on its opponent's heels at 71.4% (fifth; 20-18). The big difference is Pitt's ability to put the ball in the end zone, scoring 21 touchdowns out of their 22 scores. Missouri Western has scored 15 touchdowns inside the 20-yard line, settling for a field goal five times.

Missouri Western went 4-for-5 inside the 20-yard line vs. NSU last week, scoring two ground touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game. This is the third time the Griffons have hit 80% in the red zone this season. Pitt went a season-best 6-for-6 inside the 20-yard line at Lincoln, scorching the Blue Tigers for a season-high five rushing touchdowns and one through the air. The Gorillas are 12-for-12 inside the red zone in their last three games after starting the season  10-for-15. 

Opponents are having a tough time getting to the red zone against MWSU as of late, only having three chances to show for their efforts in the last three games. The Griffon defense is only allowing offenses to score 73.9% of the times in the red zone, making them the third-best red-zone defense in the MIAA. Pitt State, however, is allowing the fifth-highest success rate at 83.3%.

That said, the Gorillas have only allowed teams inside the red zone 18 times —the second lowest in the league. Lincoln went 2-for-3 last week, while Northwest Missouri went 4-for-4 two weeks prior. 

CRAYTON AND RAVENELL- CLIMBING UP THE RANKINGS
With 10 career sacks, A.J. Crayton and C.J. Ravenell are one-and-a-half QB takedowns away from tying Daniel Atkinson for 10th all-time in Griffon history. Ravenell— a 2021 All-MIAA Third Team — member brought down the QB seven times after a two-sack season in 2019. So far in 2022, Ravenell's lone sack is courtesy of a second quarter third down-and-11 stop over UCO's Stephon Brown in week one. Crayton is still searching for his first QB sack off 2022 but is still a constant pass-rush presence against opponents. 

KOBE'S DEFENSIVE CANOPY
Senior safety Kobe Cummings is once again making plays all over the field and is near the top of the MWSU tackling leaderboards, listed second with 44 this season. His 269 career tackles list him at sixth all-time within the program. Cummings needs six more tackles to pass Pierre Thomas (2000-03) total of 274 tackles to take fifth all-time in team history.

ON THIS DATE IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY
At the turn of the century in 2000, then Missouri Western State College and then Central Missouri State, now Central Missouri, produced a defensive matchup that resulted in a 23-16 overtime victory for the Griffons. Missouri Western Hall of Fame Quarterback Kasey Waterman slung the rock for 341 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, hitting Jerris Evans eight times for 172 yards and a long of 61. Evans' second touchdown from 25 yards out proved to be the game-winner.

Waterman's passing-yards performance ranks him ninth all-time in a Griffon game, while Evans' 172 receiving yards ranks him sixth.