Complete Notes (.pdf)

 

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Oct. 7, 2009 – The Truman Football team returns to Stokes Stadium on Saturday afternoon to host Missouri Western State University for Homecoming.  The Bulldogs lost on a last second field goal to the Griffons last year, 33-32.

 

The Bulldogs have lost their last four games this season and last five conference games dating back to last season.  Missouri Western had an unblemished record before last week’s 49-35 setback at home to #6 Northwest Missouri.

 

This will be the fifth opponent the Bulldogs will face that will be coming off a loss the game before.  Only Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri won the previous week before taking on Truman.

 

The Bulldogs lost on Saturday 38-3 to the University of Central Missouri.  Truman had two golden scoring chances early with two drives inside the Mules’ 10-yardline but managed just a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

 

Central used big plays to take control of the ball game.  The Mules had 199 of their 439 yards of total offense on five plays. Inside the 439 yards, 301 of them came on 11 plays that went for 15 yards or more.

 

One bright spot during the game was the play of back-up quarterback Caleb Roberts.  After starter Taylor Breen was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter, Roberts completed nine of his 12 pass attempts for 110 yards and rushed eight times for 32 yards.

 

The Bulldog trio of quarterbacks (Breen, Roberts and Phillip Davis) have averaged 162 yards passing and have completed 47% of their passes.  Roberts has the best pass efficiency rating with a 124.92.

 

Missouri Western was riding a five-game winning streak before seven turnovers resulted in 21 Northwest Missouri points in a 49-35 loss on Saturday in front of a school record crowd of 10,129.

 

One of the league’s top passers, Drew Newhart, threw for 265 yards on 27 completions and three touchdown passes but it was the three interceptions that hurt the Griffons in their battle with rival Northwest.

 

For the season, Newhart is averaging 249.8 yards through the air and has 1,499 passing yards along with 17 touchdown passes to lead the Griffons.  His top three targets are Cedric Houston (28 catches/572 yards), Tyron Crockum (28 catches/305 yards) and Adam Clausen (27 catches/405 yards).

 

Bulldogs 2009 Schedule One Of Nation’s Toughest

Truman will play six opponents that have appeared in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll this season.  One other opponent, Nebraska-Omaha appeared in the D2Football.com media top 25 earlier this season as well.

 

This will be the third straight week Truman will face an AFCA ranked team.  The Bulldogs previously lost to #6 Northwest Missouri and then #20 Central Missouri.

 

Truman played #7 Minnesota State Mankato (Lost 31-13) in week one and has #12 Washburn on Oct. 31st left on the schedule.  Truman also will play Pittsburg State, who peaked at number four before dropping out of the poll last past week.

 

The Bulldogs last victory against a ranked opponent was a 26-20 double over time victory over #16 Nebraska-Omaha on Oct. 4, 2008.

 

Last Meeting with the Griffons:

It was a cold and blustery day at Spratt Stadium in St. Joesph but Missouri Western came out on fire.  The Griffons scored on their first three possessions, using the wind to build up a 17-0 lead.

 

Truman would rally back with four straight scores of their own and went into halftime leading 27-23.

 

The Griffons took the lead late in the third quarter on an eight-yard TD pass from Drew Newhart to Andrew Mead but the Bulldogs got a safety on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 30-29.

 

Mickey Masucci gave Truman the lead with 4:33 left to play on a 23-yard field goal as the Bulldogs could not punch it in from first and goal at the four-yard line.

 

The Griffons used 10 plays and marched 61-yards down the field converting on a big third and five play when Newhart found Alvaro Prado for 27-yards down to the Bulldog six to set up the game winning field goal by Dustin Strickler with three seconds left on the clock.

 

What’s At Stake?

  • The Bulldogs are looking for their first conference victory of the season and their first in five league games dating back to last season (Missouri Southern).
  • Truman is tied with Emporia State for last place in the conference but only trail seventh place Pittsburg State by one game and sixth place Fort Hays State by two and a half.
  • The Bulldogs will be looking for their 293rd MIAA victory (292-175-20) and 526th (525-360-34) win in the program’s history.
  • Truman won the last time these two teams met in Kirksville, a 37-28 victory on Nov. 10, 2007 and are 8-5 against the Griffons in Stokes Stadium.
  • Missouri Western has won five out of the last six meetings with the Bulldogs and are 6-of-9 in games played since 2000.
  • The Griffons are in a four-way tie for second place in the conference standings behind Northwest Missouri with a 3-1 league mark and are one of four teams with a 5-1 overall record.

