Setting the scene. . .
The Washburn Ichabods (6-3, 4-3 MIAA) will travel to Pittsburg State (8-1, 6-1 MIAA) to take on the No. 12-ranked Gorillas in Carnie Smith Stadium at 2 p.m. this Saturday. The Ichabods will be looking for their second straight win over the Gorillas after winning last season in Topeka 35-28 on Nov. 3. The Ichabods have dropped 16 straight games in Pittsburg since a 28-21 win over the Gorillas on Oct. 29, 1977. The Ichabods fell last time out 24-21 to No. 3 Northwest Missouri in Topeka last time out. The Gorillas topped Fort Hays State 34-7. The Ichabods enter the game in a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings with Central Missouri and Nebraska-Omaha. The Gorillas are one game behind Northwest Missouri at 6-1 in the MIAA race.

Game 10
Game Notes: Washburn | Pittsburg State
Washburn (6-3, 4-3 MIAA) at  Pittsburg State (8-1, 6-1 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008
Time: 2 p.m. CST   
Site: Topeka. Kan.
Stadium: Smith Stadium   
Opened: 1924
Surface: Sportexe Field Turf   
Capacity: 8,343
Series History: PSU leads 59-20-1 …WU has not won in 16 games in Pittsburg since a 28-21 win on 10/29/77.
WU Rankings (AFCA/D2football.com): WU (NR/NR), PSU (12/13)
Broadcast Information:
Television: None
WU Radio:  KTPK 106.9 FM with Bruce Steinbrock (play-by-play), Mark Elliott (color analyst), Jan Lunsford (sideline). The broadcast begins 30 minutes before kickoff.

Streaming Video: Live online through themiaa.tv (free)
Internet: Live audio available through www.wusports.com
Live Stats: Available at http://www.pittstategorillas.com/football/livestats/xlive.htm
Ichabods on Radio . . .
The game will be broadcast live on KTPK 106.9 FM. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.wusports.com. Bruce Steinbrock will be the play-by-play voice of the Ichabods and former WU quarterback Mark Elliott will be the color analyst. Jan Lunsford will provide sideline insight for listeners on the field.

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head football coach Craig Schurig was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001. Schurig is 46-32 (.581) in his seventh season as the Ichabod head coach and he is 36-24 (.590) against the MIAA. He has led the Ichabods to two NCAA Playoff appearances in the last three seasons and to the 2005 MIAA Championship. Schurig is 2-4 against Pittsburg State and 0-2 in Pittsburg against the Gorillas.
Pittsburg State's Chuck Broyles is in his 19th season at the helm of his alma mater (PSU, '70). The only collegiate coach since the 1890s to win 100 games in less than 10 full seasons, Broyles has guided the Gorillas to a 190-40-2 (.823) record since taking charge in 1990. He is the winningest active NCAA-II head coach, by percentage, and the second winningest active coach among all NCAA BCS, FCS, and II schools. Broyles also is the winningest head coach in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association history and Pitt State history.

Last time out for the Ichabods . . .
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 3 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats held off a tenacious Washburn Ichabods effort and claimed a 24-21 road win Saturday afternoon (Oct. 25) in Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl.
The Bearcats (8-1, 7-0 MIAA) never trailed against Washburn (6-3, 4-3 MIAA), but never had more than a 14-point lead on the Ichabods in the contest.
Northwest took a 10-point lead, 24-14, with 13:37 left when senior QB Joel Osborn and senior WR Kendall Wright connected for a 3-yard TD to cap a nine-play, 90-yard drive. A 39-yard reception by junior WR Nick Rhodes put the Bearcats at the WU 6 to set up the score.
The Ichabods answered by reaching paydirt on a 14-play, 74-yard march culminating in a 1-yard plunge by senior RB Brandon Walker. WU kept the drive alive with a fourth-down conversion at the Bearcats' 16, and were aided by a pass interference call against Northwest on a 3-and-7 play from the Bearcats' 10 which gave Washburn first-and-goal at the 2.
The Bearcats were slowed by a pair of false start penalties on the next drive, which led to a fourth-and-13 situation at the WU 27. Osborn missed on a pass to senior TE Josh Gannan to turn the ball over on downs with 3:35 left.
WU was unable to capitalize on the chance to get the lead, as freshman QB Dane Simoneau was 0-of-4 passing on the possession, the last try getting picked off by junior DB Myles Burnsides with 3:16 to go. The Bearcats were able to run out the clock from there to secure their eighth straight win.
Osborn ended up 21-of-32 for 281 yards, throwing two TD passes and one interception. Wright (40 yards) and Gannan (36 yards) each had four receptions to lead the Northwest receiving corps.
Junior RB LaRon Council rushed 35 times for 164 yards and a touchdown. He carried the ball twice on the Bearcats' final drive to help eat precious seconds off the clock.
Simoneau was 16-of-33 passing for 179 yards and two scores with the one pick. Walker had a team-high 48 yards on 12 rushing attempts with the TD and led the Ichabods with four catches for 20 yards. Washburn was limited to 85 rushing yards by MIAA's top rushing defense (96.9 yapg).
Burnsides led the Northwest defense with nine tackles (six solos). He also added a 36-yard run with a fake punt in the second quarter to set up the Bearcats' first TD, and had a 35-yard interception return.
WU junior LB Zach Watkins registered 18 stops (seven solos) -- a season-high in the MIAA. 

