KICKOFF• The Mules will look to get back to .500 when they host Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• Saturday is Family Weekend on the UCM campus.
• The Mules are coming off a 37-15 loss at No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri on Saturday. UCM trailed 14-7 late in the second quarter, but the Bearcats reeled off 17 straight points to grab a 31-7 lead late in the third quarter.
• The Lopers come in to the contest at 0-3 on the season after a 34-17 loss at home to Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon. UNK dropped their season-opener 31-7 at Northwest Missouri and then fell 10-7 to Washburn in week two in Kearney, Neb.
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 1:30 p.m. the Mules Tailgate Show will begin at 12:20 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/
COACH TO CURE MD• The Mules coaching staff will once again be participating in the Coach to Cure MD program. All members of the coaching staff will be wearing Coach to Cure MD patches on the sidelines. Fans are asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD).
• Fans can donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word "CURE" to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).
QUICK HITS• The combined record of the Mules' first three opponents this season (Missouri Western, Emporia State and Northwest Missouri) was 32-5 last season.
• 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 just the sixth meeting all-time between Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney. The Mules lead the overall series 3-2.
• The series is tied 1-1 since the Lopers joined the MIAA. Each team has won on the other's home field.
• The Mules shutout the Lopers 56-0 in Kearney last season.
• The Mules are 1-1 against UNK under
Jim Svoboda.
LAST MEETING WITH NEBRASKA-KEARNEY• The Mules scored early and often en route to a 56-0 win over the Lopers on Nov. 2, 2013 in Kearney. The shutout was the first for Central Missouri since 2006 and the first shutout of an MIAA opponent since 2004.
•
Hayden Hawk led the Mule offense going 23-of-26 for 328 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
•
Ronrei Lloyd caught 12 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, his 12 receptions were the third most in a single game in school history and his receiving yardage was the fourth best in a single game.
•
Anthony Kirkwood had eight catches for 91 yards and two scores and
LaVance Taylor returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score, the first of his career-record three kickoff returns for TDs.
• Defensively,
Alex Perlin and
Ricky Spratley led the Mules with six tackles each.
• The Mules held UNK to just 223 yards of total offense while racking up eight tackles for loss and three sacks.
ABOUT THE LOPERS• Nebraska-Kearney enters the contest at 0-3 on the season after a 34-17 loss to Missouri Southern on Saturday in Kearney.
• The Lopers are averaging 10.3 points per game offensively while giving up 25.0 per contest.
• They had not scored a point in the second half of games this year until a 14-point fourth quarter last week against Missouri Southern.
• UNK has been out-scored 44-14 in the second half this season.
• The Lopers are averaging 213.3 yards of total offense per game, 132.0 on the ground and 81.3 through the air.
• Quarterback Bronson Marsh leads the team averaging 59.3 yards per game on the ground. He's also scored both of UNK's rushing touchdowns. Romero Cotton averages 58.7 yards per contest rushing as well.
• Marsh has completed 27 of 69 passes for 244 yards with two scores and two interceptions. His favorite target has been Allen Sampson with five catches for 49 yards.
• Defensively, the Lopers give up 393.7 yards per game including 224.3 on the ground and 169.3 through the air.
• Tyke Kozeal leads the defense with 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Jack Wardyn and Matt Bowman have 24 tackles apiece, while George Brown has 11 tackles, three passes defended and an interception.
• The Lopers have registered 17 tackles for loss and three sacks as a unit in three games.
LAST TIME OUT• The Mules fell 37-15 last Saturday at No. 1 Northwest Missouri. UCM trailed 14-7 late in the second quarter only to see the Bearcats score 17 unanswered points to grab a 31-7 lead by the end of the third quarter.
• The Mules were held to just one net yard rushing and 195 total yards in the loss. The 195 yards of total offense is the lowest output since UCM was held to 178 in a 23-6 loss at Missouri Western on Sept. 10, 2011.
• The Mules gave up eight sacks to the Bearcats, including six in the first quarter.
•
Justus McMullen scored his first career touchdown, a 15-yard reception from
Hayden Hawk in the first quarter to pull UCM within 14-7.
• Hawk finished the day 19-of-32 for 183 yards with a touchdown.
•
Alex Perlin and
Sam Smith led the Mule defense with nine tackles each. Smith also added 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
•
J.R. Alexander recorded his first career intercpetion.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY• The Mules are 1-2 in MIAA play this season after the 37-15 loss at No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri on Saturday. They are now 1-2 in conference play for the second straight season.
• UCM is 26-14 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 AT HOME• Central Missouri is 16-6 at home under
Jim Svoboda after the home-opening win over the Hornets in the home opener on Sept. 11.
• The Mules averaged 38.0 points per game at home last season and gave up 25.2 points per contest.
• The Mules are 221-180-13 in their 84th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
THE MULES ON THE ROAD• Central Missouri is 0-2 on the road in 2014 after the loss at Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
• The Mules went 3-2 on the road in 2013 and are 16-10 in road games during the
Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM is 4-6 in the last 10 road games.
THE MULES VS. RANKED OPPONENTS• The Mules are 1-2 this season and 6-11 overall against ranked competition during the
Jim Svoboda era after the loss to No. 1 Northwest Missouri.
• Central Missouri is 2-7 against ranked opponents over the past three seasons.
• UCM's last win over a top 5-ranked opponent was a 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri on Sept. 8, 2012.
• The Mules have never beaten a No. 1 ranked team.
THE MULES FOLLOWING A LOSS• The Mules are 11-3 following a loss during the
Jim Svoboda era after beating Emporia State 50-31 in week two.
• UCM has lost back to back games just two times during Svoboda's tenure, both happened last season.
• The Mules are averaging 36.8 points per game in the games immediately following a loss.
LEADING AT THE HALF• The Mules are 26-5 during the
Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime, but 0-1 this season after falling to Missouri Western. The Mules led 6-0 at halftime, but fell 10-9 in the season-opener.
• The Mules are just 4-11 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime, but 2-0 when the game is tied at the break as it was against Emporia State.
21 AND UP• UCM is 31-7 under
Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM 31-1 during the Svoboda era and 19-1 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.
MULES AGAINST THE CORNHUSKER STATE• Central Missouri is 10-9 all-time against teams hailing from Nebraska, including a 2-1 mark under
Jim Svoboda.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES• With
Justus McMullen's 15-yard touchdown reception against Northwest Missouri, Central Missouri has scored in 252 consecutive games - the longest streak in MIAA history.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules a 2-2 overall and MIAA record for the second straight season.
• Give the Mules back-to-back wins over the Lopers and four straight home wins.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 1-3 overall and in MIAA play for the first time under
Jim Svoboda.
• Give the Mules their first 1-3 start since 1995.
• Be the second loss to the Lopers in the three meetings since UNK joined the MIAA.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY• In the 119th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 527-500-51 (.513) record in 1,078 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 LEADING THE WAY• Central Missouri head coach
Jim Svoboda has a record of 32-17 (.653) in his fifth season leading the Mules.
• He is in sixth place on Central Missouri's career wins list with 32.
• Svoboda's .674 winning percentage entering the 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 54 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Walker has 200 catches for 2,269 yards with 16 touchdowns for 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 back out on the road to take on Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Joplin, Mo. Kickoff at Fred G. Hughes Stadium is set for 2 p.m.
