PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University football team will return travel to Kansas City, Kan., Saturday (Nov. 15) to meet Northwest Missouri State University in the regular season finale at Children's Mercy Park, home to Sporting KC of Major League Soccer.

The game, which is set for a 1:30 p.m. (CST), will decide the 2025 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Championship. The Gorillas need a victory over the Bearcats Saturday to force a share of the conference crown. NWMSU clinched a share of the league title with its home win over Missouri Western State University last Saturday (Nov. 8).

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The Records
Pitt State enters Saturday's game with an 8-2 record (7-1 MIAA) and ranked No. 7 in the most recent American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II Top 25 poll. The Gorillas have posted eight straight victories after starting the season 0-2. Pitt State claimed a 48-35 road win over the University of Central Missouri in its last action last Saturday.

Northwest Missouri is 9-1 (8-0 MIAA) and ranked No. 12 nationally. The Bearcats have won nine straight game since a season-opening road loss to then No. 11 Minnesota State University.  The Bearcats have limited six of their opponents to 14 or less points and NWMSU has averaged a 36-6 victory in its last four outings.

The Bearcats are ranked No. 3 and the Gorillas No. 5 in the most recent NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings released Monday (Nov. 10). Following regular season play, the top eight teams in Super Region Four will qualify for the 32-team NCAA Division II national playoffs beginning Saturday, Nov. 22. 

The Coaches
Tom Anthony is in his his second year as head football coach at Pittsburg State University. He guided the Gorillas to an 8-3 record during his debut season in 2024, including guiding Pitt State to the program's third straight trip to the NCAA Division II national playoffs. He has a 16-5 (.762) career mark.

Anthony returned to campus in December 2023 after a six-month absence to become the Gorillas 16th all-time head coach.

He served as Pitt State's defensive coordinator from 2020-22 under former head coach Brian Wright, helping the Gorillas fashion a 21-7 record and an MIAA title and NCAA-II playoff appearance in 2022.

Anthony was elevated to the role of associate head coach/defensive coordinator prior to the 2022 season. He helped fashion one of the top defensive units in NCAA Division II during his three years with the Gorillas.

In 2022, Anthony's Pitt State defensive squad led the MIAA in scoring defense (14.1 ppg) and ranked second in the conference in total defense (282.6 ypg), rushing defense (93.0 ypg), passing defense (189.6 ypg) and sacks (31). The Gorillas ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense and 19th nationally in total defense. Pitt State was one of just four defensive units to return four or more interceptions for touchdowns in 2022.

In 2021, Anthony's squad led the MIAA in interceptions (14) and the Gorillas ranked second in the conference in scoring defense (19.5 ppg), total defense (341.2 ypg) and rushing defense (120.5 ypg).
This will be Anthony's second match-up against NWMSU. He is 1-0 vs. the Bearcats.

John McMenamin is in his first season as head coach at NWMSU and his third year as a collegiate head coach. McMenamin (NWMSU, '02) has led his alma mater to a 9-1 record and he has a 16-5 (.765) career mark.

McMenamin previously served as head coach at NCAA Division II Wayne State College in 2020-21. More recently, he served as offensive co-coordinator at Tulane University during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He also served as offensive coordinator at MIAA rival University of Central Missouri from 2015-19.

This will be McMenamin's first meeting vs. Pitt State.

The Pitt State - Northwest Missouri Series
This will be the 58th meeting between the Gorillas and the Bearcats in a series that dates all the way back to the 1932 season. Northwest holds a slight 29-28-0 advantage in the competitive series.

Last year, Luke Niggemann rushed for a pair of touchdowns and scored a third time on a blocked punt return to lead the Gorillas to a 23-7 victory over the Bearcats on Nov. 16 at Bearcat Stadium.

The Pitt State defense blanked NWMSU over the game's first 56 minutes and limited the Bearcats to 282 total yards in the contest, including just 35 net rushing yards on 23 attempts. The Gorillas registered their third straight victory in the competitive series against NWMSU.

Pitt State jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 4:56 to play in the first quarter when Jaydon Knight blocked a punt and Niggemann scooped it up at the NWMSU 7 and returned it for a score.

Niggemann added a pair of second quarter scoring runs out of the 'wildcat' formation. He capped a five-play, 32-yard drive with a two-yard scamper with 8:58 to play in the second quarter; and he finished a 10-play, 41-yard drive with a four-yard TD run with 1:47 to go before halftime.

Quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. completed 12 of 19 passes for 97 yards and an interception before exiting the game late in the second quarter. Running back Cleo Chandler Jr. carried the ball 12 times for a team-leading 31 yards.

NWMSU backup quarterback Henry Martin broke up the Gorillas shutout bid with 3:31 to play in the game thanks to a 38-yard scoring scamper.

