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Welcome To The Jungle - Pittsburg State University Gorillas: Year 3
PRELIMINARIES
LINKS
OPENING SEASON COMMENTS For the second straight season, we lose players for academic reasons. QB Tommy Willis decided to leave Pitt after serving a year long suspension last season. CB Brian Castle also decided to leave before this season started due to poor grades last year. We also received word from the NCAA that G Gilberty Bradley, who was suspended last season & RB Donnie Williford will be suspended for the entire 2005 season because of academic probation. Williford will be missed as he provided a nice change of pace back for RBs Austin Felts and Robbie Mallory. He rushed 24 times for 160 yards in '04.
ACADEMICS:
PRESTIGE: Very Good (75) - up from 70 last season. Stadium Information Capacity: 48,700 Year Opened: 1973 Surface: Grass Season Tickets: 37,500 - up 6700 from last season. 2005 Attendance: 39,400
Home Town: Pittsburg, KSCity Economics: Terrible Community Loyalty: Pretty Good Alumni Loyalty: Good Student Goodwill: Terrific STAFF Our scout from the Southeast region, Jessie Doran, decided to retire after the '04 season. We signed Jake Lake to replace him. Southeast Scout: Jake Lake Age: 37 Quarterbacks: Fair Running Backs: Terrific Receivers: Very Good Offensive Linemen: Very Good Kickers: Very Good
Defensive Linemen: Fair Linebackers: Very Good Secondary: Decent SCHEDULE
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Preseason Top 25
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2005 Pittsburg State Roster Overview
(Starters blue bold-faced, red-shirts appear red and italicized, academic ineligible orange bold-faced)
QUARTERBACKS (SCOUT: Pretty Good)
After a pretty impressive '05 season, Lance Godfrey will again be our starting QB. He threw for 2,380 yards and 16 TDs last season. There was talk that Randal Lake would immediately take the reins but we decided that after the season Godfrey had last year, we just had to let him keep the starting job. Lake will instead be redshirted and will likely be the starter next season. BACKS (SCOUT: Lousy)
The two-headed monster running attack of Austin Felts and Robbie Mallory returns for one final season together. Mallory was awesome last season in earning MIAA 1st Team honors. He rushed for 1,263 yards and 13 TDs. Not to be overshadowed, Felts was almost as good and showed that he will be a reliable back for us over the next three years. Felts gained 896 yards on the ground and found the endzone seven times. He fell 104 yards short of giving us two backs with over 1,000 yards rushing. Donnie Williford will be missed this season after providing us with a nice change of pace running attack last season. Williford average 6.6 yards/carry last season, playing mostly when Felts or Mallory needed a breather. Sammy McClennen was recruited to take over for the departed Tom Zelenka but after much consideration we decided to redshirt McClennen and give Roman Maxie his due. Maxie was Zelenka's backup last season and gave us 93 yards rushing and 3 TDs. RECEIVERS (SCOUT: Terrible)
Our receivers were a huge part of our success last season. Zach Terrell started at TE last season as a freshman and will do so again this year. Terrell didn't have a great season stat wise but developed a knack for coming up with the big catch when needed. Terrell caught 19 passes for 277 yards and 2 TDs last season but most of those nineteen catches came when we were backed up do to a sack or a penalty and helped to keep drives alive. Phillip Lane will be the backup but after a great offseason workout program, look for him to get more playing time. Next to our running game, the biggest story last year was the emergence of Aaron Grim. Grim took over the #1 receiver spot from Troy Heimulu at the beginning of last season. He was originally projected to be no more than a backup but after the '04 season he showed up for spring drills in top shape and took the job from Heimulu. Grim didn't disappoint, as he grabbed 64 passes for 938 yards and 7 TDs. He earned MIAA 1st Team honors for his efforts. After developing a close relationship with QB Lance Godfrey last season, look for these two to hook up more in '06. We recruited three future greats at WR: Grady Watson, Ross Stonge & Cory McKeown. All three will redshirt the '06 season and will be ready next year. OFFENSIVE LINE (SCOUT: Fair)
