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Truman State University Athletics

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Football

Football Notes: Truman vs. Saint Joseph's (Nov. 15 - 12:00 p.m.)

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Truman Bulldogs (6-3; 5-2 GLVC) vs. Saint Joseph's Pumas (7-3, 4-3 GLVC)
Saturday, November 15, 2014 ~ Alumni Stadium, Rensselaer, Ind. ~ 12:00 p.m.
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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Truman Bulldogs will look to avenge one of their two Great Lakes Valley Conference losses from last season as they travel to Saint Joseph's (Ind.) College on Saturday for the season finale.  

Game Preview:  The top two rushing defenses will be put to test on Saturday in the Bulldogs and Pumas. Truman, in conference only stats, had held opponents to 107.1 yards on the ground while Saint Joseph's is second at 112.0. However, both teams feature two of the top three running backs in the league in the Bulldogs' Garrett White (122.6/game) and Pumas' Braxton Shelton (112.0/game).

Truman grounded the Quincy Hawks on Saturday with a 17-14 fourth quarter victory. Roger Howard's 23-yard field goal with five minutes remaining was the difference as Truman's defense recorded seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss in the win.

Offensively, White scored for the second straight week from the other side of midfield, going 75 yards to put Truman ahead 7-0. On
Truman's next offensive play that counted, Jared Haferbier raced 63 yards into the endzone for a 14-0 lead. The Bulldogs were flagged for holding, making it first and 20 when Haferbier made his reception.

Zach Tobin completed 15-of-19 passing, including 10 of his last 11 attempts for 160 yards on the day in relief of starter Devonte Black.
White enters Saturday's game with the most single-season rushing yards (1103) since Jarrett Anderson's record-setting 2,140 total set back in 1996. The Bulldogs 197.1 yards per game on the ground is the most in 17 seasons (201.5 in 1997).

The Bulldogs will be looking for their second-straight seven win campaign and have clinched their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2006 and 2007.  The 14 wins over the past two seasons would match the two-year total following the 1993 and 1994 campaigns.   

The Pumas manhandled William Jewell on Saturday to the tune of 49-7 in Liberty. Saint Joseph's controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes while rushing for 274 yards.  Running backs Braxton Shelton, Kobi Cook and quarterback Wade Burtron accounted for 205 yards on the ground.

Shelton moved over the 1,100 yard rushing mark (1,120 yards) in the win and averages 5.2 yards per carry and 112.0 yards per game with 14 touchdowns. Cook has 544 yards rushing on 110 attempts and Mike Anderson has added 429 yards on 79 attempts.

Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Burton has completed 64% of his passes for 485 yards and five touchdowns.
Joel Wimbley and Gary Yeoman, both all-conference linebackers from last season lead the Pumas defense with 82 and 80 tackles apiece and 15 and 19 tackles for loss respectively.  Yeoman has added three interceptions to go with a team-high seven sacks and Wimbley had two forced fumbles to go along with his 6.5 quarterback sacks.  
 
Series With Saint Joseph's:
This is the fifth meeting between Truman and Saint Joseph's and third in the last five years. The Bulldogs won the first two games in 1959 and 1960 by scores of 18-16 and 20-0 then won a non-conference game in 2010 by a 23-13 score, in what was Gregg Nesbitt's first game as Truman Head Coach.

The Pumas got two fourth quarter field goals by Gavin Voss to hand the Bulldogs their first GLVC loss last season by a 6-3 score.  It was the first time since 1967 that Truman lost a game without allowing a touchdown , the last being a 9-0 loss at the hands of Central Missouri 46 years ago and was the fewest combine points scored since a 3-2 Truman win against Missouri S&T in 1979.

The Bulldogs held the Pumas to a season-low 104 yards rushing on 46 attempts but Truman was kept to 69 yards on the ground and committed seven turnovers. Kobi Cook had 83 yards on 26 carries with Shelton adding just 19 on 12 attempts. Garrett White had 94 yards rushing on 22 attempts for the Bulldogs.
 
Coaches:
Truman is guided by Gregg Nesbitt, in his fifth year as head coach of his alma mater. Nesbitt is 25-28 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.

Cory Sanders is in his fourth season at the helm of his alma mater and has watched his Pumas increase their win total each season. He was 2-8 in 2011, 6-5 in 2012 and 8-3 in 2013. Sanders was a three-year captain for the Pumas, helped lead them to two conference championships and was a four-time all-league performer.
 
