Pitt State Football
2009 Season Outlook
By Dan Wilkes
Assistant AD/Media Relations
The Pittsburg State University football team returns a veteran squad once again as the Gorillas embark upon the 2009 campaign.
Pitt State, which posted an 11-2 record and reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2008, returns 11 starters and 34 lettermen from last season.
The Gorillas return an especially seasoned cast on defense with eight returning position starters from 2008 and three returning redshirts who started on defense in 2007.
Pitt State has averaged 10.2 wins per season during head coach Chuck Broyles’ 19-year tenure (1990-2008), including 15 NCAA-II playoff berths and four trips to the NCAA-II National Championship Game (1991-92, ’95, 2004).
For the Gorillas to reach double-digit wins once again this fall, Pitt State must conquer one of the more challenging schedules in Division II as the squad will face a pair of top 10 foes and three top 25 teams from the 2008 AFCA Division II Top 25 Final Poll: No. 2 Northwest Missouri State University (Sept. 12 at Arrowhead Stadium), No. 9 Chadron State College (Sept. 5 in Pittsburg) and No. 22 University of Nebraska-Omaha (Oct. 31 at Omaha).
The Gorillas also will face Mineral Water Bowl participant Missouri Western State University (Sept. 26 in Pittsburg) and the University of Central Oklahoma (Aug. 29 in Pittsburg), which won its final seven games last year and was ranked in the NCAA’s final set of Super Region Four rankings.
Pitt State returns a talented defensive cast from a 2008 squad that allowed just 23.5 points and 321.0 total yards per game, including All-American free safety Alex Kuhlman.
Kuhlman, a junior, recorded 62 tackles (31 solo) with 4.5 tackles-for-loss, a team-leading four interceptions, two pass breakups and three fumble recoveries during his sophomore campaign.
Offensively, the Gorillas welcome back just three position starters, but Pitt State does return 16 lettermen from a unit that averaged 35.5 points and 432.7 total yards per game (234.8 rush | 197.8 pass) in 2008.
“There’s definitely a good deal of enthusiasm about our program, both internally and externally, as we prepare for the 2009 season,” said Broyles, who enters the 2009 campaign seven victories shy of the elite 200-win plateau with a 193-41-2 (.822) career record.
“We have a great deal of experienced players returning to our team, especially with our defensive unit. We have been pleased with the progress of our defense over the last two years. We’re optimistic this year’s squad will be a tenacious, hard-nosed group that can limit opponent scoring opportunities and create takeaways for our offense as well.
“Offensively, we are a bit young on the offensive line and we will have a new starting quarterback and a new starting tailback. Still yet, we felt that we had an extremely productive spring camp, and we answered a majority of the questions we had about our offensive unit. I would expect our offense will be a unit that, if it can enjoy some early success, will continue to get better each and every week.”
The Pitt State Defense
Kuhlman (6-3, 202) will lead a defensive cast that return 11 players who started nine or more games either in 2008 or 2007 as well as a unit that returns seven All-MIAA performers (four in 2008, three in 2007).
Kuhlman, a native of Ness City, Kan., twice earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2008. He garnered first-team All-MIAA and second-team All-America recognition.
Additionally, senior strong safety Chadd Snyder returns to the Pitt State secondary. Snyder (6-1, 195) is the top returning tackler from the 2008 squad. The Carl Junction, Mo., native logged 67 stops as well as two interceptions and a team-leading eight pass breakups.
The Pitt State defense also gains back a veteran corner in senior Bryan McMurtrey, who missed the 2008 season due to injury. An All-MIAA performer in 2007, the Kansas City, Kan., native logged 43 tackles, two INTs and five PBUs two seasons ago.
Redshirt freshman Elijah Olabode (5-9, 186) also enjoyed a highly-successful spring camp at corner for the Gorillas as did redshirt sophomore Daron Love (6-1, 186) and redshirt freshman Jacob Catloth (6-0, 189).
