The Truman Football conference season will kick off on Saturday as the 2-0 Bulldogs will travel to the 2-0 Fort Hays State University Tigers for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff in Hays, Kan.
Game Preview:
Both the Bulldogs and the Tigers will enter the league’s lid lifter with 2-0 records after each taking care of business during the non-conference and having last week off to prepare.
Truman has done the bulk of their work with their ground game as the ‘Dogs have gained nearly 450 yards in the first two games.
The Bulldogs ran for 277 yards, the fourth highest total since 2000 in their 33-30 win over Southwest Baptist University.
Running backs Anton Bernard, Harnish Ayora and quarterback Phil Davis have all averaged over 50 yards on the ground in the first two games while the Bulldog defensive line have already recorded 13 sacks for 155 yards.
The 2009 defense had just 22 sacks in 11 games.
Meanwhile, Fort Hays has averaged 45 points in their first two games with a balanced attack of 558 yards of total offense per game.
Tiger quarterback Mike Garrison has averaged 77 yards on the ground and 303 through the air in the two wins.
The Tiger defense has surrendered 21.5 points in their first two games and allowed an average of 303 yards of total offense in wins over East Central (Okla.) and Western State (Colo.).
Fort Hays defeated the Bulldogs 41-31 at Stokes Stadium last season behind 207 yards rushing by James Walker and 245 yards passing by Garrison.
Truman also allowed an 89-yard punt return by then-senior C.J. Lovett.
Truman QB Davis was injured against the Tigers after going 11-of-20 for 131 yards and two touchdown passes.
The Bulldogs have won three of the four meetings with the Tigers and both games played at Lewis Field. Truman won in 2008 27-7.
Players to Watch (Truman):
Bulldog Defensive Line: The line has 13 sacks in the first two games of 2010 which is tops among the MIAA.
The Bulldogs will need to get to Fort Hays quarterback Mike Garrison who has not been sacked this year and is third in the conference in passing at 303.0 ypg.
Patrick Blackwell leads the line with three sacks, while eight Bulldogs have notched at least a half of sack. In addition, Truman has 20 tackles for loss.
Junior running back Harnish Ayora is fifth in the conference in rushing yards per game at 84.5 and has seen the bulk of the carries this season with 42. Ayora has four touchdown runs of two yards or less.
Players to Watch (Fort Hays State)
Senior quarterback Mike Garrison, who lead the Tigers to a 6-5 record last season, has completed 61.8% of his passes and has the top QB efficiency rating in the conference at 192.7.
His top three targets have been tight end Beau Gadwood (7 catches, 105 yards), running back James Walker (7 catches, 61 yards) and receiver O.J. Murdock (6 catches, 204 yards).
Defensively, Alex Whitehill leads the team with 18 total tackles as the FHSU squad is fourth in the conference in total defense at 303.5 ypg with allowing just 57.0 on the ground and 246.5 through the air.
Series History:
This is just the fifth meeting between the Tigers and the Bulldogs on the gridiron with Truman holding a 3-1 advantage. Fort Hays was victorious 41-31 at Stokes Stadium last season while the Bulldogs have won both games played in Hays, Kan.
Bulldogs On The Road:
Truman was 0-4 in road games last season but 1-0 this year. The last MIAA road victory came against Fort Hays State on Sept. 27, 2007 (0-8).
Truman’s longest road winning streak is 12 games dating back from 1932-1934 under Coach Don Faurot
All-Time Records:
· The Bulldogs have played 926 games all-time. The Bulldogs are 528-364-34 (.588) all time.
· Truman is 4-2 in overtime games. All six games have been played at Stokes Stadium with the last being on Oct. 24, 2009 against Emporia State (Truman lost 30-24).
· The Bulldogs have finished .500 or above in 70 of the 102 seasons of football played at the University and have had five wins or more in 62 seasons.
· Truman is the winningest NCAA program all-time in the state of Missouri with the .588 win percentage. The University of Missouri has the most wins with 608 with the Bulldogs second with 528.
Offensive Quick Hits:
The Bulldogs recorded 33 first downs this season, 14 by passing, 16 by rushing and 3 by penalty.
In 87 rushing attempts, Truman averaged 5.1 yards per carry up from a 3.1 mark last season.
Truman has gained 445 yards on the ground.
With 51 pass completions, the Bulldogs have 324 yards passing and 12.5 yards per completion average.
With 138 offensive plays, the Bulldogs have amassed 769 yards of total offense for a per play average of 5.6 up from 4.3 yards last season.
In their 11 trips to the redzone this season, the Bulldogs have 6 touchdowns and three field goals.
The Bulldogs are 13-of-33 (39%) on third down conversions.
Truman is 2-of-3 on fourth down conversions.
The offense has been on the field 31:08 per game this season and has scored 56 points.
The offensive line has not allowed a sack through two games, last season, the Bulldogs allowed 25 qb sacks.
The Bulldogs longest drive of the season has been a 14-play 64-yard drive that consumed 6:01 and resulted in a field goal.
The last 1,000 yard rusher for the Bulldogs was Jerard Leverson (1012 yards) following the 2003 season.
Defensive Quick Hits:
In 67 rushes, Truman’s defense has allowed 157 yards rushing for a 2.3 yards per carry average, down from a 5.3 mark last season.
In 49 pass completions for 537yards, opponents averaged 11.0 yards per completion.
In 148offensive plays, opposing teams averaged 4.7 yards per play down from 6.1 yards in 2009.
Opponents have made eight trips into Truman’s redzone and come away with four touchdowns and one field goal.
The Bulldog defense has been on the field on average 28:53 minutes per game and allowed 43 points.
Opponents have converted on third down 36% of the time (12-of-33).
Opponents are 3-of-7 in fourth down conversions.
The longest drive by the opposing team this season has been a 12-play, 79-yard drive that lasted 6:53 and resulted in a touchdown in the season opener against St. Joseph’s College.
Special Teams Quick Hits:
The Bulldogs are 3-of-5 on field goal attempts this season, all by Derek Koon. The longest attempt has been 37 yards while the longest make was 32 both against St. Joseph’s College.
Koon is 5-of-7 on point after attempts this season and the team has not tried a two-point attempt.
Opponents are 4-for-5 on extra point attempts and are 0-1 on two-point conversions. They are 1-for-2 on field goal attempts with the longest make being from 39 yards (Andrew Kocurek – Southwest Baptist).
Truman averages 56.6 yards per kickoff (Brian Rosser) and 34.9 yards per punt (Eric Phillips).
Opponents are averaging 58.8 per kickoff and 36.8 yards per punt.
The Bulldogs average 19.5 yards per kick return and 10.5 per punt return.
Opponents are averaging 12.9 yards per kick return and 3.5 per punt return.
Up Next
The defending national champions and longtime rival Northwest Missouri will invade Stokes Stadium on Sept. 25 for a 1:00 p.m. start.
The Bearcats will hook up with Nebraska-Omaha this week on the road after dropping their season opener to Texas A&M-Kingsville 16-7.
Courtesy Truman State University
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