 

 

About The Bulldogs (Defense):

Truman’s defense is ranked 10th in the conference in scoring (37.5 ppg), rushing (199.0 ypg) and ninth in total defense (408.3 ypg).  The Bulldogs are fourth in passing yards allowed per game at 209.3.

The Bulldogs have allowed 25 plays (with nine touchdowns) from scrimmage to go for over 25 yards this season.  Last season, Truman’s D allowed 23 plays (with eight touchdown) of 25 or more in 11 games.

Half of the touchdowns scored by opposing teams this season (26, offensive drive touchdowns) have come on plays of 15 or more yards (13).  Truman has allowed 57 of the 391 plays this season to go for 15 or more yards (14%).

Senior Demetrius Lavant is second in the MIAA rankings in tackles per game with 9.0.  Lavant has 54 total tackles (26s, 28a) to led the Bulldogs.  Lavant is also tied for sixth in the league in passes defended at 1.00 per game.

Senior Eric Sternberg is tied for the league lead in tackles for loss with 1.25 per game.  Sternberg has 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.  He is the active player career leader in tackles with 172 and 27.5 tackles for loss.

The top five Bulldogs in tackles are all linebackers or defensive backs with Michael Elliott second with 43 tackles.

Dan Bryar leads defensive linemen with 24 tackles.

Defensive Quick Hits:

  • Truman has forced 10 turnovers this season with two directly being returned for touchdowns.  Three other turnovers resulted in a touchdown by the offense. 
  • In 239 rushes, Truman’s defense allowed 1194 yards rushing for a 5.0 yards per carry average.
  • In 84 pass completions for 1256 yards, opponents averaged 15.0 yards per completion. 
  • In 391 offensive plays, opposing teams average 6.3 yards per play.
  • Opponents have made 21 trips into Truman’s redzone and come away with 15 touchdowns and three field goals.
  • The Bulldog defense has been on the field on average 29:34 minutes per game this season and has allowed 197 points.
  • Opponents have converted on third down 46% of the time (34-of-74) with 17-of-34 in the first half and 17-of-40 in the second half.
  • The longest third down converted was a 3&12 by Northwest Missouri.
  • Opponents are 2-of-4 in fourth down conversions. 
  • Truman allowed their first 200 yard rusher since Oct. 6, 2007 when James Walker went for 200 yards for Fort Hays State.  The last 200 yard rusher against the Bulldogs was Jeff Finnell of Southwest Baptist, who ran for 215 yards.
  • The longest drives by the opposion this season have been 16 plays, 84 yards and took 7:01 off the clock.  The result of the drive by Oklahoma Panhandle State was a turnover on downs at the Bulldog one-yard line.  Northwest Missouri had the longest drive in terms of yards going 95 in 10 plays with a touchdown.

 

About the Bulldogs (Offense):

Truman has had tough luck at the quarterback position so far this season.  Junior Phillip Davis entered the season as the starter but was knocked out of the Fort Hays State game with an injury.  Davis has 676 passing yards (60-of-116) and five touchdowns to go along with 145 yards rushing on 42 attempts.  Davis is listed as questionable.

 

Taylor Breen started both the Northwest Missouri and Central Missouri games before leaving in the second quarter against the Mules.  Breen was 13-of-42 for 186 yards and one touchdown. 

 

Caleb Roberts replaced Breen against the Mules and was 9-of-12 for 110 yards with eight rushes for 32.  Roberts leads the team in passing efficiency with a 124.92 rating.

 

Truman has had 12 plays (2.0 per game) from scrimmage go for 25 yards or more, four of which have gone for touchdowns.  Last season, the Bulldogs had 29 plays (2.6 per game) and nine touchdowns on plays of 25 yards or more.

 

Junior Donald Harvey leads a pack of seven Bulldogs with at least five carries this season with 166 yards.  Harvey is averaging 4.9 yards per rush and has scored one touchdown.  Harvey has the longest run from scrimmage this season went for 39 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma Panhandle State.

 

Junior Anton Bernard has the most touches with 46 for 133 yards and a 2.9 yards per carry average.  Bernard has one touchdown  and a long of 13 yards.

