Mules return home to host Lindenwood in MIAA TV Game of the Week

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KICKOFF
• The Mules return home to host Lindenwood in the MIAA Television Network Game of the Week. Kickoff at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field is set for 2:07 p.m. due to the television broadcast.
• The Mules are coming off a 56-14 rout of Northeastern State on Saturday afternoon in Tahlequah, while the Lions are coming off a 31-17 loss to Missouri Southern at home on Saturday afternoon.
• The Mules have won five straight games for the first time since the 2010 season.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on the 44,000-watt 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO with Greg Hassler and Bill Turnage calling the action. With Saturday's game kicking off at 2:07 p.m. the Mules Tailgate Show will begin at 12:57 p.m.
• The game will also be webcast online through Stretch Internet. Fans can access the pay-per-view webcast at
portal.stretchinternet.com/ucmo/

TOYS FOR TOTS
• The Toys for Tots campaign will be on hand at Saturday's game accepting new unwrapped toys and monetary donations at the Southwest entrance to Walton Stadium. Anyone who donates a toy or makes a monetary donation of at least $5 will receive a free ticket to the Mules' final home game on Nov. 15 against Fort Hays State, a coupon for a free box of popcorn at the Nov. 15 game courtesy of Concessions by Sodexo, and will be entered into a drawing for a UCM Athletics prize pack that includes a UCM t-shirt and up to $50 in gift certificates from UCM athletic sponsors.. The winner will be announced at halftime and you must be present to win.

QUICK HITS
• A win over Lindenwood on Saturday would give the Mules their first six-game winning streak since the 2010 season when they won eight straight games.
• The Mules, and the rest of the MIAA, will be playing an 11-game schedule in 2014 with all 11 games against conference competition.
• The Mules will play six of their 11 games at home this season. It is the first time in five years that the Mules have more than five games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• Central Missouri went 6-4 last season finishing in seventh place in the MIAA standings. It was the seventh straight winning season for Mules Football and the 15th in the last 16 seasons.

SERIES HISTORY
 This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Lindenwood. The Mules lead the series 3-0, including a 1-0 mark in Warrensburg.
• UCM won last year's meeting 47-28 in Warrensburg. Lindenwood led 28-20 in that game, but the Mules scored the final 27 points of the game to claim their third straight win over the Lions.
• The Mules have scored at least 35 points in all three meetings with Lindenwood and are averaging 43 points per game, while the Lions have scored 28 points in each of the three meetings.

LAST MEETING WITH LINDENWOOD
• The Mules scored the final 27 points of the game and shut out the Lions in the second half to earn their first win of the season on Sept. 21, 2013.
• Hayden Hawk was 31 of 39 for 401 yards and five touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown to lead UCM in the win.
• Hawk's 401 yards passing were the eighth most in a single game in school history and his six touchdowns accounted for ties the school record.
• Ronrei Lloyd and Tristan McClelland each caught five passes for at least 100 yards. Lloyd had two receiving touchdowns and McClelland had one.
• LaVance Taylor ran 19 times for 101 yards and also caught a 37-yard pass.
• Zach Quines had six tackles and returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown.
• Ricky Spratley had 11 tackles, including eight solo stops and a tackle for loss and pass break-up.
• UCM racked up 587 yards of total offense, while the Lions had 532 yards.

ABOUT THE LIONS
• Lindenwood comes into the game at 1-7 overall and in MIAA play after a 31-17 loss to Missouri Southern on Saturday at home.
• The Lions are led by 11th year head coach Patrick Ross. He has an 86-39 record at Lindenwood and an overall mark of 100-46 in his 13th season as a head coach.
• LWU comes into the matchup averaging 17.4 points and 312.5 yards of total offense per game, while giving up 34.0 points and 404.6 yards per game.
• Lindenwood averages 256.8 yards per game through the air, but a league-low 55.8 on the ground.
• Defensively, they give up 212.2 yards per game rushing and 192.4 passing.
• Lavorrie Johnson is Lindenwood's leading rusher at 28.9 yards per game and he has scored two touchdowns.
• Quarterbacks Graham Lindman and Dillon Miller have combined for 1965 yards passing with 10 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. As a whole, LWU is completing just 50.1 percent of passes.
• Jaron Alexander leads the team with 38 receptions for 402 yards and two touchdowns. Fourteen different Lions receivers have caught passes this year and eight different players have scored receiving touchdowns.
• Connor Harris leads the Lindenwood defense and the MIAA with 107 tackles, including 59 solo stops. He also has a team-best two interceptions
• Roderick Ryles is second on the team with 68 tackles and has two fumble recoveries.
• As a unit, the LWU defense has registered 48 tackles for loss with 11 sacks and five interceptions. They've forced six fumbles and recovered seven.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules raced out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 56-14 rout of Northeastern State on Saturday afternoon at Doc Wadley Stadium in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
• The win was the fifth in a row for UCM, the longest winning streak since the 2010 season.
• The Mules racked up 649 yards in total offense, including 405 yards on the ground. LaVance Taylor and Ray Harris both went over 100 yards rushing with 175 and 169, respectively, and Evan Campbell added 77 yards on just four carries.
• The UCM defense held NSU to just 276 total yards and 54 yards rushing on 41 carries.
• Diaron Rhodes had two pass break ups, giving him 14 on the season, a new UCM single-season record
• Monteze Latimore recorded his first career interception and Jack Cronin recorded his first two career sacks in the win.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 6-2 in MIAA play this season after the 56-14 win over Northeastern State on Saturday in Tahlequah.
• UCM is 31-14 in conference action under Jim Svoboda. The Mules were 5-4 in league play a season ago and finished in seventh place in the MIAA standings.
• The Mules are 23-13 in MIAA play since 2011.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 19-6 at home under Jim Svoboda after the win over Central Oklahoma last Saturday.
• The current six-game home winning streak is the longest since UCM won 10 straight home games between the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
• The Mules are averaging 42.5 points per game at home this season and giving up 19.5 points per contest.
• The Mules are 224-180-13 in their 84th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 2-2 on the road in 2014 after the 56-14 win at Northeastern State.
• The Mules went 3-2 on the road in 2013 and are 16-10 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM is 6-4 in the last 10 road games.

