Mules Football to host Nebraska-Kearney on Senior Day
Mules Football to host Nebraska-Kearney on Senior Day
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Central Missouri (5-3, 5-3 MIAA) vs. Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (1-7, 1-7 MIAA)
Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 | 1:30 p.m.
  Warrensburg, Mo. | Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field (12,000)

TV: None
Radio: Central Missouri Sports Network
Watch | Listen Live | Live Stats | UCM Game Notes | UNK Game Notes | MIAA Weekly Notes

KICKOFF
• The Central Missouri Mules return home for the final time in the 2012 season to face MIAA-newcomer Nebraska-Kearney. Senior Day kickoff from Walton Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m.

QUICK HITS
• The Mules look to get back on the winning track when they take on Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 1:30 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• Central Missouri is 5-3 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA following a 24-23 loss at Northeastern State last weekend.
• The loss to Northeastern State was the first for UCM in the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime.
• The Mules have not lost back-to-back games in the Jim Svoboda era and have not lost consecutive games since 2008.
• This is the fourth of four games against the newest members of the MIAA for the Mules in 2012 and the third straight. UCM is 2-1 against the conference newcomers this season.
• Based on rankings, the Mules played the toughest first two weeks of any team in NCAA-II facing Missouri Western, who was ranked 18th at the time, and Northwest Missouri (No. 3).
• The Mules will play a 10-game schedule in the new-look MIAA this season. UCM will play five home games and five road games, this is the third straight year that the Mules have just five home games on their schedule in the regular season.
• The Mules were 8-4 a season ago and received a bid to play in the Kanza Bowl.

SERIES HISTORY
• This is the fourth all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney. The Mules lead the series 2-1.
• This is the first meeting since 1973.
• The Mules won the first two games of the series with the Lopers winning the last meeting in 1973.

LAST TIME VS NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• The Lopers captured a 21-13 win in Kearney in the 1973 season-opener.
• It was the first win for the Lopers in the series.

ABOUT NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• The Lopers come into the game at 1-7 overall and 1-7 in MIAA play after picking up their first win of the season, a 34-20 victory over Southwest Baptist last Saturday.
• Nebraska-Kearney is averaging 21.5 points per contest and giving up 34.5 points per game.
• UNK averages 383 yards per game in total offense while the defense is giving up 422.8 yards per game.
• The Lopers have used eight different quarterbacks this season. Justin Drudik, who started the season as a wide receiver, has played in all eight games and played last week against Southwest Baptist.
• As a unit, the QBs are completing 54.3 percent of their passes for 1,563 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. They are averaging 195.4 yards per game through the air.
• Ricky Trinidad is averaging 110.0 yards per game rushign and gained 219 yards on 35 carries with a touchdown in the win over Southwest Baptist.
• Tommy Flanagan leads the receiving corps with 34 catches for 276 yards and has two touchdowns.
• Defensively, Sam Kuck leads the team with 68 tackles, including 37 solo stops. He also has two interceptions.
• Ryan Lendrum leads the team with three picks and has eight passes broken up.
• The Loper defense has 58 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback sacks, six interceptions and four fumbles recovered.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules jumped out to a 23-7 halftime lead, but couldn't hold on and lost 24-23 at previously winless Northeastern State on Saturday.
• UCM was held to 250 yards of total offense and just 22 yards rushing against the 15th-ranked rushing defense in the MIAA.
• The Mules gave up 400 yards of total offense to the RiverHawks, 174 on the ground and 226 through the air.
• The UCM defense forced five turnovers in the game.
Ronrei Lloyd hauled in 10 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. He has 100 yards receiving in three of his last four games.
Joe Carter led the defense with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss.
• The Mules had 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, four fumble recoveries and an interception.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 19-7 in MIAA play under Jim Svoboda and 5-3 this season after a 24-23 loss at Northeastern State.
• The Mules' 14 combined conference wins in 2010 and 2011 are the most by a UCM head coach in their first two seasons.
• UCM was 6-3 in MIAA play last season.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 12-3 at home under Jim Svoboda, including 4-0 this year after a 47-17 win over Central Oklahoma two weeks ago.
• The Mules are 217-177-13 in their 82nd season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 12-6 in road games under Jim Svoboda and 1-3 this year after a 24-23 loss at Northeastern State on October 20.
• UCM was 5-1 on the road last season.
• The Mules averaging 26.3 points per game on the road, while giving up 30 points per outing.

THE MULES VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• The Mules are 5-6 against ranked opponents during the Jim Svoboda era and 1-2 this season after their 30-21 loss at No. 1 Pittsburg State on October 6.
• The Mules were 1-2 against ranked opponents last season.
• UCM's last win over a top 5-ranked opponent was a 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri on Sept. 8.
• The Mules have never beaten a team ranked No. 1 in the country.

MULES FOLLOWING A LOSS
• The Mules are 7-0 under Jim Svoboda following a loss and 2-0 this season.
• UCM has not lost back-to-back games since losing in weeks nine and 10 of the 2008 season.
• The Mules are averaging 41.9 points per game in their seven wins following losses under Jim Svoboda.

LEADING AT THE HALF
• Central Missouri lost for the first time in the Jim Svoboda era when leading after the first quarter and when leading at halftime. The Mules are now 13-1 when leading at the end of the first quarter and 21-1 when leading at halftime.
• On the flip side, the Mules are just 2-9 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime.

