The Truman State University Football team will be trying for their first 3-0 start since 1994 when they play for the first time Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday night in Kirksville. The Bulldogs are coming off a 42-12 victory over Lincoln (Mo.) University at home while the Rangers were defeated by #6 Colorado State-Pueblo 41-24.
This will be the first meeting between these two schools as Northwestern Oklahoma is making the transition to the NCAA and Division II after spending the previous years in the NAIA. The Rangers are joining the Great American Conference that composes Division II schools from Oklahoma and Arkansas.
It is the first of three games this season for the Bulldogs against “first-time” opponents. Truman will play Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 6) and Lindenwood (Nov. 10). Last season, Truman played McKendree (Ill.) University for the first time.
The Bulldog offense scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions on Saturday night in downing the Lincoln Blue Tigers 42-12.
Will Mosquera scored three times and
Conrad Schottel tossed for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldog win.
The Rangers have played two games against America Football Coaches Association top 25 teams to start the season. Northwestern Oklahoma was defeated in the opener by #19 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 55-3 before Saturday night's loss to #6 Colorado State-Pueblo.
Ranger QB Kyle Jech set a school records with 44 pass completions and 70 pass attempts in the game. After falling behind 20-0 in the second quarter, the Rangers stormed back to take 21-20 lead midway through the third. The Thunderwolves responded and overtook the Rangers to grab the win. Jech threw for 315 yards with receiver Andrew King setting another school record with 14 receptions.
Truman/Lincoln Game Notes:
-
The Bulldogs converted on seven of their first eight third downs of the game with two touchdowns. They had only one third down attempt shorter than three yards to go. For the game, Truman was 9-of-16 on conversions while holding Lincoln to 5-of-15.
-
Truman had 355 of their 442 yards of total offense in the first half.
-
The teams combined for 25 flags for 235 yards. In the two games with the Bulldogs, Lincoln has committed a total of 30 accepted penalties for 255 yards.
-
Derek Koon was 6-of-6 on point-after attempts and has made 14 straight dating back to last season.
-
Garrett White and Dallas Grier each had over 100 all-purpose yards for the game. White had 117 yards with 92 rushing, one receiving and 24 on a kick return and Grier with 89 receiving and 21 on a punt return. White had 109 all-purpose yards against SBU in week one.
-
Dallas Grier went over 1300 career receiving yards during Saturday night's contest (1304). He is 354 receiving yards away from cracking the top 10 all-time in Bulldog history.
-
Will Mosquera's three touchdowns was just the third time since 1998 a Bulldog had three TDs. Donald Harvey had three against Nebraska-Omaha in 2010 and Michael Patnode scored three rushing TDs against Oklahoma Panhandle in 2005.
-
Eleven different Truman receivers caught 22 passes while nine different Bulldogs ran the ball 42 times. All three upperclassmen quarterbacks were used.
-
The Bulldogs would have had a second straight game with a punt block, however Kyle Whitcher's block in the first quarter was negated by an offsides foul.
-
Over half (26) of Truman's rushing attempts came on first down.
-
Truman had two plays from scrimmage go for over 30 yards. Garrett White's 55-yard touchdown run and a 36 yard pass from Conrad Schottel to Chico Orlando.
-
Michael Elliott led the Bulldog defense with five tackles; it was the first time in 13 games that the top defensive player for the Bulldogs did not have over 10 tackles.
-
Senior Robert Gayden picked off his first collegiate interception in the second quarter while Richie Schumacher recovered his fifth career fumble.
-
With the win, Truman has won four straight games dating back to last season. It's their longest winning streak since the end of the 2006 and start of the 2007 season. It is the first time since 2000 that the Bulldogs have started the season 2-0 in the MIAA.
-
It was the Bulldogs 18th win over the Blue Tigers in 24 overall meetings and 17th straight victory dating back to 1974. Barring schedule changes, the two teams are not going to meet again on the football field for the foreseeable future.
About the Bulldogs:
Head Coach
Gregg Nesbitt is in his third season on the Truman sideline after two straight 4-7 campaigns. The Bulldogs return 47 juniors and seniors, 59 total letterwinners and 18 starters from 2011. Of the starters returning, five are on offense, 10 on defense and both punter and place kicker are back.
• The Bulldogs have played 948 games all-time. The Bulldogs are 536-378-34 (.583) all time.
• Truman is 4-2 in overtime games. All six games have been played at Stokes Stadium with the last being on Oct. 24, 2009 against Emporia State (Truman lost 30-24).
