Nov. 10, 2000
Truman Football Team Heads to Pittsburg, Kan.,
for Season Finale
The Game: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate
Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Pittsburg State University Gorillas
(MIAA/NCAA DII)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11, 2000
Time: 2 p.m. (Central)
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Facility (Cap.): Brandenburg Field, Smith Stadium (5,600/Bermuda
grass)
Broadcast: KRES 104.7 FM, Moberly, Mo. Ken Kujawa, play-by-play, and Brad Boyer and Hank Janssen, commentary. The pregame show begins approximately 30 minutes before the game.
Team Line: Live KRES broadcast by calling 1-800-846-4700. Access Code: 6350
Truman: The Bulldogs (6-4 overall, 5-3 in the MIAA) clinched a winning season last weekend in defeating Washburn 45-42 in Kirksville. It is the 61st winning season for the Bulldogs in the 93-year history of the sport at Truman, and head coach John Ware's fifth winning season in his six-year tenure. Truman is now tied for fourth in the MIAA, with the third-place Pittsburg State Gorillas on the agenda for the season finale. The Gorillas are 8-2 for the year, but 6-2 in the MIAA after losing to Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western. If the Bulldogs were to snap a 12-game losing streak to PSU, it would mean that the two schools would likely tie for third in the conference, providing undefeated Northwest Missouri beats Central Missouri, and Missouri Western beat Southwest Baptist. But Truman has been unable to get by the Gorillas since 1989 when Pittsburg State joined the conference. PSU leads the all-time series, 15-14-1.
Howe's He Doing?
On Saturday, junior quarterback Eric Howe (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling) will be making his final climb up the MIAA and Truman career passing and total offense lists for this year. He is now second in career passing (6,080 yards) and third in career total offense (5,980 yards) at Truman, and seventh in MIAA career passing and 10th in career total offense.
With an average of 276.6 yards passing per game this year, it is unlikely Howe will overtake Truman's all-time passing yards leader, Jeff Frost at 6,529. However, with 268.7 yards of total offense per game, Howe should climb into the No. 2 spot on the Bulldog career total offense list, passing Harlon Hill winner Jarrett Anderson at 6,166.
On the MIAA lists, Howe could go as high as sixth in career passing, and eighth in career total offense.
Howe has charted four touchdowns in four games this year and is four away from the school record of 50 set by Jeff Frost from 1987-90.
Last season, Howe posted the second-best year ever in the league with 2,966 yards passing, and is already up to fifth on the list this year with 2,766 yards. He is currently sixth in MIAA single season total offense with 2,687 yards in 2000.
Howe is first in MIAA passing yards (276.6 ypg) and total offense (268.7 ypg) and fourth in pass efficiency (137.0). He is 22nd among NCAA Division II pass efficiency leaders and ninth in the nation in total offensive yards per game.
Howe Named MIAA Player of the Week: Howe was named the MIAA's offensive player of the week after rallying Truman to a 45-42 win over Washburn. He led the Bulldogs on a nine-play, 85-yard drive that started with less than four minutes remaining in the period. Howe tossed completions of 38 and 19 yards on the game-winning drive, but his biggest completion came on a fourth-and-eight play at the Wasbhurn 11. He hit Geoff Jensen for 10 yards to the WU 1, and Steve Wilson slammed it in two plays later for the win. Howe was 3-of-6 on the deciding drive for 67 yards and finished the day 20-of-39 for 369 yards and three touchdowns. He also connected with Jensen for a school-record 93-yard TD reception in the third quarter.
'Bits on Blakley
Sophomore Andrew Blakley (St. Joseph, Mo./Central) is fourth on the Truman career receptions list with 121 and is 12th in career receiving yardage with 1,474. Blakley will likely finish the season unchanged on the career receptions list as the third spot is held by Russell Evans (1983-86) with 154. But he could move several spots up the career receiving yardage list as he needs just two yards to overtake the 11th spot and a career-high of 142 yards would put him at eighth all-time. He added five catches for 105 yards against Washburn last weekend.
Blakley is tied for second in MIAA receptions (5.00 rpg) this week and is sixth in receiving yards (66.9 ypg).
Calling On Collins
Junior wide receiver Kevin Collins (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption) is sixth in league receptions (4.40 rpg) and is fifth in receiving yards (68.7 ypg).