 

Truman has had 12 different receivers catch 82 passes this season with junior Vanness Emokpae leading the team with 14 catches for 194 yards.  Five different Bulldogs have 10 catches or more.  Senior Steve D’Antonio has the highest yards per catch mark at 17.3. 

 

Albert Coker is nearing 1000 career receiving yards.  The senior has 79 catches for 987 yards.

 

Offensive Quick Hits:

  • The Bulldogs have recorded 102 first downs on this season, 44 by passing, 40 by rushing and 18 by penalty.
  • In 224 rushing attempts, Truman is averaging 3.0 yards per carry. 
  • Truman gained 885 yards on the ground but lost 204 to end up with a net 681.
  • With 82 pass completions, the Bulldogs had 972 yards passing and an 11.9 yards per completion average.
  • With 397 offensive plays, the Bulldogs have amassed 1653 yards of total offense for a per play average of 4.2 yards.
  • In their 16 trips to the redzone this season, the Bulldog have six touchdowns, five field goals, two end on downs, one fumble and one interception.
  • The Bulldogs are 35-93 (38%) on third down conversions.  They are 20-of-55 in the first half and 14-of-38 in the second half.
  • The longest third down conversion was a 3&12.  A completed pass for 15 yards from Taylor Breen to Anthony Brown against Northwest Missouri.
  • Truman 3-10 on fourth down conversions. The longest fourth down converted this season was a 4th&16 that went for a 31 yard touchdown pass from Phillip Davis to Jordan Flores.
  • The offense has been on the field 30:26 per game this season and has scored 85 points.
  • The Bulldogs longest drive of the season has been a 13-play 80-yard drive that consumed 6:52 and resulted in a touchdown.
  • The last 1,000 yard rusher for the Bulldogs was Jerard Leverson (1012 yards) following the 2003 season.

 

About the Bulldogs (Special Teams):

Senior Mickey Masucci is Truman’s all-time career field goal kicker with 34 makes  Masucci is 34-of-53 (64%) on field goal attempts for his career and passed Scott Bresaw (1989-91) and Jeff Klee (1996-99).

 

Masucci is seventh in kicker scoring at 4.5 points per game.  Masucci has 209 career points and has made 107 point after attempts with the last 45 being consecutive.

 

Freshman Eric Phillips is eighth with a 38.0 per punt average.  Phillips is tied for second with Jordan Hofer of Central Missouri and Tyler Chilson of Emporia State in the conference with a 62-yard punt against Nebraska-Omaha.  Andrew Gassen leads the conference with a 71 yard punt also against the Mavericks.

 

Truman averaged 19.9 yards per kickoff return on this season with Vanness Emokpae’s 62 yard return down to Minnesota State’s 16-yard line being the season long thus far.

 

Phil Kenney has 20 returns for 397 yards or an 19.9 yards per return average.

 

Albert Coker has six punt returns for 32 yards (5.3 per return) this season and for his career has averaged 7.8 yards per return and has a touchdown.

 

Truman has had seven special teams plays (all kick returns) go for 25 yards or more with no touchdowns.  Last season, the Bulldogs had 21 returns (1.9 per game) of 25 yards or more.

 

Opponents have had 11 special teams plays (three punt returns, eight kick returns) go for 25 yards or more with two returns (one kick, one punt) for scores.  Last season, Truman had 17 returns (all kick) go for 25 or more yards with no touchdowns.

 

Special Teams Quick Hits:

  • The Bulldogs are 5-of-7 on field goal attempts this season.  The longest attempt has been 37 yards (missed).
  • Truman has converted on 45 straight point after kick attempts have not tried a two-point conversion this season.
  • Opponents are 30-for-30 on extra point attempts and have not tried a two-point conversion this season.  They are 5-for-6 on field goal attempts with the longest make being from 46 yards.
  • Truman averaged 60.7 yards per kickoff and 35.8 yards per punt.
  • Opponents are averaging 59.4 per kickoff and 34.0 yards per punt.
  • The Bulldogs averaged 19.9 yards per kick return and 6.5 per punt return.
  • Opponents are averaging 24.5 yards per kick return and 16.8 per punt return.
  • The Bulldogs blocked a punt against Minnesota State.  It was blocked by junior Jordan Flores and recovered by sophomore Aaron Tjarks.
  • Truman has had two punts blocked this season (Northwest & Central Missouri).
  • Truman allowed their first kick return for a touchdown since 1999 against Northwest Missouri.  Tyler Shaw took the second half opening kickoff 92 yards for the touchdown.  Kerry Byers went 100 yards for Missouri Southern back in 1999.

