PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University football team will travel to Topeka Saturday (Oct. 10) for a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association match-up against Washburn University. Kickoff is set for Noon (CDT) at Yager Stadium.

Pitt State is 1-4 (1-2 MIAA) on the season. The Gorillas snapped an uncharacteristic four-game losing streak to open the season with a 34-27 overtime road win over the University of Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday (Oct. 3).

Pitt State dropped back-to-back home games to No. 1 Ferris State University, 42-14, on Aug. 27 and to Emporia State University, 21-10, on Sept. 5. The Gorillas then dropped a hard-fought 24-23 decision to the University of West Alabama on Sept. 12 at Livingston, Ala., and a 42-17 decision to Fort Hays State University on Sept. 19 at Hays, Kan.

Washburn is off to a 3-1-1 start to the season with a 2-1 MIAA mark. The Ichabods are coming off a bye week, after posting a 42-7 road win over UNK on Sept. 26.

The Coaches
Tom Anthony is in his third year as head football coach at Pittsburg State University. He has a 19-10 (.655) career record leading the Pitt State program.

Anthony guided the Gorillas to a 10-3 record as well as the program's third MIAA title in four seasons and Pitt State's fourth consecutive NCAA Division II playoffs berth in 2025, He posted an 8-3 record and led the Gorillas to an NCAA-II playoff berth in his debut season as head coach in 2024.

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 third meeting vs. WU. He's 2-0 against the Ichabods.

Zach Watkins is in his second season directing the WU program after serving the previous 11 seasons as Co-Defensive Coordinator for his alma mater. Watkins also spent three years as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State. He has 6-9-1 (.406) record leading the Ichabods and an 0-1 mark against the Gorillas.

The Pitt State - Washburn Series
This will be the 96th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Ichabods in a series that dates all the way back to the 1921 season. Pitt State holds a commanding 67-27-1 advantage in the series. The Gorillas are 33-14-0 vs. the Ichabods at Topeka.

Last year, quarterback Jackson Berry had a hand in three scores and the Pitt State defense enjoyed a dominant performance as the Gorillas rolled to a 34-10 Homecoming win over Washburn on Oct. 11 at Carnie Smith Stadium.

Berry scored on runs of 17 and 19 yards to help stake No. 15 ranked Pitt State to a 17-7 lead before he hooked up with wide receiver Jaelon Travis for a 73-yard scoring connection with six seconds remaining in the first half. 

Austin Schmitt booted a 42-yard field goal on Pitt State's opening drive of the game and he added a 33-yard kick to stake the Gorillas to a 27-10 lead with 6:42 remaining in the game. Schmitt capped the Gorillas scoring with an eight-yard touchdown scamper on a fake field goal attempt with 5:00 to go in the game. Schmitt's TD run came three plays after safety Quincy Miner intercepted an errant throw from WU quarterback Logan Madden and returned it to the Ichabods 17 yard line.

The Pitt State defense limited WU to 170 total yards in the contest, including 26 net rushing yards on 22 attempts. Linebacker Blake Carr posted a team-leading 10 tackles including a pair of tackles-for-loss, while linebacker Steven Ward II and safety Jordan Rogers made eight stops apiece. Rogers had 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. Defensive lineman Jeremy Sharp logged a quarterback sack.

Gorillas on the Road
Pitt State has compiled an impressive record in road games over the past 33 years.

The Gorillas have posted a 126-42-1 (.749) record in its last 169 road games (including post-season play) dating back to the start of the 1994 season. The Gorillas are 62-19 (.765) in their last 81 road games dating back to Oct. 23, 2010.

WU has compiled a 43-38-1 (.530) home record since the start of the 2021 season.

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

Pitt State has posted a 273-71-1 (.793) record against its MIAA opponents since joining the conference in 1989. The Gorillas have won 15 MIAA titles since joining the conference, including MIAA crowns in three of the last four seasons (2022, 2023, 2025).

PSU's Regular Season Success
Pitt State has won 351 of its last 428 regular season games, posting a phenomenal 351-75-2 (.822) mark during the past 42 seasons (1985-2026). PSU is 183-32-1 at home, 1623-34-1 on the road and 5-9-0 at neutral sites in the regular season during that span.

All-Time Winningest Programs
Pittsburg State is the all-time winningest NCAA Division II football program. The Gorillas, who are playing in their 119th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 771-372-48 overall record, winning 66.8 percent of their 1,191 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 725 victories, followed by Hillsdale (680), Carson-Newman (676) and Central Oklahoma (671).

WU has a 588-621-45 (.487) record in 133 seasons of intercollegiate play.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has utilized three quarterbacks through the first three games of the season:  redshirt junior Jake Wolff, redshirt freshman Bobby Bacon and freshman Billy Middleton III.
Bacon (Iowa City, Iowa) has started the last three games under center. He has completed 49 of 83 passes (.590) for 601 yards (200.3 ypg) and five touchdowns in three games played. Bacon was 25 of 35 passing for a season best 232 yards and two scores in the Gorillas' comeback win vs. UNK last Saturday.

Middleton (Glenn Heights, Texas) also has seen action in a reserve role in each of the last three games. He has completed five of 10 passes for 40 yards and rushed the ball 15 times for 53 net yards.

Wolff (Overland Park, Kan.) started the first two games, completing 39 of 60 passes (.650) for 349 yards (174.5 ypg) and one touchdown. He has not seen any action in the last three games.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Greyson Holbert has 96 career receptions for 953 yards (9.9 ypc) and three touchdowns in 44 games played for the Gorillas. Holbert (Overland Park, Kan.) also has rushed the football 24 times for 229 yards (9.5 ypc) and two scores.

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver T.J. Starks has 17 receptions for 300 yards (17.7 ypc) and two touchdowns in his debut season for the Gorillas. Starks (Jonesboro, Ark.) had four grabs for 102 yards vs. ESU (Sept. 5) and he added five catches for 51 yards and a score vs. UNK last Saturday. Starks transferred to Pitt State in January from NCAA Division I Arkansas State.

Redshirt sophomore Blake Carr and sophomore safety Quintin Kirby lead the Gorillas defense with 39 and 38 tackles, respectively.

Carr (Clyde, Texas) has registered 119 career tackles (44 solo) in 19 career games played for the Gorillas. He has added 17.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He matched his career high with 10 tackles, including 4.0 behind the line of scrimmage, against UNK last Saturday.

Kirby (St. Louis, Mo.) posted a career best 10 tackles against Ferris State on Aug. 27. He added eight stops, including 2.0 TFLs, and an interception vs. UWA. Kirby saw action in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2025. He made 27 stops (14 solo), one fumble recovery and one forced fumble last season.

Redshirt sophomore Tyler Antle has punted 25 times for a 45.3-yard average in Pitt State's first five games, with 11 kicks traveling 50+ yards to date.  He ranks second in the MIAA and sixth in Division II in punting this season. The Frontenac native has 73 career punts for a 42.2-yard average, placing 27 kicks inside the opponent 20 yard line.

Senior Austin Schmitt set the Pitt State career record for field goals after booting a pair of field goals and all four of his PAT tries against UNK last Saturday. Schmitt (Grain Valley, Mo.) eclipsed the mark with his 22-yard kick that helped send the game to overtime against the Lopers. He's converted 47 of 63 career kicks, and Schmitt is a perfect 7-for-7 on the season.