Setting the scene. . .
The Washburn (5-2, 3-2 MIAA), will return home to face Pittsburg State (4-3, 2-3 MIAA) as the Ichabods will play host to the Gorillas as part of Homecoming festivities on campus. Washburn is coming off a 31-21 loss at Nebraska-Omaha while the Gorillas topped Emporia State 44-14. The Ichabods have won the last two games played in Topeka over the Gorillas.
Ichabods on Radio . . .
The game will be broadcast live on AM 580 WIBW. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.wusports.com by following the “Live Audio” link under football.
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.
Ichabods on Television . . .
The game will be broadcast live Kansas 22 with former WIBW-TV sports director Mark Ewing calling all the action along with Chris Allison in the booth and former WIBW-TV weekend anchor Mark Davidson working the sidelines. The game will be broadcast state-wide with pregame starting at 1 p.m.
The Coaches . . .
Washburn head football coach
Craig Schurig was named head coach of the Ichabod football program Dec. 28, 2001. Schurig is 51-36 (.575) in his eighth season as the Ichabod head coach and he is 39-29 (.580) against the MIAA. He has led the Ichabods to two NCAA Playoff appearances in the last four seasons and to the 2005 MIAA Championship. Schurig is 2-5 against Pittsburg State and 2-2 in games played in Topeka.
Pittsburg State head coach Chuck Broyles Pittsburg State's Chuck Broyles is in his 20th season at the helm of his alma mater (PSU, '70). The only collegiate coach in the 20th Century to win 100 games in less than 10 full seasons, Broyles has guided the Gorillas to a 197-44-2 (.814) record since taking charge in 1990. He is the second-winningest active NCAA-II head coach, by percentage, and the fourth-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 . . .
(Oct. 10, 2009) Omaha, Neb.-- The Washburn Ichabods fell to 5-2 and 3-2 in the MIAA as they fell 31-21 at Nebraska-Omaha. The Ichabods will return home on Oct. 17 to face Pittsburg State as part of the 2009 Washburn homecoming festivities starting at 1:08 p.m.
The Ichabods jumped on the board first after forcing a Maverick fumble by
Michael Krajicek on their first possession of the game at the UNO 41. Six plays later,
Vershon Moore scored from three yards yard capping a 44-yard, six-play drive putting Washburn up 7-0.
UNO knotted the score on their next possession on a 63-yard pass from Greg Wunderlich to Mike Higgins for 63 yards with 9:52 to play in the first quarter.
Washburn returned serve with a 7-play, 80-yard drive as
Dane Simoneau hit
Drameagon Powers for a 20-yard strike with 7:14 on the clock putting the Ichabods up 14-7.
After the teams traded drives with no score, UNO tied the score at 14 with 5:32 to play in the first quarter on a Levi Terrell rush from 11 yards out.
On the next drive, the Ichabods'
Vershon Moore reached for the end zone, but he was ruled to have fumbledwhich the Mavericks recovered for a touchback. The Mavericks then drove 90 yards on 16 plays after a personal foul to go up 21-14. The Mavericks scored another touchdown to go up 28-14 with 1:17 to play in the half.
Washburn cut the lead to 28-21 going into the half as Simoneau hit
Ryan Mertz for a 5-yard touchdown score.
In the second half, both teams were held scoreless until UNO's Greg Zuerlein connected on a 29-yard field goal with 5:08 to play in the third.
Washburn drove the ball on their next possession down to the UNO 18, but turned it over on downs. Neither team would score the remainder of the game.
Simoneau finished the game 25 of 42 for 392 yards and two touchdowns. His total was the fifth-highest WU single-season total behind the 398 yards he passed for last week against Fort Hays State. Powers finished with seven catches for 142 yards. Mertz had six catches for 107 yards.
Moore had 15 carries for 57 yards and one score.
Defensively,
Zach Watkins had eight tackles with five solo stops putting his career solo tackle mark at 204. He also had two tackles for loss. Krajicek and
Casey Curran each had seven tackles.
Washburn had 470 yards of total offense and the Mavericks recorded 427. Washburn was flagged seven times for 74 yards.
About Pittsburg State . . .
The Gorillas are 4-3 and 2-3 in the MIAA after defeating Emporia State 44-14. PSU has won their last two games after dropping three in row to MIAA foes Northwest Missouri, Central Missouri and Missouri Western - all who were ranked in the national poll at the time of the game.
Terrance Isaac leads the Gorillas in rushing with 62.3 yards per game. John McCoy leads the team in passing averaging 168.5 yards per game with eight touchdowns.
