ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Football (3-3, 2-2 MIAA) travels to Pittsburg, Kansas on Saturday to face the Pittsburg State Gorillas (1-5, 1-3 MIAA) at Spratt Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and available to stream on the MIAA Network.

Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac will be on the radio call, with former Griffon quarterback Branden Berwald as analyst, and MoWest broadcast student Tucker Holden on the sideline. Radio pregame coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. with the East Ridge Car Wash Pregame Show.

Look Back at Last Week
Griffon Football raced out to a 31-7 lead and held on for a 31-21 victory over Nebraska-Kearney (0-6, 0-4 MIAA) on Homecoming at Spratt Stadium Saturday night.

MoWest, who beat UNK at home for the first time since 2016 and for the first time at all since 2023, was firing on all cylinders offensively to start, scoring touchdowns on each of their first four possessions.

Isaiah Tate completed 20-of-28 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Peyton Hatfield turned in a career night with seven catches for 86 yards. Malik Moore had five catches for 77 yards and a score. Victor Taylor Jr. had two catches for 15 yards and a score as well. Emmanuel Ellison had a 36-yard touchdown catch also.

Rickie Dunn notched his second 100-yard game of the season with 101 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown.

Broc Worcester had a team-best 10 tackles. Bryce Coley finished with nine tackles, including seven solo stops and two pass breakups. A'Mon Walker notched his first career collegiate interception.

Big Numbers Offensively
MoWest continues to be among the MIAA and D2 nation's leaders in offensive production, ranking third in the MIAA in scoring offense (34.8 ppg), second in total offense per game (486.7 - No. 8 NCAA DII), first in offensive efficiency (162.5 - No. 21 NCAA DII), second in first downs (146 - No. 14 NCAA DII) and first in passing yards per game (357.3 - No. 3 NCAA DII).

MoWest has had nine scoring plays on offense this season of 30 yards or more, three of 40 yards or more and two of 50 yards or more.

Meanwhile, Isaiah Tate...
No. 1 in the MIAA in passing TD (16 - t-6th NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA passing efficiency (162.3 - No. 21 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA in passing yards per completion (16.23 - No. 10 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA total passing yards (1899 - No. 5 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA total offense (1986 - No. 4 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA passing yards per attempt (9.59 - No. 12 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA in total offensive yards per game (331 - No. 4 NCAA DII).
No. 1 in the MIAA passing yards per game (316.5 - No. 3 NCAA DII).

Receiving Crew
Crew Myers has an MIAA-leading 674 receiving yards (No. 9 NCAA DII), 37 catches (3rd MIAA, t-16th NCAA DII) and four touchdown receptions (t-2nd MIAA). Myers also leads the MIAA with 112.3 receiving yards per game (8th NCAA DII). Malik Moore sits No. 4 in the MIAA with 483 receiving yards and is tied for second in the MIAA with four TD catches.

Getting it Dunn
Running back Rickie Dunn ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in total rushing yards (546) and No. 4 in rushing scores (5). He had a career-best 25 carries for a career-best 124 yards rushing in the victory over Fort Hays State.

Heralding Hatfield
Freshman WR Peyton Hatfield has made quite the name for himself already. The Lee's Summit High School alum leads the MIAA and ranks No. 3 in NCAA Division II with 436 kick return yards. He leads the league with 866 all-purpose yards (No. 15 NCAA DII) and sits No. 3 in the MIAA with 40 punt return yards.

Special Teams Stars
Special teams continue to be a bright spot for MoWest. Since 2019, Griffon Football has returned seven kickoffs for touchdowns - two in 2019 (Trey Vaval), one in 2020 (Sam Webb), one in 2021 (Cooper Burton), one in 2024 (Javerius McGuinn), one in 2025 (Jaelon Dixon) and again in 2026 with Peyton Hatfield doing so against Augustana on August 27.

MoWest currently ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 19 in NCAA Division II with 538 kick return yards. MoWest is one of just two teams in the MIAA to have a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2026.

Elsewhere, Mason Grove continues to set the standard in kickoffs, leading the league with 23 touchbacks. In 143 career kickoff attempts, Grove has tallied 88 career touchbacks with only three attempts going out of bounds.

Ball Hawks
The defensive backfield is completely new for MoWest this season. The Griffons lost seven starting DBs from the 2025 roster. MoWest reloaded, adding 19 new DBs, including seven transfers. There are now 24 defensive backs on the Griffon roster, including true freshmen.

This position group is performing very well with nine passes intercepted so far in 2026 - second most in the MIAA and tied for sixth most in NCAA Division II. The Griffs have intercepted in a pass in four of their first six games in 2026.

A'Mon Walker has been strong at the corner position with seven passes defended (t-2nd MIAA), while safety Ken Pierre-Charles sits No. 7 in the MIAA with 47 total tackles, including 34 solo stops (2nd MIAA, t-10th NCAA DII).