Junior David Vaughn (5-10, 182) also returns to the corner position, while senior Dustin Heckroth (6-1, 193) also will see significant action at the safety spots for the Gorillas.
“Our secondary is a very experienced group,” Broyles said. “They will collectively play a key role in the success of our defensive unit.”
Up front, the Gorillas return all three starting members of their defensive line – ends Jordan Karr (6-3, 255) and Brock Lohr (6-2, 243) and nose guard Mike Roberts (6-0, 275).
Karr and Roberts each earned All-MIAA honors in 2008. Karr, from Paola, Kan., recorded 23 tackles with 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 QB sacks, while Roberts, from Holton, Kan., had 37 tackles with 6.5 TFLs and 4.0 QB sacks.
Lohr, a native of Goodland, Kan., registered 20 tackles with 2.5 TFLs, while starting nine games for Pitt State.
Senior Rashad Pittman (6-2, 274), an All-MIAA performer in 2007, returns from a redshirt season. The Tulsa, Okla., native registered 54 tackles, 10.0 TFLs and 3.0 QB sacks in 2007.
Sophomore J.R. Jones (6-1, 323) also figures to see significant action in the interior line.
“We are pleased with both our talent and our depth with our defensive linemen,” Broyles said. “This is another area where we are counting on senior leadership to help our defensive success.”
At inside linebacker, the Gorillas welcome back seniors Craig Durfee (6-0, 206), Antonio Graham (5-10, 203) and Caleb Pazzie (5-11, 225).
Graham, from Tulsa, recorded 37 stops as a junior in 2008. He exited spring drills as a leading candidate for one of the starting spots.
Junior Johnny Row (6-1, 223) joined the squad in January after two seasons at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. He adjusted well to PSU’s schemes during the spring and figures to see significant action.
Senior transfer Caleb Jessup (6-0, 220) also will join the Gorillas fall camp in August. Jessup, from Kemore, Wash., was an All-Conference and All-Region performer at Western Washington University (which disbanded its football program following the 2008 season) where he logged 128 tackles as a junior in 2008. He figures to play a prominent role at inside linebacker as well.
A pair of All-MIAA performers – senior Zack Langston and sophomore Spencer Worthington – will lead the Gorillas’ outside linebacking contingent.
Langston (6-3, 224), from Overland Park, Kan., battled injuries in 2008 after earning All-MIAA honors in 2007, when he logged 52 tackles with 10.0 TFLs.
Worthington (6-2, 227), a Carlisle, Iowa, native, claimed All-MIAA honors as a redshirt freshman in 2008, logging 40 tackles and 4.5 TFLs.
Senior Jeremy Jackson, who registered 59 tackles as a starter in 2007, returns following a redshirt season, while senior Chris Swartz (5-11, 200) and sophomore Luke Stringer (6-4, 229) also bring talent and experience to
the group.
“Overall, we like the makeup of our defense,” Broyles said. “We are entering our third year predominantly running a ’30 front’ defense. We’ve made progressive gains with our unit the past two seasons and we think that can be the case once again this fall.”
The Pitt State Offense
The prolific Pitt State offense, which has generated 44.8 points and 500.9 total yards per game during the last five seasons (2004-08), will look to a new field general for the first time in four seasons this fall.
With the departure of two-time All-American quarterback Mark Smith, now a graduate assistant on the PSU staff, the Gorillas will look most likely to either junior John McCoy (6-0, 208) or sophomore transfer Zac Dickey (6-1, 201) to take the offensive reins.
McCoy, from North Attleboro, Mass., enters his third year in the PSU program, after playing his freshman season at MIAA rival Southwest Baptist University. He passed for 221 yards and two TDs and added a pair of rushing touchdowns in 2008, after redshirting the previous season.
Dickey, a Pittsburg native, passed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 283 yards and four scores at Fort Scott Community College last fall, after redshirting at Oklahoma State University in 2007.
Junior transfer Jeff Schibi (6-0, 186), who transferred to PSU from Independence Community College and third-year sophomore Jeff Smith (6-0, 205) also provide veteran experience to the quarterbacking position.
