Mules Football set to host Missouri Western in season opener on Thursday night

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KICKOFF
• The Mules kick-off the 2015 season hosting Missouri Western on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in Warrensburg.
• This is the fourth straight season that the Mules and the Griffons open the season against one another. Missouri Western has won the three previous season-openers by a combined 16 points.

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 Thursday's game kicking off at 7 p.m., The Spin Pizza - Bob Showers of Ameritas Financial Tailgate Show live from the patio of Spin Pizza will begin at 5:50 p.m. UCM Athletic Hall of Famer Bill Turnage and former Mule Tristan McClelland will get you ready for kickoff as they broadcast live from the patio at Spin Pizza overlooking Walton Stadium.
• 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 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.
• UCM had the MIAA's top scoring offense last season at 35.7 points per game. Missouri Western had the league's No. 3-ranked scoring defense allowing just 16.3 points per game.
• 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.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 32nd meeting between Central Missouri and Missouri Western. The Griffons have won four straight games in the series and hold a 17-13-1 lead all-time.
• Missouri Western won last year's meeting 10-9 in St. Joseph, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:28 to play in the game.
• The Griffons have won 11 of the last 12 meetings and are 13-5 against the Mules under Jerry Partridge. The Mules are 1-4 against Missouri Western during the Jim Svoboda era.

LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI WESTERN
• The Mules dropped their season-opener to the Griffons for the third straight year, falling 10-9 at Spratt Memorial Stadium in St. Joseph last year.
• Missouri Western scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:28 to play in the game after forcing an interception at the UCM five yard line.
• The Mules out-gained MWSU 459-273 and forced three Griffon turnovers in the ballgame.
• LaVance Taylor rushed for 119 yards on 17 carries, including a 47-yard touchdown run to pace the UCM attack. Hayden Hawk finished the game 23-of-40 for 214 yards with an interception.
• The Mules held the Griffons to 171 yards rushing and 102 yards passing.
• Ricky Spratley led the defense with nine tackles, including seven solo stops, two tackles for loss and an interception. Tevin Teamer finished with four tackles and two interceptions.
• The Mules were 7-of-19 on third downs and just 1-of-3 in the red zone.
• UCM had 23 first downs compared to 14 for Missouri Western.
• Raphael Spencer led the Griffon attack with 162 yards rushing and a touchdown on 31 carries.
• TJ LaFaver was 5-of-14 passing for 33 yards with three interceptions, while Skyler Windmiller was 5-of-11 for 69 yards.
• Stephen Juergens led the MWSU defense with 15 tackles, including seven solo stops. Yomi Alli finished with 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Arbanas Eliot had five tackles, a fumble recovery and the interception that set up the game-winning score for the Griffons.

ABOUT THE GRIFFONS
• Missouri Western went 7-4 a season ago and finished in a tie for fourth in the MIAA with the Mules and Fort Hays State.
• The Griffons return some key pieces on offense including quarterback Skyler Windmiller, running back Raphael Spencer and receiver Dee Tolliver.
• Spencer was second in the MIAA in rushing with 1,126 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes for 103 yards.
• Windmiller completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 1,799 yards and nine touchdowns.  He did throw 11 interceptions on the season.
• Tolliver was Missouri Western's second leading receiver with 31 receptions for 457 yards and four scores.
• Defensively, Yomi Alli returns after finishing third on the team with 71 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
• Defensive back Michael Jordan returns after picking off four passes and finishing 2014 with 12 pass break-ups. He has been named a preseason All-American by nearly every Division II publication.
• The Griffs will have to replace both punter Scott Groner and placekicker John Schmiemeier. Groner led the MIAA in punting last season and averaged nearly 50 yards per punt in last season's matchup.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules closed out the 2014 season on a high note with a 48-21 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State in the Live United Texarakana Bowl in Texarkana, Arkansas.
• UCM scored 31 unanswered points between the first and third quarters to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 34-7 lead as they went on to the 48-21 win.
• LaVance Taylor was named the game's MVP after rushing for a Texarkana Bowl-record 264 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 87 yards and a score. He finished his UCM career second all-time in rushing with 3,941 and the school's all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 6,231.
• UCM out-gained the Savage Storm 625-418 in total yards, including 345 yards rushing.
• Hayden Hawk was 21-of-25 for 280 yards and a season-high four touchdowns.
• Alex Perlin led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles. The Mules had seven tackles for loss and four sacks as a unit.

