Joplin, Mo. --  The Missouri Southern football team will be back at home this Saturday as the Lions play host to Pittsburg State for the 2021 Miners Bowl. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is slated for 2 pm. 

Game Information
Team Records: MSSU 1-3, 1-3 MIAA | PSU 3-1, 3-1 MIAA
Date: Saturday, Oct. 2
Kick-Off: 2:00 pm, CT
Location:  Joplin, Mo.
Site: Fred G. Hughes Stadium  (7,000)
Series Record: PSU leads 42-9-1
Coaches: Atiba Bradley (2-3, overall/at MSSU) | Brian Wright  (5-3 overall/at PSU)

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Fox Sports Joplin 101.3, 101.7 and AM 1560; - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Live Coverage: www.mssulions.com/coverage 
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball
Lions on Instagram: @mososports

The Series: 

Pittsburg State holds a 42-9-1 advantage in the series and had won 19 in a row before the Lions won 35-21 in Pittsburg in 2013. Missouri Southern has won six of 26 meetings in Joplin, but the Lions have won just three times in Pittsburg (3-22-1). The Lions are 6-20 in Joplin. The win in 2013 for MSSU stopped a 19-game winning streak and was the first win in Pittsburg since 1983. The two teams have played each year since 1968 in what is the longest running series for MSSU. The Lions led 5-4-1 after the first 10 meetings. The two teams began competing for the Miners' Bowl Trophy in 1986.

The Dish On The Gorillas: The Gorillas are coming off a 30-28 win at home over Emporia State. Pittsburg State has outscored their opponents by five this year and the Gorillas are averaging 161 yards on the gound and 256 through the air for 417 per game of total offense. PSU is 24-of-52 in third down conversions and 6-of-10 in fourth down tries. Mak Sexton leads the offense as the quarterback is 62-of-107 for 923 yards and eight touchdowns. Jalen Martin has 21 receptions for 365 yards and two scores, while Elijah Harris has 15 catches for 315 yards and four scores. On the ground, Tyler Adkins is one of two Gorillas with 200 yards on the ground. Adkins has 47 carries for 219 yards and three scores, while Caleb Lewis has 54 carries for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Luke Jennings has 33 tackles with 18 solo and 2.5 for a loss. PJ Sarwinski has 30 stops and a sack, while Brandon Miekus has 21 tackles and three pass break ups. Dallis Flowers has ten tackles and a team-high three interceptions on the year. The Gorllas will head to Maryville next weekend for a matchup with Northwest Missouri on October 9 at 1:30 pm.

A Victory vs. The Gorillas Would: stop a six-game winning streak for Pitt.  It would be just the seventh in the series against Pittsburg State and first since 2013. It would be the first in Joplin since the 1993 season.

NFL Representation: The Lions will have Brandon Williams as the lone MSSU alum in the NFL this season. Williams has blossomed into one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL and in 2017 became one of the highest-paid, as well, signing a five-year, $54 million contract.

NFL Executive: Former Lion and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash is in his third season serving as the NFL and NFLPA's Appeals Officer. He hears all appeals for the NFL regarding on-field player discipline. Thrash played 12 seasons in the NFL for the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles.

Lions On Radio: The Lions will partner with Fox Sports Joplin this year as Southern can now be heard on three separate FM stations, as well as an AM station. Fox Sports Joplin will air the Lions' games on 101.3 and 101.7 FM, as well as AM 1560.

Lions On TV: Missouri Southern's KGCS will air every Lions home game live this year during the season. They will also re-broadcast the games on Sunday evenings at 6 pm.   

Lions On The Web: All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA Network. Fans can go to www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions to view live and on-demand games.

Streaming Options: Fans now have even more options to view the Lions online in their homes and on the road. Not only can you view on your computer, fans can now view The MIAA Network on its over the top apps for either Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Android TV.   

