PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team will return to the friendly confines of Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium Saturday (Oct. 28) to host the University of Sioux Falls in a non-conference match-up. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (CDT).
Pitt State held at No. 2 in this week's AFCA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, after posting a 28-7 road victory over Northwest Missouri State University last Saturday (Oct. 21) at Maryville, Mo. The Gorillas (8-0) are one of 11 remaining unbeaten teams in Division II.
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.
Sioux Falls, an NCAA Division II member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), is 3-5 on the season (3-5 NSIC). The Cougars enter Saturday's action seeking to halt a two-game losing streak. USF dropped a 42-35 home decision to Winona State University last Saturday (Oct. 21).
Saturday's game is the Gorillas Homecoming contest. The Gorillas are 58-13-2 in Homecoming games since the 1949 season.
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 unblemished MIAA Championship, garnering 2022 MIAA Coach of the Year honors. He led Pitt State to a 12-1 record as the Gorillas mad their 19th all-time trip to the NCAA-II postseason.
Wright has a 30-6 (.833) record leading the Gorillas and a 34-6 (.850) 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 be Wright's first match-up against Sioux Falls.
Jim Glogowski is in his first year leading the Cougars after serving as associate head coach and defensive coordinator the previous seven seasons at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Prior to Minnesota State, Glogowski served as the head coach at Simpson College, an NCAA Division III program in Indianola, Iowa, from 2007-2016.
The Pitt State - Sioux Falls Series
This will be first all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Cougars.
Pitt State has met four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) foes in NCAA Division II postseason action since 2006 – three in the Mineral Water Bowl and one in the NCAA Division II playoffs – posting a 3-1 record.
The Gorillas own bowl victories over Bemidji State (2006, 35-27), Concordia-St. Paul (2010, 13-9) and Southwest Minnesota State (2013, 90-28). Pitt State dropped a 24-21 overtime decision to Minnesota State in the second round of the 2014 NCAA-II playoffs.
The Gorillas have an 18-3 (.857) overall mark against NSIC teams throughout program history.
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 749-360-48 overall record, winning 66.8 percent of their 1,157 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 713 victories, followed by Hillsdale (661), Carson-Newman (653) and Central Oklahoma (652).
USF has a 465-423-23 (.523) record in 121 seasons of intercollegiate play.
PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 331 of its last 399 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 331-66-2 (.832) mark during the past 38 seasons (1985-2023). PSU is 173-28-1 at home, 154-29-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.
Gorillas at Home
Pitt State holds a 369-137-12 (.724) record in 518 games inside Carnie Smith Stadium (including postseason). The Gorillas have won 168 of their last 200 regular season home games, posting a 168-31-1 record (.843) over the last 38 seasons. Pitt State posted an unblemished 7-0 record at home in 2022 and the Gorillas have won their last 10 home games.
Sioux Falls is 11-4 (.733) in its last 15 road games dating back to the start of the 2021 season.
Scouting the Gorillas
Junior quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. improved to 21-1 (.955) as the Gorillas starter following Pitt State's week eight road win vs. NWMSU.
Dodson completed 18 of 27 passes for 216 yards in the contest. He has completed 141 of 208 passes (.678) for 1,583 yards and 11 TDs.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 389 of 633 (.614) career passes for 5,157 yards and 47 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 TDs.
Senior tight end Devon Garrison caught seven passes for a career high 111 yards and two touchdowns against Emporia State on Oct. 7 – his first career 100-yard game.G
For the season, Garrison has 30 grabs for a team-leading 485 yards (16.2 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 ninth in the MIAA in receiving yards, averaging 60.6 yards per game.
For his career, the Elk River, Minn., native has 74 catches for 1,211 yards (16.4 ypc) and 13 touchdowns. He needs 74 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.
Redshirt junior linebacker Luke Jennings was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week Monday (Oct. 23).
Jennings made seven tackles (four solo), a pass breakup and forced a fumble against NWMSU. The Gardner, Kan., native led the Gorillas in stops as the Pitt State defense held NWMSU scoreless until three minutes remaining in the game. His forced fumble came at the PSU 2 yard line with 7:48 to play in the third quarter, halting the Bearcats first red zone scoring opportunity of the contest.
Jennings, an All-MIAA selection in 2022, returned to the Pitt State lineup Oct. 7 after missing four games. He's made 23 tackles (10 solo) in four games played on the season.
Sophomore safety Jordan Rogers leads the MIAA and ranks fourth 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. He missed the MSSU game due to injury.
Freshman placekicker Austin Schmitt is 10-for-12 on field goal attempts on the season. He currently leads the MIAA and ranks in a tie for 13th place in D2 in field goals per game (1.25 pg).
The Grain Valley, Mo., native also has connected on all 29 of his PAT trys. He's scored a team-leading 59 points to date (7.4 ppg).
Senior running back Antwan Squire has carried the ball a team-leading 91 times for 444 yards (4.9 ypc) and four touchdowns on the season. He also has caught 15 passes for 144 yards (9.6 ypc) and one TD.
The Suitland, Md., native ranks eighth in the MIAA in rushing, averaging 55.5 yards per game. He carried the ball 31 times for 135 yards (4.4 ypc) and one touchdown in six games played in 2022.
Redshirt junior linebacker Jack Barkley leads the Pitt State defense with 58 tackles (26 solo) on the season. The Tulsa, Okla., native also has 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 quarterback sacks and three pass breakups to his credit.
Barkley ranks fifth in the MIAA in stops this season, averaging 7.3 tackles per game. He earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 5, after posting a career-best 14 tackles (seven solo) and 3.5 tackles-for-loss in the Gorillas' 34-7 season opening win over Washburn (Aug. 31).
For his career, Barkley has compiled 123 tackles (49 solo) with 9.0 tackles-for-loss, one interception and four pass breakups.
Scouting The Cougars
Sophomore quarterback Camden Dean directs the Sioux Falls offense. Dean (5-11, 189) has completed 152 of 226 passes (.673) for 1,741 yards (217.6 ypg) and 17 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Dean also has carried the ball 99 times for a team-leading 564 yards (5.7 ypc) and five scores.
Junior running back Dylan Rudningen (5-10, 212) also has rushed the ball 105 times for 544 yards (5.2 ypc) and six touchdowns as the Cougars have averaged 176.3 rushing yards per game.
Redshirt junior Carter Slykhuis has been Dean's favorite receiving target. Slykhuis (5-10, 185) has caught 64 passes for 727 yards (11.4 ypc) and five TDs, averaging 90.9 receiving yards per game. Junior tight end Mark Leonard (6-5, 252) also has made 33 receptions for 392 yards (11.9 ypc) and four scores.
USF is averaging 252.4 passing yards and 428.6 total yards per game on the season. The Cougars are scoring 30.3 points per game.
Defensively, USF is allowing 35.6 points, 188.9 rushing yards and 426.0 total yards per game.
Sophomore safety Eli Schlangen (6-1, 195) has made a team-leading 43 tackles (35 solo).
Graduate defensive lineman Amaurii Grosskopf (6-2, 236) has made 23 tackles (14 solo), 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 quarterback sack, while junior cornerback Joseph Sapp (5-11, 183) has posted 15 tackles (13 solo), two interceptions and two pass breakups.
Junior Seamus Hall (6-2, 200) has punted 22 times for a 43.0 yard average, placing five kicks inside the opponent 20 yard line.
Junior Nick Hernandez (6-0, 165) has converted 24 of 26 PAT tries on the season. The Cougars have not attempted a field goal through their first eight games played. USF has converted 14 of 25 (.560) fourth-down tries to date.
