KICKOFF
• The 22nd/15th-ranked Mules head to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for a showdown with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri. Kickoff on Saturday evening is set for 5 p.m.
• The Mules suffered their first loss of the season last week against Emporia State. The Mules rallied from a 17-7 fourth quarter deficit, but fell in double overtime 37-31.
• Northwest Missouri is 4-0 on the season after a 45-21 win at Missouri Southern on Saturday. The Bearcats have won their first four games by an average of 30.8 points per game.
• Northwest Missouri was 15-0 last season, claiming the MIAA and National Championships.
• UCM was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. Northwest Missouri was picked to finish first in both polls.
PREGAME TAILGATE
• UCM Athletics and the UCM Alumni Foundation will be hosting a joint tailgate party at the Founder's Club in Arrowhead Stadium prior to the game. The tailgate will run from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
• The tailgate is free, but will have a game day meal option for purchase. Game day fare includes hot dogs, hamburgers, and more and costs $15 for adults, $10 for UCM students with ID and $5 for children ages 5-12.
• There will be live music from The Taxis as well as special giveaways to the first 500 attendees.
• For more information or to RSVP for the tailgate go to ucmathletics.com/FallClassicTailgate.
• The gates to the parking lots will open at 11 a.m. with Arrowhead Stadium gates set to open at 3:30 p.m.
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 3:50 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
• 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 appear in both Division II polls. UCM dropped nine spots to No. 22 in this week's AFCA Poll. UCM fell nine spots to No. 15 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 96th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri. The Bearcats lead the series 58-35-22.
• Northwest won last year's meeting 34-30 in Warrensburg and has won three straight and 12 of the last 13 in the series.
• The Mules are 1-6 against Northwest Missouri under
Jim Svoboda, while the Bearcats are 4-1 against UCM under Adam Dorrel.
• In the seven meetings under Svoboda, the Mules are scoring 22.3 points per game and giving up 30.3. In the five meetings under the current head coaches UCM is averaging 24.0 ppg and allowing 31.6 ppg.
• This will be the first ever neutral site meeting between the two schools.
LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
• The Mules built a 23-6 lead early in the third quarter, but couldn't hold on as they fell 34-30 to No. 3 Northwest Missouri at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• The Bearcats outscored UCM 28-7 from the midpoint of the third quarter on, including scoring the game-winning touchdown with :34 on the clock.
• The Mules forced four Bearcat turnovers in the game and turned those in to 20 points.
•
Garrett Fugate was 20-of-41 passing for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
•
Jaylen Zachery caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, while
Andrew Bakker caught three balls for 48 yards.
• Defensively,
Austin Miller led UCM with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, half a sack and a fumble recovery.
• The Mules held Northwest Missouri to 59 yards rushing, but the Bearcats threw for 287 yards, including 132 yards in the fourth quarter.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
• Northwest Missouri enters the game at 4-0 overall and ranked No. 1 in both NCAA Division II polls. The Bearcats are coming off a 45-21 win at Missouri Southern last Saturday.
• The Bearcats have won 19 straight games dating back to the 2014 season.
• They are first in the MIAA in scoring (44.8 ppg), scoring defense (14.0 ppg allowed), total defense (208.0 ypg), rushing defense (68.3 ypg) and passing defense (139.8 ypg). They rank second in the MIAA in rushing offense (189.0 ypg), and third in passing offense (278.3 ypg) and total offense (467.3 ypg).
• QB Kyle Zimmerman is third in the league averaging 264.3 yards per game. His 67.7 percent completion rate is tops in the conference as are his 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
• Phil Jackson leads the ground game averaging 53.0 yards per contest and 5.3 yards per carry with four scores. Cameron Wilcox averages 4.8 yards per rush, 44.8 per game and has also scored four touchdowns.
• Jordan Grove leads the team with 13 receptions for 162 yards and two TDs. George Sehl has 12 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, while Dre Washington and Shawn Bane have 11 and 10 receptions, respectively. Bane has scored three times, with Washington scoring once.
