PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will return to Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium to close out the regular season Saturday (Nov. 4) with Senior Day against the University of Central Oklahoma.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Pittsburg State, the winningest all-time NCAA Division II program, is 6-4 on the season. The Gorillas dropped a 34-6 road decision to the University of Central Missouri last Saturday (Nov. 7) at Warrensburg, Mo.

Central Oklahoma is 5-5 on the season.  The Bronchos have won three straight games and five of their last six contests to overcome an 0-4 start to the season. UCO claimed a 37-20 home win over Lindenwood University in its last action last Saturday.

The Coaches
Tim Beck is in his sixth season as head coach at Pitt State with a 53-18 (.746) career record.  

Beck led his alma mater (PSU, '88) to the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship three seasons ago, earning national coach of the year honors from Liberty Mutual, the Don Hansen Football Committee and FieldTurf™.

Beck became the school's 14th all-time head football coach in December 2009, after serving for 23 seasons as an assistant coach for the Gorillas including 16 years as the team's offensive coordinator from 1994-2009.
In his first season leading the Gorillas, Beck guided Pitt State to a 6-6 record and a victory in the 2010 Mineral Water Bowl.  In 2011, Beck led the Gorillas to the program's second NCAA national championship and the school's fourth national title overall in a 13-1 campaign. Pitt State captured the MIAA Championship and ultimately the NCAA-II National Championship with a 35-21 victory over Wayne (Mich.) State on Dec. 17, 2011.

In 2012, the Gorillas opened the season 5-0 before finishing the year 7-3 overall, while in 2013 Pitt State posted the program's 20th all-time 10-win season during a 10-2 campaign.

Last year, the Gorillas shared the MIAA regular season title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs during an 11-2 campaign.

During his 16 seasons as offensive coordinator, the Gorilla offense consistently ranked among the finest units in NCAA Division II.

In 2008, Beck was selected the inaugural NCAA Division II Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com, following a vote of his coaching peers.

In 2004, Beck's offensive unit established itself as the most prolific squad in the history of NCAA football.  PSU shattered a 118-year-old scoring record, scoring an amazing 837 points (55.8 ppg).  His squad also set the NCAA all division records for rushing (5,320 yards) and total offense (8,976 yards).

Prior to assuming the offensive coordinator's role, Beck served two years as Pitt State's defensive coordinator (1992-93).  He became a full-time assistant on the Pitt State staff in 1989, after serving first as a student assistant (1987) and then as a graduate assistant (1988).

This will be Beck's fifth meeting vs. Central Oklahoma. He is 4-0 vs. the Bronchos.

Central Oklahoma's Nick Bobeck is in his third year leading his alma mater and his third season as a (four-year) collegiate head coach.  Bobeck (UCO, '02) returned to UCO after serving as the head coach at Navarro Junior College for three years. Bobeck has guided the Bronchos to a 17-25 (.405) record. This will be his fourth meeting vs. Pitt State. He is 0-3 vs. the Gorillas.

The Pitt State-Central Oklahoma Series
This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Bronchos in a series that dates all the way back to the 1915 season.

Pitt State holds a 7-3-1 advantage in the series, including five wins in the last six years. The Gorillas are 4-2-0 against the Bronchos in games played in Pittsburg.

Last year, sixth-ranked Pittsburg State scored on the opening drive of the game and built a 17-0 second quarter lead en route to a 41-14 victory over Central Oklahoma in the regular season finale on Nov. 15.
The victory gave Pitt State a share of its 12th MIAA Championship and the Gorillas 31st all-time conference title. Pitt State shared the MIAA crown with seventh-ranked Northwest Missouri.

Pitt State posted its school record 20th consecutive road victory dating back to the 2010 season with the victory over UCO (8-3, 8-3 MIAA).

Quarterback Anthony Abenoja completed 21 of 29 passes for 290 yards and one touchdown for the Gorillas, who also rushed for a season-best 241 yards as a team.

