KICKOFF
• The Central Missouri Mules return home to host Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in Warrensburg. Kickoff on Military Appreciation Day is set for 1 p.m.
• The Mules are coming off a 42-17 loss to No. 1 Northwest Missouri last Saturday night at the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium.
• UCM has lost two straight games for just the sixth time under
Jim Svoboda. The Mules have not lost three straight games since 1998.
• Nebraska-Kearney is 0-5 on the season after a 24-14 loss to Missouri Southern on Saturday in Kearney.
• UCM was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. Nebraska-Kearney was picked to finish 11th in the coaches poll and 12th in the media poll.
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
• Saturday's game against Nebraska-Kearney is also Military Appreciation Day at Walton Stadium. All military members, active and retired, and their families receive free admission to the game.
• Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV, commander of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, will be on hand to assist with the pregame coin toss.
ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action. The SPIN! Pizza/Bob Showers of Ameritas Financial Tailgate Show will begin at 11:50 a.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.
MULE FEED
• Senior QB
Garrett Fugate was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. He is one of 17 semifinalists from Division II and one of 156 semifinalists nationally across NCAA's Division I FBS, FCS, Division II, III and NAIA.
• The Mules will play six of their 11 regular season games at home this season. It is just the second time in the last seven seasons that UCM will play more home games than road games.
• The Mules went 8-3 overall last season and finished in a tie for third place in the MIAA standing.
• The Mules had their ninth straight winning season in 2015. It was the 17th winning season in the last 18 years for UCM.
MULES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• The Mules dropped out of the top 25 in this week's AFCA Poll. UCM is the fifth team receiving votes in the poll. UCM fell five spots to No. 20 in this week's D2Football.com poll.
• Under head coach
Jim Svoboda the Mules have been ranked in the AFCA Poll 25 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of five times.
SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the eighth all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney with the Mules leading the series 5-2.
• The Mules won last year's meeting 38-7 on Sept. 27 in Kearney and UCM leads 3-1 since the Lopers joined the MIAA.
• The Mules have won three straight in the series and are averaging 46.3 points per game during that span, while giving up just 11.7 per contest.
LAST MEETING WITH NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• The Mules scored 38 unanswered points en route to a 38-7 win at Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 26 of last year.
• UCM racked up 494 yards of total offense and held UNK to 138 in the win.
•
Garrett Fugate was 16-of-29 for 246 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 38 yards.
Markel Smith ran for 105 yards and a score on 21 carries.
•
Kyle Echols caught five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, while
Jaylen Zachery hauled in four receptions for 45 yards and a score.
•
Austin Miller led the UCM defense with 10 total tackles with a quarterback sack.
Sam Smith had six tackles and two tackles for loss.
•
Kenny Mings had a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown.
ABOUT THE LOPERS
• Nebraska-Kearney enters the game at 0-5 overall after a 24-14 loss to Missouri Southern last Saturday at home.
• The Lopers are led by second-year head coach Josh Lamberson, the former UCM offensive coordinator.
• UNK is 11th in the MIAA averaging 20.0 points per game offensively. They rank last in the league defensively, allowing 40.2 points per contest.
• The Lopers are 12th in the league in total offense (306.8 ypg) and eighth in total defense (433.8 ypg). UNK ranks 11th in rushing offense (93.0 ypg), 10th in rushing defense (189.6 ypg), 11th in passing offense (213.8 ypg) and fourth in passing defense (244.2 ypg).
• Luke Quinn leads the team in rushing averaging 44.2 yards per game and has scored three rushing touchdowns.
• Steve Worthing is completing 50.9 percent of his passes for 968 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.
• Malcolm Moore has caught a team-high 22 passes for 199 yards and three scores. Preston Foley has 13 catches for 111 yards, while Kentrez Bell and Quinn have 10 catches apiece.
• Fourteen different Lopers have caught passes.
• Defensively, Tyke Kozeal leads UNK and the MIAA with 82 total tackles and 43 solo stops. He also has 7.5 tackles for loss with a sack and fumble recovery.
• Dallas Vaughn is second on the team with 36 tackles.
• As a unit, the UNK defense has 27 tackles for loss, five quarterback sacks, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
• Nebraska-Kearney is minus-eight in turnover margin (eight interceptions, five fumbles lost).
LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules were outscored 21-3 in the second half and out-gained 237-77 during that span in a 42-17 loss to Northwest Missouri in last Saturday's Fall Classic at Arrowhead.
• The Mules traded touchdowns with the Bearcats early on, but Northwest Missouri scored just before half to lead 21-14 at the break and then shut the UCM offense down in the second half.
