ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — For the first time since 2014, No. 23/24-ranked Missouri Western will compete in a top-25 collision, taking on No. 2/3 Pittsburg State this Saturday on Senior Day at Spratt Stadium.
TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Football (7-2, 6-2 MIAA) will grace the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer on the call. The game will air 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 1 p.m., with pregame starting at noon. Game admission and parking tickets can be found in the "Tickets" tab.
ABOUT WEEK NINE
MWSU
Last Saturday's 44-0 victory over Northeastern State marked MWSU's first shutout this season and second all-time vs. the RiverHawks. Senior quarterback
Armani Edden threw two touchdown passes en route to a 34-0 halftime lead, hitting junior wide receiver
Jonas Bennett for 19 yards and junior wide receiver
Tyler Carey for 20 yards. Senior running back
Jared Scott scored twice, punching in touchdowns from 1 and 37 yards out in the second and third quarters. The Griffon defense kept airtight, holding NSU to 112 total yards of offense and just 2.3 yards per play. Meanwhile, MWSU's offense exploded for 534 total yards, rushing for 282 more.
PSU
The Gorillas (9-0, 8-0 MIAA) played non-conference opponent Sioux Falls last weekend, notching a 55-6 win on their home turf in Pittsburg, Kansas. Pitt State put 20 points on the board in the second quarter, taking a 27-0 lead into the half. Fourteen different Gorillas caught a pass in the game, led by four receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown from senior tight end Devon Garrison. Senior running back Antwan Squire toted the rock nine times for a game-high 96 yards and two touchdowns, scoring on a 61-yard burst to cap his day. The Gorillas picked off two Cougar passes and held the Sioux Falls air attack to just 85 yards.
PROLIFIC POSITION PREVIEWS
Coaches
Tyler Fenwick is currently 7-2 with MWSU and 60-50 overall as a head coach. During his first run with MWSU as offensive coordinator from 2007-12, the Griffons went 4-2 vs. Pitt State, averaging 43.8 points per game.
In his fourth season at Pitt, Brian Wright is 31-6 with the Gorillas and 35-6 overall. He is 2-0 vs. MWSU and 1-0 at Spratt Stadium after winning 34-14 on Oct. 23, 2021, in St. Joseph.
Quarterbacks
Now the fourth-most accurate in the MIAA with a 66.8% clip, well above the conference average of 64.2%, Edden is coming off one of his best home games as a Griffon. The senior signal caller threw for 154 yards, completing 12-of-18 passes and connecting on a season-high two touchdowns with only one interception. On top of throwing a TD in each game this season, QB1 is fourth in the MIAA with an average of 206.4 passing yards per game.
Just as pinpoint as Edden with a 68.3% clip that is second in the MIAA, junior Chad Dodson Jr. has had a solid season. Currently third in PSU's all-time passing TDs leaderboard, Dodson Jr. is two touchdown passes away from the 50th of his career. He has thrown the second-least number of interceptions in the MIAA with four so far, last throwing a pick in a two-interception game vs. Nebraska Kearney on Sept. 23. Dodson Jr. threw for 152 yards and one touchdown while completing 10-of-14 passes vs. Sioux Falls last Saturday.
QB STATS VS. OPPONENT
- Reagan Jones: 0-2 starting record | 22-of-43, 51.2%, 282 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, long pass of 39 yards, 3 sacks. | Rushing: 23 attempts, 151 yards, 1 TD, long rush of 20 yards.
- Armani Edden: N/A
- Chad Dodson Jr.: 1-0 starting record | 12-of-23, 52.2%, 187 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, long pass of 67 yards, 2 sacks. | Rushing: 8 attempts, 42 yards, 0 TDs, long rush of 42 yards.
Running Backs
The Griffon offense features a three-headed backfield barrage with the likes of freshman
Seth Cromwell, junior
Brandon Hall and senior
Jared Scott. Cromwell is eighth in the MIAA in rushing yards (483), Hall is 10th (458) and Scott is 13th (417). Cromwell is also third in the MIAA with 11 rushing scores, and Scott is fifth with eight trips to paydirt of his own. The Griffons lead the conference with 24 rushing touchdowns, good for the eighth most in Division II. Missouri Western is also first in the conference and 25th in DII with 199.2 rushing yards per game.
