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Truman State University Athletics

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Football

Truman Returns Home To Host Saint Joseph's

 
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Two teams that with identical records and looking to finish the season strong with clash at Stokes Stadium on Saturday as the Truman Bulldogs host the Saint Joseph's College Pumas in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at 1 p.m.

Both teams are 4-4 and 3-3 in the GLVC as Truman comes off a 23-19 loss to Quincy (Ill.) University while the Puma were 41-0 winners in a game over the University of God's Chosen, a game that did not count in the NCAA.

Truman will be looking to knock off one of two GLVC teams they have not defeated since joining the conference. The Pumas defeated the Bulldogs 6-3 in Stokes Stadium in 2013 and handed Truman their biggest loss in conference play thus far, 35-9, last year in Rensselaer,  Indiana.

Truman leads the all-time series with the Pumas 3-2. The Bulldogs swept a home and home series in 1959 and 1960 then won 23-13 in head coach Gregg Nesbitt's debut on the sidelines in 2010.

Truman/Saint Joseph's the Numbers:
Saint Joseph's Offense vs. Truman Defense:
Quarterback Wade Burtron leads the Pumas in both rushing and passing. Burtron eight rushing touchdowns and has 414 yards rushing on 111 attempts. Braxton Shelton and Kobi Cook have both carried the ball 80 times this season with Shelton gaining 400 yards on the season and Cook 207. Burtron has thrown for 1,422 yards, completing 63% of his passes and averages 177.8 yards per game passing. Jose Esquivel, EJ Woody and Addison Dellinger each have over 25 receptions this season. The Pumas average 319.8 yards per game (139 rushing/180.8 passing) and 22.9 points per game.
 
The Bulldogs feature the number one defense in the GLVC holding opponents to 347 yards of total offense per game. They have the top rushing defense in the league at 107.7 yards allowed per game and the number two scoring defense at 19.2 points per game. Opponents are converting on 27.8% on third downs against Truman's "D". Truman has picked off five passes, two for scores and recovered nine fumbles. Austin Zoda leads the team in tackles with 77 (8.5/g). Justin Mikeworth leads the team with seven tackles for loss, Isaiah Hinton in sacks with 3.0 while Zoda and Jordan Brown each have two interceptions.
 
 
Truman Offense vs. Saint Joseph's Defense:
Truman features a balanced attack with 142.3 yards per game on the ground and 159.4 yards passing. The Bulldogs have averaged 20 points per game, converted on third down 36% of the time and converted in the redzone 81% of the time. True freshman Andy Satulla leads the team in rushing with 500 yards. Satulla has two 100-yard rushing games with a high of 172 against St. Francis (Ill.) Redshirt Freshman Randy Schroeder has stared the past four games (3-1) and for the season has thrown for 1063 yards and four touchdowns. His top targets have been junior Joey Schenk (59-585, 4 TDs) and senior Felix Neboh (34-396, 2 TDs). Truman is 12th in Division II in sacks allowed at 0.89 per game or eight for 48 yards.
 
Senior Joel Wimbley is among the national leaders in tackles, tackles for loss and forced fumbles for the Pumas. Wimbley is fourth in solo stops at 7.5 per game, seventh in TFLs with 2.1 per contest and has forced six of Puma's opponents 16 fumbles this year. SJC has recovered 13 fumbles and picked off 13 passes to lead the GLVC and be ranked fifth in turnover margin this year. Opponents are averaging 363 yards allowed per game with 149 on the ground and 214.6 through the air.
 
Special Teams:
The Bulldogs are the third ranked kick return defense in the country at 13.5 yards per return while SJC is 167 of 169 in kickoff returnsat 15.4 yards per.
 
For Truman, Nick Dolezal is eight of nine on field goal attempts with a long of 42, 19-of-21 on extra point attempts and 51.1 yards per kickoff. Brock Rohler has punted the ball 36 times for an average of 34.6 and a long of 54. Derek Hammann averages 7.5 yards per punt return and 22.3 yards per kick return.
 
