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Truman State University Athletics

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Football

Football Notes: Truman vs. Southwest Baptist (Nov. 1 - 1:00 p.m.)

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Truman Bulldogs (4-3; 3-2 GLVC) vs. Southwest Baptist Bearcats (2-6, 1-6 GLVC)
Saturday, November 1, 2014 ~ Plaster Stadium, Bolivar, Mo. ~ 1:00 p.m.
 
 
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – After a midseason bye week, the Truman Bulldogs return to the gridiron with a trip to Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.  

Game Preview:  The Bulldogs will be looking to cleanse the palate after two tough heartbreaking losses at home before the midseason bye last week with a visit to Southwest Baptist. Truman has won the last six against the Bearcats including one each the last four years.

Despite a season-low 41 yards on 12 carries against Indianapolis, senior Garrett White remains on pace to become the Bulldogs' first 1,000 yard rusher since 2003. White enters Saturday's game with 771 yards rushing (110.1/game) and will need to average just over 76 yards in his final three games to earn his spot on the Bulldog honor roll.
White ran for 146 yards in last year's 40-37 win over the Bearcats at Stokes Stadium.

Quarterback Devonte Black is nearing 1,000 yards passing in his first season as a starter and has competed 62% of his passes for seven touchdowns. Six receivers have over 100 yards receiving led by seniors Kurt Loyd (237 yards) and Chico Orlando (210) yards.

Defensive back Austin Zoda leads a balanced defense with 50 total tackles in seven games. Seven Bulldogs have recorded over 30 tackles this year while defensive end Devin Gillespie leads the team with 11 tackles for loss and five sacks.  Gillespie averages 1.5 tackles for loss and is ranked among the top 10 in the GLVC.

The Bulldogs will have to contend with one of the nation's top passers in Willie Tindal. The Bearcat signal caller is sixth in Division II in passing yards with 2,713 (339.1/game) with a league-high 21 touchdown passes. His top two targets are Nathan Mourik, who is fourth in the country in receiving yards with 1,033 and Drew Lauderdale. Tindal connected with Lauderdale 17 times for 154 yards in last Saturday's 30-27 loss at Saint Joseph's (Ind.).

Truman's pass defense picked off three Indianapolis pass attempts last time out and allow 222.2 yards through the air in conference-only games, which is ranked third. Chris Stanton and Ben Chaney led the 'Dogs with two interceptions apiece.

The Bearcats allow a league-high 216 yards per game on the ground and are last in conference games in points allowed (38.3) and total defense (468.3/g). On the flip side, Truman is second in conference in rushing yards averaging 193.4 per game and White is third in the conference at 111.6 yards per game.
 
Series With Southwest Baptist:
The Bulldogs have won six straight against the Bearcats and one in each of the last four seasons under Coach Gregg Nesbitt. Truman needed a 39-yard field goal to fend off a Bearcat fourth quarter rally at Stokes Stadium last season in a 40-37 Truman triumph. Senior Derek Koon made his field goal with six minutes left to break the 37-all tie and the Bulldogs survived a late scare as an incomplete pass in the endzone and a failed 43-yard tying field goal went left.
Truman won 24-14 to start the 2012 season in Bolivar and 24-8 to close the 2011 season, also on the road.
The last SBU win in the series was 2005, in Bolivar, as the Bearcats prevailed 38-36.
The all-time series record is 21-3 in favor of the Bulldogs. The two teams played as member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association from 1988-2007 and again in 2012. This is the first meeting under the GLVC banner as SBU is an associate member of the league in football only.
 
Coaches:
Truman is guided by Gregg Nesbitt, in his fifth year as head coach of his alma mater. Nesbitt is 23-28 during his tenure. He played and lettered for the Bulldogs in 1978 and 1979, served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1990-93 and returned to the Truman campus in 2010.
Craig Schuler is in his second season at the helm at Southwest Baptist after spending the previous nine years as offensive coordinator at Lindenwood (Mo.). Schuler was 1-10 in his first season in Bolivar, a 38-33 win against Missouri Southern.
 