Kendall Fisher is the team's leading receiver with 38 catches for 766 yards with seven touchdowns.
Defensively Antonio Graham leads the Gorillas with 48 tackles including 7.5 tackles for loss for 27 yards and a forced fumble. Chris Swartz also had 48 tackleswith 22 solo stops and 4.5 tackles for loss.
Last time out for the Gorillas . . .
(Oct. 10, 2009) Pittsburg, Kan. -- Senior wide receiver Kendall Fisher caught touchdown passes on each of his first three receptions en route to a record-breaking day as Pittsburg State University rolled to a 44-14 victory over Emporia State University Saturday (Oct. 10) at Branenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium.
Fisher scored on pass connections of 60, 92 and 23 yards in the first half to help stake Pitt State (4-3, 2-3 MIAA) to a 30-7 halftime advantage against Emporia (1-6, 0-5 MIAA).
The Gorillas piled up 454 yards of total offense in the first half, helping propel the team to the lopsided win in the program's historic 1,000th all-time game. Pitt State recorded its 636th all-time win in its 1,000th game, played 101 years to the day after the school played its first contest against the Girard Athletic Association on Oct. 10, 1908.
Pitt State finished the game with a season-high 638 total yards, including a school record 412 passing yards.
Junior quarterback John McCoy, making his first start in three weeks after battling back from a groin injury, completed 17 of 27 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns, while sophomore QB Jeff McCoy also went 2-for-2 for 97 yards and a score.
Fisher finished the game with six receptions for a school record 238 yards and three TDs.
Junior tailback Cardell Clemons, making his first start of the game, rushed the ball 12 times for a game-high 98 yards to lead the Gorillas ground gainers.
The Pitt State defense limited Emporia to 269 total yards in the game. The Gorillas registered three QB sacks and held the Hornets to 78 net rushing yards on 35 carries.
Senior outside linebacker Chris Swarts registered a career-high 13 tackles with 2.0 TFLs, 1.5 QB sacks and a forced fumble.
Series Notes . . .
Saturday's meeting is the 82nd meeting in the series. The Gorillas lead the all-time series 60-20-1. 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 beat 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 60-20-1
First Meeting: WU 7, PSU 0 (1920)
Last Meeting: PSU 48-17 (11/1/08) in Pittsburg
Last WU win: 35-28 (11/3/07) in Topeka
Last PSU win: 48-17 (11/1/08) in Pittsburg
Largest WU win: 36-13 (1953)
Largest PSU win: 61-0 (10/28/1989) in Pittsburg
Last Meeting with the Gorillas . . .
(Nov. 1, 2008) PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods fell behind 14-0 five-plus minutes into the game and never recovered as they fell 48-17 to No. 12-ranked Pittsburg State.
Caleb Farabi put the Gorillas up 14-0 with 9:46 remaining in the first quarter on runs of 7- and 8-yards. Washburn got on the board with a 22-yard field goal by
Garrett Cummings set up by an interception by
Casey Curran.
The Gorillas added two more touchdowns on 1-yard runs. The first by Farabi and Brandon Clark added another with 5:11 to go in the first half.
Brandon Walker, on the ensuing kickoff, after dropping the ball returned it 89-yards for a touchdown cutting the margin to 28-10.
In the second half, the Gorillas had only four possessions, but scored touchdowns on three drives stretching the lead to as many as 38 at 48-10. A late touchdown run by
Terrence Lowe capped a 86-yard, 13-play drive with one second remaining.
Lowe led the team with 33 yards rushing and
Dane Simoneau was 6 of 15 with one interception.
Drameagon Powers had four catches for 76 yards.
Defensively
Zach Watkins had 13 tackles for the Ichabods. Curran had 11 with the one first quarter interception.
Washburn was limited to 228 yards of total offense while Pitt State had 492. Washburn was also held to 77 yards rushing.
Washburn Football History . . .
Washburn is 494-544-44 in the 119th year of Ichabod football.
A win for Washburn would . . .
lift the Ichabods to 495-544-44 in their football history … move the Ichabods to 6-2 on the season and 4-2 in the MIAA … be the third straight win over the Gorillas in Topeka.
A loss for Washburn would . . .
drop the Ichabods to 495-545-44 in their football history … drop the Ichabods to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in MIAA play … be the second straight loss to the Gorillas.
The Ichabods in the National Polls . . .