Bulldogs In The GLVC:
  • Truman is in their second season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and are 10-4 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. Saint Joseph's was picked right behind the Bulldogs at three in the poll.
  • The Bulldogs have outscored GLVC opponents 377-207 (+170).
  • In all-time GLVC game statistics, Truman has run for 2,587yards (184.8/game, 4.6/rush) while allowing 1,200 opponent rushing yards (85.7/game, 2.5/rush). In total offense, Truman averages 363.5 per game and allows 284.4 per GLVC game.
  • The four GLVC losses have come by margins of 3, 7, 4 and 3 (17 total points).
  • The defense has sacked opposing GLVC quarterbacks 41 times for 270 while the Bulldog offensive line has garnered 23 sacks for 167 yards.
 
Individual Milestone Watch
Garrett White has become the 13th Bulldog to rush for over 2,000 career rushing yards and sits eighth in rushing with 2,766 yards. White can crack the top five all-time rushing with 14 yards which would pass Lenvil Elliott (1969-72).

His 32 rushing touchdowns and 37 total touchdowns are fourth all-time behind Jarrett Anderson (70/74), Dale Mills (62/64) and Chad Guthrie (38/45).

White became the 12th Bulldog to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and he is currently 13th in single-season rushing yards.  He can reach the top 10 for single-season rushing yards with 240 in his final game.

White has 10 career 100+ yard games with a high of 229 against Southwest Baptist and a long rush of 80 against William Penn.

White's 1291 all-purpose yard total is 107 yards from entering the top 10 for a season. Lenvil Elliott's total of 1397 in 1972 is 10th all-time.

Nic Abbate has the record for career tackles for loss with 41.5. He blew past former line mate Patrick Blackwell 37.5 in Truman victory over Quincy with four TFLs.

Devin Gillespie has 13 tackles for loss, good for sixth in single-season history.  The school record is 17 set by Blackwell during the 2012 campaign. Gillespie is tied with Bulldog Mike Roos (1992).

Jacob Lamp had 105 career punts and averages 40.5 yards per punt. He enters his final game tied with Bob Fletcher (40.5) for the career punting lead. Fletcher punted for the Bulldogs in 1978 and 1979.

Devonte Black's 61.8% completion percentage is currently the third-best all-time for a season with a minimum of 20 attempts, trailing Chris Livingstone's 65.2% in 1992 and Eric Howe's 63.9% in 2001.

Team Season Milestones:
The 4.7 yards per rush is currently the 10th best season average and highest since 5.61 in 1996.

The 60.3% completion percentage is the fourth best for a single-season and best since 61.4% in 2002.

The 71 tackles for loss are tied with 1999's total for seventh in single-season history. The record is 75 set in both 2012 and 2013 along with 2000.

The 24 sacks are eighth in single-season history, four back of the record 28 set in 1998.

The three interceptions thrown are the fewest in a single-season with the previous low being four in 1959.

Quincy Game Highlights:
  • It was the third straight game that the Truman offense did not have a turnover while the Bulldog defense forced their ninth turnover in the last three games.
  • 11 of Truman's 12 drives were of six plays or less and 10 had a possession time under three minutes. The longest drive of the game, a 13-play, 54-yard game-winning field goal drive was six minutes, 42 seconds long, one second short of the season's longest drive against Langston (Okla.).
  • The 23:20 of possession time by Truman was the lowest of the season and lowest since 20:50 against Missouri Southern in November 2012.
  • The Bulldogs were 0 for their first seven third-down attempts but picked up two on the next to last drive leading to the field goal and got their third and final of the game on the clinching six-yard run by Zach Tobin to allow Truman to run out the clock. It was the lowest third-down percentage (27%) of the season.
  • Jared Haferbier's 63-yard TD reception was the longest of his career. His previous long was 39 yards against Emporia State in 2012. It was the first 50+ yard pass by a Bulldog quarterback since a 58-yard completion for a touchdown against Lindenwood, also in 2012.
  • Zach Tobin completed 10 of his last 11 passes to post the third-highest passing completion percentage by a Bulldog quarterback (78.9%) with a minimum of 10 attempts.  Both his 15 completions and 160 yards were career highs.
  • It was the third time in his career that senior Nic Abbate had four tackles for loss, his previous were against Southwest Baptist in 2011 and William Jewell in 2013.
  • The Bulldog defense had seven quarterback sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Two off the school record in each category.
  • It was the 551st win in Truman Football history and 25th for Head Coach Gregg Nesbitt.
  • Six of the nine games played have been decided by 10 points or less with three conference games decided by four points or fewer.
 
