PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will make its 19th all-time appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday (Nov. 19) when the Gorillas host the University of Indianapolis of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in a first-round game at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

Pittsburg State, the winningest all-time NCAA Division II program, qualified for the 28-team playoffs after finishing the regular season with an unblemished 11-0 record and capturing the 2022 MIAA Championship.  The Gorillas, ranked No. 4 in the final regular season AFCA/Division II Top 25 poll [for complete poll, see page 5], posted a 35-14 victory over Fort Hays State University in their last action on Nov. 12.

UIndy qualified for post-season play by finishing the regular season with a 9-1 record and finishing as the GLVC champion.  The Greyhounds, the No. 13 team in NCAA Division II, claimed the GLVC title with a 28014 win over No. 20 Truman State University in their last action on Nov. 12.

Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 1 p.m. (CST).

Tickets
Tickets are $12 for reserved seats, $10 for general admission and $5 for PSU Students (with I.D.). All tickets on game day will be $12.

The PSU Ticket Office is open until the close of business Friday (Nov. 18).  Online ticket sales are available at www.pittstate.edu/tickets.

For additional ticket information, please call (620) 235-4796.

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 21-5 (.808) record leading the Gorillas and a 25-5 (.833) mark as a collegiate head coach.

Wright, who was named the 2022 MIAA Coach of the Year Tuesday (Nov. 15), 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 first meeting against UIndy.

Chris Keevers is in his fourth season as head coach at UIndy, after serving as an assistant coach for the Greyhounds for a quarter century. Keevers (Purdue, 1989) has compiled a 28-7-0 (.800) record leading UIndy. He led the Greyhounds to a 9-2 record and an NCAA Division II playoff appearance in his first season as head coach in 2019. Keevers also earned GLVC Coach of the Year honors during the Covid-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign.

This will be his first meeting vs. Pitt State.

The Pitt State - UIndy Series
This will be the first all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Greyhounds.

Pitt State has a 90-30-5 (.740) all-time record against GLVC foes, which primarily includes former MIAA members Missouri S&T (40-15-4), Southwest Baptist (21-0) and Truman (27-15-1). The Gorillas also are 2-0 vs. William Jewell.

Pitt State is 61-1-1 (.976) against current GLVC foes since the Gorillas' NCAA era began in 1989.

Pitt State-UIndy in the NCAA-II Playoffs
Pitt State is making its 19th appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs since joining the NCAA ranks 34 years ago, prior to the 1989 season.

The Gorillas have compiled a 25-16 (.615) mark in the NCAA-II playoffs.

Pitt State captured the 1991 and 2011 NCAA Division II National Championships and finished as the National Runner-Up in 1992, 1995 and 2004.

UIndy is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA-II playoffs since 2012, it's first trip since 2019. The Greyhounds are 2-6 in eight postseason games.

UIndy is 1-1 in two match-ups vs. MIAA teams. The Greyhounds defeated FHSU, 38-27, in 2018 and dropped a 37-27 decision to UCM in 2019.

Gorillas at Home
Pitt State holds a 365-137-12 (.721) record in 514 games inside Carnie Smith Stadium (including postseason). The Gorillas have won 165 of their last 197 regular season home games, posting a 165-31-1 record (.840) over the last 37 seasons.

Pitt State has posted a 25-8 (.758) all-time record in home playoff games, including an 18-5 (.783) mark in NCAA-II postseason play. The Gorillas are 9-1 in home playoff games since 2001 and riding a five-game home win streak.

UIndy is 13-4 (.765) in its last 17 road games dating back to the start of the 2019 season under Coach Keevers.

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 740-359-48 overall record, winning 66.6 percent of their 1,147 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 (650) and Central Oklahoma (648).

UIndy has a 428-373-23 (.533) record in 85 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 323 of its last 391 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 323-66-2 (.829) mark during the past 38 seasons (1985-2022). PSU is 170-28-1 at home, 149-29-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

Gorillas vs. Ranked Opponents
Pitt State has fashioned a 60-52 (.536) record against nationally ranked NCAA Division II opponents, including a 2-0 mark this season. The Gorillas are 38-18 at home, 17-23 on the road and 5-11 in neutral site match-ups against top 25 squads.

