PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University football team scored 30 second-half points to pull away for a 33-14 victory over the University of Nebraska-Kearney Saturday (Sept. 23) in front of 10,047 Family Day fans at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.

The No. 3 ranked Gorillas (4-0, 4-0 MIAA) trailed the Lopers (1-3, 1-3 MIAA), 7-3, at halftime before reeling off 23 straight points in the third and fourth quarters to push in front 26-7 with 9:47 to play in the game.

Quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. passed for 180 yards and a touchdown in the contest and the Gorillas gained a season-high 297 rushing yards in the contest.

Running back Noah Hernandez carried the ball eight times for a game-high 82 yards, while backup quarterback Ty Pennington and running back Cleo Chandler Jr. added touchdown runs in the contest.

Dodson connected with wide receiver Kam Gillespie on an eight-yard touchdown pass with 11:39 to play in the fourth quarter.

Safety Michael Lacey added a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown just under two minutes later to help seal the victory.

Kicker Austin Schmitt added a pair of shot field goals in the game, connecting from 26 and 22 yards out on his attempts.

The Pitt State defense limited UNK to 277 total yards in the game and the Gorillas intercepted Lopers quarterback TJ Davis three times. Safety Jordan Rogers and cornerback Jaylen Fuksa had takeaways to go along with Lacey's pick six.

Linebacker Zach Coenen made a team-leading six tackles in the game.

The Gorillas will travel to Tahlequah, Okla., to battle Northestern State University next Saturday (Sept. 30) at 2 p.m. (CDT).