If our running game is going to enjoy the success that it did last season, we most get quality play from the two true freshmen that will be starting on the offensive line. Leon Matthews and Damon Gunn are both going to start for us on the line. They both have bright futures ahead of them but due to a lack of talent on the line, we need them to perform NOW! Rex Cordell returns as our starting center. After a 39.6% block percentage in '05, we feel that Cordell can only improve with two seasons remaining. Mel Sinclair took over for Thurman Marx last season after Marx was hurt. Sinclair played great giving up only two sacks in eleven games. He needs to improve on his 31.7% block percentage. Bennie Lindsay returns at one tackle spot for his 2nd season as a starter. Lindsay has great endurance but we question whether or not he has what it takes to play Division I football. He allowed only five sacks in twelve games last season and had a block percentage of 50% but I can't help but wonder if he has reached his potential. KICKING GAME (SCOUT: Terrible)
We are a bit concerned at the punter position. Bownes has started the last two seasons but was given an at ultimatum that he needed to improve his punt average or we were going to go in a different direction. Bownes did increase his average from 31.2 to 32.8 but we gave up way to many points do to poor punts that resulted in great field position for our opponents. If Bownes struggles through the first five games, we will start looking to recruit a star punter. For the 2nd straight season we lose a senior kicker, as Alan Shreiber graduated. So two inexperienced youngsters will get the job this year. Kurt Stowe will handle all kickoffs and T.J. Weber, who could develop into one of the best all-time, will handle FGs and PATs. Both redshirted last season and have four years eligibility left. Recruit Rickey Beyer redshirts this season and one of these three could end up being converted to a punter. DEFENSIVE LINE (SCOUT: Fair)
Only one starter returns from last years defensive line but a couple backups from '05 look to make their mark as they become starters. Jake Forest begins his final season after starting the previous two. Forest, a two time MIAA 1st Teamer, recorded 2.5 sacks in '04 and improved that total to 6 sacks in '05. He has reached his potential and should improve even more on last season's numbers. Britt Flowers was a starter in '04 and again got a starting job to start '05 but after we changed from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4, he was the odd man out and became a backup. Flowers had 1.5 sacks in eleven games started in '04 and increased that to 2.5 in twelve games (three starts) in '05. Britt Becker saw significant playing time during his freshman season last year. Used primarly as a backup, Becker started two games and recorded four sacks in twelve games last year. Becker and Forest should be a tough duo to defend coming off the ends. Freshmen Mark Hampton and Dustin Mello will both redshirt this season. LINEBACKERS (SCOUT: Poor)
We changed our defensive scheme last season because of the depth and talent that we have at linebacker. Wes Gindin, one of our defensive captains and last year's MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, returns for his final season. Gindin recorded 67 tackles, 26 assists and 2 sacks in '05. He also showed promise at picking off passes, intercepting 4 for 125 yards and 1 TD. Malcolm Cooley begins in 3rd and final season as a starter. Cooley became a starter in '04 but missed playing time with an injury. That season he recorded 54 tackles, 16 assists and 2 sacks. Last year, he didn't start early in the season due to the 4-3 defense and the emergence of Roosevelt Campbell. But once we switched to the 3-4, he recorded 40 tackles and 16 assists. He should easily be above 50 tackles this season. Roosevelt Campbell really came into his own during his freshman year, recording 50 tackles, 19 assists and 2 interceptions. He has greatly improved since last year and we feel that he could record anywhere between 60-75 tackles this season. Lamar Grant will be starting for the 1st time in his career. Grant hasn't seen much playing time over the last couple seasons but should do a decent job. We decided to redshirt freshman Mitch Maxwell. Maxwell is viewed as another Campbell but we will have to see if he can live up to that potential. SECONDARY (SCOUT: Decent)
