PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Topeka Saturday (Nov. 5) for an MIAA matchup against Washburn University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CDT) at Yager Stadium.

The Gorillas are 9-0 on the season and alone atop the MIAA standings. Pitt State clinched at least a share of the 2022 MIAA Championship – the program's first MIAA title since 2014 – with its 38-7 victory over  Central Oklahoma last Saturday at Edmond, Okla. It marks the 13th time Pitt State has captured the MIAA crown since joining the MIAA, and the NCAA Division II ranks, in 1989.

The Gorillas lead their closest conference foes (Emporia State & Northwest Missouri) by two games with two games remaining in the regular season.

The Gorillas have opened the season with nine 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 (Oct. 31). Also on Monday, the Gorillas debuted at No. 2 in the first set of 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.

WU brings a 6-3 record into Saturday's action. The Ichabods rallied for a 21-17 road win over Northeastern State last Saturday after trailing the RiverHawks 17-3 in the contest.

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 19-5 (.792) record leading the Gorillas and a 23-5 (.821) 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 WU. He is 0-1 vs. the Ichabods.

Craig Schurig is in his 19th season directing the Ichabods program and his 19th 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 136-90-0 (.602) record leading the Ichabods. He is 10-8 all-time vs. Pitt State.

Gorillas on the Road
Historically, Pitt State has compiled a solid record in road games. The Gorillas have posted a 111-34-1 (.764) record in its last 146 road games (including post-season play) dating back to the start of the 1994 season.

The Gorillas are 47-11 (.810) in their last 58 road games dating back to Oct. 23, 2010, including an 11-2 record in three seasons under head coach Brian Wright.

The Pitt State - Washburn Series
This will be the 92nd 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 63-27-1 advantage in the series. The Gorillas are 32-14-0 vs. the Ichabods at Topeka, including a 14-4 mark since 1982.

Last year, Washburn's Jace Williams blocked a potential game-winning field goal try by Pitt State in the game's final half minute to seal a 28-26 road win by the Ichabods over the Gorillas  on Nov. 6.

Pitt State had driven the ball 79 yards in 15 plays to set up Cross Holmes' 33-yard field goal try after the Gorillas defense had forced a Washburn fumble at the Pitt State 5 yard line with 3:15 to play in the game. The Ichabods took a 21-17 halftime advantage when James Letcher Jr. hauled in 12-yard yard touchdown catch from Mitch Schurig with 21 ticks remaining in the first half.

Chad Dodson Jr. completed 11 of 15 passes for 133 yards after replacing starter Mak Sexton at halftime. Sexton passed for 115 yards on seven of 13 attempts with an interception in the opening two periods.

Tyler Adkins carried the ball 17 times for 69 yards and two scores, while Elijah Harris made six receptions for a team-leading 89 yards 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 738-359-48 overall record, winning 66.6 percent of their 1,145 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 706 victories, followed by Hillsdale (658), Carson-Newman (648) and Central Oklahoma (647).

WU has a 576-594-44 (.493) record in 132 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 321 of its last 389 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 321-66-2 (.828) mark during the past 37 seasons (1985-2022). PSU is 169-28-1 at home, 148-29-1 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 137 of 245 passes (.559) for 2,143 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions on the season.

Dodson (5-11, 191) is averaging 238.1 passing yards per game and is sporting a 159.74 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 182 of 312 passes (.583) for 2,803 yards and 29 touchdowns in 15 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 10-0 as Pitt State's starting quarterback.

Sophomore running back Caleb Lewis has posted three 100-yard rushing games on the season; and he just missed his fourth 100-yard game last week.

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 18 times for 97 yards and two TDs against UCO.

The Burleson, Texas native has carried the ball 149 times for 714 (4.8 ypc) and eight TDs on the season, averaging 79.3 yards per game. He currently ranks third in the MIAA in rushing. Lewis (5-11, 183) has carried the ball 276 times for 1,250 yards (4.5 ypc) and 11 touchdowns in 21 career games for the Gorillas.

Sophomore wide receiver Christian Carter has made a team-leading 32 receptions for 459 yards (14.3 ypc) and five touchdowns on the season.

Carter caught five passes for 51 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown grab, against UCO. The Kansas City, Mo., native currently ranks 10th in the MIAA in both receptions and receiving yards. Carter has 76 career receptions for 1,083 yards (14.3 ypc) and 10 touchdowns in 22 career games played.

Sophomore linebacker Dubem Okonkwo was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week Monday for his efforts in the Gorillas win vs. UCO last Saturday (Oct. 29). Okonkwo made five tackles (four solo) with 3.5 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble against the Bronchos.

One of Okonkwo's sacks came on the final play of the first half as he teamed with defensive lineman Zeke Wall to stop Bronchos quarterback Stephon Brown in the backfield on a 2nd-and-goal play as time expired, leaving the Gorillas with a 24-0 advantage. He also sacked Brown earlier in the second period at the UCO 1 yard line to force a punt and set up a short field score by the Gorillas.

The Kansas City, Mo., native now has 8.5 QB sacks on the season, ranking second in the conference in the category to date.

Sophomore cornerback Antione Nunn Jr. registered his third interception of the season, and his second "pick six" of the year against the Bronchos last Saturday. Nunn snared an errant pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown to give a 38-7 lead against UCO with 8:47 to play in the game.

The Belton, Mo., native shares the lead in the MIAA with his three interceptions and he's one of just eight players in NCAA Division II this season with two interception returns for touchdowns. For the season, Nunn has posted 17 tackles (12 solo) with 2.5 tackles-for-loss, three interceptions and six pass breakups. He ranks fourth in the MIAA in passes defended (9).