New Head Coach: Former Lion Atiba Bradley will be the new head coach for the Lions this year. Bradley played for the Lions and graduated in 2005. He was a student assistant in 2006 and returned as an assistant coach before making other coaching stops at Missouri, Quincy, South Dakota and McKendree.

Defensive Lineage: Three former Lions' defensive coaches, all whom current head coach Atiba Bradley and assistant coach Joe Bettasso learned under, are in high-profile positions. Scottie Hazelton (04-05) is the Defensive Coordinator at Michigan State, Brian Ward (2005) is the Defensive Coordinator at Nevada and Todd Wash (2004) is the Defensive Line Coach for the Detroit Lions in the NFL.

Green And Gold Alums: The Lions have four members of their staffs that were either players or earned a degree from Missouri Southern. Head Coach Atiba Bradley, as well as Defensive Coordinator Joe Bettasso and Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Matt Rahl all played for the Lions, while Director of Operations, Rylee Hartwell is a MOSO grad.

Late-Game Heroics: The Lions got a game-winning touchdown pass from Dawson Herl to Brian Boyd Jr. with 41 seconds to go to go ahead 14-10 at Central Oklahoma.

Thank You Very Much: Southern defensive back Dylan Bolden had a pair of interceptions at Central Oklahoma and both were key in the win. Bolden's first was a 27-yard pick six for the Lions' first score and his second was after Southern had gone ahead late and secured the win. The pick-six was the first time since Jaylon Alexander had one in 2019 against Northwest Missouri and it was the first time since 2015 for a player to have multiple interceptions.

4th Quarter Comeback: The Lions came-from-behind in the fourth quarter for a win at UCO this past weekend. It was the first time since 2012 (MWSU) that the Lions had done that.

Pass Catchers: Ten different Lions have caught passes this season, with Brian Boyd, Jr. leading the way with nine receptions.   

Young Guns: Nathan Glades ranks fifth nationally among freshmen in Division II in rushing yardage. Glades is fourth overall in the MIAA in that category (regardless of class). Dawson Herl ranks 9th nationally among freshmen in DII in passing yardage.

Linebackers R Us: Week one saw a trio of linebackers with ten or more stops for the Lions. Coleman Booker had 12 tackles, while Richard Jordan, Jr. had 11 and Colton Winder had ten. Winder followed up that performance with 12 stops in week two, while Booker added eight

National Rankings: Dylan Bolden leads Division II in interceptions this year with four.   

National Rankings II: The Lions lead Division II in blocked kicks allowed (fewest), blocked punts allowed (fewest) and passes had intercepted (fewest), while ranking sixth in punt defense, 21st nationally in interceptions, while ranking sixth in turnovers lost (fewest), 17th in turnover margin, 32nd in passing yards allowed (fewest) and 33rd in sacks allowed (fewest).    

Turnover U: The Lions have forced six turnovers this season and have given up only two, ranking the Lions as one of the best teams in Division II in turnover margin.

MIAA Rankings: The Lions lead the MIAA in eight different categories this season, while ranking in the top five in 12 total.        

Long Time No See: The opening game this year at Nebraska-Kearney was the first time in 672 days the Lions had played an MIAA football game with the 2020 season being cancelled due to Covid-19.    

Mr. 200: Richard Jordan, Jr. went over the 200 tackle plateau against Fort Hays State. Jordan has 211 in his career at Southern.

This Week's Officials: The officials as assigned by the MIAA this week are as follows: referee: Brian Moore, umpire: David Benham, linesman: James Briggance, line judge: Phil Lombardi, side judge: Jason Boswell, field judge: Casey Farley, back judge: Travis Huffman, center judge: Philip Kirgan.     

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has two teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Northwest Missouri is 2nd, while Nebraska-Kearney is 12th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has three teams in the top ten and has eight teams in the top 25. There are 12 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Joplin area on Saturday calls for a high of 79 degrees and scattered thunderstorms with a south wind of 9 mph. Chance of rain is 39 percent.