Our secondary is in disarray to say the least. We return only one starter in the secondary from last year's team and while this year's secondary is going to struggle, the future looks bright after landing recruits S Alonzo Shannon, CB Jeff Hicks and Donnell Hyde. All three will redshirt this season. Albert Jay is our lone returning starting in the secondary. Jay had 40 tackles and 1 INT last season and should put up similar numbers again this year. Second year player Max Autry will start at the other safety spot. Autry had 12 tackles and 1 INT in twelve games played as a backup last season. If he continues to work hard, he should be a good spot starter/backup over the next three seasons. Geoff Novack returns after serving a year long suspension for academic reasons. Novack was a good backup for us in '04 but just doesn't look to have what it takes to be a starter. If he struggles early, look for S Rick Osteen to be moved to corner. Cornelius Olds has been a third stringer his two seasons with me. Olds is a little better than Novack but not much. Our corner position is really going to struggle this year I think but the future looks bright. OVERALL ROSTER THOUGHTS For the most part our team is still pretty much in tact from the team we had last season. We lost a few quality guys but I think we have some kids that are ready to step up to feel those voids. I have a real concern on the offensive line and the secondary. Starting two freshmen on the o-line seems a bit risky but these two kids are going to be a big part of our future, so we need to see what they've got now. The secondary is a huge question mark. The safeties are going to be okay but I feel that we are really lacking at the corners. If these guys struggle really bad early, I won't hesitate to remove redshirts from our two stud freshmen CBs. |
Top 25 through Week 1
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Week 2: New Mexico (0-1) @ Pittsburg State (0-0) (-3)
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Player of the Game: PSU G Mel Sinclair - 3/9 key run blocks, 0 sacks allowed Result Unlike last season when we played the Lobos and they scored ten points in the 1st quarter, this season we held them scoreless through the first half in what turned out to be a great defensive game. The game was scoreless through the 1st quarter and finally K T.J. Weber got us on the board to start the 2nd quarter with a 31-yd FG. Weber added an 18-yarder with :21 seconds left before halftime, to send us to the locker room up only 6-0. New Mexico took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 60 yards on ten plays but K Billy Bean would miss a 32-yd FG wide left that would have cut our lead in half. QB Lance Godfrey and our offense responded with an 80-yd drive that was capped off by a 15-yd TD run from RB Robbie Mallory to put us up 12-0, after Godfrey's pass fell incomplete on a two-point conversion attempt. The Lobos finally got on the board when Bean hit a 34-yd FG midway through the 4th quarter. On our insuing drive, Mallory would cough up the football and New Mexico recovered on the PIT37. It didn't take long for the Lobos to find the endzone, as QB Steven Osborne connected with WR K.C. Henson for a 9-yd TD after a 28-yd pass play to WR Ricardo Brennan set it up. RB Austin Felts would fumble on our next drive but was able to recover. The drive resulted in a punt after a three and out. New Mexico got the ball one last time with 2:39 remaining but after eight plays resulted in only six yards, the Lobos turned the ball over on downs and we ran out the clock for the win. For the second straight season against these guys, one of our star players was hurt. Last season, G Thurman Marx was lost for the season with a high ankle sprain and now playmaking WR Aaron Grim tore his achilles tendon after slipping on the wet grass and will miss the next seventeen weeks, which means his college days are probably over. Offensive Leaders Rushing: RB Robbie Mallory - 17 carries, 76 yds, 1 TD Passing: QB Lance Godfrey - 18/26, 174 yds, 0 TDs, 0 INTs Receiving: TE Zach Terrell - 3 rec., 48 yds Defensive Leaders LB Malcolm Cooley - 9 tackles, 1 assist LB Wes Gindin - 5 tackles, 3 assists DT Britt Flowers - 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 hurry DE Jake Forest - 2 tackles, 1 assist, 3 hurries DT Derek Fugate - 1 tackle, 2 assists, 1 sack DE Frank McConnell - 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 block, 1 hurry DE Adrian Elliott - 1 hurry Stokes Awarded RB Robbie Mallory - 7 QB Lance Godfrey - 4 FB Roman Maxie - 3 RB Austin Felts - 3 DE Jake Forest - 2 DE Adrian Elliott - 1 DT Britt Flowers - 1 RB Robbie Battle - 1 Injuries DT Derek Fugate - Broken Finger (Probable - 2 Weeks) LB Marvin Pearsall - Torn Knee Cartilage (Out - 7 Weeks) WR Aaron Grim - Torn Achilles Tendon (Out - 18 Weeks) Recruiting We have decided that this year we are going to step up our recruiting efforts and start going after a little bit more talented players. This is the initial group that we will be targeting and we have placed at least one phone call and one visit with each. We have made offers to everyone and invited them to visit the Pitt State campus. A few might be a bit far fetched for us to land but we will keep our fingers crossed.
