KICKOFF
• The 25th-ranked Central Missouri Mules head out on the road for the final time in the 2016 regular season. UCM takes on Northeastern State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Doc Wadley Stadium in Tahlequah, Okla.
• The Mules are coming off a 48-28 win over Central Oklahoma last Saturday at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in Warrensburg.
• Northeastern State fell at Missouri Southern 45-33 last Saturday to fall to 2-7 on the season. The RiverHawks led 10-7 before MSSU scored 31 of the next 34 points to lead 38-13 early in the fourth quarter.

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 12:50 p.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
• The Mules are third in the MIAA and rank 14th in NCAA-II in passing offense at 305.6 yards per game.
• 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 are playing 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 standings.
• The Mules have secured their 10th straight winning season this year and the 18th winning season in the last 19 years for UCM.

MULES IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS
• The Mules are ranked No. 7 in the second NCAA-II Super Region Three rankings released this week. The top seven teams in the final rankings on Sunday, Nov. 13 will earn bids to the NCAA-II Playoffs.
• The NCAA Selection Show will air at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 13 on NCAA.com.

MULES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• UCM re-entered the AFCA poll this week at No. 25. UCM moved up one spot to No. 13 in this week's D2Football.com poll.
• Under head coach Jim Svoboda the Mules have been ranked in the AFCA Poll 26 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of five times.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 13th meeting all-time between Central Missouri and Northeastern State. The RiverHawks lead the series 8-3. The NSU win in 1986 (42-22) was later vacated.
• UCM won last year's meeting 54-10 in Warrensburg on Homecoming and the Mules have won three straight in the series.
• The Mules are 3-1 against the RiverHawks under Jim Svoboda, including a 1-1 mark in Tahlequah, while NSU is 0-2 against the Mules under Rob Robinson.
• UCM is averaging 53.7 points per game during the current three-game winning streak and allowing just 10.3 points per contest.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The Mules scored 31 unanswered points to pull away from Northeastern State in a 54-10 blowout win. It was the fifth straight win for UCM.
• The Mules racked up 607 yards of total offense with 301 coming through the air and 306 on the ground.
• Markel Smith rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and had a 31-yard touchdown reception as well.
• Jaylen Zachery had four catches for 73 yards and also returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown.
• Garrett Fugate was 14-of-20 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns and Eric Siebenshuh went 6-of-8 for 82 yards with two more scores.
• Austin Miller and Manuel Cole led the defense with eight tackles each. Miller added a tackle for loss, a sack, an interception and a pass breakup.
• Jason Venckus had two tackles for loss and a sack. He is now a half a tackle for loss shy of cracking UCM's career top 10 list.
• UCM held Northeastern State to just 218 yards of total offense and 55 yards rushing. The Mule defense forced five NSU turnovers, including four interceptions, and had seven tackles for loss.

ABOUT THE RIVERHAWKS
• Northeastern State enters the contest at 2-7 overall after a 45-33 loss at Missouri Southern on Saturday. The RiverHawks have lost six of their last seven games.
• NSU is led by third-year head coach Rob Robinson. He has compiled a 5-26 record during his tenure in Tahlequah.
• Northeastern State is 10th in the MIAA in both scoring at 25.8 points per game and scoring defense allowing 41.4 points per contest.
• The RiverHawks are ninth in both total offense (383.3 ypg) and total defense (470.8 ypg allowed). They rank 12th in rushing offense (104.8 ypg), 11th in rushing defense (215.0 ypg allowed), fourth in passing offense (278.6 ypg) and fifth in passing defense (255.8 ypg allowed).
• They are seventh in third down conversion percentage (37.7), but rank fourth in third down conversion defense (40.3 pct. allowed).
• Sophomore quarterback Dimonic McKinzy is completing just 48.3 percent of his passes for 2,327 yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
• Gary McKnight has a team-leading 35 catches for 691 yards and seven touchdowns. Matthew Butler has 31 grabs for 392 yards and three scores.
• Seven different receivers have caught touchdown passes.
• C.J. Shavers has 308 yards rushing on 85 carries with three touchdowns.
• Defensively, Steffon Herd leads the team with 84 tackles, including 58 solo stops. La'More Wise has 69 tackles with six tackles for loss.
• T'Nheous Smith leads the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, while Devon Siers has a team-leading three interceptions.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules rallied from a 14-0 first quarter deficit to beat Central Oklahoma 48-28 last weekend at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• UCM pulled to within 14-13 at halftime before out-scoring UCO 35-14 in the second half to pull away for the win.
• Jack Cronin had a strip sack and Triphinue Taylor recovered at the UCO five-yard line to set up the Mules' first score.
• Garrett Fugate had 352 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns, three passing and two rushing.
• Kyle Echols caught a game-high six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Jaylen Zachery caught four passes for 75 yards and two scores and he also ran for a touchdown.
• Dylan Albertson had two interceptions and a pick six in the game.
• Tevin Teamer led the UCM defense with a career-high 14 tackles,  a sack and two pass break-ups.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 7-2 in conference play after the win over Central Oklahoma. UCM sits alone in third place in the league standings, one game back of Emporia State.
• UCM was 8-3 in MIAA play last season and now stands at 46-21 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 4-1 at home this year and 28-9 at home under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 233-183-13 overall in their 86th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 25-13 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era after winning at Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 15.