Oct. 12 -- The Washburn Ichabods fell from No. 12 to No. 20 in the AFCA Top 25 coaches poll after the loss at Nebraska-Omaha. The Ichabods are ranked No. 22 in the D2football.com media poll this week.
The Ichabods in the NCAA regional rankings . . .
As of Oct. 12 -- The top six teams reach the NCAA playoffs with the top two teams in the region receiving first round byes. The Ichabods were fifth in last week's poll, but dropped to sixth after the loss at Nebraska-Omaha. Washburn still has No. 3 Northwest Missouri on their schedule on Oct. 24th in Maryville.
1. Abilene Christian (7-0, 7-0)
2. Central Washington (7-0, 5-0)
3. Northwest Missouri State (6-1, 6-1)
4. Missouri Western State (6-1, 6-1)
5. Texas A&M-Kingsville (7-0, 7-00
6. Washburn (5-2, 5-2)
7. Central Missouri (6-1, 6-1)
8. Angelo State (5-2, 5-1)
9. Tarleton State (6-1, 6-1)
10. Nebraska-Omaha (5-2, 5-2)
Bods and Ends . . .
Watkins climbing tackle charts - Ichabod senior linebacker
Zach Watkins has a career tackle total of 427, which is second on the all-time Washburn chart. Watkins trails Grant Gould (2002-05) who had 459 career tackles on the top of the charts. Watkins' 223 career assisted tackles is second all-time at Washburn trailing Gould's 254. Watkins' 204 solo tackles for his career is second all-time at Washburn trailing Gould's 205.
No need for paper or plastic - This season, the Ichabods have allowed only six sacks this season for 39 yards. The Ichabod offensive line allowed only 17 sacks last season including only three in the last three games against Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State (which is when all three occurred) and Nebraska-Omaha.
Record Breaker -
Eric Lawrence has recorded 41.0 tackles for loss for his career breaking the previous record of 37 held by Tony Scollieri (1994-97). His 19 career sacks is tied for third all-time at Washburn. The school record is 29.5 by Jim Butler (1985-87). He is currently tied for third with Mark Remboldt. He needs one more sack to move into a tie for second with Dan Remboldt who recorded 20 from 1982-84.
Quick Kicks - Washburn's
Steve Ivanisevic has connected on 10 of his 12 field goal attempts this season in his first six games in an Ichabod uniform. The most attempts a
Craig Schurig-led team at Washburn has attempted in a season has been 13 in 2004 and the most field goals made under Schurig had been six in 2007 when the Ichabods were 6 of 10 that season. The school's single-season record for made field goals is 18 set by Nick Kresic in 1986. Kresic also holds the single-season attempt record with 24 set that same year.
Red Zone is Blue Zone for Ichabods - This season the Ichabods have scored in 34 of 38 trips inside their opponents redzone and have scored on their last 32 of 35 trips into their opponents 20 yard line.
Second quarter has been owned by the Ichabods - This season, the Ichabods have outscored their opponents 129 to 38 in the second quarter including out bursts of 28-0 against Missouri Southern and 37 to 7 against New Mexico Highlands and 20-0 against Central Missouri. Washburn outscored Colorado Mines 13 to 0 in the second quarter of the opening game of the season.
Odd years lead to successful seasons - In both the 2005 and 2007 seasons, the Ichabods reached the NCAA playoffs and they are looking to continue that trend in 2009.
Ichabods on Homecoming both home and away - Saturday's game will be the Ichabods' second of three homecoming games this season. The Ichabods have won 20 of their last 27 homecoming match ups played on the road and in Yager Stadium. The Ichabods had their eight-game homecoming road streak snapped last week at UNO. At home, the Ichabods have won their last six homecoming games played in Topeka. The last time the Ichabods fell in a homecoming game in Topeka was on Oct. 26, 2002 in double overtime loss to Missouri Western 34-28.
Power Performances - With his 109 yards receiving on five catches with two touchdowns and his season-high 142 yards receiving on seven catches, senior wideout
Drameagon Powers became the first Ichabod since Mike Odupitan accomplished the feat in the second and third games of the 2005 season when he had 119 yards receiving against Western Washington on Sept. 3, 2005 and 111 yards against Central Missouri on Sept. 10, 2005. Powers needs 11 more receptions this season to move into the top 10 on the all-time career receptions chart.
Better in pairs - Speaking of 100-yard receiving games, with
Drameagon Powers' 142 yards and
Ryan Mertz's 111 yards against Nebraska-Omaha, it was only the fifth time in school history the Ichabods had two 100-yard receivers in a single game. They are the first since Sam Sissom (216) and Mike Odupitan (119) combined for 335 yards receiving in the 2004 Mineral Water Bowl on Dec. 4, 2004.