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Top 25 through Week 2
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Week 3: Alabama-Birmingham (1-1) @ Pittsburg State (1-0) (-4)
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Player of the Game: ALBI G Al Temmer - 3/13 key run blocks, 0 sacks allowed Result For the 2nd straight season the Blazers come to The Jungle for a non-conference game. The Blazers took an early 7-0 lead after RB Robbie Mallory fumbled a punt return. The Blazers recovered the fumble at the PIT05 and after two straight running plays failing to get them in the endzone, QB Carlton Howard found RB Johnny Ribich in the corner of the endzone for a 4-yd TD. We would get on the board midway through the 1st quarter on a K T.J. Weber 35-yd FG. It would be the only FG that Weber made in the game, as he missed two other attempts. K Lawrence Conti added a 23-yd FG before halftime to take a 10-3 lead. The defense would play much better in the second half, holding the Blazers to just another 23-yd FG from Conti. However, we never found our offense as Mallory and RB Austin Felts continued to struggle. We gained just 86 yards on the ground. Our big downfall was the two missed FGs and the two times we turned the ball over on downs. The team was dealt another blow, as we have lost LB Wes Gindin for the season with a torn triceps muscle. Offensive Leaders Rushing: RB Robbie Mallory - 15 carries, 33 yds Passing: QB Lance Godfrey - 13/27, 139 yds, 0 TDs, 0 INTs Receiving: WR Zach Terrell - 6 rec., 68 yds Defensive Leaders LB Wes Gindin - 9 tackles, 2 assists, 0.5 sack LB Roosevelt Campbell - 7 tackles, 1 assist DE Jake Forest - 5 tackles, 1 assist S Max Autry - 5 tackles, 1 assist LB Malcolm Cooley - 4 tackles, 3 assists, 1 hurry LB Lamar Grant - 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack S Albert Jay - 4 tackles, 1 assist, FF LB Cory Blades - 3 tackles, FF DE Adrian Elliott - 2 tackles, 1.5 sacks CB Geoff Novack - 2 tackles, 1 INT for 0 yds Stokes Awarded RB Robbie Mallory - 4 QB Lance Godfrey - 2 DE Jake Forest - 2 S Albert Jay - 2 RB Austin Felts - 2 FB Roman Maxie - 1 C Rex Cordell - 1 DE Adrian Elliott - 1 LB Wes Gindin - 1 LB Malcolm Cooley - 1 CB Geoff Novack - 1 G Mel Sinclair - 1 S Max Autry - 1 T Damon Gunn - 1 Injuries DT Derek Fugate - Broken Finger (Probable - 1 Week) LB Marvin Pearsall - Torn Knee Cartilage (Out - 6 Weeks) WR Aaron Grim - Torn Achilles Tendon (Out - 17 Weeks) LB Wes Gindin - Torn Triceps Muscle (Out 17 Weeks) Recruiting Not a lot to report this week. Several of the players we have targeted are visiting other schools. QB Brock Parker and RB Drew Fite are not quite as good as what my scouts we telling me but would still be a nice fit in our offense.
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Top 25 through Week 3
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Top 25 through Week 4
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Week 5: Pittsburg State (1-1) @ Truman State (0-2) (-3)
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Player of the Game: PSU C Rex Cordell - 7/15 key run blocks, 0 sacks allowed Result The two-headed monster of RB Robbie Mallory and RB Austin Felts silenced their critics who said last year's running attack was a fluke after their bad start this season. On our opening possession we drove 52-yards and ended up settling for a K T.J. Weber 31-yd FG. Felts got us rolling on our next drive with a 51-yard run that setup a 13-yd TD run from QB Lance Godfrey. After S Max Autry picked off QB Otis Otto on the PIT38, Godfrey threw a 45-yd pass to WR Derrick Schwartz to start the 2nd quarter and on the next play Felts scampered 17-yds for a TD. Weber would add a 36-yd FG right before halftime to increase our lead to 20-0 at half. Godfrey came out and threw a interception to start the 2nd half and Truman took possession at the PIT39. The defense was able to hold and K Dana Reynolds got the Bulldogs on the board with a 35-yd FG. Godfrey jump started the offense again on our next drive, leading a 11-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 14-yd TD run from FB Roman Maxie. Truman State would add a 43-yd FG early in the 4th but that would be as close as they would get as we win this one, 27-6. Offensive Leaders Rushing: RB Austin Felts - 11 carries, 107 yds, 1 TD Passing: QB Lance Godfrey - 18/26, 191 yds, 0 TDs, 1 INT Receiving: WR Derrick Schwartz - 3 rec., 68 yds Defensive Leaders CB Winston McElroy - 6 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT for 0 yds S Albert Jay - 4 tackles, 2 assists, FF LB Lamar Grant - 4 tackles, 1 assist, FF DT Derek Fugate - 3 tackles, 0.5 sack DT Britt Flowers - 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack S Max Autry - 2 tackles, 2 assists, 1 INT for 0 yds DT Amos Kramer - 1 tackle, 0.5 sack DE Adrian Elliott - 1 tackle, 3 hurries DE Frank McConnell - 2 assists, 1 sack, 1 hurry Stokes Awarded RB Robbie Mallory - 5 QB Lance Godfrey - 4 RB Austin Felts - 4 FB Roman Maxie - 3 S Max Autry - 2 C Rex Cordell - 1 DE Adrian Elliott - 1 LB Cory Blades - 1 LB Lamar Grant - 1 S Albert Jay - 1 G Leon Matthews - 1 T Damon Gunn - 1 CB Winston McElroy - 1 Injuries CB Winston McElroy - Concussion (Probable - 3 Weeks) LB Marvin Pearsall - Torn Knee Cartilage (Doubtful - 4 Weeks) DE Jake Forest - Hyperextended Elbow (Out - 5 Weeks) WR Aaron Grim - Torn Achilles Tendon (Out - 15 Weeks) LB Wes Gindin - Torn Triceps Muscle (Out 16 Weeks) Recruiting We have three players visiting this week: DT Benjamin Mazurek, ILB Omar Good and OLB Brandon Sierra. No committments just yet but I expect some to start rolling in over the next couple of weeks. There looks to be some big playmakers on the defensive side of the football looking at their stats. DE Chrisitian Williams 80 tackles by a defensive lineman is AWESOME and the 15 INTs by S Shannon Fulcher is pretty impressive also.
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Top 25 through Week 5
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If no one else, you have at least 1 reader now. Good to see a local school get some run :)
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Week 6: Northern Illinois (4-0) (-10) @ Pittsburg State (2-1)
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Player of the Game: NILL QB Monty Beyer - 27/45, 363 yds, 2 TDs Result Not a lot to talk about for this game. We couldn't run the football to save our lives and our secondary couldn't stop QB Monty Beyer, as he torched us for 363 yards throught the air and 2 TDs. Before the game, I decided that we would start S Rick Osteen and freshman CB Winston McElroy at the corners. Obviously, that move backfired. The game got out of hand during the 4th quarter as Northern Illinois scored 20 points in a little under three minutes due to us going for it on 4th down, fumbling and throwing an interception that setup excellent field position for them. I'm now 0-3 against Northern Illinois in my first three seasons of coaching, maybe one day I will figure out how to beat them. Offensive Leaders Rushing: RB Robbie Mallory - 13 carries, 52 yds Passing: QB Lance Godfrey - 16/27, 223 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs Receiving: WR Derrick Schwartz - 4 rec., 105 yds, 1 TD Defensive Leaders LB Malcolm Cooley - 9 tackles, 4 assists LB Roosevelt Campbell - 9 tackles, 1 assist LB Lamar Grant - 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 hurry S Max Autry - 7 tackles, 3 assists DE Britt Becker - 2 tackles, 1 assist, 2 sacks, 3 hurries DT Britt Flowers - 2 tackles, 1 sack, 2 hurries DE Frank McConnell - 1 tackle, 1 hurry DT Derek Fugate - 1 hurry DE Amos Kramer - 1 block Stokes Awarded DE Britt Becker - 4 RB Robbie Mallory - 3 DT Britt Flowers - 3 RB Austin Felts - 3 K T.J. Weber - 3 QB Lance Godfrey - 2 FB Roman Maxie - 2 WR Derrick Schwartz - 1 LB Malcolm Cooley - 1 LB Lionel Rodriguez - 1 CB Geoff Novack - 1 S Max Autry - 1 DE Frank McConnell - 1 Injuries CB Winston McElroy - Concussion (Probable - 2 Weeks) WR Brett Kim - Bruised Ribcage (Probable - 2 Weeks) LB Marvin Pearsall - Torn Knee Cartilage (Questionable - 3 Weeks) DE Jake Forest - Hyperextended Elbow (Doubtful - 4 Weeks) WR Aaron Grim - Torn Achilles Tendon (Out - 14 Weeks) LB Wes Gindin - Torn Triceps Muscle (Out 15 Weeks) Recruiting LB Brandon Sierra decided this week that he wants to become a Gorilla. Brandon looks to be a great linebacker and should fit in nicely in our 3-4 defense. Sierra's high school has done a phenomenial job of preparing this young man, both academically and athletically. Sierra has recorded 77 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 3 INTs through nine games during his senior season. WR Byron Dillon opted not to join our program and instead will head to Northwestern.
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