KEARNEY, Neb. – After falling behind 7-0, the Pittsburg State Gorillas scored 27 unanswered points and cruised to a 37-14 road win against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers to improve to 4-0 in the MIAA.
The
Gorilla offense was balanced between quick-strike scores from the passing game,
and time-consuming possessions fueled by the rushing attack.
All
three Gorilla quarterbacks, sophomores Brandon Mlekus and Matt Harman, and redshirt
freshman Mak Sexton threw a touchdown pass for the Gorillas. Despite Sexton’s
roughest outing of the year, six of ten passing for 78 yards with one touchdown
and three interceptions, the Gorillas had success throwing the ball accumulating
228 yards on 19 attempts between the three quarterbacks.
Mlekus
lead the trifecta with 98 yards and a touchdown on three of six passing. Mlekus
also rushed for a game-high 77 yards.
The Gorillas benefitted from a stout run defense that held the Lopers to just 137 yards on the ground. Kearney came into the game ranked third in Division II averaging 300.7 yards through three games, while the Gorillas rushed for 194 yards Saturday night.
The
Pitt State defense also held Kearney to just 75 yards passing, and forced two
interceptions including a 38-yard pick-six by junior safety Morgan Selemaea to ice
the game in the fourth quarter.
The
Gorillas started slow out of the gate. The first drive ended with Sexton’s
first interception. The Lopers took
advantage of the turnover and drove 51 yards for the first score of the game, a
one-yard run by senior quarterback Alex McGinnis to give Kearney an early 7-0
lead.
The
Lopers’ momentum was short-lived as the Gorillas scored the next 27 points.
After
a 20-yard field goal by junior Jared Vincent on the ensuing drive cut the lead
to four, a short punt and a penalty on Kearney set the Gorillas up at the
Lopers’ 35.
On
the next play, Harman connected with senior KiAnte Hardin on a 35-yard scoring strike
to give Pitt a 10-7 lead.
As
the defense imposed their will on Kearney’s rush-heavy offense, the Gorilla
offense continued the onslaught.
Sexton
connected with sophomore wide receiver Bryce Murphy on a 23-yard touchdown pass
to put the Gorillas up 17-7.
Kearney
tried to go to the air on their next drive, but Hardin picked a pass from redshirt
freshman quarterback TJ Davis, giving the Gorillas the ball at midfield.
Mlekus
hit senior wide receiver Lorenzo West on a 68-yard touchdown pass to push the lead
to 24-7 West finished with a game-high 100 yards on four receptions.
After
the Gorillas recorded their second blocked punt in as many weeks, Vincent added
another field goal to give the Gorillas a 27-7 advantage.
The
Lopers scored their final touchdown late in the half on a nine-yard run by
fifth-year senior running back Luke Quinn to make the halftime score 27-14.
Pittsburg
State’s defense held the Lopers scoreless in the second half.
The
defense registered four sacks in the contest limiting the Lopers to 212 yards
of total offense. Kearney hadn’t allowed a sack in their first three games.
Junior
linebacker Kaden Roy led the defense with a career-high 11 tackles. Senior
defensive end Ned Bingaman finished with six tackles and two sacks.
The Gorillas will return home to face the 0-4 Lincoln Blue Tigers in the Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff is set for 1pm Saturday, Oct. 5 at Carnie Smith Stadium.