Mules return home to host third-ranked Northwest Missouri

vs.

KICKOFF
• The Mules return home to host third-ranked Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
• The Mules are coming off a 45-34 loss at Emporia State over the weekend. The game was suspended on Thursday night due to inclement weather with the game tied 24-24 at halftime. The second half was played on Saturday with the Hornets out-scoring the Mules 21-10 to pull out the win.
• The Bearcats are coming off a 48-7 home win over Missouri Southern last Thursday night and are 2-0 on the season.

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 1:30 p.m., The Spin Pizza - Bob Showers of Ameritas Financial Tailgate Show will begin at 12:20 p.m. It will be 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 are looking for their first win over Northwest Missouri State since 2012 and just the second against the Bearcats under Jim Svoboda.
• UCM is 15-7 in the month of September under Jim Svoboda.
• The loss to Emporia State was just the third loss under Svoboda when the Mules score 30 or more points (38-3).
• 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.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 95th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri. The Bearcats lead the series 57-35-2.
• Northwest Missouri won last year's meeting 37-15 in Maryville.
• The Mules are 1-5 against Northwest Missouri under Jim Svoboda, while the Bearcats are 3-1 against UCM under Adam Dorrel.
• The Mules are 12-15 against the Bearcats in Warrensburg since 1966, including a 1-2 mark under Svoboda.
• The Bearcats have won 11 of the last 12 meetings and 18 of the last 21 between the two schools.

RANKINGS
• The Mules are unranked in both polls, while Northwest Missouri State is ranked No. 3 in the AFCA Poll and fifth in the D2Football.com poll.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
• Top-ranked Northwest Missouri State scored 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to run away from Central Missouri for a 37-15 win last year in Maryville.
• The Mules were held to just one net yard rushing and 195 total yards in the loss.
• The Bearcat defense registered 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks on the day.
• Hayden Hawk finished the day 19-of-32 for 183 yards with one touchdown passing and one rushing.
• Justus McMullen scored his first career touchdown on a 15-yard reception in the second quarter.
• The Mules were held to 15 first downs, while Northwest Missouri had 29 and racked up 486 yards in total offense.
• The Bearcats held the ball for eight more minutes than UCM, holding a 34:00-26:00 advantage in time of possession.
• Alex Perlin and Sam Smith led the Mule defense with nine tackles each, while Smith added 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
• J.R. Alexander recorded his first career interception.

ABOUT THE BEARCATS
• Northwest Missouri State enters the game at 2-0 overall and in league play after a 48-7 win over Missouri Southern last week. The Bearcats are ranked No. 3 in this week's AFCA Poll.
• The Bearcats have outscored their opponents 79-7 through their first two games.
• NWMSU is averaging 429 yards per game in total offense, while holding opponents to just 199.5 yards of total offense per game.
• The Bearcats average 159.5 yards per game on the ground and 269.5 through the air.
• Brady Bolles has completed 54 percent of his passes for 486 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushes for 37.5 yards per game and has scored two rushing touchdowns.
• Phil Jackson is averaging 47.0 rushing yards per game with a score through two games.
• Shawn Bane has a team-high seven receptions for 98 yards. Shane Williams has six grabs for 106 yards and two touchdowns. George Sehl also has six receptions and two TDs.
• Placekicker Simon Mathiesen is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts with a long of 34 and he is 10-for-10 in PATs.
• Defensively, Cass Weitl leads Northwest Missouri with 14 total tackles to go along with three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
• Brandon Yost leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and also has 1.5 sacks. As a unit, the Bearcats have racked up 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks in two games. They've also picked off three passes and forced four fumbles.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules and Emporia State started their game on Thursday night and finished on Saturday afternoon after the game was suspended at halftime due to inclement weather.
• Emporia State outscored UCM 21-10 in the second half and came out with the 45-34 win.
• The Mules jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, but were outscored 42-20 the rest of the way.
• Quarterback Garrett Fugate accounted for 484 yards of total offense to lead UCM. He was 24-of-37 passing for 371 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 113 yards and a score.
• The Mules registered 565 yards in total offense, 194 on the ground and 371 through the air, but they gave up 605 yards to the ESU offense.
• Jaylen Zachery had career-highs of six catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. Ian Toalson hauled in six passes for 82 yards.
• Markel Smith rushed 12 times for 50 yards.
• Brent Wilson led ESU with 446 yards and five touchdowns on 35-of-46 passing. Antonio Brown had 88 yards and a score on 21 carries, while nine different Hornet receivers caught passes. Justin Brown (130 yds) and Kavaski Ervin (100 yds) each totaled 100 yards receiving and Brown  had two TDs.
• Jackson Newman was UCM's leading tackler with eight stops. Diaron Rhodes had seven solo stops with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. He is now tied for fourth all-time at UCM with 18 pass breakups.
• Tevin Teamer had six tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 1-1 in MIAA play and 33-17 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 1-0 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field this season and 21-7 in their sixth season 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 226-181-13 in their 85th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 0-1 on the road this season and the Mules are 18-12 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM is 5-5 in the last 10 road games.

THE MULES FOLLOWING A LOSS
• The Mules are 13-4 following a loss during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM has lost back to back games four times during Svoboda's tenure, including once last season.
• The Mules are averaging 36.8 points per game in the games immediately following a loss.

THE MULES VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• The Mules were 2-3 last season and are 7-12 overall against ranked competition during the Jim Svoboda era.
• UCM's last win over a top 10-ranked opponent was a 31-21 win over No. 3 Northwest Missouri on Sept. 8, 2012.

PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
• Senior defensive end Jason Venckus, who led the MIAA in tackles for loss last season, has picked up right where he left off registering 5.5 tackles for loss in the first two games.
• He is now four TFL shy of cracking Central Missouri's career top 10 list.
• Junior defensive back Diaron Rhodes broke the UCM single-season record for pass breakups last season with 15. With his two PBU in the first two games this year, he has moved in to a tie for fourth place on UCM's career list with 18. He is one pass breakup shy of third place and two away from second place.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 1-0 this season and 32-6 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after beating Missouri Western in the season-opener. UCM led 9-7 at the break.
• The Mules are 6-13 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime, including a 2-2 mark last season.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 38-9 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 38-3 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 two games this season, UCM has been outscored 31-19.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With Garrett Fugate's first quarter 39-yard touchdown run, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 262.
• The streak dates back to the 1991 season.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules a 2-1 record for the first time since 2012 and the fourth time in six seasons under Jim Svoboda.
• Snap a two-game losing streak against Northwest Missouri State and pull UCM within 57-36-2 in the all-time series.
• Give the Mules their first win over a top-five ranked opponent since beating then-No. 3 Northwest Missouri 31-21 in 2012.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Give the Mules back-to-back losses and a 1-2 record for the third straight season.
• Be the third straight to the Bearcats and the 12th loss in the last 13 meetings.
• Give NWMSU a 58-35-2 lead in the all-time series.
• Give UCM two straight losses for just the fourth time under Svoboda.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 535-503-51 (.515) record in 1,089 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 40-20 (.667) 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 fifth place on Central Missouri's career wins list, just three 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 249 catches for 2,969 yards with 19 touchdowns in his career. He caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee's season-opening win over Tampa Bay.
• Walker was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame last February.
• Running back LaVance Taylor recently 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 head back out on the road next Saturday to Kearney, Nebraska to take on the Lopers of UNK. Kickoff from Cope Stadium is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.