Pitt State is 25-32 against top 10 foes and 3-7 all-time against No. 1 ranked squads.

UIndy is 8-8 (.500) against nationally ranked D2 opponents since the 2012 season. The Greyhounds are 1-5 on the road and 3-5 against top 10 foes.

Scouting the Gorillas
Sophomore quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. has completed 172 of 299 passes (.575) for 2,543 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions on the season.

Dodson (5-11, 191) is averaging 231.2 passing yards per game and is sporting a 154.08 passer rating. He currently leads the MIAA and ranks 17th in NCAA Division II in passing efficiency.

Dodson, who garnered third-team All-MIAA honors earlier this week, ranks 11th in Division II in passing yards per completion (14.78 ypc) and 12th in the country in passing touchdowns (27). He is responsible for 168 points on the season – the 19th best total in D2 this year.

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.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 217 of 365 passes (.595) for 3,203 yards and 34 touchdowns in 17 career games played for Pitt State.

Dodson is 12-0 as Pitt State's starting quarterback.

Sophomore running back Caleb Lewis has enjoyed one of the most productive seasons among MIAA running backs this fall, carrying the ball 188 times for 859 yards (4.6 ypc) and 10 touchdowns and averaging 78.1 rushing yards per game.

The Burleson, Texas, native was tabbed as a first-team All-MIAA selection

He has posted four 100-yard rushing games on the season: 19 carries for 153 yards and a TD vs. NSU (Sept. 17), 19 carries for 117 yards ad a TD vs. ESU (Sept. 24), 20 carries for 101 yards and a TD vs. MWSU (Oct. 22) and 26 carries for 102 yards and a TD vs. WU (Nov. 5).

Lewis (5-11, 183) has carried the ball 314 times for 1,392 yards (4.4 ypc) and 13 touchdowns in 23 career games for the Gorillas.

Sophomore wide receiver Christian Carter has made a team-leading 39 receptions for 539 yards (13.8 ypc) and five touchdowns on the season, earning second-team All-MIAA honors.

The Kansas City, Mo., native has 83 career receptions for 1,163 yards (14.0 ypc) and 10 touchdowns in 24 career games played.

Junior Devon Garrison has been one of the top receiving threats in Division II from the tight end position this season. Garrison (6-6,. 221) has caught 29 passes for 555 yards (19.1 ypc) and five touchdowns – the second-highest tight end receiving total in the country this year.

The Elk River, Minn., native earned first-team All-MIAA honors for his play.

Garrison's 19.14-yard per catch average ranks 29th among all receivers in Division II this fall and tops among tight ends.

He has made 38 career receptions for 667 yards (17.6 ypc) and seven scores.

Sophomore Dubem Okonkwo earned first-team All-MIAA honors as a defensive lineman for the Gorillas this season.

Okonkwo (6-2, 218) has 8.5 quarterback sacks and 13.0 tackles-for-loss on the season, ranking second in the MIAA (30th in Division II) in QB sacks and sixth in the league in TFLs.

The Kansas City, Mo., native was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Gorillas win vs. UCO on Oct. 29 when he posted 3.5 QB sacks and a forced fumble.

For his career, Okonkwo has made 70 tackles (48 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 74 tackles (39 solo) on the season. He's also registered 10.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 quarterback sacks. The Galena, Kan., native – a two-time first-team All-MIAA performer – posted nine stops against FHSU 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 166 tackles (93 solo), 22.0 tackles-for-loss, 7.5 quarterback sacks, one interception and five pass breakups.

Wide receiver/return specialist Kolbe Katsis was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year earlier this week for his play during the 2022 regular season.

Katsis (6-1, 166), who also garnered third-team All-MIAA honors as a return specialist, has returned 14 kickoffs for a 28.1 yard average. He ranks 11th in NCAA Division II in kickoff return average.

The Owasso, Okla., native also has caught 20 passes for 450 yards and five touchdowns on the season, averaging a team-leading 22.5 yards per reception.

The redshirt freshman caught five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown vs. FHSU last week.