KICKOFF
• The 24th-ranked Central Missouri Mules return home to host Lindenwood in the regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 12. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• The Mules are coming off a 59-21 win over Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla.
• Lindenwood is coming off a 42-28 win over Missouri Southern last Saturday in St. Charles.
SENIOR DAY/SPECIAL EVENTS
• Saturday's game is the final home game for the UCM seniors. They will be honored in a pregame ceremony beginning at approximately 12:35 p.m.
• In addition, Saturday is also Salute to Veterans Day with all military veterans and family members receiving free admission to the game.
• Toys for Tots will also be on hand Saturday taking donations. Anyone who donates a new, unwrapped toy or makes a $10 donation to Toys for Tots will receive free admission to the game. The Toys for Tots donation location will be setup outside the stadium gates.
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
• The Mules are second in the MIAA and rank 14th in NCAA-II in passing offense at 302.0 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 stayed at No. 7 in this week's NCAA-II Super Region Three rankings released on Monday. 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 moved up one spot in the AFCA poll this week to No. 24. UCM stayed at No. 13 in this week's D2Football.com poll.
• Under head coach
Jim Svoboda the Mules have been ranked in the AFCA Poll 27 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of five times.
ZACHERY NAMED MIAA SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• For the third time this season and the fourth time in his career
Jaylen Zachery was named MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week.
• He racked up 222 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in UCM's 59-21 win at Northeastern State. He returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, tying the UCM single-season record with his second of the year. He also had 50 punt return yards and caught a game-high six passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Lindenwood. The Mules have won all five of the previous meetings, including a 31-0 win in St. Charles last year.
• The Mules have scored at least 31 points in every meeting and are averaging 41.6 points per game, while the Lions are averaging 22.4 points per contest.
LAST MEETING WITH LINDENWOOD
• The Mules jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead and the put the game away with a 17-point third quarter in a 31-0 win at Lindenwood on Oct. 31, 2015.
• The win was the sixth straight for UCM and gave the Mules a 5-0 all-time record against Lindenwood.
• Making his first career start,
Eric Siebenshuh was 25-of-44 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 101 yards on 23 carries and scored twice on the ground.
•
Jaylen Zachery recorded his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season with seven catches for 103 yards.
•
Monteze Latimore led the defense with nine tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups.
•
Sam Smith had eight tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.
Jason Venckus finished with 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He moved in to a tie for seventh place on UCM's career tackles for loss list with 31.
ABOUT THE LIONS
• Lindenwood enters the regular season finale at 3-7 overall and in MIAA play after a 42-28 win over Missouri Southern last Saturday.
• The Lions have the MIAA's ninth-ranked scoring offense, averaging 27.4 points per game, and the league's seventh-ranked scoring defense at 35.9 points per game.
• LWU is 11th in both total offense (364.5 ypg) and total defense (490.6 ypg allowed). The Lions rank 8th in rushing offense (158.7 ypg), 10th in rushing defense (188.3 ypg allowed), 12th in passing (205.8 ypg) and 11th in passing defense (302.4 ypg).
• QB Allen Thigpen has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 837 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Alex Faddoul, who started against MSSU, is 25-of-48 for 307 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 10-of-17 for 182 yards and three scores last week, while also rushing for 78 yards on 14 carries.
• Calen Campbell leads the team with 508 rushing yards on 106 carries and two TDs. Aaron Daniels has rushed for 462 yards and four scores on 85 carries. Last week against Missouri southern, Daniels ran for 180 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
• Kendell Sparks leads the receiving corps with 61 catches for 427 yards and four touchdowns. Deantrell Prince has 46 grabs for 526 yards and eight scores, while DeSean Warren has 29 catches for 735 yards and four touchdowns. After the top three no other receiver has more than seven catches.
• Defensively, Lindenwood is led by Connor Harris and his 126 total tackles, second best in the MIAA. He also has 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions.
•
Wesley Thomas has 77 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
• Bakari Triggs leads the team with five interceptions, totaling 174 return yards and 14 pass break-ups. He also has 53 total tackles.
• As a unit, LWU has 57 tackles for loss, 18 sackes, 15 interceptions and six fumble recoveries.
• They are fifth in the MIAA in turnover margin and have forced 21 turnovers during the season.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules held Northeastern State to 289 yards of total offense and scored in every facet of the game in a 59-21 rout on Saturday in Tahlequah.
