Pitt State Pulls Away, Downs Central Oklahoma

By David Boyce

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- On so many levels Pittsburg State showed the mettle of a NCAA Division II top-10 football team.

The Gorillas, ranked seventh, opened the season Saturday night with an impressive 42-13 victory over No. 16 Central Oklahoma in front of 8,815 fans at Carnie Smith Stadium.

"I think it will definitely build confidence in our offense and our defense," said Pittsburg State junior quarterback John McCoy. "The defense did a great job holding them to as many points as they did. They made some great plays, especially when we stymied a little bit.

"It's a big win, but we have film Sunday and we have to put this game behind us and focus on Chadron because they are nationally ranked, too."

Of course, Pittsburg State had a few, first-game glitches. The offense sputtered at times. The defense gave up a long touchdown and the Gorillas even fumbled a kickoff after Central Oklahoma closed to 21-13 with 8:32 left in the third quarter.

A true top-10 team responds to that sort of game adversity and that's exactly what Pittsburg State was able to do.

The Bronchos took over at Pittsburg State's 18. The menacing Gorilla defense pushed Central Oklahoma back so far back that it wound up missing a 45-yard field goal.

Pittsburg State's defense answered the challenge.

"What I said to the team on the sideline was this was the time to be great," Pittsburg State senior linebacker Antonio Graham said.

"It was very important for us to come out there and make a big stop. They just scored on us and we fumbled the ball. The defense usually lets down at that point. We had to stay positive."

It was now time for the Gorillas' offense to return to first-quarter form. Pittsburg State got back on track offensively when it needed to most.

Still holding a 21-13 lead, Pittsburg State faced a 2nd and 24 at its own 9. McCoy, making his first start for the Gorillas, hit Kendall Fisher on a 39-yard pass play.

"It was a huge catch," McCoy said. "I wouldn't say it was a difficult catch. He makes that catch all the time. He's a great receiver. He's kind of like my go-to guy. I knew if I put it up to him he's going to make a play."

The confidence returned for Pittsburg State. The Gorillas completed the drive on a 13-yard run by tailback Terrance Isaac on a well-executed option play. Pittsburg State held a 28-13 lead with 1:02 left in the third quarter.

Pittsburg State completely dominated the fourth quarter on both sides of the ball and came away with a fairly easy victory against a ranked opponent.

Coming into the game the big question for the Gorillas was the offense. McCoy and Isaac were making their first start.

Other than a few hiccups in the second and third quarters, Pittsburg State showed that it could have a very dynamic and potent attack. McCoy threw for 221 yards and a touchdown and Isaac ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns.

The thrilling part for the Gorillas was there was so much more to their offense. Second-string tailback Eric Love rushed for 132 yards on 12 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Aaron Sawyer caught three passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns and Fisher added six catches for 110 yards.

"The offense played awesome," Graham said. "I can't say enough about them."

At the start of the game Pittsburg State clicked on offense at midseason level. The Gorillas scored two touchdowns in the first 8 minutes for a quick 14-3 lead.

McCoy scored the first touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run and then showed he has passing touch, tossing a 63-yard scoring strike to Sawyer.

"We came out and really got after them and used our momentum in the beginning," McCoy said. "You have to give credit to their defense because they didn't give up and they started getting some pressure on us and making some plays."

For the rest of the first half, Pittsburg State had the typical rough spots which come with season-opening games.

After taking a commanding 21-3 lead on a 7-yard run by Isaac with 14:15 remaining in the second quarter, the defensive intensity dropped a tad for the Gorillas.

Pittsburg State gave up a 39-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Noohi to Ryan Gallimore with just under six minutes left in the second quarter.

The Gorillas missed on a couple of scoring opportunities in the second quarter but still went into halftime with a comfortable 21-10 lead.

Key play: Pittsburg State's offense was struggling late in the third quarter when it faced 2nd and 24 from its own 9. Quarterback John McCoy threw a 39-yard pass to Kendall Fisher. The energized Gorilla offense went on to score a touchdown on a 13-yard run by Terrance Isaac to give Pittsburg State a 28-13 lead with one minute left in the third quarter.

Offensive star: Pittsburg State sophomore tailback Eric Love showed that the Gorillas will have a strong running attack. As the second-string tailback, Love rushed for 132 yards on 12 carries.

Defensive star: Pittsburg State junior free safety David Vaughn intercepted a pass in the back of the end zone early in the fourth quarter when the Gorillas held a 28-13 lead. Pittsburg State scored off the turnover and put the game away.

On Wednesday: Weekly feature.

David Boyce wrote for The Kansas City Star for 21 years, covering high schools, area colleges, the Royals, the Wizards and boxing. Boyce was also a contributing writer for the Royals Gameday Magazine this summer.