25th-ranked Mules return home to host Missouri Southern on Family Weekend

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KICKOFF
• The Mules return home to host Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field is set for 1:30 p.m.
• This weekend is Family Weekend on the UCM campus in Warrensburg. With the game kicking off at 1:30 p.m. the gates to Walton Stadium will open at noon.
• The Mules are coming off a 38-7 at Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday that saw UCM score 38 unanswered points after falling behind 7-0.
• Missouri Southern fell to Washburn 27-21 last Saturday in Topeka and the Lions are now 1-3 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 Saturday'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. on the UCM Sports Network. 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 win over Nebraska-Kearney gave UCM a 39-4 record when scoring 30 or more points. It snapped a two-game losing streak when scoring 30 or more.
• The Mules rank fourth in the MIAA in both total offense and total defense. Missouri Southern comes in at No. 11 in total offense and ninth 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 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 jumped back in to the D2Football.com Poll at No. 25 this week. Missouri Southern is unranked.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 37th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Missouri Southern. The Mules lead the series 19-15-2.
• UCM won last year's meeting 34-31 in overtime in Joplin. It was the Mules' seventh win in the last eight meetings between the two schools.
• Central Missouri is 11-7-1 against the Lions in games played in Warrensburg and the Mules have won nine straight in the series at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• The Mules are 4-1 against Missouri Southern under Jim Svoboda. This will be the first game against UCM for new Lion head coach Denver Johnson.

LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• The Mules rallied from a 31-16 fourth-quarter deficit to beat Missouri Southern 34-31 in overtime.
• Will Mondragon kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal on Central Missouri's first possession of the extra period.
• Ricky Spratley recorded a career-high 19 tackles in the win.
• The UCM defense recorded 11 tackles for loss and one sack.
• Hayden Hawk was 20-of-33 passing for 202 yards with two touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.
• LaVance Taylor rushed 18 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, he also caught five passes for 46 yards.
• Kyle Echols had two receptions for 31 yards with a touchdown, his third in the last two games

ABOUT THE LIONS
• Missouri Southern enters the contest at 1-3 overall after falling 27-21 at Washburn last Saturday. The Lions led 21-13 late in the third quarter, but Washburn scored the final 14 points of the game, including the go ahead touchdown with 1:16 to play.
• MSSU has losses to Emporia State, Northwest Missouri and Washburn with their one win being a 24-14 victory over Nebraska-Kearney.
• The Lions are averaging 18.0 points per game, while giving up 31.8 per contest. They average 284 yards per game in total offense and allow 421.
• MSSU is 11th in the MIAA in total offense and ninth in total defense.
• They average 117.8 yards per outing rushing and 166.2 through the air.
• Will Gregory leads the team in rushing at 56.0 yards per game. He's rushed 59 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
• QB TJ Fleeton has completed 51 percent of his passes for 622 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 42 times for 54 yards and three scores.
• Jordan Morrison leads the receiving corps with 12 catches for 140 yards. Terrell Crawford has 11 catches for 86 yards and Michael Nelson has 10 grabs for 12 yards. Chad Nolan has four catches, but has both receiving touchdowns for the Lions.
• Defensively, Kyjuan Tate leads the team with 40 tackles. Ricky Green has three of MSSU's seven interceptions.
• As a unit the Lions have recorded 30 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules scored 38 unanswered points to beat Nebraska-Kearney 38-7 last Saturday in Kearney.
• The Mules held UNK to 138 yards of total offense, 78 rushing and 60 passing, while racking up 494 yards of their own en route to the win.
• Garrett Fugate went 16-of-29 for 246 yards and three touchdowns. He tossed scoring strikes of 27, 16 and 13.
• Markel Smith went over 100 yards rushing (21-for-105) for the first time in his career and scored his first collegiate touchdown.
• Kyle Echols hauled in five passes for 58 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown. Jaylen Zachery had four grabs for 45 yards and a score. Andrew Bakker had three catches for 51 yards and Ian Toalson had two for 28 and a TD.
• Defensively, Austin Miller led the UCM defense with 10 tackles, including six solo stops. He had a sack and a tackle for loss.
• The Mules held Romero Cotton to just two yards rushing on nine carries.
• The UCM defense registered eight tackles for loss and four sacks on the day. They intercepted one pass and recovered a fumble.
• Kenny Mings had two tackles and intercepted a pass, which he returned 52 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 1-1 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field this season and 21-8 in their sixth season under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 226-182-13 in their 85th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 1-1 on the road this season and the Mules are 19-12 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 now 14-5 following a loss during the Jim Svoboda era after beating Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.
• The Mules are averaging 36.5 points per game in the games immediately following a loss.

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 four games. That number ranks him eighth in the MIAA.
• 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 three PBU this year, he has moved in to a tie for third place on UCM's career list with 19. He is two pass breakups shy of second place and four away from the top spot.

STOPPING THE RUN
• The Mules lead the MIAA in rushing defense, allowing just 83.3 yards per game on the ground.
• On the flip side, UCM is 12th in the league in pass defense giving up 276.5 yards through the air, however the Mules are third in the league with six interceptions.

CONVERTING ON THIRD DOWN
• The Mules entered the game against UNK ranked 11th in the MIAA in third down conversions and 11th in opponent third down conversion.
• The Mules went 9-of-19 (47.4) on third downs against the Lopers and held UNK to just 3-of-15 (20.0) on third downs.
• Additionally, UCM was 2-of-2 on fourth down attempts and held Nebraska-Kearney to 1-of-3.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 2-1 this season and 33-7 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after their 38-7 win over Nebraska-Kearney. UCM led 17-7 at the break against UNK.
• The Mules are 6-13 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime, including a 2-2 mark last season.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 39-10 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 39-4 during the Svoboda era and 24-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With Billy Greco's 25-yard field goal in the first quarter against Nebraska-Kearney, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 264.
• The streak dates back to the 1991 season.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give UCM back-to-back wins and a 3-2 record overall and in league play.
• Give the Mules back-to-back wins over Missouri Southern and wins in eight of the last nine meetings.
• Give UCM a 20-15-2 lead in the all-time series with the Lions.
• Give the Mules 10 straight wins over MSSU in Warrensburg.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Give the Mules three losses in their last four games and drop their overall and MIAA record to 2-3.
• Give Missouri Southern wins in two of the last three meetings.
• Snap UCM's nine-game home winning streak against the Lions and pull MSSU within 19-16-2 in the all-time series.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 536-504-51 (.515) record in 1,091 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 41-21 (.661) 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 two 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 256 catches for 3,037 yards with 19 touchdowns in his career. He caught seven passes for 68 yards on Sunday against Indianapolis.
• 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 out on the road for the first of two straight road games. Next Saturday, Oct. 10 the Mules will be in Topeka, Kansas to take on Washburn. That game has been selected as the MIAA TV Game of the Week and will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. and be broadcast on the MIAA Television Network.
• The following week UCM is in Edmond, Oklahoma for a battle with the Bronchos of Central Oklahoma. Kickoff at Wantland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10 is set for 2 p.m.