Cardiac Bulldogs:
The Bulldogs have had 12 of their last 20 games, including six of nine this season, (7-5 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 551 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 978th 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 15.9 points per game through nine games in 2014 after allowing 20.4 points per game last season. The total was the lowest average since the 1991 campaign of 15.1 per game.  
  • Opponents average 3.3 yards per rush this season with 1031 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.  Last year, Truman allowed 1334 yards rushing (121.3/g).  The 114.6 yards per game is the lowest since 83.5 in 1982.
  • Quarterbacks have completed 183-of-307 (59%) passes against the defense for 1922 yards (213.6 per game average). They have completed nine touchdown pass.
  • The defense has not allowed 400 yards of total offense in 14 of their last 16 games.
  • Truman has forced 108 turnovers since Coach Kellen Nesbitt has taken over as defensive coordinator in 2010. The Bulldogs have gained a turnover in 45 of 53 games played and went 33 straight from 2010-2013 forcing a turnover.  
  • Opponents are successful 30% of the time on third downs converting 39 of-132 attempts and 39% on fourth down with nine of 23 attempts.
  • The Bulldogs are in the top 10 nationally in redzone defense at 61.3% and 12th in scoring defense at 15.9 points allowed per game.
  • Austin Zoda leads in tackles with 64 through the nine games. Zoda leads the team with 35 solo stops.
  • Devin Gillespie leads the team with 13.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks this season.
  • The team has 24 sacks for 149 yards and 71 tackles for loss for 287 yards.
  • Ben Chaney and Chris Stanton led the defense with two interceptions apiece. The Bulldogs average 13.2 yards on interception returns (10 for 132 yards with a long of 50).
Offensive Notes:
  • On the ground, Truman has averaged 197.1 yards per game and 4.7 yards per rush this season. Last year, Truman averaged 153.5 yards and in 2011 averaged 115.5 yards on the ground. The last time they averaged over 200 yards on a ground per game for a season was 1997.
  • Truman has 3171 yards of total offense with 352.3 per game and 5.2 per play. They have converted 36% on third down going 45-of-126 and are 8-of-16 on fourth down conversions. The 36% on third downs is good for 14th in Division II.
  • Garrett White leads the team with 182 rushes for 1,103 yards. He has 10 100-yard rushing games for his career and 11 runs from scrimmage over 40 yards. White has 12 rushing TDs this season the most since Dusty Burk in 2002.
  • Vince Garcia has 55 attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns.  
  • Devonte Black has completed 61.8% of his passes in his first year as a starter for the Bulldogs. He has thrown for 1092 yards and rushed for another 273.
  • Zach Tobin has completed 31-of-53 pass attempts for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He has seen action in six games and made one start.
  • The quarterback's top receiving target has been Chico Orlando with 29 catches and Kurt Loyd with 28 catches. Orlando had 254 yards receiving and Loy had 263 to go with four touchdowns catches and averages 10.1 yards per reception.
  • The offensive line has allowed 23 sacks for 153 yards after allowing 11 all of 2013.
  • The three passes interceptions thrown by Truman is ranked second in Division II, only Shepherd (W.Va.) has thrown fewer INTs (2).
 
Special Forces Notes:
  • Jacob Lamp is averaging 39.9 yards in 50 punts in 2014 with 14 inside the 20 and a season-long 70-yard boot against Langston (Okla.).
  • They are one of seven teams in Division II that have not had a punt blocked.
  • Roger Howard is averaging 53.0 yards per kickoff on 45 attempts and is 7-for-11 on field goals made with a long of 36. Howard is 17-of-19 on extra point attempts.
  • The Bulldogs are 10th in Division II but third in the GLVC in Kickoff Return Defense, allowing 15.6 yards per return.
  • Nick Dolezal has made 7-of-10 extra point attempts and a field goal of 29 yards.
  • Derek Hammann has returned 21 kickoffs for 452 yards (21.5/return) with a long of 64.
  • Kurt Loyd has been able to return nine punts for 49 yards (5.4/return) with a long of 18.
  • Chris Stanton has the team's field goal block this season against Langston (Okla.).
 
 
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Players Mentioned

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
Vince Garcia

#22 Vince Garcia

RB
5' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
Devin Gillespie

#59 Devin Gillespie

DE
5' 11"
Junior
Jared Haferbier

#88 Jared Haferbier

WR
6' 0"
Senior
Roger Howard

#38 Roger Howard

K/P
6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
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
Chris Stanton

#30 Chris Stanton

DB
5' 9"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

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
Vince Garcia

#22 Vince Garcia

5' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
RB
Devin Gillespie

#59 Devin Gillespie

5' 11"
Junior
DE
Jared Haferbier

#88 Jared Haferbier

6' 0"
Senior
WR
Roger Howard

#38 Roger Howard

6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
K/P
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
Chris Stanton

#30 Chris Stanton

5' 9"
Sophomore
DB