21 AND UP
• The Mules lost for just the fourth time under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• UCM is now 24-4 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• Central Missouri is 5-3 this season when scoring 21 or more points.
• UCM was 8-0 last season when scoring at least 21 points.

MOVING UP THE CAREER TOP 10 CHARTS
• Senior safety Patrick Lewis moved into 10th place on Central Missouri's all-time tackles list with his 10-tackle performance at Pittsburg State on Oct. 6. Lewis now has 245 career tackles (116 solo, 129 assists) to rank 10th on the list. He is 17 tackles shy of eighth place.
• Senior tight end David Cannon has moved into a tie for seventh place on the career receptions list with 117. He tied Brian Wessling with his three catches in the Northeastern State game.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules a 6-3 overall and MIAA record.
• Give the Mules three wins in four all-time meetings against Nebraska-Kearney.
• Give UCM a 3-1 record in three games against the MIAA newcomers.
• Give the Mules an 8-0 record following a loss in the Jim Svoboda era.
• Ensure UCM a winning season for the sixth straight year and the 14th time in the last 15 seasons.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 5-4 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
• Give the Mules two straight losses to Nebraska-Kearney and even the all-time series at 2-2.
• Give UCM back-to-back losses for the first time in the Jim Svoboda era and for the first time since the 2008 season.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 117th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 519-493-51 (.512) record in 1,063 total games.
• The Mules have won 10 or more games three times in the history of the program and have posted 11 seasons of eight or more wins.
• UCM won a school-record 11 games in Jim Svoboda's first season.
• UCM has won or shared eight MIAA championships in school history with the last coming in 2003.
• The Mules have qualified for the postseason seven times in their history, including two trips to the NCAA-II Playoffs, the last coming 2010.

SVOBODA LEADING THE WAY
• Central Missouri head coach Jim Svoboda has a career record of 24-10 (.706) in his third season leading the Mules.
• Svoboda's .706 winning percentage is the fourth highest for a UCM coach.
• UCM has posted the second most wins in a two-year span in school history under Svoboda.
• The Mules have appeared in the postseason in each of Svoboda's first two seasons. UCM made the NCAA-II Playoffs in year one under Svoboda and earned a bid to the Kanza Bowl in his second season. It is just the second time in school history that Mules Football has made back-to-back postseason appearances.
• UCM hosted the first ever playoff game in school history and won the school's first two playoff games in Svoboda's first season in 2010.
• The Mules have set or tied 63 school offensive records in Svoboda's first two seasons and 20 conference offensive records.
• The Mules became the first team in NCAA-II history to have a 5,000-yard passer (Eric Czerniewski) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Anthony Stewart) in the same season when they accomplished that feat in 2010.

MULES IN THE PROS
• There is one former Mule currently on an NFL roster. Tight end Delanie Walker is in his seventh season in the league with the San Francisco 49ers. Last week, Walker caught the second game-winning touchdown of his career when he hauled in a 12-yard touchdown from Alex Smith in the 49ers 13-6 win over Seattle. For his career, Walker has 107 catches for 1,172 yards and six touchdowns.
• Former Central Missouri All-American running back Anthony Stewart is continuing his football career north of the border. Stewart is currently a member of the BC Lions practice sqaud in the Canadian Football League.

JAMIESON NAMED TO WATCH LIST
• Senior placekicker Aaron Jamieson has been named to the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Placekicker Award watchlist for the second straight season. Jamieson was a semifinalist for the award last season. The award is given annually to the nation's top collegiate placekicker among FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA and NJCAA.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE ATHLETIC ARENA
• Central Missouri has won a combined 190 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured seven MIAA regular season and three tournament championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 136 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won five national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, and women's bowling in 2003) and seven national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• The 500+ Central Missouri student-athletes received 245 Academic Awards from the MIAA office for the 2011-12 academic year.
• 195 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 32 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 18 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 10 student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors, including Shawn Boss being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Track & Field.

MULES FOOTBALL ON THE AIR
• Central Missouri football is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO/98.5 “The Bar”, 90.9 The Bridge and on the internet at warrensburgradio.com. 90.9 The Bridge will pick up the broadcasts at kickoff. The broadcast team of Shawn Jones (play-by-play), Bill Turnage (color commentary) and Greg Hassler (sideline) will have all the UCM action. The Mules Tailgate show begins 80 minutes prior to kickoff.
• The Jim Svoboda Mules Football Radio Show, presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. airs on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as online at warrensburgradio.com. Remaining show dates are October 24 and Tuesday, Oct. 30.
• The Central Missouri Sportspage is your weekly one-hour look at UCM athletics each Thursday night at 7 p.m. on KMOS-TV. Senior Associate Athletic Director Shawn Jones will sit down with Mules head coach Jim Svoboda to discuss the previous week's game as well as weekly spotlights of Mules football players.

LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
• Live video coverage for all Central Missouri home and away MIAA games will be available through the America One Sports Network on a pay-per-view basis. The cost is $8 per game, $30 for a 30-day pass or $69.95 for an all-season pass for UCM football. Fans can access webcasts through the America One Sports link on the UCM Athletics homepage or by going to AmericaOneSports.com.

UPCOMING
• The Mules close out the regular season next Saturday at Fort Hays State. Kickoff from Lewis Field Stadium is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3.
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