By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
In 2007, late losses to Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State kept Pittsburg State out of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
But this season the Gorillas found ways to win the close games — key defensive stops against Central Oklahoma and Missouri Western and late scores against Chadron State (Neb.) and Missouri Southern — producing a 10-1 record and the school’s 16th trip in 20 years to the postseason.
“It’s just the way the breaks fall sometimes,” running back Caleb Farabi said. “Last year we were a few plays from being 10-1, and this year it worked out in our favor and we ended up being 10-1. It’s karma, I guess ... I don’t know.”
“It’s just a new attitude this year,” inside linebacker Rusty Morgan said. “We knew to get in the playoffs those plays had to go our way. We’ve been working hard, and it’s about time they started going in our favor a little bit.”
The 10th-ranked Gorillas, as the No. 3 seed in the Super Region Four, have a home game today against No. 24 Nebraska-Omaha (7-3).
The Gorillas beat the Mavericks 35-28 four weeks ago at Carnie Smith Stadium, seemingly ending UNO’s playoff hopes. But the Mavericks bounced back with a road victory the next week over Central Missouri to begin a three-game winning streak, and Tarleton State’s 51-0 loss last week to West Texas A&M; dropped the Texans out of the playoff picture.
There are advantages and disadvantages to rematches in the playoffs.
“You never want to play the same team twice, but that’s the way it worked out,” Farabi said. “It’s probably going to come down to a certain block here and there to spring some plays because we’re going to be well-prepared for each other.”
“It makes it kind of easier to prepare,” Morgan said. “They are going to come out and do what they always do. They are going to run the ball and make us stop it. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Nebraska-Omaha ranks third nationally in rushing at 280.8 yards per game. The Gorilla defense is third in the MIAA against the run, yielding 127.7 yards.
UNO quarterback Zach Miller, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, averages 242 yards per game, hitting 110 of 172 passes for 1,418 yards and nine touchdowns and running 156 times for 1,004 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had 21 carries for 239 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 34-14 victory at Washburn.
“We’re going to get a lot of run, a lot of option out of the quarterback,” Morgan said. “We know that. It just comes down to tackling and making the play.”
Running back Brian McNeill, 5-9, 180, averages a league-high 134.1 yards per game with 228 carries for 1,341 yards and 11 scores.
The Gorillas average 36 points per game, four more than the Mavericks, and both offenses average 428 yards. The defensive numbers are also similar — 325 yards and 22.5 points for the Gorillas, 336 yards and 24.0 points for UNO.
Farabi, first team all-MIAA for the second straight year, is second behind McNeill and 10th nationally at 120.3 rushing yards per game. He has 1,323 yards on 244 attempts and scored 14 TDs this season, and he has eight 100-yard games this season and 16 in the last two years.
Quarterback Mark Smith has averaged 240 yards per game this season, completing 133 of 206 passes for 2,010 yards and 18 touchdowns and running for 633 yards and six scores on 135 attempts.
Morgan leads the defense with 87 tackles, including 12 for losses, and safeties Chadd Snyder and Alex Kuhlman have 57 tackles apiece.
Sports
Gorillas open playoffs against UNO
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