Marcin Gawlak is seventh in Division II in punting average at 43.1 yards per punt and the Pumas lead the GLVC in net punting average at 35.3 yards per punt. Gavin Voss is eight of 13 on field goals with a long of 44 and 21-of-21 on extra point attempts.

Truman/Quincy Follow-Ups:
  • Quincy started the game on a 13-play drive that was shutdown when D'Anthony Knight picked off a pass at the Bulldog seven yard line and returned it out to the 43.
  • A 15-yard penalty added to the end of the return, set Truman up in Quincy territory and six plays later Randy Schroeder and Felix Neboh hooked up for a 21-yard TD pass.
  • Richard Neboh blocked a punt on the next QU drive and the ball went out the back of the endzone for a safety and a 9-0 Truman lead.
  • Nick Lonergan completed consecutive passes of 23 and 31 yards for the Hawks first score of the game at the 6:43 mark of the second quarter.
  • Jordan Brown picked off Lonergan and got across the goal line from 31-yards out in the third quarter to extend Truma's lead 16-6.
  • Nick Dolezal tacked on a 40-yard field goal with five minutes left in the third to make it 19-6.
  • The fourth quarter was all Quincy. Lonergan found De'Carlos Poole for a 20-yard TD pass early in the quarter.
  • The Hawks scored twice within 39 seconds to take and extend their lead.
  • Darius Burse five-yard run capped off a nine-play 84-yard drive with 1:55 on the clock to put the Hawks in front 20-19. Then a 23-yard field goal by Blake Allison following an interception extended the lead out to 23-19.
  • Quincy had 200 yards of total offense in their 17-point fourth quarter and finished with 434 for the game.
  • The Bulldogs had 60 yards in the fourth quarter and finished with 193 yards for the game.  It was the second lowest output this season by a Truman offense.
  • The 22 rushing attempts were the fewest by the Bulldogs this season.
  • The Bulldogs had 73 yards in interception returns. Jordan Brown picked off his third pass of his career and second this season. Both picks in 2015 have been for scores. D'Anthony Knight had the other interception for a 35-yard return. It was Knight's second career INT.
  • Justin Mikeworth led the Truman defense with nine total tackles.
  • Derek Hammann had a pair of punt returns for 19 yards (9.5/return with a long of 11) and had a season-long 38-yard kickoff return.
  • The Bulldogs had their first field goal blocked this season as Nick Dolezal's 39-yard attempt in the second quarter was blocked.
  • The 39 rushing yards by the Bulldogs were the fewest by a Truman team since September 13, 2008 when they gained just three in a three-point loss to Central Missouri. Truman threw for 405 yards that game, the last time the team hit that plateau.
  • The blocked punt for a safety was the first block on a punt since a 2013 game against William Jewell and first safety also since a 2013 game against Southwest Baptist.
  • That was the first win by Quincy over the Bulldogs since the two teams started playing conference games in 2013 and broke a four-game winning streak by the Bulldogs dating back to 2000. The only previous win by the Hawks over the Bulldogs was in 1951.
Last Year vs. Saint Joseph's:
  • Truman wasted little time to take the lead as four plays after the opening kickoff Garrett White ran 46-yards for the touchdown and the 6-0 lead.
  • The Pumas took the lead in the second quarter on a four-yard run by Mike Anderson.
  • Roger Howard's 25-yard field goal put the Bulldogs back on top with 5:17 left in the half.
  • Braxton Shelton's one-yard plunge with 1:21 remaining gave SJC the lead 14-9 at the break.
  • Saint Joseph's added a seven yard run by Wade Burtron in the third quarter then got a pair of 60+yard passing touchdowns in the fourth (Alphonso Hines – 60 yards; Jose Esquivel – 65 yards) to pull the Pumas away 35-9.
