By Ryan Atkinson
ratkinson@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A sizzling first half outweighed a clumsy second half for the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
The No. 14 Gorillas scored on five of their six first-half possessions and then held on for a 45-28 win over the Truman State Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Carnie Smith Stadium.
The win moved Pitt State to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA and helped the Gorillas bounce back from last week’s loss to Northwest Missouri. Truman State fell to 3-3 (2-3 MIAA).
“We needed to get back on the right track,” said senior running back Caleb Farabi, who rushed 27 times for 174 yards and two scores. “We did let down a lot in the second half, but good teams find a way to keep going along and we did that.”
The Gorillas were impressive early, getting a partially blocked punt by Chris Swartz to set up a six-play, 47-yard scoring drive. Farabi rushed three times for 28 times on the drive, including a 22-yard touchdown run.
Pitt State got another blocked punt — this one from Jon Thomas — on TSU’s next drive. The Gorillas then went 38 yards on nine plays — all of them rushing — and took a 14-0 lead on Brandon Clark’s 2-yard run.
“ We need to be able to run the ball. We haven’t done that the last couple weeks,” Farabi said. “We can win games passing, but we need to mix it up. We have good enough receivers to open it up for me on the inside and today that worked.”
Truman State had just 52 yards of offense in the first quarter and 115 at the half. The Bulldogs’ lone first half score was set up by John McCoy’s fumble on first down at the Truman 35.
“We wanted to make a statement the first half, first drive, first play,” Pitt State redshirt freshman linebacker Spencer Worthington said. “I think they were a little surprised with our blitzes and we played a lot more physical than we did last game. That’s a difference maker.”
The Gorillas built a 35-7 halftime lead and had a first-and-goal at the Truman 5 on their first drive of the second half.
But that’s when the Bulldogs swung the momentum in their favor.
Truman — aided by a holding call — stalled the Gorillas’ drive at the 15 and, just three plays later, scoring on Matt Ticich’s 68-yard pass to Phil Kenney.
TSU’s Eric Sternberg stripped Marcus Nelson of the ball on the ensuing drive and Demetrius LeVont returned the fumble 36 yards to the Gorilla 16. Ticich scored from a yard out five plays later and the Bulldogs had the lead down to 35-21.
“I think part of is was that (Pittsburg State) maybe thought it was all over and they were a little more nonchalant than they were the first half,” Truman State coach Shannon Currier said. “But our players were upset or (ticked) off that they were getting smacked around. We got after their (backside) at the half ... and we were able to create some things in the second half.”
The Gorillas caught a break early in the fourth quarter. An offsides penalty wiped out the block of Jared Witter’s 44-yard field goal attempt and the ensuing 56-yard return into the PSU end zone.
Instead, Witter moved up five yards and drilled a 39-yarder to put the Gorillas up 38-21.
Truman State came back with a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive highlighted by Luther Eta’s 41-yard run and Ticich’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Albert Coker that made it 38-28.
The Gorillas then drove 56 yards on seven plays — six rushes and a 14-yard pass from Smith to Harrison Kush — to stretch the lead back to 17.
The PSU defense then all but iced the victory when Swartz stuffed Donald Harvey for a five-yard loss on 4th-and-five from the Gorilla 14.
Pitt State finished with 33 first downs — compared to TSU’s 16 — and 557 yards of offense. Smith was 19-of-27 for 261 yards and a score.
Ticich was 23-of-43 for 235 and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who finished with 377 yards of offense.
“This gentleman when I walked by says ‘I tell you what, great win, you sure are lucky,’” Pittsburg State coach Chuck Broyles said. “I don’t know how lucky we were. We had 33 first downs and close to 600 yards of offense. We were unlucky. We turned the ball over, we had a big holding play down there on the 2-yard line ... fumbled two snaps from center ... we contributed to our ineffectiveness in the second half.”