• UCM got a pair of defensive touchdowns in interception returns by Kolsesen Crane (66 yards) and
Diaron Rhodes (75 yards).
•
Jaylen Zachery racked up 222 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns in the win. He caught a game-high six passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns and also returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score.
•
Jackson Newman had a team-high 11 tackles to lead the UCM defense.
Dylan Albertson had seven tackles and a tackle for loss.
•
J.R. Alexander had six tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in the game, tied for the sixth most sacks in a single-game in UCM history.
• The defense had eight tackles for loss and four sacks in the game.
THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 8-2 in conference play after the win over Northeastern State. 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 48-21 in conference games under
Jim Svoboda.
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 26-13 in road games during the
Jim Svoboda era after winning at Northeastern State last Saturday.
WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules improved to 45-7 during the
Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime after beating Northeastern State.
• 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 53-11 under
Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 52-5 during the Svoboda era and 30-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
50-POINT OUTPUT
• The 59-21 win at Northeastern State was the second this season and the 14th time overall under
Jim Svoboda that the Mules scored at least 50 points.
• UCM is 13-1 in those games with the only loss coming against Division I FCS Illinois State (55-54).
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With
Kolesen Crane's 66-yard interception return for a touchdown against Northeastern State, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 281.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.
GETTING OFF THE FIELD ON 3RD DOWN
• UCM is second in the MIAA and 17th nationally converting on third down (48.1 percent completion) Lindenwood is 10th in the league defensively, allowing opponents to convert 44.5 percent of the time.
• Last week against Northeastern State the Mules were 12-of-19 on third downs, and held the RiverHawks to 7-of-18.
• UCM is second defensively on third down (35.2 percent), while the Lions are ninth offensively (37.4).
• In their eight wins, the Mules are converting on third down 51 percent of the time and only allowing 32 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 16th nationally in fewest penalties per game at 5.1. UCM has been penalized 51 times for 476 yards.
• UCM opponents have been penalized 57 times for 509 yards, 11th most in the MIAA.
MIAA AND NCAA STAT LEADERS
•
Garrett Fugate leads the MIAA in passing, averaging 296.3 yards per game. He has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 2,963 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 27 touchdowns are the second most in the league, while his 154.0 pass efficiency rating is third best in the league.
• His 2,963 passing yards are tops in the conference and ninth most in Division II. He ranks second in the MIAA and 10th nationally in points accounted for with 192 (27 passing TDs and five rushing). He leads the MIAA and is ninth in the country in total offense as well, averaging 329.7 yards per game.
•
Jaylen Zachery is 10th in the MIAA in receiving at 69.9 yards per game. His 49 catches are seventh most in the league and his 699 yards are ninth most.
• Zachery leads the MIAA and ranks 26th in the nation in all-purpose yards per game at 151.9 He is third in the league in kick returns (27.8 ypr) and second in punt returns (14.1 ypr). His two kickoff return touchdowns are also tops in the league and the country.
•
Tyler Jones (55.7 ypg) is 18th 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 seventh and
Monteze Latimore (2) is tied for 17th.
• Albertson ranks 16th in the nation in interceptions per game at 0.5.
•
J.R. Alexander is tied for fourth in the league with five sacks, while
Josh Powell is tied for 18th with three.
• Latimore and
Travion Vaughn are tied for seventh 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, sixth in the MIAA and 78th nationally. UCM has thrown eight interceptions and given up nine fumbles, while intercepting 13 passes and recovering four fumbles.
A WIN OVER LINDENWOOD WOULD...
• Improve the Mules' record to 9-2 overall and in the MIAA. Keep the Mules in no worse than third place in the league standings.
• Give the Mules six straight wins for the first time this season.
• Give the Mules six straight wins over the Lions and a 6-0 lead in the all-time series.
• More than likely give the Mules their first playoff berth since 2010.
A LOSS TO LINDENWOOD WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 8-3 overall and in MIAA play
• Snap UCM's five-game winning streak in the series and give the Lions their first ever win over UCM.
• Snap UCM's five-game winning streak overall.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 550-507-51 (.522) 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 55-24 (.696) 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 five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee's 43-35 loss at San Diego last Sunday.
• Walker has 33 receptions for 447 yards and four touchdowns this season and has 373 catches for 4,461 yards with 28 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
• A win over Lindenwood would most likely put UCM in the NCAA-II Playoffs next Saturday, Nov. 19.
• The Mules will learn their postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. CT when the NCAA Selection Show airs on NCAA.com.