Bulldogs In The GLVC:
  • Truman is in their second season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and are 8-4 overall in league games. The Bulldogs were 5-2 and finished in a tie for second in their inaugural run through the league last season.  
  • The team was picked second in the preseason coaches poll behind the two-time defending champion, Indianapolis. Southwest Baptist was picked sixth after joining the league from the MIAA.
  • The Bulldogs have outscored GLVC opponents 308-186 (+122).
  • In all-time GLVC game statistics, Truman has run for 2,120 yards (176.7/game, 4.4/rush) while allowing 1,054 opponent rushing yards (87.8/game, 2.6/rush). In total offense, Truman averages 357.3 per game and allows 284.6 per GLVC game.
  • The defense has sacked opposing GLVC quarterbacks 31 times for 208 while the Bulldog offensive line has garnered 19 sacks for 129 yards.
 
Milestone Watch
Garrett White has become the 13th Bulldog to rush for over 2,000 career rushing yards and sits eighth in rushing with 2,434 yards. He will next pass Sharron Washington (1963-66) for seventh with two yards and Andre Gillespie (1982-85) with 84 yards.
White has 28 rushing touchdowns and is tied with Lenvil Elliott (1969-72) for sixth all-time. He will next pass Washington with three and Steve Powell (1974-77) with four.
He averages 5.6 yards per carry with a single-game high of 159 against McKendree and a long rush of 80 yards against William Penn.
White has eight career 100+ yard games.
He needs 229 yards on the ground to become the first Bulldog since Jerad Leverson to rush for 1,000 for a season.  Leverson accomplished the feat in 2003 in 11 games while White has only 10 on the schedule this season.
Nic Abbate is second all-time in tackles for loss with 36.5 1.0 behind former line mate Patrick Blackwell for the overall career lead.
Devin Gillespie is one tackle for loss away from joining the Bulldog top 10 in that category. He has 11 this season and will tie Mitch Mulch (1981), Tim Gildehaus (1982), Curt Cira (2000), Robby Flanagan (1992) and Les Hammers (2008) with his next one.  The school record is 17 set by Blackwell during the 2012 campaign.
Indianapolis Game Highlights:
  • The Greyhounds had 29 first downs compared to the nine of the Bulldogs and ran up 334 yards on the ground to Truman's 88. Indianapolis had the ball for 37:39 with over 22 minutes in the first half.
  • Truman lost back-to-back games in which they led by 10 points or more for the first time since the end of the 1994 season. The Bulldogs led by 10 and lost 13-10 against Pittsburg State on November 5 then held a 28-10 halftime lead against Missouri Western and lost 36-34 the following week.
  • The last time Truman lost a 14-point fourth quarter lead, was October 7, 1979 against Cameron (Okla.). That game ended in a 20-20 tie.  The last double-digit fourth quarter lead lost was November 12, 2010 when they led 61-48 to Nebraska-Omaha and lost 62-61.
  • It was the first time all season that Truman did not have a drive of 10 plays or more (longest was eight).  Only had one of 30 yards or more (70) and had a season-high eight three and outs.
  • The last time Truman gained five turnovers in a game was against Central Missouri (four interceptions and one fumble recovery) in 2012.
  • That was also the last time Truman was held to under 200 yards of total offense for a game (188 vs. Central Missouri).
  • Indianapolis' 509 yards of total offense was the most against the Bulldogs this season and most since Grand Valley State recorded 565 in 2013 – 16 games.
  • Matt Ripp broke a string of 14 games in which Truman did not allow a 100-yard rusher. Ripp's 186 yards were the most since Andre Smith ran for 204 yards in a game with Fort Hays State in 2011.
  • Garrett White was held to a season-low 12 carries and 41 yards on the day. It was the first time this season that he did not have 20 rush attempts.
  • Luke Lamar had a career-high 15 tackles and tied Jordan Brown for the single-game season high this season. Brown had 15 against McKendree.
  • Chris Stanton had the longest interception return during the game at 19 yards and added eight tackles and four pass breakups.
  • The 87-yard fumble return for a touchdown by T.J. Fine was the second longest in school history, four yards back of Derek Rodriguez's 93 yard return against Nebraska-Omaha in 2008.
  • It was the second game this season that Truman did not have a turnover.
 
