vs.

KICKOFF
• The Central Missouri Mules hit the road to take on the Lindenwood Lions on Saturday night at 6 p.m. The Mules are coming off a 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri last Saturday, the first win over the Bearcats since 2003.

QUICK HITS
• The Mules look to win their second straight game this season and their second straight over Lindenwood when they travel to Harlen C. Hunter Stadium on Saturday night.
• Based on rankings, the Mules have 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).
• This will be just the second meeting between UCM and Lindenwood. The Mules won the first ever meeting between the schools last year in St. Charles.
• Central Missouri is 1-1 overall for the third straight year and 1-1 in MIAA play for the second consecutive season.
• The Mules have not lost back-to-back games in the Jim Svoboda era and have not lost consecutive games since 2008.
• 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. The Lions were 8-3 playing as an independent before joining the MIAA this season.
• The Mules hired assistant coach Kyle Westphal in the offseason. Westphal coaches the UCM special teams as well as defensive backs.

SERIES HISTORY
• Central Missouri and Lindenwood have met one time on the gridiron, last season, with the Mules coming away with a 47-28 win in St. Charles.
• The Mules will be facing the Lions for the first time as MIAA foes. Last year, Lindenwood was an independent during their transition from NAIA to NCAA-II.

LAST TIME VS LINDENWOOD
• The Mules weathered the early storm before rolling to a 47-28 win over the Lions on Nov. 5, 2011 in St. Charles.
• Lindenwood scored on the first play of the game, an 84-yard touchdown run by Denodus O'Bryant, and held a 14-3 lead midway through the first quarter.
• The Mules scored the final 16 points of the first half to lead 19-14 at the break and the first 14 points of the second half to open a 33-14 lead.
• The Mules had 29 first downs compared to 12 for Lindenwood.
• UCM passed for 429 yards and rushed for 102, out-gaining the Lions 531-370.
• Tommy Corwin's 464 yards of total offense (429 pass, 35 rush) was the third highest single-game total in school history.
• UCM had two receivers go over 100 yards in the game (Jamar Howard - 178, David Cannon-110).
• LaVance Taylor had 77 yards rushing, 40 yards receiving and three touchdowns (2 rush, 1 rec).
• Defensively, UCM held the Lions to 4-of-14 on third downs, had 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

ABOUT LINDENWOOD
• The Lions enter the game at 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA after a 35-14 win over Southwest Baptist last Saturday.
• Lindenwood is averaging 42 points per game in the two wins and giving up 21 points per contest.
• The Lions are averaging 320.0 yards per game through the air and 109.0 yards per game on the ground.
• Denodus O'Bryant is tied for fifth in the MIAA in rushing at 80.5 yards per game.
• Quarterback Ben Gomez is third in the league in passing at 320 yards per contest.
• LWU is third in the conference in scoring at 42.0 points per game and seventh in scoring defense (21.0).
• The Lions are first in total defense allowing just 261.5 yards per game.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules snapped their nine-game losing streak to Northwest Missouri with a 31-21 win over the Bearcats in Warrensburg last Saturday.
• Central Missouri's 10-point win was the Bearcats' worst MIAA defeat in seven years.
• The Mules jumped out to a 31-7 lead early in the third quarter on the way to their first win in the series since 2003.
• The win over No. 3 NWMSU was the highest ranked team that UCM has beat at home in school history.
• Colter Smith threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start.
• LaVance Taylor had 87 yards rushing on 22 attempts and four catches for 67 yards and a 62-yard touchdown grab.
• David Cannon hauled in a team-high seven passes for 74 yards. Anthony Kirkwood had three receptions for 24 yards and two touchdowns.
• Joe Carter had a career-high 13 tackles with an interception and a pass break-up.
• The Mules defense held Northwest Missouri to 80 yards rushing and just 2.3 yards per carry.
• Nine different UCM receivers caught passes.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 15-5 in MIAA play under Jim Svoboda and 1-1 this season after a 31-21 win over Northwest Missouri last week.
• 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 9-3 at home under Jim Svoboda, including 1-0 this year after a 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri in the home opener.
• The Mules are 214-177-13 in their 82nd season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 11-4 in road games under Jim Svoboda and 0-1 this year after a 38-26 season-opening loss at Missouri Western.
• UCM was 5-1 on the road last season.
• The Mules averaged 43 points per game in their five road wins last year and 36.8 points per game on the road overall.

MULES SWEEP MIAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
• The Mules swept the MIAA Football Athlete of the Week awards after the 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri.
• Colter Smith was named the Offensive Player of the Week while Joe Carter won defensive honors and Matt Jordan took home special teams honors.

THE MULES VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• The Mules are 5-5 against ranked opponents during the Jim Svoboda era and 1-1 this season after a 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri on Sept. 8.
• 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 last Saturday.

21 AND UP
• The Mules are 20-2 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points, including 1-1 this season.
• UCM was 8-0 last season when scoring at least 21 points.

CARRYING THE LOAD
• The 22 carries by LaVance Taylor in the win over Northwest Missouri are the most carries by a UCM running back since Anthony Stewart carried the ball 27 times in a 43-21 win over No. 17 Missouri Western on Oct. 16, 2010.
• The 22 carries by Taylor are the third most in a game for a running back in the Jim Svoboda era.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules a 2-1 overall and MIAA record and move them into a tie with Lindenwood at no more than one game behind the league leaders.
• Give the Mules two straight wins over Lindenwood.
• Give UCM an 8-2 record under Jim Svoboda in September games and a 6-3 record in night games.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 1-2 on the season and 1-2 in conference play, while Lindenwood would improve to 3-0.
• Be UCM's first loss to Lindenwood.
• Drop the Mules to 1-2 for the first time since 1995.
• Drop UCM two games behind the conference leaders.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 117th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 515-491-51 (.511) record in 1,057 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 20-8 (.714) in his third season leading the Mules.
• Svoboda's .714 winning percentage is the third 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 Mules currently on an NFL roster. Tight end Delanie Walker is in his seventh season in the league with the San Francisco 49ers. Last season, Walker had one of his best years to date. He started seven games, hauling in 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning TD in San Francisco's 25-19 win at Detroit in week six. For his career, Walker has 102 catches for 1,121 yards and five scores. Another former UCM tight end DeMarco Cosby signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers prior to the start of 2012 training camp.
• 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.

MULES ON NATIONAL TV
• Central Missouri's home game against Truman State on Thursday, Sept. 20 will be broadcast to a national television audience by CBS Sports Network as the CBS Sports Network/Division II Game of the Week.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE ATHLETIC ARENA
• Central Missouri has won a combined 190 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 sports to lead all conference 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 September 12, 19, 26; October 3, 10, 17, 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 starting September 13. 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 return home to host Truman State on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. in the CBS Sports Network/NCAA Division II Game of the Week. The game will be broadcast to a national television audience on CBS Sports Network.