PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Joplin, Mo., Saturday (Oct. 14) to battle Missouri Southern State University in week seven MIAA action. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (CDT) at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Pitt State, the No. 3 team in this week's AFCA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll [for complete poll, see page 4], is 6-0 on the season after posting a 33-25 victory over No. 20 ranked Emporia State University last Saturday (Oct. 7) at Carnie Smith Stadium.

Pitt State captured the 2022 MIAA Championship while posting a 12-1 record a year ago. The Gorillas advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II national playoffs before falling to eventual national champion Ferris State, 17-14.

Missouri Southern is 3-3 on the season. The Lions are seeking to halt a two-game slide after dropping a 35-22 home decision to Fort Hays State University last Saturday (Oct. 7).

The Coaches
Brian Wright is in his fourth 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. In 2022, Wright led the Gorillas to a 12-1 record and an 11-0 unblemished MIAA Championship, garnering 2022 MIAA Coach of the Year honors. He led Pitt State to a 12-1 record as the Gorillas made their 19th all-time trip to the NCAA-II postseason.

Wright has a 28-6 (.824) record leading the Gorillas and a 32-6 (.842) 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 MSSU. He is 2-0 against the Lions.

MSSU's Atiba Bradley is in his third full year leading his alma mater and his third year as a collegiate coach. Bradley guided the Lions to a 1-0 record during the Covid-19 altered 2021 spring season. He has an 11-18 (.379) mark leading MSSU.

Bradley returned to MSSU after serving most recently as defensive coordinator at NCAA Division II member McKendree University. He also served as co-defensive coordinator at the University of South Dakota from 2016-18.

This will be his third meeting vs. Pitt State. He is 0-2 vs. the Gorillas.

The Pitt State - Southern Series
This will be the 55th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Lions in a series that dates back to the 1968 season – Southern's first year as a four-year school. Pitt State holds a commanding 44-9-1 advantage in the series.
The Gorillas are 21-6 vs. the Lions at Joplin, including a 13 straight wins at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Pitt State and Southern have played every year since 1968 (except the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season), but the two teams began competing for the Miner's Bowl Trophy in 1986.

While the series has produced its share of close contests and memorable moments, the Gorillas have dominated the series, winning 34 of the 36 meetings. All told, Pitt State has averaged a 36-14 victory in the 36 meetings.

Last year, Pitt State jumped out to a 28-3 halftime advantage and never looked back in rolling to a 38-9 victory over MSSU on Oct. 1 at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

Chad Dodson Jr. passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth score in the contest. The Pitt State defense limited MSSU to 76 rushing yards on 31 attempts and just 241 total yards in the game.

All-Time Winningest Programs
Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are competing in their 116th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 747-360-48 overall record, winning 66.8 percent of their 1,155 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.

Tuskegee is second on the Division II all-time list with 712 victories, followed by Hillsdale (659), Carson-Newman (652) and Central Oklahoma (650).

MSSU has a 304-308-7 (.497) record in 56 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 329 of its last 397 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 329-66-2 (.831) mark during the past 38 seasons (1985-2023). PSU is 173-28-1 at home, 152-29-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

Gorillas at Home
Historically, Pitt State has compiled an impressive record in road games.

The Gorillas have posted a 115-35-1 (.765) record in its last 151 road games (including post-season play) dating back to the start of the 1994 season. The Gorillas are 51-12 (.810) in their last 63 road games dating back to Oct. 23, 2010, including a 15-3 (.833) record in four seasons under head coach Brian Wright.

MSSU has compiled a 4-10 (.286) home record since the start of the 2021 season.

Scouting the Gorillas
Junior quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. improved to 19-1 (.950) as the Gorillas starter following Pitt State's week six home win vs. Emporia State .

Dodson completed 15 of 24 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. He has completed 111 of 162 passes (.685) for 1,284 yards and 10 TDs.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 359 of 587 (.612) career passes for 4,858 yards and 46 touchdowns. He ranks third in Pitt State history for career TD passes and sixth for career passing yards.

Dodson earned third-team All-MIAA honors in 2022, passing for 2,975 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Senior tight end Devon Garrison caught seven passes for a career high 111 yards and two touchdowns against the Hornets last Saturday.

For the season, Garrison has 23 grabs for a team-leading 392 yards (17.0 ypc) and four touchdowns. He ranks second in NCAA Division II to date in tight end receiving yards and tight end scoring. Garrison also ranks sixth in the MIAA in receiving yards, averaging 65.3 yards per game.

For his career, the Elk River, Minn., native has 67 catches for 1,118 yards (16.7 ypc) and 13 touchdowns. He needs 167 yards to pass Blaise Bauer (1985-88) for the Pitt State career receiving record for a tight end. Bauer caught 44 passes for 1,284 yards.

Sophomore safety Jordan Rogers leads the MIAA and ranks second in NCAA Division II this season with five interceptions. The Bellmead, Texas, native logged a takeaway in each of Pitt State's first five games, including a "pick six" against NSU on Sept. 30.

For the season, Rogers has made 19 tackles (14 solo) with 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 quarterback sack and three pass breakups.

Freshman placekicker Austin Schmitt is 9-for-10 on field goal attempts on the season. He currently leads the MIAA and ranks in a tie for fifth place in D2 in field goals per game (1.5 pg).

The Grain Valley, Mo., native also has connected on all 21 of his PAT trys. He's scored a team-leading 48 points to date (8.0 ppg).