 

The Series:

This will be the 27th meeting between Truman and Missouri Western on the football field with the Bulldogs holding a 15-11 advantage.

 

The series started with Truman’s 27-0 win at St. Joesph in 1972 and was dominated early by the Bulldogs.  Truman won 12 of the first 16 meetings.

 

The Griffons have won seven of the last 10 between the two schools. 

 

Coaches:

Aaron Vlcko is in his first season as the head coach of the Truman Bulldogs and fifth season overall with the program.  As the team’s offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs have averaged 345.7 yards per game with nearly 10,000 yards passing.

Truman has averaged 24.2 points per game under Vlcko calling the plays.

 

Maurice “Red’ Wade is the dean of Truman coaches with 143 games coached and 99 victories.  Don Faurot is the Bulldog leader in win percentage at an .816 clip from 1926-1934, the year before he left for the University of Missouri-Columbia.

 

Truman is 85-76-4 under first year head coaches.  Ten of the 21 Head Coaches have had winning seasons in their first year, the last was a 6-5 record posted by John Ware in 1995.  The best winning percentage of first year head coaches belongs to both Don and Fred Faurot who each went 7-1  (.875) in 1926 and 1935 respectively.  

 

The most wins of any first year Truman coach was nine set in 1990 by Eric Holm.

 

Jerry Partridge is in his 12th season at his alma mater.  Partridge is 91-53 during that span. 

 

Truman In Homecoming Games:

The Bulldogs are 42-22-2 in homecoming games with the first homecoming dating back to 1939. 

Truman has won their last three homecoming games with two going into overtime.  In 2006, the Bulldogs defeated Washburn 21-7, in 2007, the Bulldogs defeated Emporia State in overtime 33-30 and last season defeated Nebraska-Omaha 26-20.

The Bulldogs won 10 straight homecoming games from 1992-2001, which is the longest streak in the history of homecoming at Truman.

 

 

Bulldogs At Stokes Stadium:

Truman is 225-126-9 (.645) all-time at Stokes Stadium, the home of the Bulldogs since 1930.

The squad is 11-7 in Kirksville over the past two seasons.

Truman’s longest winning streak in Kirksville is 30 games dating from 1930-1936 under Coach Don Faurot and his brother Fred.

 

All-Time Records:

·         This will be the 920th game in Truman football history.  The Bulldogs are 525-360-34 (.591) all time.

·         Truman is 4-1 in overtime games.  All five games have been played at Stokes Stadium with the last being on Nov. 15, 2008 against Missouri S&T (L 39-38).

·         The Bulldogs have finished .500 or above in 70 of the 101 seasons of football played at the University and have had five wins or more in 62 seasons.

·         Truman is the winningest NCAA program in the state of Missouri with the .591 win percentage.  The University of Missouri has the most wins with 603 with the Bulldogs second with 525. 

 

Truman/Central Missouri Game Footnotes:

  • Taylor Breen was 4-of-9 for 62 yards before leaving the game early in the second quarter.
  • Vanness Emokpae caught three passes for 82 yards, including a season-long 51 yards.
  • Mickey Masucci made his 34th career field goal and has 206 career points.
  • Demetrius Lavant and Ja’Cobe Britt led the Bulldog defense with nine tackles apiece.
  • Terrence Byrd made his fourth career interception and Dennis Walls made his second pick this year.
  • Truman was just 4-of-15 on third down conversions.
  • The Bulldogs led in possession time with 31:50.
  • The announced attendance was 3,755.
  • This was the 93rd meeting between Central and Truman, the fifth longest in Division II, the Bulldogs lead the series 52-36-5. 

 

 

Up Next:

Despite the string of ranked opponents coming to an end with next week’s game against Missouri Southern, the Bulldogs will head to Joplin where they have lost the last two times.

 

The Bulldogs defeated the Lions 38-7 last year for senior day at Stokes Stadium as Truman scored the first 31 points on Missouri Southern.  Anton Bernard had 122 yards rushing on 16 carries to lead Truman that afternoon and the Bulldogs ran for a season-high 265 yards.

 

Kickoff at Fred Hughes Stadium is slated for 2:00 p.m.