PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Topeka Saturday (Nov. 9) to battle MIAA rival Washburn University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CST) at WU's Yager Stadium.

Pittsburg State, the winningest all-time NCAA Division II program, is competing in its 112th season of intercollegiate football at the institution.  The Gorillas have accumulated 718 victories, posting a 718-353-48 overall mark.

Pitt State opened the 2019 campaign with a 37-35 road win over the University of Central Oklahoma on Sept. 5 at Edmond, Okla. The Gorillas posted five consecutive victories before dropping four straight decisions including a 35-21 home loss to Missouri Western State University last Saturday (Nov. 2).

Washburn is 4-5 on the season. The Ichabods have won three of their last four games after a 1-4 start to the season, including a 37-17 road win over Emporia State University last Saturday.

The Coaches
Tim Beck is in his 10th season as head coach at Pitt State. He has compiled an 81-34 (.704) career record.  

Beck led his alma mater (PSU, '88) to the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship, 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.

In 2014, the Gorillas shared the MIAA regular season title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs during an 11-2 campaign.

In 2015, a young Pitt State team battled a rash of key injuries to frontline players and the Gorillas had to settle for an uncharacteristic 6-5 season. In 2016, the Gorillas battled key injuries once again and Pitt State posted a 7-4 season.

In 2017, Pitt State posted six straight wins to end the season with an 8-4 record including a victory in the 2017 Agent Barry Live United Bowl. Last year, the Gorillas posted an 8-3 record and narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA-II playoffs.

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).

Beck's teams led Division II in scoring in two of the last six years (2004, 2006) and ranked in the top two nationally in total offense three times in the last six seasons (2004, 2005, 2006).  His squads ranked among the national rushing leaders every season, leading Division II in 1995 (318.8 ypg) and 2004 (354.7 ypg).  Beck's "multiple choice" option attack also compiled 16,483 passing yards (216.9 ypg) and 143 aerial touchdowns during the last six years.

Pitt State averaged a staggering 38.8 points and 442.5 yards of total offense per game during his tenure as offensive coordinator.

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 ninth meeting vs. the Ichabods.  He is 3-5 vs. WU. 

Craig Schurig is in his 17th season directing the Ichabods program and his 17th year as a collegiate coach.  Schurig (Colorado Mines, '87), who became head coach at Washburn in 2002 after eight seasons as an assistant at Pitt State (1994-2001), has a 119-84-0 (.583) record leading the Ichabods. He is 8-8 all-time vs. Pitt State.

The Pitt State - Washburn Series
This will be the 90th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Ichabods in a series that dates all the way back to the 1921 season.

The two teams met annually from 1941-2011, but did not face one another in 2012-13 thanks to an unbalanced MIAA schedule.

Pitt State holds a commanding 63-25-1 advantage in the series. The Gorillas are 32-14-0 vs. the Ichabods at Topeka.

Last year, James Brania-Hopp returned a kickoff 99 yards to break open a three-point game and propel Washburn to a 40-23 victory over Pitt State on Nov. 3.

The Gorillas trailed just 26-23 following Jared Vincent's 39-yard field goal with 7:12 to play in the game, but Brania-Hopp broke loose for the pivotal score to give the Ichabods a 33-23 cushion 13 seconds later.

Mitch Schurig passed for 235 yards and four touchdowns for Washburn. He tossed a 10-yard touchdown to Austen Hubert for the game's final 17-point margin after the Ichabods held Pitt State on downs at the Gorillas 28-yard line with 6:10 to go.

Matt Harman, making his first collegiate start in place of an injured John Roderique, completed 13 of 33 passes for 198 yards. Lorenzo West caught seven passes for a career-high 161 yards.

Pitt State fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter of the contest, but the Gorillas battled back to take a 17-14 lead with 7:44 to play in the second quarter. WU's Perry Schmiedeler booted a 29-yard field goal with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter to send the game to halftime tied 17-17.

Tyler Adkins carried the ball 22 times for 122 yards. West and Tucker Horak each had rushing touchdowns for Pitt State.

The Pitt State defense came up with three interceptions in the contest and the Gorillas turned those takeaways in 10 points.

Gorillas on the Road
Pitt State has posted a 101-31-1 (.763) record in its last 133 road games (including post-season play) dating back to the start of the 1994 season. The Gorillas are 37-8 (.822) in their last 45 road games dating back to Oct. 23, 2010.

Pitt State 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.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 308 of its last 377 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 308-67-2 (.820) mark during the past 35 seasons (1985-2019). PSU is 164-28-1 at home, 140-29-1 on the road and 4-10-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

Pitt State in the AFCA Top 25 Poll
Pitt State has been ranked in Division II's top 10 118 times in the last 261 polls and the Gorillas have been ranked in the top 25 poll in 194 of 261 weeks overall (dating back to the 1999 season).

All-Time Winningest Programs
Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are in their 112th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 718-353-48 overall record, winning 66.4 percent of their 1,118 all-time games.

Pittsburg State is one of just seven NCAA Division II institutions to have recorded 600 all-time victories and the Gorillas became just the 33rd program – the first Division II institution – across all levels of college football to reach the 700-win plateau. Currently, the Gorillas are ranked 31st among all college football programs in all-time victories.

Tuskegee is second on the Division II all-time list with 696 victories, followed by Hillsdale (645), Carson-Newman (639) and Central Oklahoma (637).

WU has a 559-588-44 (.488) record in 129 seasons of intercollegiate play.