  • SJC ran for 222 yards on the day and Wade Burtron tossed for another 251.
  • Zach Tobin got the start for Truman and was 18-of-38 for 157. Chico Orlando caught eight passes for 80 yards.
  • The Pumas had 11 accepted penalties for 80 yards.
  • It was the largest margin of loss by a Truman team in two years of GLVC games.
In The Four Games Won…
  • Team has averaged 389.8 yards of total offense and 34:51 of possession time.
  • Has averaged 202.5 yards rushing per game and have averaged 52 rushing attempts in those games.
  • Andy Satulla has 408 of his 500 rushing yards this season and has 98 of his 137 carries.
  • Team has allowed on quarterback sack and converted on third down 41% of the time.
  • The defense has allowed under 300 yards of total offense (295.5/game) and 70.5 yards rushing.
  • Has 12 quarterback sacks for 68 yards and has scored all three defensive touchdowns.
In The Five Games Lost…
  • The Bulldogs are a -4 in turnover margin with five interceptions thrown and four fumbles lost.
  • Has averaged 231.4 yards of total offense and 94.2 yards rushing per game.
  • Has averaged 29 rushing attempts per game and 33 pass attempts.
  • Three games have a total margin of defeat of nine points (-1 Wayne State, -3 Missouri S&T, -5 Quincy).
  • Allow 156 yards rushing per game and 186 yards passing.
  • Has been outscored in the fourth quarter 45-7 and in the second half 69-20.
  • Converts on third down 32% of the time.
  • Has made seven trips to the redzone (7-7) while opponents have made 20 trips with 15 scores.
Drive Trends:
  • The offense have had 37 "three and outs" this year while the defense has forced 43.
  • They have started 17 drives on the opponent's side of the field and have scored on nine of those possessions.
  • Truman has had 11 drives last longer than five minutes this season while opponents have had five. Truman's longest drive was 7:52 against Southwest Baptist and has had four drives of 80 yards or more.
  • Opponents have had four drives of 80+ yards this season with a long of 85 by Wayne State in week two. The longest drive in terms of time is 8:52 by Missouri S&T in week three.
The Bulldogs In The GLVC:
  • Truman is in a tie for fourth place in the GLVC standings at 3-3 with Saint Joseph's.
  • The University of Indianapolis leads the league with a 6-0 record; they can clinch their fourth straight GLVC championship with a victory over Missouri S&T on Saturday.
  • McKendree and Missouri S&T are tied for second with 4-2 records. McKendree hosts Quincy while S&T travels to Indianapolis.
  • Truman is 13-8 as they play their third season of GLVC football. The previous two years the Bulldogs have tied for second in the league race behind champion UIndy.
  • In those games, the offense has averaged 24.7 points per game with an average of 348.6 total offensive yards (168.8 rushing/179.8 passing).
  • The defense has allowed 17.0 points per GLVC game with an average of 311.5 yards of total offense (98.5 rushing/213.0 passing).
  • The defense has posted 55 sacks in 21 GLVC games while the offense has allowed 29 sacks.
  • Truman has outscored GLVC foes 519 to 357 (+162) with 66 Touchdowns to 42 Touchdowns allowed.
  • Most of the scoring damage has come in the first half with Truman outscoring GLVC opponents 337-127 (+210 points) but in the fourth quarter of conference games, opponents have a 150-87 margin (-48).
Road Warriors:
Out of 172 NCAA Division II programs, Truman is one of three schools with seven true road games. The Bulldogs join Minnesota State Moorehead and Chowan (N.C.) with seven road games. Lane (Tenn.) and Central State (Ohio) also has seven games away from campus but each has one with a neutral site designation.