Pass attack - In his last two games,
Dane Simoneau has passed for the fourth- and fifth-highest single-game passing totals in school history with 398 against Fort Hays State on Oct. 3 and 392 at Nebraska-Omaha. He has moved into eighth on the school's all-time career touchdown list with 22 and he is 10th on the career completions chart with 178 and 11th in attempts with 323. He currently leads the MIAA in total offense with 271 yards per game.
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 for the second time. 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 the field, Washburn's redshirt freshman running back
Vershon Moore is the nephew of PSU all-American and 2005 NCAA DII Football Hall of Fame inductee Ronald Moore, who rushed for 2,585 yards as a senior in 1992 with 41 touchdowns winning the Harlon Hill Trophy. Moore played for the Gorillas from 1989-92.
• Another on the field connection is PSU's starting inside linebacker Caleb Jessup. Jessup transferred from Western Washington after the Vikings disbanded the football program following the 2008 season. Jessup played against the Ichabods in a WWU 16-13 win over the then-ranked No. 15 Ichabods on Sept. 3, 2006 when the Vikings hit a 40-yard field goal with two seconds to go in the game to top Washburn in a game played in Bellingham, Wash.
Ichabods in the national individual statistics . . .
Category Name National Rank Statistic
Rushing
Vershon Moore 88 65.14
Passing Efficiency
Dane Simoneau 7 166.81
Total Offense
Dane Simoneau 18 271.00
Receiving Yards Per Game
Drameagon Powers 82 65.57
Interceptions
Pierre Desir T-18 .57
Punt Returns
Casey Curran 47 8.23
Field Goals
Steve Ivanisevic T-11 1.43
Scoring
Steve Ivanisevic T-29 8.86
Sacks
Ben Bianchino T-35 .71
Eric Lawrence T-50 .64
Tackles
Zach Watkins T-39 9.29
Michael Krajicek T-75 8.29
Casey Curran T-83 8.14
Tackles For Loss
Eric Lawrence T-96 1.14
Ichabods in the national team statistics . . .
Category National Rank Statistic National Leader
Rushing Offense 45 167.29 Lenoir-Rhyne
Passing Offense 10 302.00 Eastern N.M.
Total Offense 6 469.29 West Liberty St.
Scoring Offense 7 40.29 West Liberty St.
Rushing Defense 67 133.71 Bowie St. Pass Efficiency
Defense 92 127.35 Albany St. (GA)
Total Defense 94 375.00 Albany St. (GA)
Scoring Defense 68 24.14 Albany St. (GA)
Net Punting 14 35.65 Northeastern St.
Punt Returns 80 8.72 Fort Hays St.
Kickoff Returns 90 19.48 Northwest Mo. St.
Turnover Margin 24 .86 Albany St. (GA)
Pass Defense 116 241.29 Newberry
Passing Efficiency 5 172.68 Charleston (WV)
Sacks T-52 2.14 Albany St. (GA)
Tackles For Loss T-98 5.86 Albany St. (GA)
Sacks Allowed T-9 .86 Ouachita Baptist
Schurig moving up the coaching ranks . . .
Eighth-year head coach
Craig Schurig has compiled a 51-36 all-time record at Washburn. He passed Ernest Bearg for fourth on the all-time win chart. Next on the coaching win chart is Larry Elliott who recorded 58 wins in two stints as the Ichabods' head coach from 1974-78 and 1984-89.
Ichabods on Oct 17 . . .
Since the 1961 season, the date of when games were available in media guides, the Ichabods are 4-1-1 on Oct. 17.
1964 - W 14-7 at Fort Hays State
1970 - T 21-21 at Missouri Southern
1981 - L 34-12 at Pittsburg State
1987 - W 29-25 at Wayne State
1992 - W 13-10 on WU's homecoming vs Central Missouri
1998 - W 35-27 on WU's homecoming vs Missouri Western
Up next . . .
Following the match up with the Gorillas, the Ichabods will travel to Maryville, Mo., to face Northwest Missouri for the Bearcats' homecoming game at 1:30 p.m. The Ichabods will then return home for senior day festivities when they will entertain Truman State at 1 p.m. on Oct. 31. Washburn will wrap up the regular season at arch-rival Emporia State at 1 p.m. in the 106th edition of the Turnpike Tussle in Welch Stadium.
