PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Emporia, Kan., Saturday (Sept. 24) to face MIAA rival Emporia State University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CDT) at Francis Welch Stadium.

The Gorillas are 3-0 on the young season after posting a 49-14 home win over Northeastern State University last Saturday (Sept. 17). Pitt State opened the season with a 21-10 home win against the University of Central Missouri on Sept. 1 and the Gorillas knocked off then No. 11 ranked University of Nebraska-Kearney, 35-28, on Sept. 8 at Kearney, Neb.

Pitt State climbed two spots to No. 14 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II Top 25 poll released Monday (Sept. 19), after debuting at No. 16 in last week's poll.

Emporia State is 2-1 through three games played. The Hornets posted a 36-12 home win over previously unbeaten Missouri Western State University last Saturday (Sept. 17). ESU opened the season with a 42-17 home win over NSU on Sept. 1, before the Hornets dropped a 21-13 road decision to the University of Central Oklahoma on Sept. 8.

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 13-5 (.722) record leading the Gorillas and a 17-5 (.773) 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 ESU. He is 1-0 vs. the Hornets.

ESU's Garrin Higgins is in his 15th year leading the Hornets and his 20th year as a collegiate coach. Higgins (ESU, '92) has compiled a 90-75 (.545) record leading his alma mater as well as a 141-84 (.627) career mark. He is 3-9 vs. Pitt State.

Gorillas on the Road
Historically, Pitt State has posted a solid record in road games. The Gorillas have posted a 108-34-1 (.759) record in its last 143 road games (including post-season play) dating back to the start of the 1994 season.

The Gorillas are 44-11 (.800) in their last 55 road games dating back to Oct. 23, 2010, including an 8-2 record in three seasons under head coach Brian Wright.

The Pitt State - Emporia State Series
This will be the 100th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Hornets in a series that dates all the way back to the 1915 season. The Pitt State-Emporia State series is the ninth-longest rivalry in NCAA Division II football.

Pitt State holds a commanding 63-34-2 advantage in the series. The Gorillas are 32-17-1 vs. the Hornets at Emporia.

Pitt State is 34-7 in its last 41 meetings against ESU.

In the last meeting between the schools on Sept. 25, 2021, Pitt State jumped out to a 21-7 second quarter lead and held off Emporia State down the the stretch for a 30-28 victory in front of 10,611 partisan Family Day fans at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

Mak Sexton passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. His 16-yard connection to Jalen Martin broke a 21-21 tie with 4:06 to play in the third quarter, staking the Gorillas to a 27-21 lead. Back-up kicker Cross Holmes booted a 39-yard field goal with 11:06 to play to stretch Pitt State's margin to 30-21.

ESU closed the gap to 30-28 when Braden Gleason scored on a six-yard scramble with 18 seconds remaining in the game, but Pitt State's Devon Garrison recovered the ensuing onside kickoff attempt to seal the win.

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 732-359-48 overall record, winning 66.4 percent of their 1,139 all-time games.

Pittsburg State is one of just two NCAA Division II institutions to have recorded 700 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 700 victories, followed by Hillsdale (655), Carson-Newman (645) and Central Oklahoma (643).

ESU has a 541-550-45 (.496) record in 130 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 315 of its last 383 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 315-66-2 (.825) mark during the past 37 seasons (1985-2022). PSU is 166-28-1 at home, 145-29-1 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. 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 in week two.

Dodson (5-11, 191) completed 20 of 29 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns, including the game winning 72-yard connection to wide receiver Bryce Murphy with 12 seconds remaining in the game.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 95 of 158 passes (.601) for 1,488 yards and 16 touchdowns in nine career games played for Pitt State.

He is 4-0 as Pitt State's starting quarterback.

Senior wide receiver Bryce Murphy has caught a team-leading 10 passes for 277 yards (27.7 ypc) and three touchdowns on the season.

The Neosho, Mo., native posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving contests in weeks one and two. He currently ranks second in the MIAA in receiving yards (92.3 ypg) and tied for sixth place in the conference in scoring (6.0 ppg).

Murphy (6-2, 205) has made 83 career receptions for 1,299 yards (15.7 ypc) and 10 touchdowns. He needs 283 more receiving yards to break into Pitt State's all-time top 10 list for career receiving yards. Murphy also needs nine more receptions to crack the Gorillas' top 10 list for career receptions.

Sophomore running back Caleb Lewis carried the ball a career high 19 times for a career best 153 yards and a touchdown vs. Northeastern State (Sept. 17).

The Burleston, Texas native has carried the ball 42 times for 221 (5.3 ypc) and two touchdowns on the season, averaging 73.7 yards per carry. He currently ranks fifth in the MIAA in rushing.

Lewis (5-11, 183) has carried the ball 169 times for 757 yards (4.5 ypc) and five touchdowns in 15 career games for the Gorillas.