Complete Notes (.pdf)

Webcast –CentralMoInfo.com (audio)

Video – B2Networks.com

Radio – 104.7 FM KRES (Brad Boyer, Chad Speakar, Hank Janssen, Kevin White)

Pregame show begins at 1:10 p.m.

 

Game Preview:

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Two teams who are looking for their first conference win will clash in Kirksville on Saturday as Truman will host Missouri Southern for Homecoming at 2:00 p.m. at Stokes Stadium.

 

The home team has won in the last four meetings between these two schools with the Lions squeaking out a 20-16 victory over the Bulldogs in week eight last year in Joplin.

 

Truman has won three of their last four homecoming games with each of the last three going into overtime before things were decided.

 

The Bulldogs have lost all four of their conference games but have trailed by just a touchdown at the half in three of them. Truman trailed 14-7 at Fort Hays State and gave up the go ahead score with 23 seconds remaining in the half, 14-7 against Central Missouri with a touchdown at the 2:46 mark and 13-7 at Missouri Western with a field goal as time expired.

 

The Lions have lost two conference games in heartbreaking fashion.  The lost their league opener after Emporia State's Michael Luthi returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and lost on a last second field goal to rival Pittsburg State 30-27.  The other two league games have been one-sided affairs with Missouri Southern loosing to Nebraska-Omaha (42-10) and most recently Northwest Missouri (49-21).

 

Truman quarterback Phil Davis leads the Bulldogs with 459 yards rushing but just 654 yards passing.

 

Junior defensive back Michael Elliott is the leader of the Bulldog defense with 47 total tackles as Truman has 17 sacks and 41 tackles for loss.

 

Missouri Southern has two running backs over 300 yards this season and a quarterback that leads the team with 73 rush attempts.  Cornell Gedward averages 8.3 yards per carry in 44 attempts with Steven Sumpter has a 7.0 ypc average in 51 attempts and four scores.

 

Quarterback Collin Howard has four rushing touchdowns and five passing with 1140 yards through the air.

 

Series History:

This will be the 23^rd meeting between the Bulldogs and Lions in football with Truman leading the all-time series 14-8. 

 

The last four games have been won by the home team with Missouri Southern winning 20-16 last season in Joplin.

 

The Bulldogs longest winning streak in the series is six from 1998 to 2003 while Missouri Southern has won back-to-back games just once.

 

Truman In Homecoming Games:

The Bulldogs are 42-23-2 in homecoming games with the first homecoming dating back to 1939. 

The last three homecoming games have all gone into overtime with the Bulldogs winning two of them.  Last year, Emporia State spoiled homecoming with a 30-24 overtime win over the 'Dogs.

The Bulldogs won 10 straight homecoming games from 1992-2001, which is the longest streak in the history of homecoming at Truman.

 

All-Time Records:

·         The Bulldogs have played 930 games all-time.  The Bulldogs are 528-368-34 (.586) all time.

·         Truman is 4-2 in overtime games.  All six games have been played at Stokes Stadium with the last being on Oct. 24, 2009 against Emporia State (Truman lost 30-24).

·         The Bulldogs have finished .500 or above in 70 of the 102 seasons of football played at the University and have had five wins or more in 62 seasons.

·         Truman is the winningest NCAA program all-time in the state of Missouri with the .586 win percentage.  The University of Missouri has the most wins with 612 with the Bulldogs second with 528. 

 

Drive Summaries:

• The Bulldogs have had 11 drives this season start in opposing territory and have come away with just 17 points (two touchdowns and one field goal).
• Opposing teams have had 14 drives start on Truman's side of the 50 and have scored 55 points (seven touchdowns and two field goals).
• Truman has started four times inside their own 10 yardline and have had three punts and one turnover.
• Opposing teams have had six drives start inside the 10 and have one touchdown, one field goal, three punts and one missed field goal.

 

Tale of Two Halves?:

Truman has been outscored by just 27 points in the first half of all games (87-60) but in the second half has been outscored by 65 points (101-36).  The biggest discrepancy has been in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs have been outscored 60-16.

 

In addition, the Bulldogs have allowed the opposing team to score in their final possession of the first half in three of the last four games.

