ST. Joseph, Mo. – Missouri Western football kicks off the 2025 season with a big non-conference test at No. 23 Augustana on Saturday.
Kickoff from Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is set for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with
Tommy Rezac and KQTV's Chris Roush on the call. Pregame coverage will start at 12:30 p.m.
The game will also be available to watch on the NSIC Network (nsicnetwork.com).
Where Were We?
Missouri Western enters the third year of the
Tyler Fenwick era in 2025, as the Griffons look to bounce back from a 4-7 mark in 2024, including a 2-7 mark in MIAA play.
While it was the fewest number of wins since 2017, the Griffons competed hard with all seven of their losses coming by an average margin of 7.1 points. Four of the losses were to nationally ranked opponents, and two of those were in overtime.
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. Missouri Western also signed seven new receivers, as each of the top four pass catchers from 2024 graduated.
Three QBs please
Missouri Western returns each of their top three quarterbacks from the 2024 season. Junior
Kane Donovan started the first four games of 2024 for Missouri Western, but went down with a season-ending leg injury at Emporia State in week four, opening the door for both senior
Branden Berwald and junior
Kody Kirk to also get a heavy dose of snaps.
Statistically, Berwald was the leader in the clubhouse in 2024, starting each of the last six games and finishing with 1501 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to go with 439 rushing yards and a running TD. Together, all three QBs combined for 2547 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. In fact, the Griffons set a school record in 2024 with 402 total pass attempts.
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 is the lead returning rusher with 557 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 139.25 rush yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry. He also hauled in 11 passes for 66 yards and an additional score.
Hall currently ranks No. 8 in program history with 2240 career rushing yards. His career average of 6.14 yards per carry is currently No. 5 in the program record books.
Holding the Line
Missouri Western's offensive line had four new starters in 2024, but that position group held its own, giving up an MIAA-low 16 sacks last season.
Quentin Garrett, Joe Turner, Connor Holt and
Braydon Wickliffe (honorable mention all-MIAA) are all back for 2025 after starting every game the previous season.
Defensive Diamonds
Defensively, the Griffons bring back eight starters, including three all-MIAA performers. Among them is last year's tackle leader and linebacker
Kienen Gaskin (third team all-MIAA), who finished with 84 total tackles - fifth most in a single season in program history.
Also back on defense is corner
Desmond Green (second team all-MIAA), who shined with a team-high four interceptions in 2024. He now has six INTs in his career, including a pick-six against Northwest Missouri State in 2023.
Another senior, defensive tackle
Grant Finley (third team all-MIAA), looks to make an even bigger impact up front after leading Missouri Western in 2024 with five sacks, including three solo sacks against Nebraska-Kearney. He finished 2024 with 9.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Non-Conference Flavor
Missouri Western, for the first time since 2009, opens the season with back-to-back non-conference games. The Griffons open the season with a big test in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, taking on No. 23 Augustana on Saturday, August 30 at 1 p.m. The Vikings, who made the playoffs in 2024 and have won back-to-back NSIC Conference titles, haven't played Missouri Western since the 2009 Mineral Water Bowl, which was a 34-21 Griffon victory.
The other non-conference game will be a home contest against in-state rival Missouri S&T on Sept. 13 at Spratt Stadium at 6 p.m. This will mark the first meeting with the Miners since 2013, when then No. 6 Missouri Western dominated S&T, 63-3, in Week 2 of that season in St. Joseph.
The S&T game will also be a reunion of sorts for Missouri Western head coach
Tyler Fenwick. After a highly successful run as Missouri Western's offensive coordinator from 2007-2012, Fenwick took his first head coaching job with S&T in 2013 and was there through the end of the 2018 season.
Fenwick piled up 37 wins during his time in Rolla, including a Mineral Water Bowl victory and 2018 GLVC Coach of the Year honors. He led S&T to just their third 10-win season in history and their first postseason win since 1950.
Augustana Analysis
Augustana heads into 2025 with expectations of getting back to the postseason. Preseason ranked at No. 23, the Vikings were picked to finish second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) preseason coaches' poll.
The Vikings have been in the playoffs in four of the last five years, and have won back-to-back regular season NSIC Conference titles. Augie is coming off of an 8-4 mark in 2024, falling narrowly to Minnesota State, 20-19, in the first round of the playoffs.
Augie returns 13 total starters this season, including junior and second team all-NSIC performer Gunnar Hensley. Named as the NSIC South Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, Hensley threw for 2,515 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2024, completing 66.8 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 179 yards and two scores.
Hensley's top target from last season, senior Isaiah Huber, returns after grabbing 51 passes for 607 yards and six touchdowns in 2024.
Defensively, senior defensive back Logan Leonard is back after a second team all-NSIC nod in 2024. He had 48 tackles, five pass breakups and a team-leading four interceptions last season.
Augustana is led by head coach Jerry Olszewski (Ole-chef-ski), who goes into his 13th year with the Vikings. He's compiled an 82-45 record in Sioux Falls, including nine winning seasons, five playoff berths and two conference championships.
Saturday marks just the fourth ever meeting with Augustana and just the second ever in the regular season. The first meeting between the two schools, and the only other meeting in the regular season, was in Sioux Falls on September 6, 1980, and the game ended in a 22-22 tie.
Since then, Augie and MoWest have met twice – both times in the Mineral Water Bowl. Once in 2008 (37-16 Augie) and again in 2009 (34-21 MWSU).
It's been awhile since Augustana has played any MIAA school in the regular season. A 2009 season opener vs. Emporia State was the most recent. Augie won 32-21.
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 returns 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.
Pregame coverage for each radio broadcast will begin 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
When the Sun Goes Down
Missouri Western will play five of its first seven games in prime time, including home games against Missouri S&T, Central Missouri, Emporia State (Homecoming) and Pittsburg State - all set for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
For the Record
Several records were set for Missouri Western football in 2024. In the home opening game against Missouri Southern, quarterback
Kane Donovan completed 17/18 passes for a completion rate of 94.4% - a new single game program record.
Also against Missouri Southern,
Javerius McGuinn tied a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 35-27 win over the Lions.
In a 38-28 win at Central Missouri, quarterback
Branden Berwald set a record with 481 all-purpose yards (404 passing, 77 rushing), lifting the Griffons to their first win in Warrensburg since 2013.
In that same game at UCM, receiver
Tyler Carey tied a single-game program record with three touchdown catches.
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 the 2025 season.
Serving all of KC proper and beyond, 38 The Spot will again broadcast 12 MIAA football games to local television audiences.
Missouri Western 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 against 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
Missouri Western will enjoy an early bye week on September 6, but will be home to face Missouri S&T on September 13. Kickoff from Spratt Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