Strength in O-line numbers
MoWest dealt with numerous injuries on their offensive line last season, with four players suffering season-ending ailments, including starters Keegun Daniels and Joe Turner.

MoWest shored up some strength here as well with now 21 offensive linemen on the roster, including six returners with starting experience. Chief among them is third team all-MIAA right tackle Connor Holt, who's played in 29 games and made 25 starts over the last four seasons.

Left tackle Quentin Garrett and center Adam Sotelo also bring ample starting experience. Garrett has made 24 starts since 2024, while Sotelo now has 12 career starts.

Unusally slow start in Pittsburg
Coming off of a win in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and a share of the MIAA Championship last season, expectations for Pittsburg State were again high in 2026. The Gorillas were preseason ranked No. 4 in the country and were picked to win the league by the MIAA's coaches.

Instead, Pitt State is off to its slowest start since 1977 with a 1-5 record. The Gorillas got the monkey off their back (no pun intended) on Oct. 3 with their first win of the season - a 34-27 overtime rally at winless Nebraska-Kearney after an 0-4 start.

PSU could not, however, build off of newfound momentum, falling at Washburn last week 16-9. The Gorillas have played the third toughest schedule in NCAA Division II, per the Massey Ratings. They opened, for a third straight year, by playing defending national champion Ferris State (42-14 L) and then went on the road to a West Alabama team (24-23 L) that's now ranked No. 21 in the nation.

Some of Pitt State's strengths have come from their special teams. The Gorillas rank No.1 in the MIAA in yards per punt (43.4), No. 1 in made field goals (10), No. 4 in kick return yards (298) and No. 2 in touchbacks (17).

Offensively, Pitt State has dealt with a number of injuries on the offensive line. They've also tried three different athletes at quarterback. The Gorillas have struggled in the passing game, throwing an NCAA Division II leading 13 interceptions. They're tied for the most turnovers of any team at the D2 level with 19. Their turnover margin (-13) is the third worst of all 159 D2 programs nationwide.

On defense, the Gorillas have struggled to stop the run, ranking No. 10 in the MIAA in rush defense (209.3). They also have the fewest sacks (4) of any defense in the league currently. Interestingly, MoWest and Pitt State are the only two teams in the MIAA this year that have yet to recover a fumble.

Series History
Saturday marks the 51st all-time meeting with Pitt State. The Gorillas have had the upper hand historically, leading the all-time series 36-14, winning 10 of the last 12 meetings since 2013. MoWest seeks its first win over Pitt State since 2023 and its first win in Pittsburg since 2019.

Trends and Tidbits
Since the start of the 2023 season, MoWest has played in 40 games - 19 of them decided by a single possession. The Griffons are 8-11 in those games. Dating back to November 2022, 12 of the last 22 losses for Griffon Football have come by eight points or less.

The Griffons are 10-20 in their last 30 games overall, with 10 of those 20 losses coming by eight points or less. The Griffs are 6-9 in their last 15 at home and 4-11 in their last 15 on the road. While Griffon Football has scored 24 wins over ranked opponents since the year 2000, MoWest looks to break what's now a nine-game losing streak to ranked teams.

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 OT win at Central Oklahoma.

Griffon Football History
Griffon Football has won 329 games in what's now the 57th season, winning two conference titles and making the NCAA Division II playoffs four times. MoWest has competed in 12 bowl games throughout its history, going an impressive 9-3 in those contests. Since the year 2000, MoWest has had 18 winning seasons, six bowl victories, four playoff bids and two MIAA championships. In all, MoWest has had 29 winning seasons since the program's founding in 1970 and 93 All-Americans in that time as well.

Griffs in the NFL
There are four Griffon Football alumni who are active in the NFL in the 2026 season - defensive lineman C.J. Ravenell (Giants), tight end Cam Grandy (Vikings), fullback Grant Finley (Giants) and safety Jonathan Owens (Colts).

Four Griffons in history have been NFL draft picks - Vince Thomson (DE 1985), John Fisher (DB 1996), Greg Zuerlein (K 2012) and David Bass (DE 2013). Other former Griffs to have played in the NFL include Gijon Robinson (TE 2008-10), Roger Allen (OG 2009-2012), Michael Hill (RB 2013-14), Leonard Wester (OT 2016-18), Sam Webb (CB 2022-25), D.J. Stirgus (2023 CB) and Mike Jordan (CB 2016-18).

Tune Into the Griffons
The Griffon Sports Network will again provide live, free audio coverage all season for ALL home and away Griffon Football games.

Tommy Rezac is back as 'Voice of the Griffons' for a sixth 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.

Former Griffon Football players Jonas Bennett and Branden Berwald serve as the color analysts, with MoWest broadcasting student Tucker Holden as the sideline reporter.

All games are available to watch with a subscription on the MIAA Network as well. Rezac's radio broadcast is synchronized with Griffon home games broadcast on the MIAA Network.