PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., Saturday (Nov. 7) for a key match-up against the University of Central Missouri.
Kickoff is set for 2:37 p.m. (CST) at UCM's Audrey J. Walton Stadium.

Saturday's game will be televised live locally on The Cox Channel KS – channels 122 and 2122 (HD) as the MIAA TV Network Game of the Week. Additionally, the game will be available on a host of outlets across the MIAA geographical footprint, including KSMO-TV in Kansas City and KGCS-TV in Joplin, Mo.

Pittsburg State, the winningest all-time NCAA Division II program, is 6-3 on the season. The Gorillas posted their 200th all-time MIAA victory with a 41-4 victory over Missouri Southern State University last Saturday (Oct. 31) in Pittsburg.

Central Missouri is 7-2 on the season and ranked No. 24 in the most recent AFCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll [for complete poll, see page 5].  The Mules have won six straight games to overcome a 1-2 start to the season.  UCM blanked Lindenwood University, 31-0, last Saturday at St. Charles, Mo.

The Coaches
Tim Beck is in his sixth season as head coach at Pitt State with a 53-17 (.757) 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 sixth meeting vs. the Mules.  He is 4-1 vs. Central Missouri.

UCM's Jim Svoboda is in his sixth year leading the Mules and his 12th season as a collegiate coach. Svoboda (Northwestern College, '83) has compiled a 48-21 (.696) record at UCM and a 100-40 (.714) overall mark. He is 1-4 vs. Pitt State.

The Pitt State-Central Missouri Series
This will be the 52nd all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Mules in a series that dates all the way back to the 1916 season.  Pitt State holds a decided 41-8-2 (.824) advantage in the series, including a 20-5-0 record against UCM in Pittsburg.

The Gorillas are 21-3-2 against the Mules at Warrensburg and 14-2 against UCM at Warrensburg since 1960, including a 31-21 victory the last time the two squads met at Walton Stadium on Oct. 12, 2013.

Quarterback Anthony Abenoja tossed a 75-yard TD pass to wide receiver Marquise Cushon on the game's first offensive play to stake the Gorillas to a fast start.

With the scored tied 31-13, the Pitt State defense forced the Mules into a four-and-out drive, giving the offense the ball back with 5:37 to play. Abenoja, who finished the game with 428 passing yards, completed strikes of 21 and 27 yards to wide receiver Gavin Lutman on the crucial drive, before running back Jamal Tyler scooted into the end zone from 23 yards out for the winning score.

Gorillas on the Road
Pitt State has posted a 76-23-0 (.768) record in its last 99 road games (including post-season play).

The Gorillas posted a school and MIAA record 20 straight road wins between the 2010 and 2014 seasons before dropping a 24-21 overtime decision to Minnesota State in the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs on Nov. 29, 2014.

During the last 22 years (1994-pres.), the Gorillas are an equally impressive 87-25-1 (.774) on the road.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 281 of its last 333 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 281-50-2 (.847) mark during the past 31 seasons (1985-2015). PSU is 152-18-1 at home, 125-23-1 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 690-336-48 overall record, winning 66.5 percent of their 1,074 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 (615), Carson-Newman (612) and Central Oklahoma (606).

Central Missouri has a 534-503-51 (.514) record in 119 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 728 scoring drives (612 TDs, 116 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    43 scoring drives (37 TDs, 6 FGs)    2:53 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 130 games (including five of eight games this season), posting a 59-5 (.922) record in those games. By contrast, Pitt State is 37-29 (.561) 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 three games at quarterback for the Gorillas after freshman John Roderique, Jr. suffered a season-ending leg injury.
LePage has played in eight games for the Gorillas.  For the season he has completed 34 of 71 passes (.479) for 292 yards and three touchdowns; and he's carried the ball 61 times for 130 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 124 career receptions for 2,114 yards (17.0 ypc).  He has a team-leading 32 catches for 408 yards (12.8 ypc) on the season.

He had eight catches for 99 yards against Missouri Southern last Saturday, 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 12th in Career Rushing
Senior running back Jeff Seybold, Jr. ranks 12th on Pitt State's all-time rushing list.

The Lincoln, Neb., native has 442 career carries for 2,586 yards (5.85 ypc) and 30 touchdowns. He has rushed the ball 131 times for a team-leading 620 yards (4.7 ypc) and six scores this season.

Seybold needs 24 yards to pass Justin Johnson (1995-97, 2609 yds.) for 11th place and he needs 66 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.

Wilson Continues to Assert Himself
Junior defensive end Heath Wilson continues to assert himself up front on the the Pitt State defense. The Wagoner, Okla., native has made 34 stops (17 solo) with a team-leading 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 quarterback sacks.

Wilson, a first-team All-MIAA and honorable mention All-America selection as a sophomore in 2014, has made 111 tackles with 27.0 tackles-for-loss and 15.0 quarterback sacks in 34 career games for the Gorillas.

Nordic Named MIAA Special Teams Player of Week
Redshirt freshman Slade Nordic was named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week against Missouri Southern on Oct. 31. The Bartlesville, Okla., native sparked the Gorillas by returning the opening kickoff of the game 100 yards for a touchdown.

Nordic became just the fourth player in Pitt State history and the 17th player in MIAA history to record a 100-yard kickoff return. For the season, Nordic has returned seven kickoffs for a 36.9-yard average. He also has three catches for 27 yards (9.0 ypc) as a wide receiver.

Scouting the Mules
Offensively, UCM is averaging 38.0 points and 502.1 yards of total offense on the season, while the Mules are surrendering 21.4 points and 361.7 total yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Garrett Fugate has completed 157 of 263 passes (.597) for 2,214 yards (276.8 ypg) and 15 TDs with just three INTs. He also has carried the ball 120 times for 520 yards (4.3 ypc) and a team-leading eight TDs, averaging 341.8 yards of total offense per game.

Freshman running back Markel Smith has carried the ball a team-leading 159 times for 773 yards (4.9 ypc) and six scores.

Sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Zachery has made a team-leading 48 catches for 877 yards (18.3 ypc) and four scores, while senior tight end Ian Toalson has 30 catches for 416 yards (13.9 ypc) and seven TDs.

Sophomore linebacker Austin Miller has made a team-leading 59 tackles (33 solo) with 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, three INTs, eight PBUs and four fumble recoveries, while senior defensive end Jason Venckus has made 35 tackles (18 solo), 12.5 TFLs and 4.5 quarterback sacks.

Redshirt freshman Billy Greco has converted 15 of 20 (.750) field goal attempts, while freshman Peter Smith has punted 38 times for a 34.0-yard average with five kicks inside the opponent 20 yard line.