About the opponents . . .
Pittsburg State is ranked No. 12 in the latest AFCA national poll and No. 3 in the latest NCAA Regional poll from Oct. 22. They enter Saturday's game with a 6-1 conference record and they are 8-1 overall. The Gorillas have won their last three games after falling to Northwest Missouri 35-10 in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead.
The Gorillas are averaging 32.7 points per game while allowing 24.8 points per game. On the ground, they are averaging 206.7 yards per game and allowing 142.6 per outting.
Through the air, PSU is averaging 217.2 yards per game and allowing nearly an identical mark of 216.8 per game.
Caleb Farabi leads the Gorilla ground attack with 121.8 yards per game. He has nine touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Mark Smith has hit 110 of 172 of his passes this season for a 64 percent average. He has passed for 1,746 yards and 14 touchdowns while tossing only three interceptions.
Marques Nelson leads the PSU receivers with 33 catches for 640 yards averaging 19.4 yards per catch with seven touchdowns.
Defensively, the Gorillas are led by Rusty Morgan who has 75 tackles with 44 solo stops and eight tackles for loss.

Last time out for the Gorillas . . .
HAYS, Kan. -- The 13th-ranked Pittsburg State Gorillas jumped out to a 27-0 lead by halftime en route to defeating Fort Hays State, 34-7, Saturday afternoon (Oct. 25) at Lewis Field Stadium.
Already ahead by three in the first quarter, PSU (8-1, 6-1 MIAA) would score on three straight possessions in the first half. Turnovers by the Tigers (2-7, 1-6 MIAA) deep in their own territory set the Gorillas up for two of them.
Junior S Chadd Snyder picked off sophomore QB Anthony Smith at the FHSU 36 with 5:06 left in the first, and three plays later senior RB Brandon Clark bolted 27 yards to the end zone to make it 10-0 at the 3:47 mark. Snyder led PSU with eight tackles (two solos).
The Gorillas forced a punt on Fort Hays State's next possession, and senior WR Harrison Kush caught a pass from senior QB Mark Smith for a 27-yard TD on the final play of the first period. A pass interference penalty against the Tigers negated an interception on the drive and cost the Tigers 13 yards, and Mark Smith connected with senior WR Marques Nelson for 38 yards to set up the score.
Freshman OLB Luke Stringer's sack of Anthony Smith on the next drive forced a fumble which was recovered by senior ILB Austin Cartright at the FHSU 24. Five plays later, senior TB Caleb Farabi punched it in from a yard out to make it 24-0 with 10:12 to go in the opening half.
Sophomore K/P Jared Witter hit his second field goal of the day, a 31-yard try, with 33 seconds left in the half to make it 27-0. His 46-yard kick to start the scoring was a collegiate career long, and his first successful kick in three tries from beyond 40 yards this season.
Anthony Smith put an end to PSU's hopes of a shutout with a 20-play, 82-yard march to paydirt which ate more than nine minutes off the clock. He was 4-for-7 on the drive through the air for 49 yards, and capped it with a 1-yard scoring run with 12:50 left in the game.
Clark, who had 48 yards on seven carries in the game, got that TD back on his 6-yard run with 4:29 remaining.
The Gorillas out-gained FHSU, 368-240, and the Tigers were held to 95 yards on the ground to PSU's 178.
Farabi led Pitt State with 83 yards on 20 carries. Mark Smith was 11-of-22 for 192 yards and a TD, while adding 18 yards on five carries. Nelson made four catches for 65 yards.
Junior RB Anthony Dickson accounted for 79 of the Tigers' 95 yards on the ground. Anthony Smith was 15-of-28 through the air for 145 yards with the one interception. Sophomore TE Drew Steffen (20 yards) and freshman TE Cole Gottula (17 yards) each had three receptions for FHSU.
Senior DB Allen Walker logged a game-high nine tackles (five solos) to lead the Tiger defense.

