Pitt State tramples over Bulldogs' Homecoming

The Bulldogs only needed three plays to get the 7-0 jump on Pittsburg State University on Saturday.

The Gorillas, however, rattled off 52 points before the 'Dogs scored again. Pittsburg State rolled up nearly 700 yards of total offense as they poured on the Truman Homecoming parade, 66-14.

Head football coach Shannon Currier said blowouts are tough to handle, regardless of when they happen.

"I wouldn't say Homecoming made it worse," Currier said. "I hate for anybody to have to see that game, but losing's losing no matter what week it is. They all feel the same way. More so when you play poorly, and we played poorly on defense, especially. That's what hurts more than anything else."

Truman did make some plays defensively in the early going. After Pitt State running back Germaine Race galloped 70 yards to the Truman 15, the 'Dogs' defense tightened up and held the Gorillas to a field goal.

True freshman quarterback Michael Long threw an interception on the 'Dogs' next possession, giving the Gorillas a first down on the Truman 18-yard line.

Pitt State came away with nothing, however, as the 'Dogs held on downs. Junior linebacker Larry Giglio wrapped up Pitt State quarterback Andy Majors a yard shy of the first-down marker on fourth-and-two.

The Bulldog defense seemed to wear down, though, as the offense struggled to move the chains. After holding on the fourth-and-two, the offense went three plays and out. Pitt State only needed two Race running plays to capitalize on the short field. Race accumulated 305 yards rushing on 23 carries for the game.

The 'Dogs couldn't sustain their next drive either, and the Gorillas took over at their 20. They moved downfield easily until freshmen defensive tackle Andy Swedenhjelm and linebacker Kyle Glenn tackled Majors for losses on consecutive plays. On third-and-19, a fleet-footed Majors scrambled for 18 yards, enabling the Gorillas to convert on fourth down and eventually find the end zone.

With the offense going nowhere and the defense struggling to make stops, the game quickly got out of hand.

By halftime, Pitt State had built up a 31-7 lead.

Pitt State attacked the Truman defense with an option play all afternoon. Senior linebacker Marcus Yokeley said knowing assignments is the key to defending the option.

"The coaches did a great job preparing us for the game," Yokeley said. "You can never be perfectly prepared for a team like Pitt State. Defensively, we had things that should've worked. We just didn't execute to the best of our ability for whatever reason."

Currier also stood by the defensive game plan.

"We thought our scheme was solid even after the game," Currier said. "When you watch the film, it's pretty easy to see that we had guys in the right spots, but we weren't making the plays, and that's what it comes down to."

Pitt State's offense came into Saturday's game ranked first in the nation, averaging 51 points per game. It looked like the country's best offense, gaining yardage in huge chunks all afternoon.

Offensively, the 'Dogs are on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Gorillas scored more points Saturday than Truman has totaled in its last five games combined. The 'Dogs only gained 262 yards of offense with just 66 of them coming on the ground.

Long completed 17 of 40 passes for 196 yards and three interceptions. Currier said he thinks his young quarterback is trying to do too much.

"A lot of times good quarterbacks have confidence they can throw the ball anywhere," Currier said. "Right now, he thinks certain guys are open when they might be slightly covered. You like that mentality, but we need him to be a little more conservative with his throws."

Senior wide receiver James Walton said much of the responsibility for Long's struggles lies with the veterans on offense.

"Mike's a young quarterback, and we need to do more to help him out and get him his first win as a starter," Walton said.

Walton is one of eight senior Bulldogs who played their final football game at Stokes Stadium on Saturday.

Walton said two of his favorite football memories involve battles for the old Hickory Stick. First, he spoke of the matchup his true freshman year when former Truman quarterback Eric Howe led the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind win against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.

Then, he recalled last year's Homecoming game when the 'Dogs nearly shocked the world with a win against the undefeated Bearcats but came up just short, 45-42.

Walton drew a parallel between the two games.

"My true freshman year we came back and won the Hickory Stick because we never gave up and played 60 minutes of football ... ," Walton said. "Last year was special too. We didn't give up then. The difference was we played 59-and-a-half minutes of football. I remember the elation of winning the Hickory Stick and of almost pulling off one of the greatest upsets in college football history."