15th-ranked Mules return home to host Pittsburg State on Senior Day & Military Appreciation Day

vs.

KICKOFF
• The 24th/15th-ranked Mules return home to host Pittsburg State in the MIAA TV Game of the Week. Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 2:37 p.m. with game being aired on the MIAA Television Network, KSMO Channel 62.
• Saturday's game is Senior Day & Military Apprecation Day with the UCM seniors being honored in a pregame ceremony. Active military members and their families, as well as veterans and their family members will receive free admission to the game.
• Toys for Tots will also be on hand on Saturday acception donations of new, unwrapped toys. Fans who donate a new toy or make a donation of at least $10 will receive a coupon for free popcorn at the concession stand and will be entered in to a drawing to win up to $25 in gift certificates from UCM athletic sponsors.
• The Mules are coming off a 31-0 win at Lindenwood last Saturday and have won six straight games.
• Pittsburg State won its second straight game with a 41-14 win over Missouri Southern last weekend.



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 2:37 p.m., The Spin Pizza - Bob Showers of Ameritas Financial Tailgate Show will begin at 1:20 p.m. on the UCM Sports Network. It will be broadcast live from the patio at Spin Pizza.
• 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 Lindenwood gave UCM a 44-4 record when scoring 30 or more points under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules finished the month of October 5-0 and are 20-7 during the month under Jim Svoboda. UCM is 8-4 during the month of November in the previous five seasons.
• The Mules rank first in the MIAA in total offense and third in the league total defense. Pittsburg State is seventh in the conference in total offense and fourth in total defense.
• 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 have secured their ninth straight winning season this year. It is the 17th winning season in the last 18 years for UCM.

RANKINGS
• The Mules moved up one spot to No. 24 in the AFCA Top 25 Poll this week. It is the first top 25 ranking in the AFCA poll this season for UCM. The Mules also moved up three more spots to No. 15 in this week's D2Football.com Poll. Pittsburg State is unranked.
• The Mules moved up two spots to No. 8 in this week's NCAA-II Super Region 3 rankings. The top seven teams in the final poll on Sunday, Nov. 15 will receive bids to the NCAA-II Playoffs.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 53rd meeting between Central Missouri and Pittsburg State. The Gorillas hold a 42-8-2 lead in the all-time series.
• The Gorillas won last year's meeting 38-31 in Pittsburg and have won four straight in the series and seven of the last nine.
• Pittsburg State is averaging 34.3 points per game during the current four-game streak, while the Mules are averaging 22.5 points per game.
• In the five meetings under the current head coaches, PSU holds a 4-1 lead. The Gorillas are averaging 31.4 points per game, while UCM is averaging 25.4 per contest.

LAST MEETING WITH PITTSBURG STATE
• The Mules led 31-28 early in the fourth quarter, but Pittsburg State scored the final 10 points of the game to come away with the 38-31 victory.
• The loss snapped UCM's six-game winning streak.
• LaVance Taylor finished with 190 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries against the league's second best rush defense.
• Josh Powell recorded his first career interception and touchdown when he returned an INT 20 yards for a score in the second quarter.
• The UCM defense forced three Gorilla interceptions in the game.
• Pittsburg State out-gained the Mules 611-329, including 428-119 in the passing game.
• The Mules gave up five sacks for 34 yards, including sacks on the final three plays of the game.

