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WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Central Missouri raced out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back in a 48-28 win over Lindenwood on Saturday afternoon at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. The Mules forced seven Lion turnovers, including six interceptions in the win.
The Mules (7-2, 7-2 MIAA) got on the board first thanks in large part to a Lindenwood (1-8, 1-8 MIAA) interception.
Kenny Mings picked off a pass and returned it to the Lion 12 yard line. five plays later
Ray Harris plunged in from two yards out and UCM led 7-0.
Following a pair of punts, the Mules took over on their own nine yard line with 11:48 to play in the first half. UCM put together a 13-play, 91-yard drive that culminated in a
Hayden Hawk to
Ian Toalson 22-yard touchdown pass. Hawk evaded the rush and threw to Toalson in the flat, who broke a tackle and raced into the end zone for a 14-0 UCM lead.
The Mules made it 21-0 on the ensuing Lion possession when
Connor Smith picked off a pass at the UCM 47 yard line and raced 53 yards the other way for a touchdown.
Lindenwood responded on their next possession with a 73-yard drive that ended with a Jared Rayford eight-yard touchdown run to pull LWU within 21-7 at halftime.
UCM took the opening drive of the second half down the field for a score to make it 24-7.
Will Mondragon hit a 26-yard field goal to cap the nine-play drive. Following a three and out, UCM took over at their own 45 yard line. On the second play of the drive Hawk hit
Andrew Bakker, who tight-roped the sideline and raced 51 yards for a touchdown and a 31-7 UCM lead.
Following interceptions by both teams, the Lions got the ball back on their own 20 yard line. They drove 80 yards in 12 plays capped by a Dillon Miller to Greg Coble 13-yard touchdown on fourth and three to pull LWU within 31-14 at the end of the third quarter.
The Mules made it 34-14 early in the fourth on a Mondragon 21-yard field goal and
Diaron Rhodes got in on the pick party with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown on the next possession to make it 41-14.
Miller hit Lavorrie Johnson for a 16-yard scoring strike on the next possession to make it 41-21, but on the second play of the ensuing possession, Hawk found a wide open
Tristan McClelland for a 71 yard strike and UCM led 48-21.
The Lions added a late touchdown rush from Jared Rayford to pull back to within 20 at 48-28, but the Mules cruised to their sixth straight win. The longest winning streak since 2010.
Hawk finished the day 19-for-28 for 286 yards and three touchdowns.
LaVance Taylor went over the 100-yard mark for the seventh time this season with 138 yards on 25 carries. Toalson caught a career-high five passes for 56 yards and a score as nine difference receivers caught balls for UCM. The Mules finished with 470 yards in total offense, 184 on the ground and 286 through the air.
Travion Vaughn and
Sam Smith led the defense with six tackles apiece. The Mules finished with six tackles for loss as a unit with the seven forced turnovers and six interceptions. The six picks are one shy of the school record of seven set in 1968 and tied in 1981.
Kenny Mings recorded the first two interceptions of his career, while
Connor Smith had a pair of picks and
Monteze Latimore and Rhodes each had one.
Lindenwood finished with 437 yards in total offense, 151 on the ground and 286 through the air. Johnson finished with 71 yards on 17 carries, while Rayford had two rushing touchdowns. Miller was 19-of-30 for 197 yards with two TDs and three interceptions, while Graham Lindman was 9-of-18 for 89 yards and three picks. Jaron Alexander had 11 catches for 60 yards.
Defensively, Roderick Ryles had a team-high 12 tackles. Connor Harris finished with 11 tackles and a half a tackle for loss.
The Mules are back in action next Saturday when they travel to Pittsburg, Kansas to take on seventh-ranked Pitt State at 2 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium. A limited number of tickets for that game are available in the UCM Athletic Ticket Office. Fans may call 660-543-4063 or by emailing tickets@ucmo.edu. The game will be broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com.