Thrillers/Heartbreakers:
The Bulldogs have had 11 of their last 18 games, including five of seven this season, (6-5 Record) in which the final score was within single-digits. Seven of the previous 33 games (21%) fell within that margin in the previous three years (3-4 Record) and since 2000, the Bulldogs averaged three games a season (26% of all games)in which the outcome was a one-possession game (17-12 Record).
The Bulldogs biggest fourth quarter comeback was on October 12, 1985 when they entered the final 15 minutes trailing 20-0 and won 21-20 over Missouri S&T.
The biggest overall comeback was 21 points on two occasions, November 8, 2003 against Missouri S&T, they trailed 21-0 early in the second quarter and won 35-28 and on September 3, 1988 they trailed Grand Valley (Mich.) State 28-7 midway through the second quarter and won 36-35.
On the flip side, the largest fourth quarter lead lost was 14 points that happened on two occasions. They led 20-6 on October 18, 2014 against Indianapolis and lost 23-20 and on October 7, 1979 led by the same 20-6 score against Cameron (Okla.) and the game ended in a 20-all tie.
The most points overcome by an opponent was  a 23-0 lead held by Truman over Missouri Southern midway through the second quarter on October 2, 1993 in a game they lost 41-37.
 
In The Classroom:
The Bulldogs had 36 players named to the Academic All-GLVC list last season, most of any school in the conference. To earn Academic All-GLVC, a player must have a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or have posted a 3.40 over two semesters. The team's cumulative GPA last season was 2.94 for over 100 members of the squad.
 
Bulldog Pedigree:
  • Truman has won 549 games in 106 years of football which is 8th all-time in Division II in terms of wins. The 1931-35 Bulldogs, under Coach Don Faurot, still have the eighth longest winning streak and 25th longest unbeaten streak among Division II schools.
  • This will be the 976th game in Truman Football history. The Bulldogs' .581 winning percentage is tops among the 15 NCAA (FBS, FCS, II, III) schools in the state of Missouri.
  • Truman is 4-3 in overtime games.  Six of the seven games have been played at home with the last being a road overtime loss to Drake 13-7 on September 6, 2014.
 
Defensive Notes:
  • The defense has allowed 17.4 points per game through seven games in 2014 after allowing 20.4 points per game last season. The total was the lowest average since the 1994 campaign of 17.6 per game.
  • Opponents average 3.6 yards per rush this season with 885 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
  • Quarterbacks have completed 140-of-240 (58%) passes against the defense for 1501 yards (214.4 per game average). They have completed seven touchdown pass.
  • The defense has not allowed 400 yards of total offense in 12 of their last 14 games.
  • Truman has forced 104 turnovers since Coach Kellen Nesbitt has taken over as defensive coordinator in 2010. The Bulldogs have gained a turnover in 43 of 51 games played and went 33 straight from 2010-2013 forcing a turnover.  
  • Opponents are successful 29% of the time on third downs converting 29 of-100 attempts and 39% on fourth down with seven of 18 attempts.
  • Austin Zoda leads in tackles with 50 through the six games. Zoda leads the team with 28 solo stops.
  • Devin Gillespie leads the team with 11.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks this season.
  • The team has 14 sacks for 87 yards and 48 tackles for loss for 195 yards.
  • Ben Chaney and Chris Stanton led the defense with two interceptions apiece. The Bulldogs average 16.5 yards on interception returns (eight for 132 yards with a long of 50).
Offensive Notes:
  • On the ground, Truman has averaged 186.7 yards per game and 4.3 yards per rush this season. Last year, Truman averaged 153.5 yards and in 2011 averaged 115.5 yards on the ground.
  • Truman has 2370 yards of total offense with 338.6 per game and 4.8 per play. They have converted 36% on third down going 37-of-104 and are 7-of-14 on fourth down conversions.
  • Garrett White leads the team with 146 rushes for 771 yards. He has eight 100-yard rushing games for his career and eight runs from scrimmage over 40 yards.
  • Devonte Black has completed 62.1% of his passes in his first year as a starter for the Bulldogs. He has thrown for 947 yards and rushed for another 256.
  • Black's top receiving target has been Kurt Loyd with 23 catches for 237 yards and Chico Orlando with 23 for 210. Loyd has four touchdowns catches and averages 10.3 yards per reception.
  • The offensive line has allowed 19 sacks for 115 yards after allowing 11 all of 2013.
 