“We have four very talented quarterbacks in our program,” Broyles said. “John and Zac have the advantage in experience, but we’re confident in each of our quarterbacks’ abilities to lead our football team. John has a slight edge with two years experience in our program, but it’s not a foregone conclusion yet as to who will be our starter. I’m sure it will be a competitive race.”
In the Pitt State backfield, the Gorillas also will look for a new featured runner after the departure of two-time All-American tailback Caleb Farabi in 2008.
Junior Terrance Isaac and sophomore Eric Love are the likely candidates to vie for the starting role this fall. Isaac (5-8, 184) and Love (5-9, 185) each saw limited action in 2008.
Isaac, from Luling, La., carried the ball 15 times for 70 yards, while Love, a native of Cozad, Neb., competed in three games last year.
Isaac was an All-State back at Hahnville (La.) High School, while Love compiled 4,702 career rushing yards as a two-time All-State prep athlete.
“Terrance and Eric both had good spring camps,” Broyles said. “They both are very capable backs. We may not have a back that carries the ball 200 times this season, but we hope to have a good stable of players who can give us a spark in the backfield.”
Redshirt freshmen Jared Jerkins (5-11, 205) and Jason Spradling (5-10, 191) also will compete for playing time.
Redshirt junior Nate Morris (5-11, 202) exited spring drills as the Gorillas’ top fullback prospect, while junior Colby Childs (5-11, 210), who missed the spring due to injury, also could figure in the mix this fall if healthy.
Senior Kendall Fisher will look to provide leadership to the Gorillas’ wide receiving corps. Fisher (6-4, 215), a Garden Plain, Kan., native, caught 22 passes for 359 yards and two TDs in 2008.
Junior Ryan Holt (6-0, 186) and sophomores Derek Fisher (6-2, 174), Aaron Sawyer (6-3, 208) and Jon Thomas (5-6, 161) all should see significant action as well.
At tight end, seniors Martin Burke (6-5, 265) and Ricky Ludeman (6-3, 235) return after each starting seven or more games in 2008.
Junior Bristan Kelley (6-6, 265) and junior transfer Tell Wyrick (6-6, 230) also should figure in the mix.
The Gorillas will count on a young group of offensive linemen to pave the way up front.
Senior center Jay Nuñez (6-1, 251) is the lone returning starter among the group. The Alva, Okla., native was an All-MIAA performer as a junior in 2008.
Junior Nick Speed (6-0, 279) and redshirt freshman Aaron Kolich (6-2, 258) will back up Nuñez at center.
At the guard positions, junior Grant Garwood (6-1, 322) and redshirt freshman Josiah Cody (6-4, 278) exited spring drills as leading candidates to secure starting positions. Garwood started five games for the Gorillas in 2008.
Redshirt freshman Nick Sloan (6-6, 311) and sophomore Kell Smalley (6-0, 267) also figure to compete for time, as does Kolich.
At the tackle posts, junior Dustin Wiley (6-4, 281) and junior transfer Adam Stewart (6-5, 267) staked claims to starting roles following the spring, while senior Joe Kennard (6-4, 282) enjoyed a solid spring camp, after switching sides of the ball from nose guard.
Pitt State’s projected starters average 6-feet-3 and 280 pounds.
“I expect our offensive line to be a group that will get better and better as the season progresses,” Broyles said. “We need them to have success early and definitely they should gain confidence with the more reps they gain.
“Overall, I think our offense has the capability to be a squad that can be productive in scoring points and compiling total yards again this year.”
Pitt State Special Teams
Junior Jared Witter (6-3, 211) returns for his third year to handle the Gorillas place kicking and punting chores.
Witter, from Lenexa, Kan., converted eight of 13 field goals and 54 of 55 PAT tries last season, and he punted the ball 35 times for a 42.7-yard average.
Sophomore Billy Ewy (6-1, 201) figures to handle PSU’s long snapping chores.