MULES IN SEASON OPENERS
• The Mules are 2-3 in season-openers under head coach Jim Svoboda and have lost three straight lid-lifters.
• UCM lost at Missouri Western 10-9 in last year's season-opener in St. Joseph.
• In five season-openers under Svoboda the Mules are averaging 32 points per game.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules enter the 2015 season 32-16 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.

MULES IN MIAA OPENERS
• The Mules are 2-3 in MIAA openers under Svoboda and have dropped three straight, all to Missouri Western.
• The Mules are averaging 26.2 points per game in the five MIAA openers under Svoboda, but 19.3 points per game in the three meetings with the Griffons.

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules were 5-1 at home in 2014 and are 20-7 in five seasons under Jim Svoboda.
• The loss to Fort Hays State in last year's regular season finale snapped a seven-game home winning streak. It was the longest such streak since UCM won 10 straight home games between the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
• The Mules are 225-181-13 in their 85th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri went 2-3 on the road in 2014 and the Mules are 18-11 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM is 5-5 in the last 10 road games.

DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS RETURN
• The Mules fielded a very opportunistic defense in 2014 as they led the MIAA in interceptions last season with 22.
• Defensive end Jason Venckus led the MIAA in tackles for loss with 15, including five quarterback sacks. He was two TFL shy of cracking UCM's single-season top 10 list.
• Cornerback Diaron Rhodes broke the UCM single-season record for pass breakups with 15 last season. He led the MIAA and tied for 24th in the nation averaging 1.5 passes defended per game.
• Rhodes is tied for eighth place on Central Missouri's career pass breakups list with 16. He is one PBU away from sixth place and three away from third place on the list.
• Defensive back J.R. Alexander tied for the MIAA lead with four interceptions last year, while fellow DBs Monteze Latimore and Travion Vaughn tied for ninth in the league with three interceptions each.

RETURNING AWARD WINNERS
• The Mules return five players from last year's squad that earned All-MIAA honors. Those players include senior offensive linemen Brian Berzanski and Tycie Linneman, senior defensive end Jason Venckus, sophomore wide receiver Kyle Echols and junior defensive back Diaron Rhodes.
• Berzanski also earned All-Region honors last season and has been named a preseason All-American by multiple publications.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 31-6 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after going 5-2 last season.
• The Mules are 6-13 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime, including a 2-2 mark last season.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 38-8 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 38-2 during the Svoboda era and 24-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SECOND HALF SCORING
• The Mules outscored opponents 261-160 in the second half and overtime of games last season.
• In the first half, UCM held a much smaller scoring advantage at 167-142.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• The Mules scored in every game last season, extending their MIAA record streak of games without being shutout to 261 consecutive games.
• The streak dates back to the 1991 season.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules their first season-opening win since 2011 and snap a three-game losing streak in season-openers.
• Snap a four-game losing streak to Missouri Western and pull the Mules within 17-14-1 in the all-time series.
• Give UCM a 5-1 record in home openers under Jim Svoboda.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Give the Mules four straight season-opening losses to Missouri Western.
• Be the fifth straight defeat to the Griffons and the 12th loss in the last 13 meetings between the two schools.
• Give the Griffons an 18-13-1 lead in the all-time series.
• Drop UCM to 4-2 in home-openers during the Jim Svoboda era.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 534-502-51 (.515) record in 1,087 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 39-19 (.672) as he begins 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 fifth place on Central Missouri's career wins list, just four wins shy of fourth place.
• Svoboda's .672 winning percentage entering the 2015 season is 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 246 catches for 2,926 yards with 18 touchdowns in his career.
• Walker was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame last February.

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 on the patio at Traditions Restaurant at the Audrey J. Walton Clubhouse at Keth Memorial Golf Course.

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 head out on the road next Thursday, Sept. 10 to take on Emporia State in a 7 p.m. kickoff. The game is the MIAA Television Game of the Week and will be broadcast on the MIAA Television Network.