He is also moving up a few Bulldog career leaders lists. Collins' 1,712 career receiving yards is good for fifth all-time at Truman, while his 102 career receptions leaves him tied for 10th among all-time Bulldog leaders. Collins added six catches for 56 yards against Washburn.
He is unlikely to move any farther up the career receiving yards list at the next plateau is 1,927 yards by Fontaine Walker (1989-92), 215 yards away. However, with just his average four catches a game, Collins could move up to ninth in career receptions at Truman, and five would put him tied for eighth all-time with Bulldog associate head coach Matt Copeland.
Collins' is two receiving touchdowns away from the school record of 22 set by Lloyd Henry (1975-77).
Series Record: Pittsburg leads 15-14-1
First Meeting: 1933 (Truman won, 7-0)
Last Meeting: 1999 (PSU won, 29-17)
Last Truman Win: 1980 (17-14)
Last PSU Win: 1999 (29-17)
Biggest Truman Win: 1966 (49-14)
Biggest PSU Win: 1990, 59-3 (1st-rnd DII playoffs)
Pittsburg State: Pittsburg (8-2 overall, 6-2 in the MIAA) must have a victory to secure a berth in the NCAA Division II postseason playoffs. The Gorillas have won five straight, including a 69-7 win against Southwest Baptist last weekend, to rank fourth in the Midwest Region, from which four teams will be chosen for the playoffs. Pittsburg is ranked 15th in the national poll this week and is 77-2-1 at home. The Gorillas have lost just twice in the "Pitt" in the last 15 years, both times to Northwest Missouri in 1997 and 1999.
PSU lost starting quarterback LaTeef Walker for the remainder of the season to a car wreck two weeks ago. Against Missouri-Rolla, sophomore Neil Nowack started, with help from senior Aaron Becker in the second half of the 52-10 victory over the Miners. Against Southwest Baptist last weekend, Nowack was benched with a sprained ankle, but is expected to start against Truman. Becker and senior wide receiver Gerren Comeaux split duty vs. SBU with Comeaux completing four of seven passes for 95 yards and gaining 54 yards on 12 carries, while Becker completed all three of his passes for 38 yards and gained 56 yards on 14 carries.
Anthony Chatmon leads the Gorillas' second-ranked ground attack in NCAA Division II with 99.7 yards a game. He gained 132 yards on 16 carries in the 69-7 defeat of Southwest Baptist, and needs three yards to reach 1,000 this season.
Pittsburg is 23rd in DII total defense and is led by senior inside linebacker Wes Baker and junior inside linebacker Earl Henry with 95 and 94 tackles apiece, respectively.
Gorilla Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Anthony Chatmon, 997 yards, 131 carries
Passing: Lateef Walker, 31 of 64 for 525 yards, 4 TDs; Aaron Becker, 7 of
14 for 132 yards, TDs, 2 ints.; Gerren Comeaux 4 of 8 for 95 yards, 1 int.;
Neil Nowack, 1 of 2 for 29 yards
Receptions: Pat McNally, 14 for 190yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Yards: Gerren Comeaux, 10 for 226 yards, 3 TDs
All-Purpose Yardage: Anthony Chatmon, 1,247 yards
Total Offense: Anthony Chatmon, 997 yards, 132 plays
Field Goals: Gary Kral, 7 of 11, 51 long
Interceptions: Quentin Turner and Travis Stepps, 3
Scoring: Anthony Chatmon, 17 TDs, 102 points
Tackles: Wes Baker, 95
Other Bulldogs in the MIAA/NCAA
Sophomore wide receiver Alfonso Pugh (Galesburg, Ill.) is second in league punt returns (16.8 ypr), first in kickoff returns (33.1 ypr), eighth in receptions (3.60 rpg), 10th in receiving yards (51.2 ypg), sixth in all-purpose yards (110.9 ypg) and eighth in scoring by touchdowns (5.4 ppg). Pugh is also ranked eighth in the nation in punt returns.
Junior Geoff Jensen (Grinnell, Iowa) is eighth in MIAA receiving yards per game (57.4 ypg) and ninth in receptions (3.33 rpg).
Sophomore Austin Lepper (Ames, Iowa/Gilbert) is fourth in MIAA punting (38.7 ypp), is sixth in scoring by kicks (5.0 ppg), tied for sixth in field goals per game (0.50) and field goal percentage (50.0) and is eighth in PAT kicking percentage (85.4).
