By: Madie Brink
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Cougar Football will hit the road to take on No. 2 Pittsburg State this Saturday, October 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 2pm at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kansas.
COUGARS v. GORILLAS HISTORY
This will be the first match-up between the two teams. The Gorillas posted a 12-1 record in 2022 with their only loss coming in the second round of the NCAA DII Playoffs to Ferris State. Pitt State went 11-0 in the regular season while capturing the 2022 MIAA Championship. They earned the No. 3 seed in NCAA DII Super Region Three all while advancing to the second round of the national playoffs.
USF finished the 2022 season with an 8-3 record and their 28th consecutive winning season. The Cougars have qualified for the NCAA DII Playoffs four times since 2015 while registering back-to-back 8-3 seasons in 2021 and 2022.
THE COUGAR FILE
USF is coming off a tough 42-35 loss to Winona State dropping to 3-5 on the season. Sioux Falls has been averaging 30.25 points a game with 35 total scores on the season.
The Cougars offensive scheme is led by sophomore quarterback Camden Dean with 564 rushing yards and 1,741 passing yard on the year. Dean has rushed for five scores and thrown for 17 touchdowns thus far. Dylan Rudningen sits close behind with six scores on the season and 544 rushing yards on 105 attempts.
Carter Slykhuis and Mark Leonard continue to sit atop the receiving chart with Slykhuis totaling 727 yards on 64 receptions along with five touchdowns. Leonard has recorded 392 yards on 33 receptions thus far and four scores. Freshman Adonis Hutchinson continues to climb the receiving charts with 243 yards on the season on 16 receptions while claiming his first career TD this past weekend against Winona State.
Eli Schlangen leads the defense with 43 tackles on year followed by Matt Goehring with 38.
Amaurii Grosskopf leads the defensive line with 23 tackles, five tackles for a loss of 20 yards and one sack thus far followed by Brady Crawford with 18 tackles, five tackles for a loss of 15 yards and two sacks on the season.
THE GORILLA FILE
Pitt State is coming off a 28-7 road win over Northwest Missouri State and currently hold the No. 2 ranking in the NCAA DII AFCA Coaches' Poll with a perfect 8-0 record.
The Gorillas are averaging 34.88 points a game while holding their opponents to just 16.55 ppg. They continue to be led by quarterback Chad Dodson, Jr. with 1,592 passing yards on the season along with 11 touchdowns. Antwan Squire leads the run game with 444 yards on 91 carries and four scores on the year. Dodson's primary targets are Devon Garrison and Kolbe Katsis each with 30 catches on the year. Garrison has tacked on 485 yards with four touchdowns while Katsis claims 379 yards and two scores.
Defensively, linebacker Jack Barkley leads Pitt State with 58 tackles on the season with seven tackles for a loss of 28 yards and two sacks. The Gorillas have claimed seven sacks on the year overall along with 32 total tackles for loss.
MORE INFO
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