Special Forces Notes:
  • Jacob Lamp is averaging 40.0 yards in 40 punts in 2014 with 12 inside the 20 and a season-long 70-yard boot against Langston (Okla.).
  • Lamp, for his career is averaging 40.6 yards on 95 punts which is the slightly ahead of Bob Fletcher's 40.5 career mark during the 1978-79 seasons. Fletcher had 138 punt attempts.
  • Roger Howard is averaging 52.5 yards per kickoff on 32 attempts and is 5-for-9 on field goals made with a long of 36. Howard is 8-of-9 on extra point attempts.
  • Nick Dolezal has made 7-of-10 extra point attempts and a field goal of 29 yards.
  • Derek Hammann has returned 16 kickoffs for 314 yards (19.6/return) with a long of 34.
  • Kurt Loyd has been able to return seven punts for 39 yards (5.6/return) with a long of 18.
  • Chris Stanton has the team's field goal block this season against Langston (Okla.).
Upcoming:
The Bulldogs will host rival Quincy for Senior Day on November 8 at Stokes Stadium. While the two teams have only played four games against each other, the Hawks are the closest Division II football team to the Truman campus.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Derek Koon

#5 Derek Koon

K
5' 8"
Senior
Nic Abbate

#92 Nic Abbate

DE
6' 2"
Senior
Devonte Black

#9 Devonte Black

QB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Ben Chaney

#19 Ben Chaney

DB
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Nick Dolezal

#42 Nick Dolezal

K
5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
T.J. Fine

#23 T.J. Fine

DB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Devin Gillespie

#59 Devin Gillespie

DE
5' 11"
Junior
Roger Howard

#38 Roger Howard

K/P
6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
Luke Lamar

#24 Luke Lamar

DB
6' 1"
Junior
Jacob Lamp

#13 Jacob Lamp

P
6' 1"
Senior
Kurt Loyd

#27 Kurt Loyd

WR
5' 11"
Senior
Chico Orlando

#84 Chico Orlando

TE
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Derek Koon

#5 Derek Koon

5' 8"
Senior
K
Nic Abbate

#92 Nic Abbate

6' 2"
Senior
DE
Devonte Black

#9 Devonte Black

5' 11"
Sophomore
QB
Ben Chaney

#19 Ben Chaney

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
DB
Nick Dolezal

#42 Nick Dolezal

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
K
T.J. Fine

#23 T.J. Fine

5' 11"
Sophomore
DB
Devin Gillespie

#59 Devin Gillespie

5' 11"
Junior
DE
Roger Howard

#38 Roger Howard

6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
K/P
Luke Lamar

#24 Luke Lamar

6' 1"
Junior
DB
Jacob Lamp

#13 Jacob Lamp

6' 1"
Senior
P
Kurt Loyd

#27 Kurt Loyd

5' 11"
Senior
WR
Chico Orlando

#84 Chico Orlando

6' 2"
Senior
TE