Gorillas at Home
Pitt State holds a 343-124-12 (.729) record in 479 games inside Carnie Smith Stadium (including postseason). The Gorillas have won 143 of their last 162 regular season home games, posting a 143-18-1 record (.886) over the last 31 seasons.

UCO is 8-7 (.533) in its last 15 road games dating back to the 2013 season, including a 3-2 record in road games this season.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 281 of its last 334 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 281-51-2 (.844) mark during the past 31 seasons (1985-2015). PSU is 152-18-1 at home, 125-24-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

All-Time Winningest Programs
Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are in their 108th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 690-337-48 overall record, winning 66.4 percent of their 1,075 all-time games.

Pittsburg State is one of just 20 NCAA Division II institutions to have recorded 500 all-time victories and the Gorillas are just one of five schools to have reached the 600-win plateau. Tuskegee is second on the all-time list with 666 victories, followed by Hillsdale (616), Carson-Newman (613) and Central Oklahoma (607).

UCO has a 607-384-46 (.580) record in 110 seasons of intercollegiate play.

Quick Strike Offense
The Pitt State offense has exhibited a penchant for being a "quick strike" unit. During the last 11 seasons (2005-15), the Pitt State offense has generated 730 scoring drives (612 TDs, 118 FGs) and averaged just 2:52 of elapsed time per drive.

2005    97 scoring drives (86 TDs, 11 FGs)    2:40 elapsed time    2011    78 scoring drives (60 TDs, 18 FGs)    2:54 elapsed time
2006    79 scoring drives (72 TDs, 7 FGs)    2:14 elapsed time    2012    51 scoring drives (40 TDs, 11 FGs)    2:58 elapsed time
2007    64 scoring drives (55 TDs, 9 FGs)    3:02 elapsed time    2013    83 scoring drives (70 TDs, 13 FGs)    2:29 elapsed time
2008    69 scoring drives (61 TDs, 8 FGs)    3:23 elapsed time    2014    74 scoring drives (53 TDs, 21 FGs)    3:06 elapsed time
2009    49 scoring drives (44 TDs, 5 FGs)    3:21 elapsed time    2015    45 scoring drives (37 TDs, 8 FGs)    2:56 elapsed time
2010    41 scoring drives (34 TDs, 7 FGs)    3:04 elapsed time

The Gorillas have been highly successful when they are quick out of the gates.  Pitt State has scored on its opening drive 64 times (54 TDs, 10 FGs) in the last 131 games (including five of 10 games this season), posting a 59-5 (.922) record in those games. By contrast, Pitt State is 37-30 (.552) in games it doesn't score on its opening drive during the same span.

LePage Handles Starting Quarterback Role
Redshirt sophomore Thomas LePage has started the last four games at quarterback for the Gorillas after freshman John Roderique, Jr. suffered a season-ending leg injury.

LePage has played in nine games for the Gorillas.  For the season he has completed 45 of 97 passes (.464) for 404 yards and three touchdowns; and he's carried the ball 77 times for 133 net yards and one TD. He completed four of seven passes (.571) for 28 yards with an interception in six games in 2014.

LePage was the first-team Missouri Class 6A All-State quarterback as a senior at Jefferson City (Mo.) High School in 2012, before signing with Pitt State.  He passed for 1,650 yards and 15 TDs and rushed for 628 yards and nine scores his senior season.

Roderique completed 94 of 157 passes (.599) for 1,264 yards (210.7 ypc) and nine TDs in six games for the Gorillas.  He also carried the ball 80 times for 466 yards (5.8 ypc, 77.7 ypc) and nine scores. Roderique, a Webb City, Mo., native transferred to Pitt State in January after two seasons at FCS member Sam Houston State University where he redshirted in 2013 and did not use any eligibility in 2014.

Cushon Joins 2,000-Yard Receiving Club
Pitt State senior wide receiver Marquise Cushon became just the fourth player in school history to eclipse 2,000 receiving yards on Oct. 10.

