Defensive momentum key for Pitt State heading into 2018 MIAA football season
Pittsburg State football’s 48-31 victory over Arkansas Tech in the 2017 Agent Barry Live United Bowl was a perfect microcosm of the season they’d just endured.
Allowing 31 points in the first half was equivalent to the 2-4 start the Gorillas produced during the first half of their season. Their flawless second half performance against Arkansas Tech, in which they scored 34 unanswered points, mirrored the second half of their season, with the Gorillas winning their final six games of the season.
In the first five games of that second half stretch, heading into the sixth game against Arkansas Tech, Pitt State had outscored opponents 164-50. The offense was plowing through teams, while the defense was allowing an average of just 10 points per game during that stretch.
Speaking at MIAA football media day on Tuesday, Pitt State head coach Tim Beck talked about his wish to continue that dominance as the 2018 season gets underway in late August.
“We would like to kind of bottle that up and carry that it on into this season. But last season was last season, this season is this season,” Beck said.
“We’d like to think that all of our players who went through that and felt the momentum that we were getting and how our confidence was at the end of the year,” he continued. “Hopefully that feeling will continue into this year and hopefully we can get off to a good start.”
While Pitt State’s defense was impressive in the second half of the MIAA conference schedule, Beck’s hope for an offense that’s just as solid may be wishful thinking.
Finishing in fourth place in the MIAA last season, Pitt State’s last five games of conference play featured three of the eventual bottom four teams, an Emporia State team that finished sixth, and an impressive 20-10 victory over Northwest Missouri. Their other two wins earlier in the season came against Central Oklahoma — who finished with the same 7-4 record as Pittsburg State — and Northeastern State, who finished the season 1-10.
While the victory over Northwest Missouri is not to be scoffed at — one of just two regular season losses for Northwest — the Gorillas struggled to get it done against teams in the top half of the conference.
On the flip side, Beck can have some confidence in the fact that 10 players from the defensive line are returning for 2018, including team captain Demetrius Bernard.
“Whenever we go out there, there’s never going to be a question of if the guy next to you can make the play, because you’ve seen him make plays for in our case years now,” Bernard said on Tuesday.
The Gorillas will also return linebacker return Darian Taylor who led the team in tackles for loss (9.5) last year, and safety Josh Hornback, who led the team in tackles (70).
“We know what we should get from all the players out there, and it’s exciting knowing you can go out there and trust the other 10 guys, so you can just go out there and focus on your drive, so that’s the biggest thing,” Bernard said.
Pitt State will begin their season at home, hosting Central Oklahoma on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. Central Oklahoma mirrored Pitt State’s season in 2017, starting 2-4 and finishing 6-0, meaning the game will offer the chance for either team to carry over the momentum they began in 2017.
Preseason MIAA football polls
First-place votes in parentheses
Coaches
- 1. Northwest Missouri (4): 103
- 2. Fort Hays State (5): 102
- 3. Central Missouri (2): 96
- 4. Pittsburg State: 81
- 5. (tie) Central Oklahoma: 67
- 5. (tie) Emporia State: 67
- 7. Washburn: 63
- 8. Lindenwood: 46
- 9. Missouri Western: 40
- 10. Nebraska-Kearney: 30
- 11. Northeastern State: 19
- 12. Missouri Southern: 12
Media
- 1. Northwest Missouri (14): 382
- 2. Fort Hays State (13): 375
- 3. Central Missouri (6): 349
- 4. Pittsburg State (1): 311
- 5. Emporia State: 243
- 6. Central Oklahoma: 229
- 7. Washburn: 223
- 8. Missouri Western: 171
- 9. Lindenwood: 160
- 10. Nebraska-Kearney: 98
- 11. Northeastern State: 66
- 12. Missouri Southern: 45
This story was originally published August 1, 2018 at 8:44 PM.