24th-ranked Mules head south for Saturday showdown with Central Oklahoma

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KICKOFF
• The 24th-ranked Mules wrap up their short two-game road swing in Edmond, Oklahoma on Saturday to take on Central Oklahoma. The game is set for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Wantland Stadium on the UCO campus.
• The Mules are coming off a 38-28 road win at Washburn last Saturday. The Mules scored 17 straight points between the first and second quarter to go from 7-0 down to 17-7 up and they never trailed again.
• Central Oklahoma rolled to a 55-21 win over Missouri Southern last Saturday in Joplin.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action. With Saturday's game kicking off at 2 p.m., The Spin Pizza - Bob Showers of Ameritas Financial Tailgate Show will begin at 12:50 p.m. on the UCM Sports Network.
• The game will also be webcast online through Central Missouri's Stretch Internet portal at
UCMathletics.com/gamecentral. It is a pay-per-view webcast.

STORY LINES
• The win over Washburn gave UCM a 41-4 record when scoring 30 or more points.
• The Mules rank second in the MIAA in total offense and third in the league total defense. Central Oklahoma is fourth in the conference in total offense and 10th in total defense.
• This game pits the MIAA's top two teams in time of possession. UCO is first while UCM is second.
• The Mules are 17-7 during the month of October during the Jim Svoboda era.
• The Mules will play six of their 11 regular season games on the road this season. It is the fifth time in six seasons under Jim Svoboda that UCM will play more road games than home games.
• The Mules went 8-4 overall last season and finished in a tie for fourth place in the MIAA standings with a 7-4 conference mark.
• The Mules secured their eighth straight winning season in 2014, going 8-4 overall. It was the 16th winning season in the last 17 years for UCM.

RANKINGS
• The Mules moved up one spot to No. 24 in last week's D2Football.com Poll and are now receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 Poll. Central Oklahoma is unranked.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the fourth meeting all-time between Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma. The Mules have won all three meetings so far.
• UCM won last year's meeting 31-19 in Warrensburg.
• UCM is 1-0 in Edmond, winning 48-16 during the 2013 season.

LAST MEETING WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Mules jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 31-19 win over No. 22 Central Oklahoma on Homecoming.
• LaVance Taylor rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He had scoring runs of 10 and 80 yards.
• Hayden Hawk was 11-of-19 passing for 178 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score.
• J.R. Alexander had a team-high eight tackles and intercepted his team-leading third pass of the season.
• The UCM defense forced three Broncho interceptions in the game.
• UCM registered six tackles for loss and five sacks, including 1.5 each for Jason Venckus and Josh Powell. Venckus, the MIAA leader in tackles for loss, had 2.5 TFL in the game.
• UCM totaled 444 yards in total offense in the game.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS
• Central Oklahoma comes in to the game at 2-4 overall after the win over Missouri Southern. The Bronchos have now won two in a row after losing four straight games to open the season.
• UCO is led by fourth-year head coach Nick Bobeck. The Bronchos are 14-24 during his tenure.
• Central Oklahoma is fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense (30.0) and seventh in scoring defense (27.0).
• They rank fourth in the league in total offense, but 10th in total defense. They average 433.8 yards per game offensively (207.8 rushing & 226.0 passing) and allow 424.3 defensively.
• Chas Stallard has completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 968 yards and six touchdowns, but T.J. Eckert got the start in the last game against Missouri Southern. Eckert is 31-of-49 for 373 yards with three TDs and two interceptions on the season. He was 26-of-38 for 353 yards and three touchdowns against MSSU.
• Clay McKenzie is averaging 6.2 yards per carry and has scored six touchdowns on 122 carries this season. He's averaging 104.7 yards per game on the ground.
• J.T. Luper leads the team with 44 catches for 455 yards and also has two touchdowns. His 44 receptions are twice as much as the second-leading receiver, Caden Locke's, 20 catches.
• Luper is also averaging 22.6 yards per kick return on 13 chances.
• Seth Hiddink is 10-of-11 in field goal attempts with a long of 43.
• Malcolm Howard leads the defense with 80 tackles and six tackles for loss. David Busby has 52 stops, three pass breakups and an interception.
• As a unit, UCO's defense has 39 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and three interceptions.
• The Bronchos lead the MIAA in time of possession.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules scored in every quarter and used a second quarter surge to pull out a 38-28 win at Washburn last Saturday.
• UCM scored 17 straight points to go from 7-0 down to a 17-7 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
• Garrett Fugate threw one touchdown pass and ran for three more scores in the win. He was 24-of-38 passing for 295 yards and totaled 72 yards on 21 carries.
• Markel Smith rushed for 77 yards on 25 carries while Jaylen Zachery caught seven passes for 107 yards.
• Ten different Mules caught passes in the game, including Ian Toalson's one-yard touchdown grab on fourth and goal that tied the game at 7-7.
• Tevin Teamer and Alex Lackey led the UCM defense with eight tackles apiece and Teamer also had an interception.
• Travion Vaughn, Monteze Latimore and Jason Venckus all had six tackles each and Venckus added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 4-2 in MIAA play this season and 36-18 in conference games under Jim Svoboda.
• They went 7-4 in MIAA play last season and finished in a tie for fourth place in the conference standings.

