PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team scored 30 consecutive points to take control of the game en route to a 33-25 victory over Emporia State University Saturday (Oct. 7) at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

Quarterbacks Chad Dodson Jr. and Ty Pennington tossed two touchdowns apiece to help spark the Pitt State offense.

The No. 20 ranked Hornets (4-2, 3-2 MIAA) took a 3-0 lead on the opening drive of the game, but the Pitt State defense held ESU off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.

By then, the No. 3 ranked Gorillas (6-0, 6-0 MIAA) had cashed in on five scoring drives to build a 30-3 advantage following Austin Schmitt's 33-yard field goal with 2:20 to play in the third quarter.

Dodson hooked up with wide receiver Jack Roberts on a 58-yard scoring connective to give the Gorillas a 7-3 lead with 8:08 to play in the first quarter. He added a 17-yard TD strike to tight end Devon Garrison to extend the lead to 14-3 at the 14:05 mark of the second quarter.

Dodson finished the day completing 15 of 24 passes for 254 yards.

Pennington got in on the scoring by tossing an eight-yard touchdown pass to Garrison with 5:13 to go in the second period; and he punctuated the first half with a 28-yard scoring pass to Kolbe Katsis with 48 ticks remaining before the intermission to send Pitt State to the locker room with a 27-3 advantage.

Schmitt added a pair of 33-yard field goals in the second half.

Pennington led the Pitt State ground gainers with 10 carries for a team-leading 80 yards. Antwan Square also rushed nine times for 36 yards.

Garrison finished the game with seven grabs for 111 yards and the two scores. Robert had four receptions for 103 yards as well.

The Pitt State defense forced the Hornets into six punts. The Gorillas held ESU on downs in plus territory late in the second quarter to set up Pitt State's final score before the halftime break.

Linebacker Jack Barkley made a team-leading nine stops and three pass breakups in the contest. Safeties Michael Lacey, Jordan Rodgers and Ryan Medeiros each chipped in with seven tackles. Rogers also posted a pair of pass breakups as well as two stops behind the line of scrimmage.

The Gorillas will travel to Joplin, Mo., next Saturday (Oct. 14) to face Missouri Southern State University at 2 p.m. (CDT) at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.