LEADING THE PACK
• Senior running back LaVance Taylor currently leads the MIAA in rushing at 147.1 yards per game and in scoring with 14 touchdowns in 2014. His 1,177 rushing yards are nearly 300 yards more than the next closest player in the league.
• Taylor has gone over the 100 yard mark in six of Central Missouri's eight games and has gone over the 200-yard mark twice, including a school-record 288 yards on 23 carries in the win over Emporia State.
• His 209.9 all-purpose yards per game average also leads the conference.
• Taylor is seventh in NCAA-II in rushing yards per game and his 1,177 yards on the season are the fifth most in the country.

 TACKLING MACHINES
• Junior linebacker Ricky Spratley is currently seventh in the MIAA in tackles, averaging 9.1 stops per game. His 73 total tackles leads the team, as do his 35 solo stops. His linebacking mate Alex Perlin is eighth in the league in tackles at 9.0 per contest. He has 63 total tackles on the season in seven games.
• Spratley set a new career-high with 19 tackles in the win at Missouri Southern.

VENCKUS CONTROLLING THE LINE
• Junior defensive end Jason Venckus currently leads the MIAA in tackles for loss with 11.5 on the year.  He is tied for third in the league with 4.5 sacks.
• He had a career-high three tackles for loss in the win over Nebraska-Kearney.
• He is 5.5 tackles for loss shy (17) of cracking UCM's single-season top 10 list.

NO FLY ZONE
• Sophomore cornerback Diaron Rhodes set a new UCM single-season record with 14 passes defended after coming up with two in the win over Northeastern State. He leads the MIAA and is tied for 12th in the nation averaging 1.75 passes defended per game.
• Sophomore J.R. Alexander is tied for third in the league in interceptions with three.

STREAKING MULES
• During the current five-game winning streak the Mules are averaging 42 points per game and giving up 18.4 per contest.

LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 29-5 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime, including a 3-1 mark this season after beating Northeastern State
• The Mules are 6-12 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime, but 2-1 this season. UCM was trailing 14-7 at halftime to Nebraska-Kearney and 24-13 at Missouri Southern.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 36-7 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM 36-1 during the Svoboda era and 22-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
• The only loss when scoring 30 or more points was a 55-54 defeat to Division I FCS Illinois State in 2010.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With LaVance Taylor's 18-yard touchdown run against Northeastern State, Central Missouri has scored in 257 consecutive games - the longest streak in MIAA history.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules a 7-2 overall and MIAA record and give the Mules six straight wins. The longest winning streak since 2010 when UCM won eight straight games.
• Give the Mules four consecutive wins over Lindenwood and seven straight wins at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field dating back to last year.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 6-3 overall and in conference play and snap Central Missouri's five-game winning streak.
• Be the first loss to Lindenwood in the all-time series.
• Snap UCM's six-game home winning streak

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 119th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 532-500-51 (.515) record in 1,083 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 in 2010.
• UCM has won or shared 12 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 in 2010.

SVOBODA AT THE HELM
• Central Missouri head coach Jim Svoboda has a record of 37-17 (.685) in his fifth season leading the Mules.
• He is in fifth place on Central Missouri's career wins.
• Svoboda's .674 winning percentage entering the 2014 season was the fourth highest for a UCM coach.
• UCM posted the second most wins in a two-year span in school history in Svoboda's first two seasons.
• The Mules 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 68 school offensive records and 20 MIAA offensive records during Svoboda's tenure.
• 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 ninth season in the league and his second with the Tennessee Titans. Walker signed a four-year deal with the Titans last season after playing in Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco. He caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee's loss to Houston on Sunday. Walker has 218 catches for 2,511 yards with 18 touchdowns in his career.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 200 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured seven MIAA regular season titles, the most of any school in league history and the second time Central Missouri accomplished the feat.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 146 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won six national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003 and men's basketball in 2014) and eight national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 220 student-athletes named to the 2013-14 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 41 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.
• 17 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 12 student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with seven of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

MULES FOOTBALL ON THE AIR
• The Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. Jim Svoboda Mules Football Radio Show, Live from Traditions Restaurant airs on Monday nights at 6 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as online at warrensburgradio.com. The show is broadcast live on the patio at Traditions Restaurant at the Audrey J. Walton Clubhouse at Keth Memorial Golf Course.
• The Central Missouri Sportspage is your weekly one-hour look at UCM athletics each Thursday night at 7 p.m. on KMOS-TV and re-airs on Saturdays at 5 p.m.

LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
• Live video coverage for all Central Missouri home and away MIAA games will be available through Stretch Internet on a pay-per-view basis. The cost is $9.95 for a day pass or $69.95 for an all-season pass for UCM football. With a day pass, fans can access any MIAA game being broadcast that day. Fans can access webcasts through the GameCentral by Stretch Internet link on the UCM Athletics homepage or through the "Video" links on the Mules Football schedule page. Fans can also go directly to portal.stretchinternet.com/ucmo/

UP NEXT
• The Mules head out on the road for the final time in the 2014 regular season as they head to Pittsburg, Kansas to take on ninth-ranked Pittsburg State on Saturday, Nov. 8. Kickoff at Carnie Smith Stadium is set for 2 p.m.