PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will return to the friendly confines of Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium to play host to MIAA rival Fort Hays State University in the regular season finale Saturday (Nov. 12). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (CST).

The Gorillas are 10-0 on the season and alone atop the MIAA standings. Pitt State clinched the 2022 MIAA Championship – the program's 13th all-time MIAA title and first conference crown since 2014 – with its 37-23 victory over Washburn last Saturday at Topeka. The Gorillas, who hold a two-game lead on the rest of the MIAA field, assured themselves at least a share of the conference title with their 38-7 win at Central Oklahoma on Oct. 29.

The Gorillas have opened the season with 10 straight wins for the first time since the 2004 season. 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 held steady at No. 5 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Top 25 poll released Monday (Nov. 7). Also on Monday, the Gorillas slid one spot to No. 3 in this week's NCAA Super Regional Rankings. The top seven teams in the Super Region Three at the end of the season qualify to the 28-team NCAA Division II national playoff field.

FHSU brings a 3-7 record into Saturday's action. The Tigers built a 20-0 lead before settling for a 27-14 win over Northeastern State last Saturday at Hays, Kan.

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 20-5 (.800) record leading the Gorillas and a 24-5 (.828) 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 second match-up against FHSU. He is 1-0 vs. the Tigers.

Chris Brown is in his 11th season as head coach at FHSU. Brown (Pitt State, 1996) has compiled a 74-49-0 (.602) record leading the Tigers. Brown, a three-time All-America free safety for the Gorillas from 1993-95, came to FHSU after serving as defensive coordinator at Washburn from 2002-10. This will be his ninth meeting vs. his alma mater. Brown is 5-4 vs. Pitt State.

Gorillas at Home
Pitt State holds a 364-137-12 (.721) record in 513 games inside Carnie Smith Stadium (including postseason). The Gorillas have won 164 of their last 196 regular season home games, posting a 164-31-1 record (.839) over the last 37 seasons.  

FHSU is 24-15 (.615) in its last 39 road games dating back to the start of the 2015 season.

The Pitt State - Fort Hays Series
This will be the 80th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Tigers in a series that dates all the way back to the 1915 season.

Pitt State holds a commanding 47-23-9 advantage in the series. The Gorillas are 24-11-3 vs. the Tigers in Pittsburg all-time. Pitt State is 21-5-1 in its last 27 overall meetings against Fort Hays State.

Last year, Dallis Flowers returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to spark Pitt State to a 34-24 road win over Fort Hays State in the regular season finale for both schools on Nov. 11.

Quarterback Chad Dodson Jr., making his first collegiate start, completed 20 of 31 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. He tossed an 82-yard TD pass to wide receiver Elijah Harris and added scoring passes of 25 yards to wide receiver Christian Carter and 43 yards to wide receiver Jalen Martin.

The Gorillas took a 24-14 halftime lead and Pitt State stretched its margin to 34-17 before the Tigers added a late score with 37 seconds remaining in the game.

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 739-359-48 overall record, winning 66.6 percent of their 1,146 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 707 victories, followed by Hillsdale (658), Carson-Newman (649) and Central Oklahoma (647).

FHSU has a 486-483-44 (.501) record in 110 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 322 of its last 390 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 322-66-2 (.828) mark during the past 37 seasons (1985-2022). PSU is 169-28-1 at home, 149-29-1 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 155 of 272 passes (.580) for 2,372 yards and 25 touchdowns with seven interceptions on the season.

Dodson (5-11, 191) is averaging 237.2 passing yards per game and is sporting a 154.85 passer rating. He currently leads the MIAA and ranks 18th in NCAA Division II in passing efficiency and he ranks fourth in the conference in passing yards.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 200 of 339 passes (.590) for 3,032 yards and 32 touchdowns in 16 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 11-0 as Pitt State's starting quarterback.

Sophomore running back Caleb Lewis has posted four 100-yard rushing games on the season.

Lewis carried the ball 19 times for a career best 153 yards and a touchdown vs. NSU on Sept. 17. He followed that up with 19 carries for 117 yards and a TD vs. ESU on Sept. 24. Lewis also rushed 20 times for 101 yards and a score vs. MWSU on Oct. 22.

Last week, he carried the ball a career high 26 times for 102 yards and a touchdown against WU.

The Burleson, Texas native has carried the ball 174 times for 813 (4.7 ypc) and nine TDs on the season, averaging 81.3 yards per game. He currently ranks third in the MIAA in rushing.

Lewis (5-11, 183) has carried the ball 301 times for 1,349 yards (4.5 ypc) and 12 touchdowns in 22 career games for the Gorillas.

Sophomore wide receiver Christian Carter has made a team-leading 36 receptions for 512 yards (14.2 ypc) and five touchdowns on the season.

Carter (6-0, 167) caught five passes for 51 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown grab, against UCO on Oct. 29. The Kansas City, Mo., native currently ranks 11th in the MIAA in both receptions and receiving yards.

Carter has 80 career receptions for 1,136 yards (14.2 ypc) and 10 touchdowns in 23 career games played.

Senior wide receiver Mark Wheeland capitalized on his most significant action of the season, catching three passes for 72 yards and a touchdown vs. WU last Saturday (Nov. 5).

Wheeland, a first-year transfer from MIAA rival Northeastern State, snared a seven-yard TD pass from quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. for Pitt State's final score of the game. The Haskell, Okla., native also had a leaping 33-yard grab that set up a second quarter touchdown by the Gorillas and a 23-13 scoring advantage at the time.

Wheeland (6-4, 200) earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors at NSU in 2021, catching a team-leading 52 passes for 691 yards and seven touchdowns. He posted 89 career receptions for 1,243 yards and 11 touchdowns for the RiverHawks.

Sophomore linebacker Dubem Okonkwo was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week Monday for his efforts in the Gorillas win vs. UCO on Oct. 29.

Okonkwo (6-2, 218) made five tackles (four solo) with 3.5 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble against the Bronchos.

The Kansas City, Mo., native has 8.5 QB sacks and 13.0 tackles-for-loss on the season, ranking second in the conference in QB sacks and fourth in the league in tackles-for-loss.

For his career, Okonkwo has made 69 tackles (47 solo), 15.0 tackles-for-loss, 11.5 quarterback sacks, four pass breakups and four forced fumbles.

Graduate linebacker P.J. Sarwinski has made a team leading 65 tackles (36 solo) on the season. The Galena, Kan., native posted eight stops against WU last week.

Sarwinski (6-1, 207) earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 10 after making a team-leading nine tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 quarterback sacks and a pass breakup vs. NWMSU (Oct. 8).

For his career, Sarwinski has compiled 157 tackles (90 solo), 20.5 tackles-for-loss, 6.5 quarterback sacks, one interception and five pass breakups.