PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will return to the friendly confines of Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium Saturday (Oct. 22) for an MIAA matchup against Missouri Western State University. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (CDT).

The Gorillas are 7-0 on the season and alone atop the MIAA standings. Pitt State posted a 49-10 win over Lincoln University in its last action on Oct. 15. The Gorillas have opened the season with seven straight wins for the first time since the 2011 season when Pitt State captured the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Gorillas victories include a pair of wins over nationally-ranked foes:  35-28 over No. 11 Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 8 and 24-22 over No. 9 Northwest Missouri on Oct. 8.

Pitt State climbed two spots to No. 5 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Top 25 poll released Monday (Oct. 17).

MWSU brings a 3-4 record into today's action. The Griffons snapped a four-game losing streak with a 23-16 road win over Northeastern State University last Saturday at Tahlequah, Okla.

Saturday's game is the Gorillas Homecoming contest. The Gorillas are 57-13-2 in Homecoming games since the 1949 season. This will be the eighth time Pitt State hosts Missouri Western on Homecoming. The Gorillas are 5-2 against the Griffons in Homecoming contests.

The Coaches
Brian Wright is in his third season as head coach at Pittsburg State.

He was hired as the program's 15th all-time head coach on December 7, 2019. Wright led the Gorillas to a 2-2 record during the abbreviated 2020 season; and he guided Pitt State to an 8-3 mark in 2021. He has a 17-5 (.773) record leading the Gorillas and a 21-5 (.808) mark as a collegiate head coach.

Wright came to Pitt State after serving the previous four seasons as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at the University of Toledo.

Prior to coming to Toledo, Wright coached at Florida Atlantic for four seasons as the Owls' offensive coordinator. He stepped in as interim head coach for the final four games of the 2013 season, leading the Owls to four consecutive victories and bowl eligibility (6-6) for the first time since 2008. Prior to his stint at Florida Atlantic, Wright spent two seasons at Montana State as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.

Before heading west to Montana State, Wright served nine years at perennial FCS power Youngstown State.

Wright joined the Penguins' staff in 2001 as quarterbacks coach, also working as offensive coordinator from 2005-09. He began his collegiate coaching career at Walsh (Ohio) University as a graduate assistant in 1995-96.

After a year as a graduate assistant at YSU in which the Penguins won the NCAA Division I-AA national title, Wright returned to Walsh in 1998 and served until 2000. 

Saturday's action will mark Wright's third match-up against MWSU. He is 2-0 vs. the Griffons.

Matt Williamson is in his sixth season directing his alma mater. Williamson (MWSU, '96) previously served as an assistant coach at Western from 2000-07. He has a 28-26-0 (.519) career coaching record. This will be his fifth meeting vs. Pitt State. He is 1-4 against the Gorillas.

Gorillas at Home
Pitt State holds a 363-137-12 (.720) record in 512 games inside Carnie Smith Stadium (including postseason). The Gorillas have won 163 of their last 195 regular season home games, posting a 163-31-1 record (.838) over the last 37 seasons.  

MWSU is 8-12 (.400) in its last 20 road games dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

The Pitt State - Western Series
Saturday's action will mark the 48th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Griffons in a series that dates back to the 1970 season. Pitt State holds a 35-12 (.745) advantage in the series, including a 16-6 home mark against Missouri Western.

Last year, Pitt State scored the game's first 27 points en route to a 34-14 road win over the Griffons on Oct. 23.

Dallis Flowers sparked Pitt State by returning the game's opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown 13 seconds into the game.

The Gorillas added 17 second quarter points for a 24-0 halftime advantage.

All-Time Winningest Programs
Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are playing in their 115th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 736-359-48 overall record, winning 66.4 percent of their 1,143 all-time games.

Pittsburg State is one of just nine 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. The Gorillas entered the 2022 campaign ranked 30th among all college football programs in all-time victories.

Tuskegee is second on the Division II all-time list with 704 victories, followed by Hillsdale (657), Carson-Newman (647) and Central Oklahoma (647).

MWSU has a 306-255-9 (.545) record in 53 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 319 of its last 387 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 319-66-2 (.827) mark during the past 37 seasons (1985-2022). PSU is 168-28-1 at home, 147-29-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

Scouting the Gorillas
Sophomore quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. has completed 113 of 199 passes (.568) for 1,793 yards and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions on the season.

Dodson (5-11, 191) is averaging 256.1 passing yards per game and is sporting a 160.31 passer rating. He currently ranks second in the MIAA and 10th in NCAA Division II in passing efficiency and third in the conference in passing yards.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 158 of 266 passes (.594) for 2,453 yards and 25 touchdowns in 13 career games played for Pitt State. He was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 for his efforts in the Gorillas 35-28 road win over Nebraska-Kearney that week.

Dodson is 8-0 as Pitt State's starting quarterback.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Dubem Okonkwo has made a team leading 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 quarterback sacks on the season. The Kansas City, Mo., native has posted 21 tackles (13 solo) on the year.

Okonkwo (6-0, 218) currently ranks sixth in the MIAA in quarterback sacks and 10th in the conference in tackles-for-loss.

For his career, Okonkwo has compiled 62 tackles (41 solo) with 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 quarterback sacks.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kolbe Katsis has caught 11 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns on the season, averaging a team-leading 28.1 yards per reception.

The Owasso, Okla., native caught two passes for 93 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown reception against Lincoln last Saturday.

He has caught four passes for 141 yards (35.3 ypc) and two touchdowns in the Gorillas last two contests.

Katsis also is averaging 28.5 yards on 12 kickoff returns on the season. He currently ranks second in the MIAA and 17th in NCAA Division II in kickoff returns.