THE MULES AGAINST THE SOONER STATE
• Central Missouri is 9-1 against schools from Oklahoma under Jim Svoboda, including 3-1 against Northeastern State.
• The Mules are 3-1 in games played in Oklahoma and 1-1 at Northeastern State under Svoboda.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules improved to 44-7 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after beating Washburn.
• The Mules are 8-16 under Svoboda and 2-2 this year when trailing at halftime after rallying to beat Central Oklahoma on Oct. 29.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 52-11 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 51-5 during the Svoboda era and 29-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With Garrett Fugate's three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Central Oklahoma, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 280.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.

GETTING OFF THE FIELD ON 3RD DOWN
• A matchup to watch will be on third downs. UCM is third in the MIAA and 31st nationally converting on third down (46.0 percent completion) Northeastern State is fourth in the league defensively, allowing opponents to convert 40.3 percent of the time.
• Last week against Central Oklahoma the Mules were just 6-of-14 on third downs, but held the Bronchos to 4-of-16.
• UCM is second defensively on third down (34.7 percent), while the RiverHawks are seventh offensively (37.7).
• In their seven wins, the Mules are converting on third down 49 percent of the time and only allowing 30 percent on defense. In the two losses, UCM has only converted on 34 percent of third downs, while allowing opponents to convert 49 percent of the time and 5-for-5 on fourth down.

NO LAUNDRY ON THE FIELD
• The Mules lead the MIAA and rank 15th nationally in fewest penalties per game at 5.1. UCM has been penalized 46 times for 411 yards.
• UCM opponents have been penalized 50 times for 463 yards, 10th most in the MIAA.

MIAA AND NCAA STAT LEADERS
• Garrett Fugate leads the MIAA in passing, averaging 301.2 yards per game. He has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,711 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 24 touchdowns are the second most in the league, while his 153.4 pass efficiency rating is third best in the league.
• His 2,711 passing yards are tops in the conference and ninth most in Division II. He ranks second in the MIAA and 12th nationally in points accounted for with 168 (24 passing TDs and four rushing). He leads the MIAA and is ninth in the country in total offense as well, averaging 334.6 yards per game.
• Jaylen Zachery is 10th in the MIAA in receiving at 68.9 yards per game. His 43 catches are eighth most in the league and his 620 yards are ninth most.
• Zachery leads the MIAA and ranks 32nd in the nation in all-purpose yards per game at 144.1. He is fifth in the league in kick returns (24.5 ypr) and third in punt returns (13.5 ypr).
• Tyler Jones (55.7 ypg) is 14th in the league in receiving yards per game.
• Dylan Albertson is tied for the league lead in interceptions with five, while Jackson Newman (3) is tied for fifth and Monteze Latimore (2) is tied for 15th.
• Albertson ranks 13th in the nation in interceptions per game at 0.6.
• Josh Powell is tied for 15th in the league with three quarterback sacks.
• Latimore and Travion Vaughn are tied for sixth in the MIAA with eight pass breakups on the year.

TURNOVER MARGIN
• The Mules were second in the MIAA and 13th nationally in turnover margin last year at +12.
• This season, the Mules are even in turnover margin, fifth in the MIAA and 81st nationally. UCM has thrown seven interceptions and given up eight fumbles, while intercepting 11 passes and recovering four fumbles.

A WIN OVER NORTHEASTERN STATE WOULD...
• Improve the Mules' record to 8-2 overall and in the MIAA. Keep the Mules in no worse than third place in the league standings.
• Give the Mules five straight wins for the first time this season.
• Give the Mules four straight wins over the RiverHawks and pull UCM to within 8-4 in the all-time series.

A LOSS TO NORTHEASTERN STATE WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 7-3 overall and in MIAA play.
• Snap UCM's three-game winning streak in the series and give the RiverHawks a 9-3 lead all-time.
• Snap UCM's four-game winning streak overall.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 549-507-51 (.521) record in 1,102 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 54-24 (.692) 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 a team-high four passes for 75 yards in Tennessee's 36-22 win over Jacksonville last Thursday.
• Walker has 368 catches for 4,419 yards with 27 touchdowns in his career.
• In 2015, 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
• The Mules return home to host Lindenwood in the 2016 regular season finale. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• It is Senior Day for the Mules with the seniors being honored in a pregame ceremony.