PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University football team will return to the friendly confines of Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium Saturday (Oct. 7) to play host to Emporia State University in week six MIAA action. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (CDT).

Pitt State, the No. 3 team in this week's AFCA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll [for complete poll, see page 4], has opened the season 5-0 and the Gorillas are coming off a 42-7 road victory over Northeastern State University last Saturday (Sept. 30) at Tahlequah, Okla.

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.

Emporia State is 4-1 on the season (3-1 MIAA) and ranked No. 20 in this week's national poll. The Hornets saw their unbeaten season end with a 34-31 road loss to Missouri Western State University last Saturday (Sept. 30) at St. Joseph, Mo.

Saturday's contest is Pitt State's annual Hall of Fame game. PSU Athletics will recognize its Hall of Fame Class of 2023 during halftime. The Gorillas newest Hall of Fame class includes former football players Jim Manley (1968-71), Duke Palmer III (1988-92) and Nate Dreiling (2009-13).

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 27-6 (.818) record leading the Gorillas and a 31-6 (.838) 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 ESU. He is 2-0 against the Hornets.

ESU's Garrin Higgins is in his 16th year leading the Hornets and his 21st year as a collegiate coach. Higgins (ESU, '92) has compiled a 101-78 (.564) record leading his alma mater as well as a 152-87 (.636) career mark. He is 3-10 vs. Pitt State.

The Pitt State - Emporia State Series
This will be the 101st 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 64-34-2 advantage in the series. The Gorillas are 31-17-1 vs. the Hornets in Pittsburg.

Pitt State is 35-7 in its last 42 meetings against ESU.

Last year, the Pitt State offense ran off the final 8:10 of game clock and the Gorillas defense held Emporia State scoreless in the second half to preserve a 14-13 victory on Sept. 24 at Welch Stadium.

Caleb Lewis, who rushed for a game-high 117 yards in the contest, capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive on the first possession of the third quarter to give Pitt State a 14-13 lead, after the Gorillas trailed 13-7 to the Hornets at halftime.

ESU kicker Sam Dobbins missed a pair of go-ahead field goal attempts in the second half, a 26-yard try midway through the third quarter and a 39-yard attempt with 8:10 to play in the game. He also missed a PAT try in the second quarter that forced the Hornets to settle for a 13-7 lead against the Gorillas at the time.

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 746-360-48 overall record, winning 66.7 percent of their 1,154 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 711 victories, followed by Hillsdale (659), Carson-Newman (652) and Central Oklahoma (650).

ESU has a 552-553-45 (.499) record in 131 seasons of intercollegiate play.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 328 of its last 396 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 328-66-2 (.831) mark during the past 38 seasons (1985-2023). PSU is 172-28-1 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
Pitt State holds a 368-137-12 (.723) record in 517 games inside Carnie Smith Stadium (including postseason). The Gorillas have won 167 of their last 199 regular season home games, posting a 167-31-1 record (.842) over the last 38 seasons. Pitt State posted an unblemished 7-0 record at home in 2022 and the Gorillas have won their last nine home games.

ESU is 10-9 (.526) in its last 19 road games dating back to the start of the 2019 season.

Scouting the Gorillas
Junior quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. improved to 18-1 (.947) as the Gorillas starter following Pitt State's week five road win vs. Nebraska-Kearney.

Dodson completed 18 of 21 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. He has completed 96 of 138 passes (.696) for 1,030 yards and eight TDs.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has completed 344 of 563 career passes (.611) for 4,604 yards and 44 touchdowns. He ranks third in Pitt State history for career TD passes and eighth for career passing yards.

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

Redshirt sophomore Kolbe Katsis became just the sixth receiver in Pitt State history to record a 200-yard game after catching nine passes for 200 yards and a touchdown vs. UCM on Sept. 16.

For the season, Katsis has a team-leading 28 grabs for 323 yards (11.5 ypc) and one touchdown. He ranks in a tie for fourth place in the MIAA in receptions (5.6 pg) and seventh in the league in receiving yards (64.6 ypg). For his career, the Owasso, Okla., native has 48 catches for 821 yards (17.1 ypc) and six touchdowns.

Katsis was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts vs. UCM.

Sophomore safety Jordan Rogers recorded his fifth interception of the season against the RiverHawks last Saturday, including his first "pick six" of the season.

The Bellmead, Texas, native has logged a takeaway in each of Pitt State's first five games of the 2023 campaign. He currently leads the MIAA and is tied for second place in Division II in interceptions (1.0 pg).

For the season, Rogers has made 12 tackles (nine solo) with 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 quarterback sack and one pass breakup.

Freshman placekicker Austin Schmitt is 7-for-8 on field goal attempts early in the season, booting a pair of kicks in three of Pitt State's first five games.

The Grain Valley, Mo., native also has connected on all 19 of his PAT trys. He's scored a team-leading 40 points to date (8.0 ppg).