Central Missouri State University

2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet - Game 4

The Game: CMSU at Pittsburg State University, Sept.23, 7 p.m.; PSU's Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium (5,600, natural grass), Pittsburg, Kan.; first road game of the season for CMSU.

The Mules (3-0-0): They beat Emporia State University 34-21 Saturday in Warrensburg for their first win over the Hornets since 1995. After spotting ESU an early touchdown, the Mules scored 24 unanswered points. Red-shirt freshman Lee Thompson had his third straight 100-yard rushing game, gaining 100 yards on 29 carries. He leads the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in rushing this week, averaging 107.3 yards per game. This week CMSU tops the league in scoring (51.3 ppg) and rushing defense (100.0 ypg). Quarterback Cable Davis completed 13 of 18 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns against Emporia State. His four TD passes were the most by a Mules' quarterback since Paul Kaiser threw five against the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1995. Davis leads the conference in passing efficiency this week, completing 73.7% of his passes for 476 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception. Marcus Thomas, who had six catches for 105 yards against ESU, paces the Mules' receivers with 13 for 235 yards. Strong safety Casey Blackstun leads the team in tackles with 19. CMSU made its first appearance of the year in the weekly American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll, coming in at No. 25 this week.

The Gorillas (2-1-0, 0-1-0 MIAA): They lost to top-ranked Northwest Missouri State University 35-28 last Saturday in Maryville. The Gorillas took a 28-20 lead into the fourth quarter, but gave up two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the game. Josh Shay ran for 86 yards and a touchdown and Anthony Chatmon gained 80 yards and scored two TDs, as PSU rushed for 260 yards. They are ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, in the MIAA in rushing this week, with Shay averaging 72.3 yards and Chatmon 64.7 yards. Chatmon also leads the league in scoring with 36 points. Lateef Walker completed eight of 13 passes for 134 yards Saturday, but the Gorillas allowed 380 passing yards by the Bearcats. Gerren Comeaux leads the Pittsburg State receivers with eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Earl Henry leads the Gorillas in tackles with 33. PSU features the MIAA's top punter in Chris Lutz, who is averaging 44.3 yards per punt. After being ranked sixth in last week's AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll, the Gorillas dropped to 10th this week.

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his fourth season at CMSU with a record of 23-13-0. The Mules were 7-4-0 last season after going 8-3-0 in 1998 and 5-6-0 in 1997. Fritz came to CMSU after four years as head coach at Blinn College (Texas), where he compiled a 39-5-1 record. His last two teams at Blinn each went 12-0-0 and won the junior-college national championship each year (1995, 1996). Fritz was a four-year starter at defensive back for Pittsburg State (1978-81) and also served as a student assistant coach for the Gorillas in 1982 before receiving his bachelor's degree in 1983 from PSU. Fritz is 0-3 against the Gorillas. Mules' offensive coordinator Dave Bassore was a graduate assistant coach at Pittsburg State in 1980 and received his master's degree in 1981 from there. Chuck Broyles is in his 11th season at Pittsburg State with a 105-19-2 record. He started the season with the best winning percentage (.846) of any active coach in NCAA Division II. He is the winningest head football coach in MIAA history and has guided the Gorillas to the Division II playoffs nine times, including the 1991 season when they won the national championship. He is 10-0-0 against CMSU.

The Series: The Gorillas lead 31-4 and there have been two ties. PSU has won the last 18 meetings, including all 11 MIAA contests since the Gorillas joined the league in 1989. The Mules' last win in the series was a 27-26 decision in 1959 in Pittsburg.

Last Year: The Gorillas won 14-7 in Warrensburg. Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter, the Mules drove to the PSU 16-yard line,  only to lose the ball on a fumble. The Gorillas rushed for 308 yards, led by Anthony Chatmon's 129 yards and Lateef Walker's 105.

Last Time in Pittsburg: The Gorillas won 32-14 in 1998. The Mules entered the game 6-0-0 and ranked 10th in Division II, their highest national ranking ever. The Mules led 7-6 at halftime, but PSU scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to pull out the win. Anthony Chatmon rushed for 156 yards for the Gorillas.

Mules' Injuries: The Mules have five starters who were either definitely out or listed as questionable for Saturday night as of Monday. Defensive tackle Brandon Stoker (knee) is out. Center Matt Gigliotti (ankle), fullback Nick Goos (shoulder), linebacker Lloyd Thompson (ankle) and cornerback Antoine Williams (hip) are questionable.

Mules on Radio: KLRQ-FM (96.1) in Clinton, Mo., will broadcast the game live with Shawn Jones, Bob Jackson and Greg Hassler calling the action. Air time will be 6:30 p.m. KLRQ will also have the broadcast available on its Web site at http://www.klrq.com. The broadcast will also be available on the TEAMLINE telephone service by calling (800) 846-4700, then entering 3946 and following the instructions for credit card billing.

Mules on TV: Metro Sports, a cable outlet based in Kansas City, Mo., is scheduled to broadcast Saturday's game on a tape-delay basis. The broadcast will be carried on Sunday, Sept. 24 at noon, and on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m., on those cable services in the Kansas City area that carry Metro Sports. CMSU's PBS station, KMOS-TV, will carry the taped broadcast on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 10 p.m.

Next Game: The Mules play at home against Washburn University Sept. 30 in a 2 p.m. game that will be part of CMSU's Family Weekend. Pittsburg State plays at Missouri Western State College Sept. 30 at 1 p.m.