ABOUT THE GORILLAS
• Pittsburg State enters the game at 6-3 overall and riding a two-game winning streak after a 41-14 win over Missouri Southern last Saturday.
• The Gorillas are led by sixth-year head coach Tim Beck. He has a 53-17 record during his tenure in Pittsburg.
• Pitt State is averaging 33.1 points per game and giving up 25.7 per outing. They average 175.0 ypg passing and 221.0 rushing.
• Jeff Seybold is PSU's leading rusher averaging 68.9 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry. He also has scored six rushing touchdowns. Michael Rose averages 48.7 yards per game on the ground as well and has scored five times.
• Thomas LePage has started the last three games at quarterback for the Gorillas after taking over late in the loss at Emporia State. During that span he is 33-of-65 for 283 yards with three touchdowns and seven interceptions and he's been sacked seven times. Last week against MSSU was his best game to date, going 15-of-24 for 171 yards with two TDs and two INTs.
• Marquise Cushon leads PSU in receiving with 32 catches for 408 yards. Tight end Kyle Swartz leads the squad with four receiving touchdowns out of 13 receptions.
• Levi Copelin has 25 grabs for 354 yards and three scores.
• Defensively, Spencer Brown leads the team with 77 tackles and also has 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks with five pass breakups.
• Deron Washington has 74 tackles, four TFL and nine PBUs.
• Heath Wilson has 34 stops and 9.5 tackles for loss with six quarterback sacks.
• Darnell Walker and Dino Teague both have five interceptions on the season, tied for second in the MIAA.
• The Gorillas have thrown 15 interceptions on the season and are even in turnover margin. They've turned it over 19 times and have forced 19 turnovers (12 INTs, 7 fumbles) on the year.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead and the put the game away with a 17-point third quarter in a 31-0 win at Lindenwood last Saturday.
• The win was the sixth straight for UCM and gave the Mules a 5-0 all-time record against Lindenwood.
• Making his first career start, Eric Siebenshuh was 25-of-44 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 101 yards on 23 carries and scored twice on the ground.
• Jaylen Zachery recorded his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season with seven catches for 103 yards.
• Monteze Latimore led the defense with nine tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups.
• Sam Smith had eight tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Jason Venckus finished with 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He moved in to a tie for seventh place on UCM's career tackles for loss list with 31.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 7-2 in MIAA play this season and 39-18 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 3-1 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field this season and 23-8 in their sixth season under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 228-182-13 in their 85th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 4-1 on the road this season and the Mules are 22-12 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM is 6-4 in the last 10 road games.

CONVERTING ON THIRD DOWN
• Since the UNK game, the Mules are 42-of-99 (42.4) on third downs and have held the opposition to 22-of-92 (23.9) combined on third downs.
• UCM is seventh in the league in converting third downs (35.4 percent) and third in opponent third down conversions (31.7).
• Pitt State fifth in the league in third down conversions (37.8), and eighth in opponent third down conversions (40.4).

MIAA LEADERS
• Wide receiver Jaylen Zachery leads the MIAA averaging 97.4 yards per game receiving. He has 48 catches (4th in MIAA) for 877 yards (1st in MIAA) and four touchdowns (T-7th in MIAA).
• Ian Toalson is tied for second in the conference with seven receiving touchdowns. He leads all MIAA tight ends with 30 receptions and seven touchdowns.
• Quarterback Garrett Fugate is second in the league in passing at 276.8 yards per outing. His 157 completions are fourth best in the conference and his 2,214 yards are second most. His three interceptions are the least of any quarterback this year. His 341.8 yards per game of total offense is second in the league.
• His 520 rushing yards this season are a new record by a UCM quarterback, breaking the old mark of 364 set by Marcus Frazier in 1991.
• Billy Greco is fourth in the league in scoring with 82 points (second among kickers). He's made 15 field goals and 37 extra points.
• Monteze Latimore is tied for fourth in the league with four interceptions, while Austin Miller is tied for eighth with three.
• Jason Venckus' 12.5 tackles for loss are tied for third in the MIAA.

NEARING THE RECORD BOOKS
• Sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Zachery is fast approaching the top 10 for single season receiving yards. He has 877 yards on 48 receptions and is now just six receiving yards shy of tying Anthony Stewart for 10th on the list.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 7-1 this season and 38-7 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after their 31-0 win at Lindenwood last weekend.
• The Mules are 6-13 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 44-10 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 44-4 during the Svoboda era and 27-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With Ian Toalson's 17-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter at Lindenwood, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 269.
• The streak dates back to the 1991 season.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give UCM a 8-2 record and keep them in no worse than third place in the MIAA standings.
• Give the Mules seven straight wins for the first time since 2010, when they won eight in a row.
• Snap a four-game losing streak against Pittsburg State.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Snap UCM's six-game winning streak and drop the Mules to 7-3 on the season.
• Give Pittsburg State five straight wins in the series and a 43-8-2 lead in the all-time series.
• Possibly drop the Mules in to a tie for third place in the league standings.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 541-504-51 (.517) record in 1,096 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 46-21 (.687) 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 third on UCM's career wins list.
• 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. Walker has 281 catches for 3,287 yards with 19 touchdowns in his career. He caught six passes for 62 yards in Sunday's loss to Houston and now has 35 receptions for 361 yards and a touchdown in five games this season.
• 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.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is tied for sixth in NCAA-II with 49 Academic All-Americans.

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 close out the regular season next weekend at Fort Hays State. Saturday's kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Lewis Field Stadium.