 

Notable National Rankings:

• The Bulldogs are 13^th in Division II in sacks allowed.
• Truman is 22^nd in Division II in defensive sacks.
• Truman is 37^th in rushing offense (175.1/ypg).
• Truman is 140^th in passing offense (121.3/ypg).
• Truman is 145^th in pass defense (281.8/ypg).
• Tremaine Millender is 40^th in kickoff returns (24.6/ypr).
• Phillip Davis is 54^th in rushing yards per game (76.5/ypg).

 

Offensive Quick Hits:

• The Bulldogs recorded 86 first downs this season, 42 by passing, 38 by rushing and six by penalty.
• In 246 rushing attempts, Truman averages 4.3 yards per carry up from a 3.1 mark last season. 
• Truman has gained 1051 yards on the ground.
• The 175.2 yards per game gained on the ground is the highest average since the Bulldogs finished the 1997 season with a 201.7 mark.
• With 69 pass completions, the Bulldogs have 728 yards passing and 10.6 yards per completion average.
• The 121.3 yards passing per game is the lowest average by a Truman team since 1978 (79.3).
• With 396 offensive plays, the Bulldogs have amassed 1779 yards of total offense for a per play average of 4.5 up from 4.3 yards last season.
• In their 20 trips to the redzone this season, the Bulldogs have 11 touchdowns and four field goals.
• The Bulldogs are 35-of-94 (37%) on third down conversions. 
• Truman is 5-of-9 on fourth down conversions.
• The offense has been on the field 30:15 per game this season and has scored 96 points.
• The offensive line has allowed six sacks through six games, last season, the Bulldogs allowed 25 qb sacks.
• The Bulldogs longest drive of the season has been a 11-play 75-yard drive that consumed 6:01 and resulted in a touchdown against Central Missouri. 
• The last 1,000 yard rusher for the Bulldogs was Jerard Leverson (1012 yards) following the 2003 season.

 

Defensive Quick Hits:

• In 204 rushes, Truman's defense has allowed 788 yards rushing for a 3.9 yards per carry average, down from a 5.3 mark last season.
• The 131.3 rushing yards allowed is down from 228.3 last season and the lowest mark since 2006 (128.1).
• In 130 pass completions for 1691 yards, opponents averaged 13.0 yards per completion. 
• In 415 offensive plays, opposing teams averaged 6.0 yards per play down from 6.1 yards in 2009.
• Opponents have made 25 trips into Truman's redzone and come away with 15 touchdowns and five field goals.
• The Bulldog defense has been on the field on average 29:24 minutes per game and allowed 188 points.
• Opponents have converted on third down 33% of the time (28-of-84).
• Opponents are 6-of-14 in fourth down conversions. 
• The longest drive by the opposing team this season has been a 12-play, 79-yard drive that lasted 6:53 and resulted in a touchdown in the season opener against St. Joseph's College.

 

Special Teams Quick Hits:

• The Bulldogs are 4-of-7 on field goal attempts this season, all by Derek Koon.  The longest attempt has been 37 yards while the longest make was 32 both against St. Joseph's College.
• Koon is 10-of-12 on point after attempts this season and the team has not tried a two-point attempt.
• Opponents are 20-for-22 on extra point attempts and are 0-2 on two-point conversions.  They are 6-for-10 on field goal attempts with the longest make being from 39 yards (Andrew Kocurek – Southwest Baptist).
• Truman averages 54.5 yards per kickoff (Brian Rosser) and 37.0 yards per punt (Eric Phillips).
• Opponents are averaging 59.5 per kickoff and 37.4 yards per punt.
• The Bulldogs average 21.0 yards per kick return and 10.2 per punt return.  Truman's longest kick return was 55 yards by Donald Harvey and longest punt return was 42 also by Harvey.
• Opponents are averaging 19.4 yards per kick return and 2.2 per punt return.  The longest punt return was 23 yards by Terrell Downing of Missouri Western.  The longest kick return was 78 yards by Central Missouri.
• Eric Phillips has 13 punts inside the 20 and 13 punts fair caught (26 of his 39).

 

Bulldog vs. Missouri Western Recap:

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western's senior quarterback Drew Newhart posted a career high in passing yards as the Griffons broke open a 13-7 halftime score and defeated the Truman Bulldogs 29-7 on Saturday afternoon.