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 349 of its last 422 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 349-71-2 (.829) mark during the past 41 seasons (1985-2025). PSU is 183-30-1 at home, 162-32-1 on the road and 4-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

Pitt State in the MIAA
Pitt State has enjoyed consistent success in the MIAA during the past three decades.

Pitt State has posted a 271-69-1 (.796) record against its MIAA opponents since joining the conference in 1989. The Gorillas have won 14 MIAA titles since joining the conference, including consecutive MIAA crowns in 2022 and 2023.

Northwest Missouri has posted a 277-64-0 (.812) record in conference action since 1989.

The Bearcats clinched a share of the 2025 MIAA Championship last week, the program's 32nd MIAA regular season championship all-time.

Either Pitt State or Northwest has won outright or shared the MIAA crown 31 times in the last 36 seasons (1989-2025, no MIAA title awarded in 2020).

All-Time Winningest Programs
Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are playing in their 118th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 768-367-48 overall record, winning 66.9 percent of their 1,183 all-time games.

Pittsburg State is one of just two NCAA Division II institutions to have recorded 700 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 723 victories, followed by Hillsdale (675), Carson-Newman (670) and Central Oklahoma (669).

 NWMSU has a 647-419-33 (.604) record in 110 seasons of intercollegiate play.

Scouting the Gorillas
Redshirt senior quarterback Jackson Berry has completed 179 of 291 passes (.615) for 2,189 yards (218.9 ypg) and 11 touchdowns for the Gorillas. He also has rushed the ball 72 times for 221 yards and three scores.
Berry was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week Monday (Nov. 10) after passing for a season-best 296 yards and two TDs vs. UCM (Nov. 8).

He currently ranks fifth in the MIAA in passing yards (218.9 ypg), fourth in the league in total offense (241.0 ypg) and third in the conference in passing efficiency (133.7 rating).

Berry (6-0, 201), who transferred to Pitt State in January from NCAA Division I Southern Utah University, also has 38 carries for 109 net yards (2.9 ypc) and a touchdown on the ground on the season. He passed for a season-high 294 yards in the season opener against Ferris State.

The Prosper, Texas native completed 129 of 205 passes (.629) for 1,558 yards (155.8 ypg) and 12 touchdowns with just three interceptions at SUU last year.

Redshirt senior safety Jordan Rogers has made a team-leading 63 tackles (27 solo) and recorded three interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Rogers returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown against UCM last Saturday (Nov. 8).

The Bellmead, Texas native has registered 142 career tackles (77 solo), 13 interceptions and 26 pass breakups. A two-time All-MIAA performer, Rogers (5-10, 188) recorded 42 tackles, four interceptions and eight PBUs as a junior in 2024.

He currently ranks in fourth place in Pitt State history in career interceptions (13) and passes defended (39).

Redshirt junior running back Zahmari Palode-Gary has rushed the ball 117 times for 740 yards (6.3 ypc) and nine touchdowns in nine games played on the year.

The Kansas City, Mo., native currently leads the MIAA in rushing, averaging 82.2 yards per game. He posted three straight 100-yard rushing games between Sept. 27 (vs. ESU) and Oct. 11 (vs. WU); and he carried the ball 18 times for 140 yards and two scores against UCM on Nov. 8.

Palode-Gary transferred to Pitt State in August from Garden City Community College where he was an honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference performer in 2024.

Junior placekicker Austin Schmitt earned MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honors for fourth time in five weeks following his efforts against UCM.

Schmitt booted two field goals and scored 12 points in the Gorillas' 48-35 win over the Mules last Saturday. The Grain Valley, Mo., native converted kicks of 30 and 42 yards in the game. He also made all six of his PAT attempts.

Schmitt, who also earned MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honors against Washburn on Oct. 11, Missouri Western on Oct. 25 and Missouri Southern on Nov. 1, has made 17 field goals this season to rank No. 2 in NCAA Division II in field goals per game (1.7 pg).

Notable Nuggets
•    Pitt State has trailed for just 7:17 of game clock in the Gorillas' last six games.
•    After surrendering two TDs & 1 FG on the opening drive of its first four games, the Pitt State
    defense has held its opposition scoreless on its game-opening drives in the last six contests.
•    The Pitt State defense has forced 17 turnovers on the season; and the Gorillas have generated
    76 points off turnovers (7.6 ppg), including three defensive scores.
•    Pitt State's balanced offense has averaged 422 yards of total offense. The Gorillas have run the
    ball 58 percent of the time (412 of 712 plays) for 201 yards per game, while Pitt State has passed
    (300 of 712 plays) for 221 yards per game.
•    Saturday's game will mark the seventh time the Gorillas and Bearcats will meet in a regular
    season finale match-up. Pitt State is 4-2 in those games, including a 40-0 win on Nov. 16, 1996
    at Maryville that forced a share of the MIAA crown w/ NWMSU and a 21-17 win on Nov. 6, 2004
    at Arrowhead Stadium in a winner takes all match-up of unbeaten squads.