Series Notes . . .
Saturday's meeting is the 81st meeting in the series. The Gorillas lead the all-time series 58-20-1. In 2005, the Ichabods snapped a 25-game winning streak by the Gorillas with their 35-34 overtime win. The last win for the Ichabods in Pittsburg was Oct. 29, 1977 when the Ichabods won 28-21. The Ichabods have won two straight games over the  Gorillas in Topeka. The last time the Ichabods best PSU in back-to-back games was during the 1976 and 1977 seasons when the Ichabods topped PSU 28-16 in Topeka and 28-21 in Pittsburg.
Series Record: PSU leads 59-20-1
First Meeting: WU 7, PSU 0 (1920)
Last Meeting: WU 35-28 (11/3/07) in Topeka
Last WU win: 35-28 (11/3/07) in Topeka
Last PSU win: 29-14 (10/7/06) in Pittsburg
Largest WU win: 36-13 (1953)
Largest PSU win: 61-0 (10/28/1989) in Pittsburg

Last Meeting with the Gorillas . . .
 (Nov. 3, 2007) TOPEKA, Kan. -- Senior QB Jordan Brill threw three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, as the Washburn Ichabods defeated No. 18 Pittsburg State, 35-28, Saturday afternoon (Nov. 3) in Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl.
Brill became the career passing leader for the Ichabods (7-3, 6-2 MIAA), as he was 16-of-24 for 291 yards with one interception. He now has 6,618 yards (10th-best in MIAA history), and a school-record 55 TD passes.
His 6-yard pass to senior WR Jake Lebahn with 9:31 to go in the game gave WU the lead. An interception on the ensuing PSU possession by junior DB Xavier Beckford at the WU 21 gave the Ichabods the ball back, and they were able to run nearly four-and-a-half minutes off the clock.
Lebahn had six catches for 153 yards to lead the Ichabod receivers.
Another interception, this by sophomore LB Zach Watkins with 1:49 left, ended PSU's chances of a comeback.
Junior RB Brandon Walker had 145 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns -- including the tying score with a 68-yard run as time expired in the third quarter on WU's first play after the Gorillas (7-3, 5-3 MIAA) took a 28-21 lead on a 1-yard run by junior QB Mark Smith.
Smith rushed for a team-high 96 yards on 24 carries, and scored three TDs for PSU. He also was 8-of-14 passing for 127 yards and the two picks. Senior WR Pierce Curran had three grabs for 26 yards.
Watkins had a game-high 12 stops for Washburn (four solos, one sack) -- the WU defense forced six turnovers. Junior LB Rusty Morgan had 11 tackles (nine solos) and a pass breakup for Pitt State. 
   
Washburn Football History . . .
Washburn is 489-544-44 in the 118th year of Ichabod football.

A win for Washburn would . . .
lift the Ichabods to 490-544-44 in its football history … be the second straight over the Gorillas … be the first win for the Ichabods in Pittsburg since Oct. 29, 1977 in a 28-21 win … snap a 16-game losing streak in Pittsburg … improve the Ichabods to 7-3 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

A loss for Washburn would . . .
drop the Ichabods to 489-545-44 in its football history … be the 17th straight loss in Pittsburg for the Ichabods … drop the Ichabods to 6-4 overall and 4-4 in MIAA play.

The Ichabods in the National Polls . . .
The Washburn Ichabods fell out of the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 after losing to Central Missouri on Sept. 20 and did not receive any votes after their wins over Missouri Western and Emporia State. Washburn also fell out of the d2football.com media poll. The Ichabods have been as high as No. 18 in the AFCA poll this season and No. 13 in the d2football.com poll in 2008.

Ichabods vs ranked opponents . .
   The Ichabods are 8-38 vs ranked Division II opponents after their win over No. 18 Pittsburg State on Nov. 3, 2007. The win over the then No. 14 ranked Colorado Mines in the 2005 opener was the first win over a ranked team on the road for the Ichabods and the win over then No. 5 Northwest Missouri was the Ichabods' highest win over a ranked opponent on the road.  The Ichabods' highest win ever over a ranked opponents is their 35-34 overtime win over Pittsburg State, who was ranked No. 4 before losing to the Ichabods on Oct. 1, 2005. Under head coach Craig Schurig, the Ichabods are 8-17 against ranked opponents since 2002. They are 6-9 since the 2004 season including a 3-1 record in 2005 and an 1-3 record in 2007.
Bod Notes . . .
Walker rushing up the charts - The Ichabods' Brandon Walker, a Garland, Texas native, rushed for 1,987 yards for his career placing him in sixth all-time at Washburn on the career rushing chart. His is looking to become the sixth Ichabod running back to have 2,000 yards in a career at Washburn. Next on the chart is Brandon Rainer, who had 2,171 yards. Walker missed the Emporia Stat game with an injury.

Hanging with Mr. Cooper - Ichabod redshirt freshman Justin Cooper has rushed for 441 yards this season and four touchdowns after missing the first two games with a hand injury.