Newhart completed 25 of his 35 pass attempts for a school record 412 yards and two touchdowns as Missouri Western improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

The Bulldogs were able to move the ball on the ground as they gained 184 yards but struggled through the air with just 61 passing yards.

Phil Davis led the team with 54 yards on the ground on 16 carries while Will Comsquera added 48 on six and Harnish Ayora 40 on 11.  Anton Bernard was the fourth ball carrier with 35 yards on eight attempts.

The Griffons took the opening drive down the field but the 'Dog defense were able to keep Western out of the endzone and forced a 23-yard field goal by Brad Beckwith.

Michael Hill scored on a six-yard touchdown to cap off an eight-play 80-yard drive early in the second quarter to put the Griffons up 10-0.

However, the Bulldog defense got a big turnover as Patrick Blackwell forced a fumble on Newhart that was recovered by Adam Reynolds in Western territory.  Phil Davis scooted in from two yards out to cut the deficit to three with 3:38 left in the half.

At the end of the half, the Bulldogs were forced to punt with just over 16 seconds left to play but Terrell Downing returned the ball 23 yards to Truman's 34.  Two plays later the Griffons were knocking on the door but had to settle with a 24-yard field goal by Beckwith to extend the lead to 13-7 at the break.

The teams exchanged possessions to start the half but Western got the big play when Newhart found a wide open Andrew Mead for a 73-yard touchdown pass at the 7:06 mark of the third quarter for a 19-7 Griffon lead.

The Griffons would tack on another 32-yard field goal by Beckwith and a 31-yard touchdown reception by David Fowler in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Davis converted on his first three pass attempts for 35 yards but finished the game 4-of-19 for 36 yards and an interception.

Mead was Newhart's top target with nine catches for 166 yards.

 

Truman/Missouri Western Footnotes:

• The 413 yards passing against the Bulldogs was the fourth most since 2000 and most since Oct. 6, 2007 against Southwest Baptist (33 games).  The Bearcats threw for 443 yards that day.
• It was the most passing yards allowed to a single quarterback (Drew Newhart) since John McMenamin (Northwest Missouri) threw for 410 on Oct. 26, 2002.  The most passing yards allowed by a Bulldog team to a single quarterback was 471 yards by Pete Jelovic (Emporia State) on Nov. 4, 1995.
• The 36 yards passing by Phil Davis was the lowest by a Truman quarterback since Matt Ticich threw for just 14 yards in a weather game win over Washburn on Oct. 21, 2006.
• The Griffons 82 yards rushing was the lowest conference total allowed by the Bulldogs since Missouri Southern gained just 77 yards on Nov. 1, 2008.
• The Bulldogs 184 yards rushing was the most in six conference games dating back to last season.
• Punter Eric Phillips had a season-best 41.9 yards per punt with three inside the 20, two inside the five yard line and two 50+yard punts.
• Michael Elliott had a season-high 12 tackles and Max Marr had a career high 10 stops.
• The Bulldogs had six tackles for loss (20 yards) while the Griffons had just three for five yards.
• Adam Reynolds and Patrick Blackwell matched season highs with two tackles for losses.
• The 495 yards of total offense allowed was the most this season against the Bulldogs.
• The Griffons had six passes go for 25-yards or more.
• The 73-yard touchdown pass from Newhart to Andrew Mead was a season long against the Bulldogs.
• Mead finished with nine receptions for 166 yards.
• Terrell Dowings 23-yard punt return to help set up the field goal at the half was a season long allowed by Truman.
• In their five redzone trips, Missouri Western had just one touchdown.
• Truman averaged 3.3 yards on first down (87 yards in 26 plays).
• The Bulldogs failed to convert on third and two on two straight drives early in the second half trailing by a touchdown.
• Truman still leads the all-time series with Missouri Western 15-13 but have lost the last three.

 

Up Next:

 

Truman will make their first appearance on the new MIAA Television Network next Saturday when they travel to Emporia State for a 2:20 p.m. start.  The game can be viewed on KSMO-TV in Kansas City, Eagle Cable in Western Kansas, Cox Cable system in Kansas, Cablevision in the St. Joseph area and Mediacom in the Columbia, Jefferson City and Springfield areas.  It will not be shown on Kirksville's Cableone.