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October 31, 2009

Gorillas travel to Nebraska-Omaha

By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

Pittsburg State's season-high 59 points last week against Fort Hays State came just one week after scoring only three points against Washburn.

How many points will the Gorillas score today at Nebraska-Omaha?

“I have no idea,” quarterback John McCoy said. “I know we have to come out and play as hard as we can play. I can't tell you how many points we will put up, but we will get after them.”

The Gorillas used a 28-point surge to pull away for last week's 59-41 homecoming victory over Fort Hays State. PSU rolled up 406 rushing yards — most in four years — with tailback Terrance Isaac gaining a career-high 184 yards on 24 carries and McCoy adding 79 yards and two touchdowns plus 144 yards and three scores through the air.

“With the running game working so well, it brings the safety down (to help with run defense), and that opens up the passing game over the top,” McCoy said.

Nebraska-Omaha was just one game back in the conference race after beating Washburn 31-21 on Oct. 10, but in the last two weeks the Mavericks have lost at Fort Hays State 31-20 after leading 20-0 and at home to Central Missouri 49-31, giving up 35 second-half points.

Quarterback Greg Wunderlich, who missed the Fort Hays game with an injury, returned last week and threw for 239 yards and a touchdown. He's completed 63 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,093 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Wunderlich gives the Mavericks a different look at quarterback from Zach Miller, the all-conference selection a year ago who was taken in the NFL draft as a tight end.

“It's changed quite a bit,” Gorillas head coach Chuck Broyles said. “They throw a lot more. The quarterback this year is not a threat to run, and if he does run, he's not going to run over you like last year's quarterback did. He was a Neal Philpot-clone.”

UNO freshman running back Levi Terrell added 218 yards and a touchdown on the ground last week. A true freshman from Fox High School in the St. Louis area, the Mavericks planned to redshirt him this year but injuries to the top two running backs forced him into action. In five games, Terrell has rushed for 899 yards on 178 carries and scored six touchdowns.

The Maverick defense has allowed 24.2 points (fourth in MIAA) and 331.6 yards (second) per game. UNO has posted shutouts against East Central (Okla.) and Truman State, but it also has given up at least 31 points in five games.

Both teams average 438 yards per game on offense, with PSU having an edge on the ground (205-172) and UNO ahead in passing yards (266-233). The Gorillas average 30.3 points, three less than the Mavericks.

Kendall Fisher has caught a team-high 42 passes, and his 802 receiving yards are tied for eighth place n the school's all-time single-season list. With 1,175 career yards, he needs 38 yards to crack the school's career top-10 list.

Jon Thomas ranks second among PSU receivers this season with 23 catches for 327 yards.

Thomas also is a threat in the kicking game, averaging 10.7 yards on punt returns and 23.9 yards on kickoff returns. He leads the team with 132.1 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, kick returns) per game.

“It's an opportunity for me to get the ball in my hands and do something with it,” Thomas said. “I like kickoff return better. It gives you more time to see the hole and decide where you want to go. A punt return, if the guys don't block quite as well and it's a high punt, there's no time.

“I try not to fair catch it whenever possible. Coaches get on me sometimes when I don't fair catch it, but it's my call.”

Missouri Southern

at Central Missouri

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m.

Site: Walton Stadium, Warrensburg

Records: MSSU 3-5, 3-4 MIAA; No. 19 UCM 7-2, 5-2.

Coaches: Bart Tatum, 4th year at MSSU (18-23). Willie Fritz, 13th year at UCM (96-46).

Series: Tied 14-14-2 after the Mules' 47-14 victory last year in Joplin. Central Missouri has won 10 of the last 12 meetings, although the Mules' last two home wins were by three points in 2005 and one point in 2007.

Lions notes: WR Daniel Thompson is the MIAA offensive player of the week after collecting 160 receiving yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 35-34 victory at Missouri Western. ... Thompson has 10 touchdown catches to join Rod Smith as the only players in school history with double-digit TD receptions in one season. Smith caught 15 TDs in 1991 and 14 in 1993. ... DE Jairius Jarvis has 8.5 sacks to rank second in the MIAA and seventh in Division II.

Mules notes: In Fritz's 13 seasons as head coach, the Mules have returned 21 punts and 10 kickoffs for touchdowns and blocked 38 punts. ... Central Missouri has scored in its last 201 games, an MIAA record and the nation's third longest streak. The last team to shut out the Mules was Missouri Southern, 35-0 on Sept. 21, 1991, in Joplin.

Radio: KZYM (1230 AM), 12:30 p.m.

Next week: The Lions end their season with a home game against Fort Hays State.

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