By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
With a 5-5 record, it’s been a disappointing football season by Pittsburg State standards.
The Gorillas hadn’t lost more than four games in a season since 1977 when they went 1-8-1, and they’ve been dominant since the mid-1980s, going 53-6 in five years under head coach Dennis Franchione and winning 198 games in the last 20 years under Chuck Broyles.
The Gorillas’ chance to secure victory No. 200 for Broyles this season ended with last week’s 31-28 overtime loss at Nebraska-Omaha. The Gorillas need a victory today at Truman State to extend their streak to 32 consecutive winning seasons.
“We haven’t talked about it much,” nose guard Mike Roberts said. “I’m sure people have been thinking about it. We definitely don’t want to be that team.”
The 3-5 MIAA record this season is the first time the Gorillas have lost more than three conference games since joining the league in 1989. A win today leaves PSU in a sixth-place tie in the league with the winner of today’s Missouri Southern-Fort Hays State game in Joplin.
“It’s been disappointing,” junior offensive guard Nick Speed said. “It’s been a struggle to get all the facets of the game working properly. There have been times when we have looked really good and times that we just kind of fell apart. I don’t know why that is.”
Truman State, meanwhile, has lost all eight conference games since its 54-7 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State. The Bulldogs, looking to avoid their first winless league since 2005, came close on consecutive weeks last month but lost 20-16 at Missouri Southern and 30-24 in overtime at home to Emporia State.
Last week’s close game at UNO was a rarity this season for the Gorillas, who have won four games by at least 18 points and lost twice by at least 20 points. The closest game before last week was a 45-40 loss to Missouri Western, but the Gorillas trailed by 19 before scoring twice in the final seven minutes.
Kicker Jared Witter tied the game with a 31-yard field goal with 8.1 seconds left in regulation, and his 35-yarder on the first possession in overtime gave PSU the lead. But the Mavericks scored on their fourth play as quarterback Greg Wunderlich hit tight end Mike Higgins with a six-yard touchdown pass.
“It was kind of nice really, being involved in a big game,” Roberts said. “We really haven’t won one of those this year. It was nice to have a competitive game against a pretty good opponent.
“It’s a fun game to be a part of,” Speed said. “Unfortunately the scoreboard didn’t reflect what we wanted it to. It was different being in a close game. Usually in years past we’ve been blowing people out and not getting blown out.”
The Gorillas have shown a strong running game the past two weeks, following a 406-yard performance two weeks ago against Fort Hays State with 283 yards last week. Terrance Isaac rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries last week, giving him 356 yards in the last two games to jump into second place in the league rushing race at 90.4 yards per game.
Jeff Smith has been named the starting quarterback for the Gorillas, who average 438.3 yards per game compared to Truman State’s 262.9 yards.
Roberts is one of 20 seniors on the Gorillas’ roster who are finishing their careers today.
“This week has been pretty weird really, thinking this is the last one,” senior nose guard Mike Roberts said. “I hadn’t thought about it up until this point. Then it hits you this week. It’s the last one you got.”
“Right now basically we’re trying to send the seniors out with a win,” Speed said. “We’re trying to work hard every day in practice, know our assignments. Come Saturday, we’ll get it done.”
