ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Football (1-6, 0-5 MIAA) is back on the road to face in-state rival Missouri Southern (3-4, 1-4 MIAA) on Saturday.
 
Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac on the call, with News Press-Now's Kyle Schmidt as the analyst and Ryan Menley on the sidelines.
 
The game will also be available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription. It's also been labeled as the 'MIAA Game of the Week' and can be viewed locally in St. Joseph on Optimum Channel 17.
 
The Griffs continue their quest to get back on track, as MoWest is currently on its longest losing streak since 2017. The 0-5 start in the MIAA is the program's first 0-5 start in league play since 1998.
 
About Last Week
MoWest battled hard for three quarters, but No. 12 Pittsburg State (6-2, 5-1 MIAA) rushed for 264 yards and put it away late in a 44-20 tilt at Spratt Stadium last Saturday night.
 
MoWest lost two fumbles in the second half, which both led to Gorilla touchdowns. Pittsburg State had three drives that started in Griffon territory in the second half, and the Gorillas scored touchdowns on all three of them.
 
Pitt State turned the ball over three times, all in the first half, but the Griffons were unable to score points on any of them.
 
Bryce Marcus III, who had missed the previous three games with injury, finished with a career-best 96 yards and two touchdown grabs on five total catches.
 
Kane Donovan was 13-of-34 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Hall had 82 yards rushing on 20 carries. TreVon Holmes finished with a career-high 14 tackles to lead the defense. Logan Clark had an interception, while Grant Finley and Kameron Neal had a fumble recovery.
 
Red Zone Rewards
MoWest has found steady success in the red zone this season, scoring on 17-of-20 trips (85%). Their red zone success rate ranks No. 2 in the MIAA. The Griffs have scored 10 red zone touchdowns this season and are 7-of-8 on field goal tries in the red zone as well.
 
The Kane Chronicles
Kane Donovan has taken command of the MoWest offense in 2025, ranking No. 2 in the MIAA in completions (150), No. 2 in completions per game (21.43), No. 5 in passing yards (1514), No. 3 in passing touchdowns (10), No. 6 in passing yards per game (216.3) and No. 6 in total offense (1529).
 
Since transferring in from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2024, Donovan has made 11 starts for the Griffons, throwing for 1901 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing 58% of his passes in that time.
 
Long Drive Runnin'
MoWest is No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 32 in the country in time of possession, averaging 31:54 per game. The Griffons have had touchdown drives of 89 yards or more in four games this season.
 
Southern Showdown
After a 2-0 start, Missouri Southern suffered a four-game slide of their own this year with three of those four losses coming by a single possession.
 
Southern, however, bounced back in a big way this past Saturday with a 24-16 win at home over Nebraska-Kearney, earning their first MIAA win of 2025.
 
Missouri Southern has one of the more effective passing attacks in the MIAA led by freshman quarterback Tillman Martin who leads the league with 1798 passing yards (No. 17 nation), 13 passing touchdowns and a 62.5% completion rate.
 
His average of 256.9 passing yards per game ranks No. 3 in the MIAA and No. 19 in NCAA Division II. Martin's top target is all-MIAA receiver Draper Parker, who has 28 catches (No. 8 MIAA) for 419 yards (No. 8 MIAA) and four touchdowns (t-No. 4 MIAA) this season.
 
Defensively, R.J. Hill leads the Lions on the back end with two interceptions, including a 70-yard pick six against Nebraska-Kearney last week.
 
The Lions have forced 14 defensive takeaways this season, which is tied for third most in the league and ninth most in the country.
 
Series History
Saturday will be the 55th all-time meeting with Missouri Southern. The Griffons lead this all-time series 30-24, with wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings since 2013. The Griffs are also 6-1 in their last seven trips to Joplin dating back to 2011.
 
MoWest scored its first win of the 2024 season over Missouri Southern last year with a 35-27 decision at Spratt Stadium.
 