Watkins climbing tackle charts - Ichabod junior linebacker Zach Watkins continues to climb the tackle charts after recording 18 against Northwest Missouri. The 18 tackles were tied for the third-highest single-game total at Washburn. He went over the 300 tackle mark after recording eight against Emporia State. He career total now stands at 334, which is third on the all-time Washburn chart. Watkins trails Grant Gould (2002-05) who had 459 career tackles on the top of the charts. Next on the career chart is Tony Scollieri (1994-97) who had 349 career stops. Watkins' 184 career assisted tackles is second all-time at Washburn trailing Gould's 254. Watkins' 150 solo tackles for his career is tied for fifth all-time at Washburn.

A one-sided coin?? - The Ichabods are 0-9 in the opening coin toss this season.

Special team tackle leaders - Washburn's Casey Curran leads the team with nine special teams tackles this season. All nine stops have come on kickoff coverage teams. Brad Cole has five total special teams tackles wth a team-high four coming on punt coverage teams.

Starting field position - This season, the Ichabods average starting field position has been their own 37-yard line. Opponents have started at their own 29-yard line.
                                Own                Opp
Obtained            # /  Avg          # /   Avg
Kickoff            36 /  29.2         41 /  31.0
Punt               55 /  35.2         57 /  22.4
Field goal          4 /  22.8          2 /  20.0
Fumble              5 /  64.8          7 /  50.3
Interception       14 /  63.1          8 /  44.1
Downs              12 /  34.3         11 /  32.0
All drives        126 /  37.3        126 /  28.9
*numbers over 50 would translate to opponents side of field (i.e. 64.8 would be opponents' 35.2 yard line)

Washburn-Pittsburg State connections . . .
There are six current coaches on the Ichabod coaching staff with ties to Pitt State. Other than head coach Craig Schurig's nine years on the Gorilla staff, four other coaches also have ties to the Gorillas' program.
Defensive coordinator Chris Brown was a three-time all-American who recorded 470 tackles in 43 starts and was named the CNN?Division II National Player of the Year. He is one of only four Gorillas to be named all-American three times. He was also inducted into the Pittsburg State Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 9, 2007.
Linebacker's coach Cooper Harris played for the Gorillas from 1992 to 1994 where he recorded 295 tackles in 31 games, seventh on the all-time chart. He won the Joe Murphy Award twice as the team's most valuable defensive player.
Wide receivers coach Rob Robinson spent one season as a graduate assistant with the Gorillas after wrapping up his playing days at William Jewell.
Defensive line coach David Trupp was the defensive line and offseason strength and condition coordinator for the Gorillas from 1996 to 1998.
This season, former Ichabod quarterback and baseball player Dave Wiemers will be facing his alma mater as the defensive coordinator at Pittsburg State. Wiemers coached at Emporia State from 2001-06 and spent the 2007 season as the offensive coordinator at Tarleton State before returning to the MIAA. Wiemers began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at Seaman High School in Topeka, Kan., in 1991 after a successful collegiate playing career at Washburn University (1989-90). Wiemers earned his bachelor's degree from WU in 1990 and his master's in physical education from PSU in 1995

On this date in Ichabod football - Nov. 1 . . .
Since 1961, the Ichabods are 1-4 on Nov. 1.
Other items of note from items on Nov. 1: (1512) The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time. (1951) American soldiers are exposed to an atomic explosion for training purposes in Desert Rock, Nevada. Participation was not voluntary. Famous birthdays include sports writer Grantland Rice (1880), baseball pitcher Fernando Valenzuela (1960), musicians Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1962 and Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen in 1963. Jenny McCarthy was born in 1972. ESPNews launched in 1996 on Nov. 1.
11/1/2003 - Central Missouri - L 28-49
11/1/1986 - Missouri Western - W 21-14
11/1/1980 - Nebraska-Kearney - L 7-14
11/1/1975 - at Missouri Southern - L 9-21
11/1/1969 - William Jewell - L 7-48
 
Schurig moving up the coaching ranks . . .
Seventh-year head coach Craig Schurig has compiled a 46-32 all-time record at Washburn. He is tied for fourth on the all-time victory chart with Ernest Bearg who had two stints as the Ichabod head coach (1918-19 and 1929-35) and recorded 46 victories. Bearg coached at Nebraska from 1925 through 1928 and compiled a 23-7-3 record before returning to Washburn.

Up next . . .
The Ichabods will wrap up the regular season at home for senior day on Nov. 8 against Nebraska-Omaha with a 1 p.m. kickoff. It will be the final home game for seniors Xavier Beckford, Bruce Ringwood, Brandon Walker, Jake Forck, D.J. Formmoethelydo, Jake Righter, Andy Kavanaugh, Martell Underwood and Byron Smith.