• The Bulldogs have finished .500 or above in 70 of the 104 seasons of football played at the University and have had five wins or more in 62 seasons.
• Truman is the winningest NCAA program all-time in the state of Missouri with the .583 win percentage. The University of Missouri has the most wins with 625 with the Bulldogs second with 536.
• Truman's 536 wins is eighth all-time in Division II.
Returning All-Americans:
Truman features four players that have earned all-America honors during their career.
Senior defensive back
Richie Schumacher was a third team BeyondSportsNetwork All-America selection after finishing third in Division II in tackles with 130.
Junior place kicker
Derek Koon was also a BSN All-American earning a nod on the honorable mention list going 15-of-17 in field goals and converting on 22-of-27 point-after attempts.
Senior punter
Eric Phillips was a second-team Don Hansen Division II All-America in 2011 after averaging 42.9 yards per punt, good for sixth in Division II. For his career, Phillips has averaged 39.0/yards per punt with a long of 75.
Senior defensive back
Michael Elliott returns after earning a third-team Don Hansen selection in 2010 and taking last season off due to injury. Elliott led the defense as a junior with 91 total tackles and has six career interceptions.
Bulldogs In The MIAA/NCAA Statistics:
The Bulldogs are first in three conference statistical categories, Pass Efficiency Defense (84.97), Total Defense (273.0/g) and Scoring Defense (13.0/g). They are second in Sacks (3.5/g) and Tackles for Loss (8.50/g) and third in Rushing Defense (81.5/g) and Pass Defense (191.5/g).
Their highest national ranking is in pass efficiency defense (13th).
Michael Elliott is tied for first in the nation with Northwest Missouri's Brandon Dixon with three interceptions this season. Elliott's three picks came against Southwest Baptist and earned him the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3rd.
Patrick Blackwell is tied for 2nd in the league in sacks per game (1.0/g) and tied for 31st nationally.
Offensive Notebook:
-
Sophomore Garrett White and senior Will Mosquera have 65 of the team's 89 rush attempts. White has two touchdowns and a net yardage of 159 yards while Mosquera has three scores and 148 yards rushing.
-
Junior quarterback Conrad Schottel has completed 50% of his passes (31-of-61) with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He has an efficiency rating of 122.7 and has thrown for 436 yards.
-
Junior Dallas Grier has been the top target with 10 catches for 157 yards. Seven different receivers, with at least two catches, have over 10 yards per catch average. Redshirt freshman Chico Orlando has caught six passes for 96 yards and one touchdown.
-
The Bulldog offensive line have allowed seven sacks for 36 yards and 12 tackles for loss for 38 yards.
-
Through two games, Truman is averaging 33.0 points per game, up from 23.0/game 2011 and from 22.1 in 2010.
-
On the ground, the Bulldogs are averaging 155.0/g and have 310 yards rushing through two games. Passing, the Bulldogs are averaging 245.0/g (490 yards) with an average of 400.0/g (800 yards) in total offense. Last season, the team gained 1,389 yards on the ground (126.3/g), 2,422 yards passing (220.1) for a total offensive mark of 3,811 (346.4/g).
-
The longest play from scrimmage is a 55-yard rush by Garrett White against Lincoln (Mo.) University and a 42-yard pass to White from Conrad Schottel against Southwest Baptist (Mo.). Last year it was a 69-yard rush by J.B. Clark against Missouri Southern and a 61-yard pass from Clark to Kurt Loyd against Central Missouri.
-
The Bulldogs, though two games, have turned the ball over five times (three interceptions and two fumbles lost). Opposing teams have scored just once following a Bulldog turnover. Last season, Truman turned the ball over 24 times with 16 interceptions and eight fumbles. Of those turnovers, opposing teams scored 11 times (10 touchdowns and one field goal).
-
Truman converted in the redzone this season 67% of the time with seven touchdowns and one field goal out of 12 trips. Last year, the Bulldogs scored 80% of the time. They were 28 of 35 with 16 touchdowns.
-
The Bulldogs have started a third of their total drives (12 of 36) on the plus side of the 50 yardline. They have scored five touchdowns when starting a drive in their opponent's territory.
-
The offense has converted 44% of their third downs in 2012 up from 34% last season.
Defensive Notebook:
-
Seniors Michael Elliott and Patrick Blackwell lead the team in tackles with 12 through two games. Elliott has three interceptions and four passes defended while Blackwell has two sacks and 15 for his career.