•
Jaylen Zachery caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from
Garrett Fugate to get UCM on the board in the first half and
Kyle Echols had a 30-yard touchdown catch to tie the game at 14-all late in the second quarter.
• Fugate finished the day 18-of-30 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Tyler Jones caught a team-high four passes for 34 yards. Echols had three catches for 63 yards and the score, while Zachery had three grabs for 42 yards and a TD.
•
Diaron Rhodes led the UCM defense with a career-high 11 tackles.
• The Mules were held to 84 yards rushing on 30 carries and 285 total yards.
THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 3-2 in conference play after the loss to Northwest Missouri in last Saturday's Fall Classic at Arrowhead.
• UCM was 8-3 in MIAA play last season and now stands at 43-21 in conference games under
Jim Svoboda. The third best conference record during that span behind NWMSU and MWSU.
THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 1-1 at home this year and 25-9 at home under
Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 230-183-13 overall in their 86th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 24-13 in road games during the
Jim Svoboda era after winning at Missouri Western on Saturday, Sept. 17.
THE MULES FOLLOWING A LOSS
• The Mules are 0-1 this season following a loss after the setback against Northwest Missouri last Saturday. UCM is 14-6 overall under
Jim Svoboda after a loss.
• The Mules are averaging 35.5 points per game under Svoboda in the games immediately following a loss.
• The Mules have lost back-to-back games for just the sixth time under
Jim Svoboda, but have not lost three in a row since the 1998 season.
WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules improved to 41-7 during the
Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after holding off Missouri Western in St. Joseph.
• The Mules are 7-16 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime after the loss to Northwest Missouri.
21 AND UP
• UCM is 48-11 under
Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 48-5 during the Svoboda era and 27-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With
Jaylen Zachery's 14-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Northwest Missouri, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 276.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.
TURNOVER MARGIN
• The Mules were second in the MIAA and 13th nationally in turnover margin last year at +12.
• This season, however, the Mules are -4 in turnover margin. UCM has thrown six interceptions and given up six fumbles, while intercepting five passes and recovering three fumbles.
MIAA LEADERS
•
Garrett Fugate leads the MIAA in passing, averaging 304.6 yards per game. He has completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,523 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 139.1 pass efficiency rating is fourth best in the league.
•
Jaylen Zachery is sixth in the MIAA in receiving at 77.8 yards per game. His 26 catches are eighth most in the league and his 389 yards are fifth most, his six receiving touchdowns are second most. He also leads the league in scoring with eight total touchdowns and is second in kick returns (26.8 ypr) and first in punt returns (19.8 ypr).
•
Kyle Echols (56.2 ypg) is 16th and
Tyler Jones (54.8 ypg) is 18th in the league in receiving yards per game.
•
Dylan Albertson is tied for third in the league with two interceptions.
•
J.R. Alexander and
Wyatt Hendrix are tied for eighth with two sacks apiece.
A WIN OVER NEBRASKA-KEARNEY WOULD...
• Snap a two-game losing streak and improve the Mules' record to 4-2 overall.
• Jump UCM to third place in the MIAA standings.
• Give the Mules four straight wins over Nebraska-Kearney and improve them to 6-2 all-time against the Lopers.
A LOSS TO NEBRASKA-KEARNEY WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 3-3 for the first time since 2006.
• Give UCM three straight losses for the first time since 1998.
• Pull Nebraska-Kearney to within 5-3 in the all-time series.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 545-507-51 (.517) record in 1,103 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 50-24 (.676) in his seventh season leading the Mules. He has led the Mules to three postseason appearances.
• He is third on UCM's career wins list.
• Svoboda's .681 winning percentage entering the 2016 season is the fourth 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 83 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 11th season in the league and his fourth with the Tennessee Titans. Walker signed a four-year deal with the Titans after playing in Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco.
• He caught two passes for 34 yards in Tennessee's 27-20 loss at Houston last Sunday.
• Walker has 351 catches for 4,173 yards with 25 touchdowns in his career. Last year, he caught 94 passes for 1,088 yards and six touchdowns and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.
• Walker was inducted into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2015.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 207 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured two MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 153 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships during Hughes' tenure (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 232 student-athletes named to the 2015-16 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 28 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.
• 19 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had seven student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with four of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is sixth in NCAA-II with 53 Academic All-Americans.
• Two UCM student-athletes were awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.
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
• UCM heads to Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a night game against the Lions. Kickoff at Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin is set for 6 p.m.
• The Mules return home Oct. 22 for the annual Homecoming Game against Washburn. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. The Homecoming Parade will start at 9 a.m. that morning.