Kane Donovan set a school record in that game for completion percentage, connecting on 17-of-18 passes (94.4%) for 151 yards and a score. He also rushed for a touchdown in the game. Brandon Hall rushed for 160 yards and two scores against the Lions last season.

Special Teams Standouts
Kicker Mason Grove has been impressive again in 2025 on kickoff with 23 touchbacks (No. 2 MIAA) on 32 attempts. Grove, as a freshman in 2024, was No. 2 in the MIAA with 31 touchbacks, putting him up to 54 in his career.
 
In the return game, MoWest ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 363 kick return yards. The Griffons are still the only team in the MIAA with a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2025, thanks to Jaelon Dixon's 98-yard run to the house vs. Central Missouri on September 20.
 
MoWest has now returned a kickoff for a touchdown in four of the last six seasons, including twice in 2019.
 
Halling the Load
Two-time all-MIAA running back Brandon Hall is back for a fifth and final season after a promising 2024 was cut short with an ankle injury in week four. Even though he missed seven games last year, Hall was the team's lead rusher in 2024 with 557 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 139.25 rush yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry, while also hauling in 11 passes for 66 yards and a score.

Hall currently ranks No. 6 in program history with 2652 career rushing yards, having surpassed Mike Connaker for 6th most all-time this season. Hall's career average of 5.8 yards per carry is currently No. 5 in the program record books, and his 457 career carries now ranks eighth all-time, having surpassed Travis Partridge's total (412) this season.
 
This season, Hall ranks No. 6 in the MIAA in rushing yards (412), No. 3 in attempts (92) and No. 7 in yards per game (58.86).

Personnel Pieces
Missouri Western welcomes back a plethora of talent in 2025 with 21 total starters back, including 11 players on the offensive side who started four games or more in 2024.
 
The Griffons also made some key additions in the offseason, signing 30 freshmen and 10 transfers. The position of choice in this class was defensive backs with 14 DBs joining the team.
 
MoWest also signed seven new receivers, as each of the top four pass catchers from 2024 graduated. The Griffs did, however, bring back each of their top five rushers from 2024, returning 97.4% of their 1800 net rushing yards from last season.
 
Game of Inches
Since the start of the 2023 season, MoWest has played in 30 games - 16 of them have been decided by a single possession. The Griffons are 6-10 in those contests. Dating back to November 2022, 11 of the last 18 losses for MWSU have come by eight points or less.
 
Workin' Overtime
MoWest has gone 0-5 in overtime games since 2022 and 0-6 since 2013. The last overtime victory was in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division II playoffs - a 57-55 3OT win at home vs. Minnesota-Duluth. The last regular season game that went to overtime and ended with a Griffon victory was the 2006 season opener - a 32-29 double overtime win at Central Oklahoma.

Tune Into the Griffons
The Griffon Sports Network will once again provide live and free coverage all season long for all home and away games.
 
Tommy Rezac is back as 'Voice of the Griffons' for a fifth season. All games can be heard for free on the Varsity Network App and at GoGriffons.com/listen. To listen on the Varsity Network App, simply search "Missouri Western" once you have downloaded the app on your mobile device. Pregame coverage for each radio broadcast starts 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
 
Game of the Week
The MIAA has announced its partnership with Scripps Media and their independent television station, KMCI (38 The Spot), will broadcast an MIAA Football 'Game of the Week' again in 2025.
 
MoWest will play in the 'Game of the Week' twice in 2025 - first at Missouri Southern on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. and then at home the following week vs. Washburn on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. The 'Game of the Week' can be viewed in St. Joseph on Optimum Channel 17. Every game, as usual, will be available to stream on the MIAA Network as well.
 
What's Next
MoWest comes home to play Washburn on Saturday, November 1. Kickoff from Spratt Stadium is set for 2 p.m. That will be the 'MIAA Game of the Week' and will be available to watch locally in St. Joseph on Optimum Channel 17.