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 2-1 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field this season and 22-8 in their sixth season under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 227-182-13 in their 85th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 2-1 on the road this season and the Mules are 20-12 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM is 6-4 in the last 10 road games.

BATTLE OF STRENGTHS
• The Mules are second in the MIAA in rushing defense, allowing just 91.8 yards per game on the ground, while UCO enters the contest as the third best rushing offense in the league at 207.8 yards per game.
• On the back end, UCM is 10th in the league in pass defense giving up 266.5 yards through the air and the Bronchos are 11th giving up 268.3 per contest.
• The Mules are tied for fourth in the league with eight interceptions.

CONVERTING ON THIRD DOWN
• The Mules entered the game against Nebraska-Kearney ranked 11th in the MIAA in third down conversions and 11th in opponent third down conversions. Since then, the Mules are 21-of-49 (42.3) on third downs and have held UNK, MSSU and WU to 11-of-49 (22.4) combined on third downs.
• UCM is now eighth in the league in converting third downs (31.9 percent) and fourth in opponent third down conversions (34.3).
• Central Oklahoma is second in the league in third down conversions (44.8) and third in opponent third down conversions (33.7).

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 4-1 this season and 35-7 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after their 38-28 win at Washburn.
• The Mules are 6-13 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 41-10 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 41-4 during the Svoboda era and 25-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With Ian Toalson's one-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter at Washburn, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 266.
• The streak dates back to the 1991 season.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give UCM a 5-2 record and keep them in a tie for third in the MIAA standings.
• Give the Mules four straight wins for the fifth time during the Jim Svoboda era.
• Give UCM four straight wins over UCO and a 4-0 lead in the all-time series.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Snap UCM's three-game winning streak and drop the Mules to 4-3 on the season.
• Be the first ever loss to UCO and pull the Bronchos to within 3-1 in the all-time series.
• Snap UCM's five-game winning streak against teams from Oklahoma.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 538-504-51 (.516) record in 1,093 total games.
• The Mules have won 10 or more games three times in the history of the program and have posted 12 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 eight 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 43-21 (.672) in his sixth season leading the Mules. He has led the Mules to three postseason appearances, including a berth in last season's Texarkana Bowl.
• He is in fourth place on Central Missouri's career wins list, tied with Howard Mahanes. He is one win shy of tying Tad C. Reid for third place.
• Svoboda's .672 winning percentage entering the 2015 season was the fifth 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 81 school offensive records and 21 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 10th season in the league and his third with the Tennessee Titans. Walker signed a four-year deal with the Titans after playing in Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco. He finished the 2014 season with 63 receptions for 890 yards and four touchdowns. Walker has 260 catches for 3,073 yards with 19 touchdowns in his career. He caught four passes for 36 yards in Sunday's loss to Buffalo.
• Walker was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame last February.
• Running back LaVance Taylor signed a free agent contract with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He is currently on the team's practice squad.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 205 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured five MIAA regular season titles, and three MIAA Tournament crowns.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 151 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015) and 10 national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 218 student-athletes named to the 2014-15 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 29 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 six student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with three 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 Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as online at warrensburgradio.com.
• The show is broadcast live from the patio at Traditions Restaurant at the Audrey J. Walton Clubhouse at Mules National Golf Club.

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.
• Fans can access webcasts by going to UCMathletics.com/gamecentral or by clicking on the links located on the Mules Football schedule page.

UP NEXT
• The Mules return home on Saturday, Oct. 24 to host Northeastern State in the annual Homecoming Game. Kickoff at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field is set for 1:30 p.m.