Truman travelled nearly 5,000 miles on roundtrip this season while also play three of the four closest NCAA Division II schools on the road. Those three are Quincy, Lincoln and William Jewell that will account for a total of 483 of those roundtrip miles.
The Bulldogs finished the road schedule at 3-4 with two of the losses by a total of six points.

Where To Catch The 'Dogs:
All Truman home games will be available on the GLVC Sports Network. The free webcasts which can be found on TrumanBulldogs.com/watch, will feature a simulcast of the radio broadcast provided by 104.7 FM KRES. The "Voice of the Bulldogs" Brad Boyer and "Mr. Bulldog" Hank Janssen return for their 21st season in brining Bulldog action to fans. In addition, all games will have a free audio webcast at CentralMoInfo.com/KRES.

Kings of Missouri
With a .580 all-time winning percentage, Truman is the "Top Dog" of all NCAA Football playing schools in the state of Missouri. The Bulldogs are second in terms of overall wins with 555 and trail the flagship institution of the state, the University of Missouri in that regard. Northwest Missouri (.578), Missouri Western (.549), Mizzou (.546) and Westminster College (.528) round out the top five of the 15 public and private schools in the state that play football under the NCAA banner.

1985 Team Honored
Roughly 25 members of the 1985 MIAA Championship team will be on hand Saturday for a reunion. The team finished 8-3 overall and 5-0 in the conference.
The team had three one-point victories, a 31-30 win at Missouri Western, a 21-20 win at Missouri S&T and a 46-45 win over #1 Central State (Ohio).

The 1985 schedule featured four games against future Division I school in Eastern Illinois (W 31-24), Missouri State (Lost 59-33), Southeast Missouri (W 39-24) and Northern Iowa (L 41-24). The November 16 game that clinched the MIAA title against Southeast Missouri was played at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

Quarterback Chris Hegg, running back Andre Gillespie and wide receiver Larry Tisdale all were named All-Americans for the Bulldogs.  Hegg was the MIAA Most Valuable Player and rewrote nine NCAA Division II records along the way including passing yards in a season (3,741), total yards (3,782) and had eight games with 300 yards or more passing.

Head Coach Jack Ball's squad finished 11th in the final Division II Football Poll but did not receive a postseason bid.

Up Next:
Truman will wrap up the 2015 campaign with a home game against McKendree (Ill.) University next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs have won all three previous meetings with the Bearcats including last season's 30-17 win in Lebanon, Ill.

The Bearcats are 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the league and will host Quincy on Saturday.
Prior to the game, the Truman seniors will be honored.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Chico Orlando

#84 Chico Orlando

TE
6' 2"
Senior
Garrett White

#28 Garrett White

RB
6' 0"
Senior
Jordan Brown

#6 Jordan Brown

DB
5' 7"
Sophomore
Nick Dolezal

#42 Nick Dolezal

K
5' 10"
Sophomore
Derek Hammann

#5 Derek Hammann

WR
5' 8"
Junior
Isaiah Hinton

#45 Isaiah Hinton

DL
5' 9"
Sophomore
D

#7 D'Anthony Knight

DB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Justin Mikeworth

#33 Justin Mikeworth

LB
5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
Felix Neboh

#11 Felix Neboh

WR
5' 7"
Senior
Richard Neboh

#2 Richard Neboh

RB
5' 8"
Sophomore
Randy Schroeder

#8 Randy Schroeder

QB
5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
Zach Tobin

#12 Zach Tobin

QB
5' 8"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Chico Orlando

#84 Chico Orlando

6' 2"
Senior
TE
Garrett White

#28 Garrett White

6' 0"
Senior
RB
Jordan Brown

#6 Jordan Brown

5' 7"
Sophomore
DB
Nick Dolezal

#42 Nick Dolezal

5' 10"
Sophomore
K
Derek Hammann

#5 Derek Hammann

5' 8"
Junior
WR
Isaiah Hinton

#45 Isaiah Hinton

5' 9"
Sophomore
DL
D

#7 D'Anthony Knight

5' 11"
Sophomore
DB
Justin Mikeworth

#33 Justin Mikeworth

5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
LB
Felix Neboh

#11 Felix Neboh

5' 7"
Senior
WR
Richard Neboh

#2 Richard Neboh

5' 8"
Sophomore
RB
Randy Schroeder

#8 Randy Schroeder

5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
QB
Zach Tobin

#12 Zach Tobin

5' 8"
Senior
QB