Quick Strike Offense
The Pitt State offense has exhibited a penchant for being a "quick strike" unit. During the last 15 seasons (2005-19), the Pitt State offense has generated 953 scoring drives (780 TDs, 173 FGs) and averaged just 2:54 of elapsed time per drive.

2005 97 scoring drives (86 TDs, 11 FGs) 2:40 elapsed time    2013 83 scoring drives (70 TDs, 13 FGs) 2:29 elapsed time
2006 79 scoring drives (72 TDs, 7 FGs)  2:14 elapsed time    2014 74 scoring drives (53 TDs, 21 FGs) 3:06 elapsed time
2007 64 scoring drives (55 TDs, 9 FGs)  3:02 elapsed time    2015 50 scoring drives (41 TDs, 9 FGs)  2:53 elapsed time
2008 69 scoring drives (61 TDs, 8 FGs)  3:23 elapsed time    2016 60 scoring drives (48 TDs, 12 FGs) 2:54 elapsed time
2009 49 scoring drives (44 TDs, 5 FGs)  3:21 elapsed time    2017 56 scoring drives (42 TDs, 14 FGs) 3:18 elapsed time
2010 41 scoring drives (34 TDs, 7 FGs)  3:04 elapsed time    2018 48 scoring drives (37 TDs, 11 FGs) 3:14 elapsed time
2011 78 scoring drives (60 TDs, 18 FGs) 2:54 elapsed time    2019 54 scoring drives (38 TDs, 16 FGs) 2:38 elapsed time
2012 51 scoring drives (40 TDs, 11 FGs) 2:58 elapsed time

The Gorillas have been highly successful when they are quick out of the gates. Pitt State has scored on its opening drive 76 times (64 TDs, 12 FGs) in the last 165 games, posting a 68-8 (.895) record in those games. By contrast, Pitt State is 49-40 (.551) in games it doesn't score on its opening drive during the same span.

Inside The Pitt State Offense / Defense
Senior wide receiver Lorenzo West caught five passes for a career-high 163 yards and a TD vs. NWMSU on Oct. 12 and six passes for 152 yards vs. FHSU on Oct. 19. He posted his third straight 100-yard game vs. UCM on Oct. 26 with seven grabs for 108 yards. For the season, West has a team-leading 34 catches for 848 yards (24.9 ypc) and eight touchdowns. The Lawton, Okla., native has made 135 career receptions for 2,256 career yards (16.7 ypc) and 17 touchdowns. He ranks fourth in PSU history in career receiving yards and fourth in career receptions. West also has compiled 4,268 career all-purpose yards.

Senior place kicker Jared Vincent set a Pitt State record by converting 17 consecutive field goals between Nov. 3, 2018 and Sept. 28, 2019. The Claremore, Okla., native is 16-for-19 (.842) on field goal attempts on the season. Vincent has converted 42 of 52 (.808) career field goal attempts and 125 of 129 (.969) career PAT tries. He has converted 84 straight PAT tries. A two-time All-MIAA performer, Vincent has scored 240 career points (7.5 ppg).

Senior defensive tackle Simanu'a Thomas has made 25 tackles (14 solo) with 7.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 quarterback sacks on the season. The Independence, Mo., native is a two-time NCAA Division II All-America and three-time All-MIAA performer. For his career, Thomas has registered 139 career tackles with 38.0 tackles-for-loss, 16.5 quarterback sacks and seven forced fumbles.

Junior linebacker Kaden Roy posted a team-leading 11 tackles vs. FHSU on Oct. 19 – his third straight double digit tackle game. He was credited with a career-high 12 tackles vs. NWMSU on Oct. 12 and 11 stops vs. LU on Oct. 5. For the season, the Webb City, Mo., native had made a team-high 73 tackles (35 solo) with 5.0 tackles-for-loss.

Scouting The Ichabods
Junior quarterback Mitch Schurig directs the Washburn offense. Schurig (6-2, 220) has completed 145 of 228 passes (.636) for 1,699 yards (212.4 ypg) and 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions to date.

Sophomore wide receiver James Letcher Jr. (5-8, 165) has been Schurig's favorite target. Letcher has caught 50 passes for 587 yards (11.7 ypc) and six touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Collin Wilson (6-2, 195) has caught 30 passes for 402 yards (13.4 ypc) and six touchdowns.

Freshman running back Taylon Peters (5-10, 200) has carried the ball 101 times for 426 yards (4.2 ypc) and five touchdowns, while junior running back Zach Willis (5-8, 210) has rushed 66 times for 419 yards (6.3 ypc) and six touchdowns.

WU is averaging 235.4 passing yards and 415.4 total yards per game on the season. The Ichabods are scoring 36.4 points per game.

Defensively, WU is allowing 30.9 points, 177.3 rushing yards and 394.7 total yards per game.

Sophomore linebacker Grant Bruner (6-0, 220) has made a team-leading 60 tackles (22 solo) with 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 quarterback sack and two pass break-ups.

Sophomore defensive end Braden Rose (6-1, 255) has made 37 tackles (21 solo), 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 quarterback sacks, while junior cornerback Marquise Manning (6-0, 195) had posted 23 tackles (19 solo), three interceptions and 10 pass break-ups.

Junior Lane Spiker (6-2, 195) has punted 29 times for a 41.0 yard average, while freshman Kameron Lake (6-2, 175) has converted four of nine (.444) field goal attempts and 44 of 45 PAT tries.

Letcher has averaged 5.2 yards on punt returns and 27.4 yards on kickoff returns.