Senior defensive back Toko Nguyen (Quincy, Ill./Notre Dame) and freshman defensive back Anthony Binion (Chicago/ Fenwick) are tied for seventh in the MIAA with two picks apiece.
The team-leader in tackles, sophomore linebacker Jake Willrich (Grimes, Iowa/Dallas Center-Grimes) is among the MIAA's most prolific tacklers, coming in eighth this week with a total of 93 stops for the year.
Senior defensive tackle Curt Cira (St. Louis/Vianney) is tied for the lead in conference forced fumbles (3).
Bulldog Ground Attack
Sophomore tailback Mike Redding (Lake Zurich, Ill.) currently leads Truman in rushing with 95 carries for 529 yards, but is pushed by freshman Wyatt Pickering (Chillicothe, Mo.) who has 92 rushes for 459 yards.
Truman vs. Washburn-Nov. 4, 2000: The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first drive of the game, handing the ball over to Washburn which took nine plays to drive 54 yards to draw first blood. However on the ensuing kickoff, Pugh scored his third touchdown of the year on a return, and second on a kickoff return, when he returned the ball 82 yards to even the score at seven, following the PAT by Lepper. The Ichabods would take a 21-7 lead by the end of the first period as quarterback Tyler Schuerman scored TDs of 1- and 13-yards on the ground.
But the next two quarters would be all Truman as Collins initiated the onslaught by grabbing a 7-yard pass from Howe at 13:33 in the second quarter and Lepper booted a 34-yard field goal to make the score 21-17 at intermission. The Bulldogs came out swinging in the third stanza as Pickering put the 'Dogs ahead on a 15-yard run at 11:35, and Jensen scored on a 93-yard pass from Howe at 8:17, the longest scoring pass play in school history. Schuerman scored his third of four rushing TDs of the day to open the fourth quarter and put the score at 31-28 in favor of Truman. It took just five plays and 44 yards for the Bulldogs to answer as Howe hit Jason Riney in the end zone to push the 'Dogs lead to 10 points.
Washburn attempted a come-back with 10:09 left to play when Schuerman scored from nine-yards out, and Reggie Jones added another TD run of two yards with 3:45 to go to put WU ahead, 42-38.
Led by Howe, the Bulldogs marched down the field, getting first downs on completions of 38 yards to Blakley and 19 and 10 yards to Jensen to leave Truman on the WU 1-yard line. The last one coming on fourth-and-eight from the Washburn 11. It then took senior fullback Steve Wilson (Mexico, Mo.) two attempts to punch in the 1-yard winning score with 1:11 left on the clock. The Truman defense then stopped the Ichabods on the WU 45-yard line and the 'Dogs downed the ball with 26 seconds remaining to claim the victory.
Coaches Records: Truman head coach John Ware is in his sixth season at the helm for the Bulldogs, and has a record of 36-28 (.563) in his first stint as a collegiate head coach. In MIAA action, his teams have posted a record of 35-18 (.660). Ware is 4-1 vs. Emporia. He enjoyed the first non-conference win of his career in the season opener, defeating Northern Michigan, 35-24.
Chuck Broyles is in his 11th season at the helm of his alma mater. Broyles has guided the Gorillas to a 111-20-2 record (.842) since 1990.
2000 Bulldog Seniors Play Last Game: A starter at left defensive end in all 10 games this season, Jon Brooks (Moweaqua, Ill./Central A&M) has registered 90 career tackles, including 11 tackles for losses. In the Bulldogs' 64-14 win over Southwest Baptist this year, he charted six tackles and a fumble recovery, and vs. Missouri Southern, Brooks had two tackles for losses and registered his fourth career sack. He was also honored by the Bulldog coaching staff with the team's Big Hit award this year.
In 1999, Brooks was named defensive lineman of the week by the coaches after charting six tackles, including two for losses and a sack vs. Southwest Baptist. He was the leading tackler on the defensive line with 41 stops on the year. In both 1997 and 1998, Brooks played in every game as a backup defensive end.
Curt Cira (St. Louis/Vianney), a starter at left defensive tackle, Cira was honored by the coaches five times this season as the team's defensive lineman of the week. He has 123 career tackles, including 13 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six passes defended and 26 tackles for losses.