Pitt State is right behind MWSU in multiple rushing categories, including rushing TDs with 23, which is second in the MIAA and ninth in the country. The Gorillas are second in the conference and 32nd in DII with 188.1 rushing yards per game. Senior Antwan Squire leads the way with six touchdowns and 540 yards, the fifth-most yards in the MIAA. Sophomore Cleo Chandler Jr. also has six touchdowns on the ground. Junior Noah Hernandez rounds out Pitt's own stable of backs with 319 yards and three touchdowns.
RIVALRY RECORD RABBIT HOLE
By the Numbers
Heading into the 48th all-time meeting in a rivalry that started in 1970, Missouri Western trails Pitt State 13-34. The Gorillas have won the last two matchups, with MWSU last winning on Nov. 2, 2019.
Last Time Out
The Griffons faced a potent, No 5-ranked Gorillas team last season at Carnie Smith Stadium, holding a 10-7 lead over PSU at halftime. A 2-yard TD connection between Jones and Bennett put the Griffs up by three before Dodson Jr. hit Kolbe Katsis from 67 yards out to take a 14-10 lead the Gorillas never looked back on. Despite MWSU falling 28-16, the Griffons held Pitt to just five third-down conversions on 13 attempts, sacking Dodson twice and picking him off once.
SENIOR DAY
The following seniors will be recognized during Saturday's pregame ceremonies.
PLAYOFF PUSH
With Pitt State at No. 1 and MWSU at No. 9 in the first
NCAA Division II Super Region Three poll, Saturday's game will have playoff implications.
GET IN THE ZONE
With 32 touchdowns in the red zone, MWSU's offense ranks second in the conference. As for the Griffs' red zone defense, they rank first in TDs allowed (13) and scoring percentage, only giving up a touchdown or field goal 62.1% of the time. The Griffons did not allow Northeastern into the red zone one single time in last Saturday's contest.
YOU GOT THE TIME?
Missouri Western is second in the MIAA and 20th in the country in time of possession with an average of 32:02 minutes per game, only trailing Pitt State's average TOP of 35:13. With that average, Pitt ranks first in DII.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM, BLOCK THEM
The Griffon special teams unit has blocked seven kicks this season, the third most in the nation. Out of those seven blocks, five have been blocked punts, the second most in DII. Junior linebacker
Sam Taylor blocked an NSU punt last Saturday to conclude the RiverHawks' second offensive drive.
SPECIAL TEAMS U
On top of blocked punts, the Griffons have some of the best return numbers in the conference. The Griffons lead the MIAA with 161 punt return yards and are one of just three teams to take one back for a score this season. Missouri Western's 22.8 yards per kickoff return average ranks second in the MIAA, as does their 759 return yards. On the opposite end, junior kicker
Cody Watson is third in the MIAA with 76 points scored, making him the highest-scoring kicker in the league.
TAKE THAT, REWIND IT BACK
With 71 tackles for a loss, Missouri Western leads the MIAA and has the 10th most in the country. The Griffons are also first in the MIAA and tied for 34th in the country with 24 sacks.
BENNETT TO WIN IT
It's safe to say moving
Jonas Bennett to wide receiver this season was a solid decision. The Odessa, Missouri, native is fifth in the MIAA with 48 receptions and 5.3 catches per game, and he is fourth with 628 receiving yards. Senior D-lineman
CJ Ravenell has the third-most TFLs in the MIAA With nine.
DAKARI'S WORLD DESTRUCTION TOUR
Senior defensive lineman
Dakari Streeter is second in DII with 10 sacks this season, just half a sack shy of first place. Streeter stands alone in first place when it comes to another category, averaging the most sacks per game in the country with a mark of 1.25. The senior also leads the MIAA with 61 sack yards lost.
TAY'S WAY OR THE HIGHWAY
With a career-high four interceptions, senior defensive back
Taylor Williams is on a tear this season. His four picks are the second most in the MIAA,
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY
Nov. 4 | Box Score
The last time MWSU played on Nov. 4 was in 2006 vs. Fort Hays State at Spratt Stadium. Thanks to a pair of 47-yard and 29-yard touchdown runs by Jamison Burns, MWSU jumped out to a 14-3 lead at halftime. Quarterback Matt Landess put the Griffons up 24-3 with a 34-yard touchdown strike to Jarrett Brooks early in the fourth quarter to seal MWSU's lead for good. Jeremiah White led the Griffs on the ground, toting the ball 17 times for 105 yards. The Griffon defense came away with three interceptions and five sacks, holding Hays to 230 yards of total offense.
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