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Truman State University Athletics

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NOTES: High Noon Showdown With Wayne State Opens 2019 Home Season For Bulldogs

9/10/2019 1:29:00 PM

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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The home opener will see the Truman Football team welcome Wayne State out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference to Stokes Stadium on Saturday. This will be a key regional game as both the GLIAC and Great Lakes Valley Conference share the same region in terms of NCAA Division II postseason selections.

The Bulldogs will bring their highly touted defense and special teams into Saturday's game after downing FCS-Drake 10-7. Lawrence Woods was named the GLVC Special Teams player of the week for his 87-yard second half kick return for a touchdown and also blocked a field goal while leading the team with eight defensive stops on the night. Truman got to the Drake quarterback five times and held the Blue Bulldogs on a big fourth and one play late in the contest.

While offense was at a premium in Des Moines, there was no shortage of it in Motown. Wayne and #12 Slippery Rock (Pa.) combine for over 1000 yards of offense in a high-scoring 62-37 that went the way of the visitors from Slippery Rock. Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III passed for a career high 405 yards and six touchdowns and accounted for 472 yards of total offense. Wayne State was led by running back James Hill and 138 yards on 22 carries and put up 509 yards of total offense as a team.
 
Truman/Wayne Series Notes:
This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools and first visit by Wayne State to Kirksville since 1975. 

The two teams played four times in the early 70s with Truman winning the first two meetings 14-6 and 44-0 while Wayne grabbed the other two in 1974 and 1975 with scores of 21-0 and 41-7. 
In 2015, the teams reestablished with Wayne scoring 14 points in the final quarter to upend the Bulldogs 21-20. The two schools will hook up again in 2020 in Detroit.
 
Post Game Notes Against Drake:
  • The Bulldog defense limited Drake to 240 yards of total offense and just 35 yards on the ground. The "D" sacked Drake quarterback Ian Corwin five times and had eight tackles for loss totaling 47 yards.
  • Punter Taylor Cornish had an impressive debut with eight boots for 354 yards and a 44.2 yards per punt average.  Cornish had two 50 yards punts, long of 54 and two inside the Drake 20.
  • Quarterback Jaden Barr threw for 85 yards on 12 completions and moved past Conrad Schottel for seventh on the Truman career passing attempts list (791) and past Jake Czeschin for fifth on the completions list (464).
  • Barr used eight receivers on the night for his 12 completions with Jake Ellis, Zach Zerwig, Jaylen Jefferson and Jordan Salima each hauling in two passes each.
  • Salima climbed past Andre Gllespie for seventh on the rushing yards list with his game high 61. Salima now has 2,548 rushing yards and will enter the top five in rushing attempts on his next carry.
  • Lawrence Woods was named the GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week after a stellar opening night. Woods blocked a 39-yard field goal in the second quarter, had two of his eight tackles on punt returns for the defense and brought back the second half kickoff 87-yards to stake the Bulldogs out to a 10-0 lead. It was the third GLVC weekly award for Woods.
  • Woods' kickoff return was the fifth of his career establishing a new Truman career record for kick off returns for touchdowns. He was tied with four with Bulldog Mike Laususe. Woods now averages 52.6 yards per kick return.
  • Woods is tied for the active career leader across all three NCAA Divisions with his five kick returns. He is joined on the list by New Mexico St. (FBS) Jason Huntley and Stony Brook (FCS) Jean Constant.
  • Sam Reeves etched his name atop a Bulldog career list for the second time. Reeves became Truman's all-time sack master when he picked up 1.5 on Saturday and passed Ernie Myerson's 32.0 sacks. Reeves already holds the career tackles for loss mark with 47.5.
  • Reeves has the most career sacks among active players across all NCAA Divisions. His 32.5 is three more than Notre Dame (OH) (DII) Sha'haun Williams. Tershawn Wharton from Missouri S&T is third and 4.5 sacks behind.
  • Reeves is second in the nation in total career tackles for loss with his 47.5. Tim Ousley from Muskingum (DIII) is the leader at 49.5.
  • Josh Scheiderer connected on his first field goal of the season in the second quarter and it matched his season best from last year. Scheiderer's 46-yard attempt was good to give Truman a 3-0 lead and tied his long set at McKendree last season. Scheiderer is currently 10thon the Truman career field goal list, two back of Nick Dolezal.
  • The Bulldogs 11 accepted penalties against were the most by the team since a 2012 game against Lincoln. The breakdown was two against special teams, one against the defense and eight committed by the offense. Truman was ranked second in the NCAA Division II last year in penalties per game at 3.55.
  • Head Coach Gregg Nesbitt won his 50thgame as Truman head coach. Nesbitt is now 50-49 overall and will be coaching in his 100thgame on the Bulldog sideline on Saturday against Wayne State.  Only one other coach in Truman history has coached more games than Coach Nesbitt, Maurice "Red" Wade with 142 games in 16 seasons. 
 
Behind Enemy Lines…
  • Wayne State finished 2-9 last season with six games against ranked teams. Of note, they lost to Indianapolis 28-6 on the road, at Saginaw Valley 35-29 in overtime on the road and at Michigan Tech 23-20, all opponents Truman played last season.
  • The Warriors two wins came in the season opener at Walsh 31-0 and at home against Northwood 55-21.
  • Jake AmRhein was the leading passer last year with 1744 yards and 11 touchdowns. AmRhein was 125-233-11 for an average of 174.4 yards in 10 games.
  • Top receiver was Darece Roberson with 27 catches for 579 yards and eight touchdowns.
  • James Hill ran for a team high 831 yards on 129 attempts and 10 touchdowns.
  • WSU averaged 347 yards of total offense and gave up 347 yards of total defense. The team struggled in the redzone with scores in 32 of 42 visits (76%) and 24 touchdowns (57%).
  • Leon Eggleston is the top returning defensive player from last year with 73 stops, 13 for loss and three sacks. The bolstered 72 tackles for loss last season while giving up 56.
  • The team was picked fifth in the GLIAC preseason coaches poll, tied with Davenport and behind Saginaw Valley St.
 
Up Next:
Truman returns home for Family Night 2019 when they host FCS-Valparaiso (Ind.) at 7 p.m. next Saturday. The Crusaders were defeated by Eastern Kentucky 53-7 in week one and will face Central Connecticut State at home for week two. Last year, Truman used a big second half to knock off Valpo 34-20 in Indiana.
 
 
 
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