This season, Cira registered two sacks at Missouri-Rolla and had 10 total tackles (five solo) vs. Missouri Western. In 1999, Cira was an honorable mention all-MIAA choice after starting every game at defensive tackle and tying for the team high with four sacks and eight tackles for losses. He was selected defensive lineman of the year by his teammates and was named to the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll for the second straight year. As a sophomore, Cira was named defensive lineman of the week twice by the coaches and won the team's big hit award in the Washburn contest when he caused the quarterback to fumble. As a true freshman, Cira was third on the team with three sacks while playing in eight games.
Free Safety John Naeve (Camanche, Iowa) has been named the team's defensive back of the week four times this year, and has also received the squad's weekly special effort award. One of Naeve's best games this season was an 11-tackles effort, including one for a loss, in the Northwest Missouri contest.
Last year, Naeve was a first-team all-conference defensive back after recording a team-high 104 tackles and four interceptions to go with a sack and a fumble recovery. He was a second-team GTE academic all-district selection. Naeve tied for fifth in the conference in interceptions and led the team and was 10th in the MIAA in kickoff returns. He blocked a punt in the '99 Northwest Missouri encounter which was recovered and returned for a TD. Naeve was chosen by his teammates as the team's defensive back of the year in 1999.
Naeve was a second-team all-MIAA performer in 1998 after charting 92 total tackles and a team-best four interceptions. He was named the coaches defensive back of the week twice, once after he recorded two interceptions in the Central Missouri game, returning one 45 yards for the team's only score. In 1997, Naeve started nine games at right safety, finishing fifth overall in total tackles.
He has 298 career tackles, 126 solo stops, 14 tackles for losses, three sacks, nine interceptions, 16 passes defended and four fumble recoveries. For his career, Naeve has also returned 31 kickoffs for 556 yards, and 13 punts for 258 yards.
Cornerback Toko Nguyen (Quincy, Ill./Notre Dame) has seen action in 36 career games for the Bulldogs, charting 124 total tackles, 73 solos, one tackle for a loss, 10 pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. He snagged both of his interceptions this season, and is currently tied for the team lead in picks. Nguyen had a career-high 11 stops vs. Division I-AA Illinois State last year, his first collegiate start. Nguyen is a two-time member of the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll. In 1998, he earned the coaches' special effort award for recovering a fumble in the come-from-behind win at Emporia State. He was also named the team's defensive back of the week in the first game this year.
Ryan Okenfuss (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.) has been a reserve guard on the Bulldog offensive line for two seasons. He made the transition to the line after spending two seasons as a fullback. Okenfuss has played in 16 career games for the Bulldogs and earned defensive scout team player of the week honors as a redshirt in 1996.
Josh Raaz (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) was one of six returning all-MIAA players this year, earning honorable mention status last year as an offensive guard. He has started every game this season, and was named the team's offensive lineman of the week for the Missouri Southern and Central Missouri games. Raaz made the transition to the offensive line from defensive tackle in 1998, playing in eight games as a backup that season.
Chris Sauer (Hannibal, Mo.) moved to tight end this year after spending the previous three seasons as a fullback. He has played in 29 career games, charting five catches for 63 yards, and one carry for three yards. He is a two-time member of the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll. Sauer also has 18 tackles as a valuable member on special teams over the last few seasons. In 1997, he gained 125 yards on 16 carries in a junior varsity game against William Penn.
Defensive tackle Joel Shumate (Bloomfield, Iowa/Davis County) has appeared in 34 games during the past four years, the last three as a part-time starter. He has 49 career tackles, six tackles for losses and two sacks. Shumate has also blocked two kicks, and earned coaches' player of the week honors four times during his tenure with the Bulldogs.
Right defensive end Leo Smith (Monroe City, Mo.) has been a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, registering 132 career tackles, 18 tackles for losses, 16 sacks, eight pass breakups and four fumble recoveries. This year, he was named the coaches' defensive lineman of the week once and earned the special effort award for the Southwest Baptist game. Smith is a two-time member of the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll. Last year, he had two games with two sacks, and had 12 stops against Division 1-AA Southeast Missouri in 1998. Smith also earned the coach's special effort award as a freshman. He has served on the student-athlete advisory committee at Truman, as well as the captain's round table.
Steve Wilson (Mexico, Mo.) has a career total of 32 carries for 85 yards as a fullback since walking on the team in 1996. He has scored 10 touchdowns in 27 career games, seven coming this season. Wilson is a two-time member of the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll. He had a career high with six carries in the Missouri-Rolla game this year, and has two career games scoring two TDs. Wilson sat out during the 1997 season.
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