-
The Bulldog defense has seven sacks for 36 yards and 17 tackles for loss for 65 yards. Last season, Truman had 21 sacks for 145 yards and 56 tackles for loss.
-
Truman allowed just 13.0 points per game through two this season after allowing 32.5/g last year.
-
The team has allowed 163 yards rushing (81.5/g), 383 yards passing (191.5/g) and 546 yards of total offense (273.0). In 2011, the Bulldogs allowed 2,188 yards on the ground (198.9/g) , 2,703 yards passing (245.7/g) for a total defensive mark of 4,891 (444.6/g).
-
The Bulldogs have allowed just one play from scrimmage over 30 yards this year, a 50-yard pass by Lincoln (Mo.). In 2011, the Bulldogs allowed 24 plays from scrimmage of 30-yards or more. The longest play from scrimmage last year was an 83-yard rush by Andre Smith of Fort Hays (Kan.) St. and an 80-yard pass from Missouri Western's Travis Partridge to Tarrell Downing.
-
The Bulldogs defense has forced five turnovers, four interceptions and one fumble recovery. The offense has scored touchdowns on two of the five turnovers forced. Last season they forced 27 turnovers with nine interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries. Of the 27 turnovers, 10 resulted in scores for the Bulldogs with two scores directly credited to the defense.
-
Opponents have been in the redzone just four times out of 35 drives this season but have converted for touchdowns in each trip. Last year, opponents were sucessful 72.3% of the time with 34 of 47 with 28 touchdowns.
-
The opposing offenses are 27% successful on third down after going 39% in 2011.
Special Teams Notebook:
-
Junior Derek Koon is 1-of-2 in field goals in 2012 with a make from 37 and one blocked from 36 yards. For his career, he is 27-for-37 in field goals with a long 42 yards against Fort Hays State and Central Missouri in 2011. He has also converted on 53-of-62 extra point attempts.
-
Koon made 12 straight field goals to start the season, breaking the school record of Scott Bresaw's 10 set in 1990 and tied Bresaw's 1990 single-season record of 15 field goals made. Koon also broke Josh Barcus' (Pittsburg State) MIAA record for consecutive field goal. Koon's streak snapped when he missed a 51-yard field goal against Missouri Southern. That record was broken by Missouri Western's Greg Zuerlien also during the 2011 season.
-
Senior Eric Phillips has had 14 punts in 2012 for an average of 36.9/punt. His long this season is 58 yards while his career long is 75 against Southwest Baptist in 2011. Last year, Phillips was second in the nation in punting with an average of 42.9/punt.
-
The Bulldogs have blocked one punt this season and three in the last two years.
Academic Success:
• The Bulldogs had 48 players earn distinction on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll last year, the most of any conference program. To be eligible, a player must have a cumulative grade-point average above a 3.00. The team had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.02 following the 2012 spring semester and an average ACT score of 24.
• Truman had an 88% Academic Success Rate in football according to data released by the NCAA last year. It was the highest ASR rate in the MIAA and one of the top percentages of all Division II public institutions. The Truman Athletics department had an overall ASR of 95%.
About the Rangers:
Senior quarterback Kyle Jech is the main weapon for the Rangers this season. In two games, Jech has completed 60-of-98 passes for 513 yards while also serving as the team's punter. Last year, Jech threw for 2017 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Jared Jackson is the team's leading rusher with just 29 yards on 17 attempts. In 2011, Jackson gained 749 yards on the ground and scored nine times in 177 attempts.
Andrew King is the top receiver for the Ranges with 20 catches for 148 yards. He had 432 yards in 10 games in 2011 with four TD receptions.
The Rangers were 4-6 last season but 0-2 this year after losses to #19 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) and #6 Colorado State-Pueblo.
Alan Hall is in his first season at Northwestern Oklahoma State, he has coached at Savannah State (Ga.), Newberry (S.C.) and Winston-Salem (N.C.) University. He attended the University of Miami (Fla.) and was a backup quarterback on the Hurricanes' 1991 national championship team and backup to Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will enter the national spotlight next Thursday night when they travel to the University of Central Missouri. The game has been picked up by CBS Sports Network as the Division II National Game Of The Week and will be showcased on the network starting at 7:00 p.m. from Warrensburg. It will be the 96th meeting between the Mules and the Bulldogs, the fourth oldest rivalry in Division II and two of the three charter members of the MIAA.
