The Missouri Southern football team will look to get back to .500 this week as the Lions travel to Lindenwood University for an MIAA matchup on Saturday. Kickoff from Hunter Stadium in St. Charles is slated for 1:30 pm.
Game Information
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2014
Kick-Off: 1:30 p.m., CT
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Site: Hunter Stadium (6,000)
Series Record: Lindenwood leads series, 1-0
Coaches: Daryl Daye (16-12 at MSSU, 33-40 overall) | Patrick Ross (100-45 overall and 86-38 at LWU)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: FM 99.7 Real American Country - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Aaron Lewis, Color
Video Webcast: http://www.mssulions.com/links/hlqdgb
Live Stats: hhttp://mssulions.com/links/fkmw86
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/missourisouthernlions
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball
The Coaches: Daryl Daye is in his third season as the head coach at Missouri Southern. In his second season at the helm of the Lions, Daye lifted the program to a level unseen in the past 20 years. The Lions finished the season 7-3 overall and were 5-3 in the MIAA. Southern also broke a 20-year drought with a 35-21 win at No. 9 Pittsburg State in the season-finale. The Lions won for the first time in Pittsburg since 1983 and for the first time against the Gorillas since 1993. Nine Lions were named All-MIAA, and 11 players were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. The Lions' Chris Barnwell (pictured) and Gatlin Ridgway were named All-Region with Barnwell earning All-American honors. Giresse Forchu was an Academic All-District selection and the Lions ended the 2013 campaign as Division II's leader in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 35:14 each game. Southern also ranked second nationally in both rushing yardage and fewest passes intercepted. In all, the Lions ranked in the top ten nationally in nine different categories, while ranking 14th in turnovers lost.
Patrick Ross, the winningest football coach in Lindenwood history, is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Lindenwood program in 2014. He is in his 13th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Ross owns a career coaching record of 100-45 (.717), his teams have appeared in the NAIA Football Championship Series six times, and twice he has earned NAIA National Coach of the Year honors. In his first ten years in St. Charles, he has compiled a record of 86-38, won three HAAC championships, advanced to the NAIA national playoffs five times, including a trip to the national championship game in 2009, and played in the 2013 NCAA Division II Mineral Water Bowl. He became the all-time leader in wins at Lindenwood in 2007, and his .717 winning percentage shatters the previous best mark for the program.
The Series: This is the second-ever meeting between the two schools. Lindenwood took the first match-up in 2012, 45-30 in St. Charles. The two teams were slated to play last year for MSSU's Homecoming game, but the event was cancelled after the tragic shooting death of MSSU Offensive Line Coach, Derek Moore.
A Victory vs. Lindenwood Would: be the first win overall for Missouri Southern in the series with Lindenwood. LU won the only other meeting between the two schools in 2012.
NFL Representation: The Lions will be one of just two MIAA teams (Washburn) to have two different starters on NFL rosters to start the season. Brandon Williams is a starter on the defensive line for the Baltimore Ravens, while Allen Barbre started on the offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles, but suffered an ankle injury in game one and will be out for the 2014 season.
2013 NCAA Stats Leaders: The Missouri Southern football team led Division II in 2013 in time of possession, averaging 35:14 of possession each game. The team also ranked second nationally in both rushing yardage and fewest passes intercepted. In all, the Lions ranked in the top ten nationally in nine different categories, while ranking 14th in turnovers lost.
2014 NCAA Stat Leaders: After seven games, the Lions currently lead Division II in Blocked punts allowed and passing yards per completion. The team ranks eighth in rushing, while ranking 11th in fewest passes intercepted, while ranking 15th in time of possession and sacks allowed. They rank 17th in 3rd down conversion percentage, 23rd in fewest blocked kicks allowed, and 25th in redzone offense. They also rank 41st in fourth-down conversion percentage and 47th in fewest penalties per game.
MIAA Stats Leaders: The Lions currently lead the MIAA in third down conversion percentage, fewest blocked kicks allowed, fewest blocked punts allowed, fewest passes intercepted, passing yards per completion, redzone offense, rushing and fewest sacks allowed. Southern ranks third in the MIAA in kickoff return defense and time of possession, while ranking fourth in fourth-down conversion percentage, scoring, team passing efficiency and turnovers lost.
National Rankings: Giresse Forchu ranks 13th in Division II in rushing touchdowns, while ranking 26th in scoring. Kyle Jaski ranks 21st in punting and Ty'Quan Hayes ranks 40th in punt returns.
MIAA Individual Rankings: Forchu leads the MIAA in rushing touchdowns, while ranking second in scoring. Jaski ranks second in the MIAA in punting, while Ty'Quan Hayes ranks third in kick returns and punt returns.
Rushing It: The Lions are ranked 8th nationally in rushing and lead the MIAA after seven games. The Lions are averaging 299.3 yards rushing and have 28 rushing touchdowns going into week eight.
Multiple Touchdown Games: Giresse Forchu had three rushing touchdowns against Central Missouri. He has four multiple touchdown games this year and has 11 rushing scores through seven games.
Spread the Wealth: The Lions have seven different players with rushing touchdowns this year, led by Forchu's ten. Michael Nelson and Shannon Sanunders have five while Scott Lathrop has three and Chris Barnwell has two. Will Gregory and Chris Jeffries have one each.
Big Game Saunders: Freshman Shannon Saunders had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the Lions 34-7 win at home over Northeastern State.
Sack Em Up: Senior defensive lineman Ryon Phillips had two sacks against No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri. The two gave him 14 on his career, ranking him fifth all-time in MSSU history.
Team Captains: The Missouri Southern coaching staff and team have voted in four captains for the 2014 season. Seniors Austin Wolfe, Ryon Phillips and Dalvin Taylor, along with junior Jay McDowell will serve as team captains this year.
Tough League/Region: The MIAA has two teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Pittsburg State is 9th, followed by Northwest Missouri at No. 10. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has nine teams in the top 25. There are 13 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.
Climbing The Charts With his team's 34-7 win over Northeastern State, head coach Daryl Daye moved into fourth-place overall in all-time wins at MSSU, passing Bill Cooke. He is currently second in overall win percentage.
Pass It Long: The Lions don't throw the ball often, but when they do it tends to be effective. Southern has five pass plays of 50 or more yards this year with a long of 80.
Weather Report: The weather report for the St. Charles area on Saturday calls for a high of 76 degrees with mostly sunny conditions. There is a zero percent chance of rain.
Next Up: Missouri Southern will play host to Pittsburg State in the State Farm Miners Bowl. Kickoff from Hughes Stadium is slated for 7 pm on Saturday, Nov. 1.
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