The Kansas City, Mo., native has 127 career receptions for 2,159 yards (17.0 ypc).  He has a team-leading 35 catches for 453 yards (12.9 ypc) on the season.

He had eight catches for 99 yards against Missouri Southern on Oct. 31, moving past Gavin Lutman for third place on the Gorillas' career receiving yards list and moving past Ronnie West for third place on Pitt State's career receptions list.

Lutman caught 130 passes for 2,068 yards between 2010-14, while West caught 123 passes between 1990-91.

Seybold 11th in Career Rushing
Senior running back Jeff Seybold, Jr. ranks 11th on Pitt State's all-time rushing list.

The Lincoln, Neb., native has 450 career carries for 2,629 yards (5.84 ypc) and 30 touchdowns. He has rushed the ball 139 times for a team-leading 663 yards (4.8 ypc) and six scores this season.

Seybold passed Justin Johnson (1995-97, 2609 yds.) for 11th place on the Pitt State rushing list and he needs 23 yards to crack the top 10 list and pass Joey Tobin (1989-93, 2651 yds.). With a touchdown against Nebraska-Kearney on Oct. 24, Seybold broke into the top 10 on the career rushing touchdown list. He is currently in10th place on the list with 30 TDs.

In addition to his rushing totals, Seybold has been a key receiving target for the Gorillas. He has 16 catches for 174 yards (10.9 ypc) and three TDs this season; and he's made 55 career receptions for 525 yards (9.5 ypc) and seven scores.

Bernard Emerging as Defensive Presence
Sophomore linebacker Demetrius Bernard has played a key role in the Pitt State defense the past five weeks.

The O'Fallon, Mo., native has started four of the last five games as the Gorillas' have shifted to a 3-3-5 scheme for stretches of games. Bernard, who has 41 tackles on the season, has made 25 stops (20 solo) in the last five contests.

He matched his career high with eight tackles (seven solo) last week against Central Missouri, including four stops behind the line of scrimmage.  Bernard has 6.5 of his 7.0 TFLs in the last five games.

Brown Reaches 200 Career Tackle Milestone
Junior linebacker Spencer Brown eclipsed the 200-tackle milestone last week vs. Central Missouri.

The Lee's Summit, Mo., native made a five stops against the Mules. For the season, Brown has made a team-best 82 tackles (38 solo) with 8.0 TFLs, 3.5 QB sacks and six PBUs. He has posted double-digit tackles three times on the year, with a career-high 13 stops against MWSU (Oct. 3) and MSSU (Oct. 31).

Brown has compiled 201 career tackles (87 solo) with 18.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 QB sacks and nine PBUs.

Scouting the Bronchos
Offensively, Central Oklahoma is averaging 34.5 points and 474.3 yards of total offense on the season, while the Bronchos are surrendering 27.1 points and 393.6 total yards per game.

Junior T.J. Eckert and sophomore Chas Stallard have shared time at quarterback. Eckert has competed 110 of 174 passes (.632) for 1,434 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven INTs, while Stallard has completed 98 of 176 passes (.557) for 988 yards and seven TDs with five INTs. Stallard also has carried the ball 99 times for 431 yards (4.4 ypc) and three scores.

Sophomore running back Clay McKenzie has carried the ball 206 times for 1,243 yards (6.0 ypc) and 14 TDs. Junior wide receiver J.T. Luper has made a team-leading 52 catches for 557 yards (10.7 ypc) and three scores in eight games, while sophomore wide receiver Myles Tease has 23 catches for 442 yards (19.2 ypc) and four TDs.

Senior linebacker Malcom Howard has made a team-leading 114 tackles (43 solo) with 8.5 tackles-for-loss, while senior defensive end Kenny Allen has made 44 tackles (17 solo), 7.5 TFLs and 3.5 quarterback sacks.

Junior Seth Hiddink has converted 16 of 21 (.762) field goal attempts, while junior Christian Fulham has punted 44 times for a 35.0-yard average .with nine kicks inside the opponent 20 yard line.