• Kicker Simon Mathiesen, the 2015 MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year, is 23-of-23 in PATs and 6-of-7 in field goal tries with a long of 47.
• Defensively, Jacob Vollstedt leads the team with 37 total tackles and also has four tackles for loss.
• Ben Althoff has 19 stops, three tackles for loss and a sack.
• Twenty different players have recorded at least a half a tackle for loss and as a unit, the Bearcats have registered 36 with 12 sacks. They've intercepted three passes and recovered one fumble.
• Northwest Missouri is plus-two in turnover margin and the Bearcats have only turned the ball over twice.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules rallied from a 17-7 fourth quarter deficit, but ended up falling to Emporia State 37-31 in double overtime last Saturday at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
•
Monteze Latimore's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown pulled UCM within 17-14 and
Garrett Fugate's 4-yard TD pass to
Jaylen Zachery put the Mules in front 21-17 with 9.5 minutes to play in the game.
• UCM was driving for the possible game-clinching touchdown when Fugate was picked off at the ESU 2 yard line. The Hornets scored the go-ahead TD with :36 to play, but the Mules drove 45 yards in five plays to set up
Billy Greco's 34-yard game tying field goal in the waning seconds to force overtime.
• The Mules fell in the second OT when they failed to score and the Hornets threw a 20-yard TD pass on the second play of their possession.
• Fugate threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns and the Mules rushed for 160 yards, including 110 from
Marquel McNac, but UCM had four turnovers in the game.
• UCM out-gained ESU 486-443 in the game.
• Emporia State was just 7-of-21 on third down, but they converted all four fourth down attempts.
THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 3-1 in conference play after the 37-31 double overtime loss to Emporia State last Saturday.
• UCM was 8-3 in MIAA play last season and now stands at 43-20 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 AT A NEUTRAL SITE
• Central Missouri is 1-1 under
Jim Svoboda when playing a neutral site game. Both of the games were postseason bowl games.
• UCM lost to West Texas A&M (26-7) in the 2011 Lower Kanza Bowl at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka, Kan. and beat SE Oklahoma State (48-21) in the 2014 Live United Texarkana Bowl at Razorback Stadium in Texarkana, Ark.
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 7-15 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime after the loss to Emporia State.
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
Marquel McNac's 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Emporia State, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 275.
• 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 five interceptions and given up six fumbles, while intercepting five passes and recovering two fumbles.
MIAA LEADERS
•
Garrett Fugate leads the MIAA in passing, averaging 330.5 yards per game. He has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,322 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. His 140.5 pass efficiency rating is third best in the league.
•
Gabe Vandiver is seventh in the league averaging 55.5 yards per game rushing.
•
Jaylen Zachery is fourth in the MIAA in receiving at 86.8 yards per game. His 23 catches are sixth most in the league and his 347 yards are fourth most, his five receiving touchdowns are second most. He also leads the league in scoring with seven total touchdowns and in kick returns (28.2 ypr) and punt returns (19.8 ypr).
•
Tyler Jones is 12th in the league with 60.0 yards per game with 11 catches for 240 yards.
•
Monteze Latimore and
Michael Tannehill are tied for 14th in the MIAA in tackles with 31.
•
Dylan Albertson is tied for third in the league with two interceptions.
•
J.R. Alexander and
Wyatt Hendrix are tied for sixth with two sacks apiece.
A WIN OVER NORTHWEST MISSOURI WOULD...
• Give UCM a 4-1 start for the first time since 2012 and the fourth time under
Jim Svoboda.
• Snap a three-game losing streak to the Bearcats and pull UCM within 57-36-2 in the all-time series.
• Pull the Mules in to a first place tie with Northwest Missouri and possibly three other teams.
A LOSS TO NORTHWEST MISSOURI WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 3-2 and give them losses in back-to-back games against Emporia State and NWMSU for the second straight year.
• Extend Northwest's lead in the all-time series to 58-35-2.
• Drop the Mules two games out of first place in the MIAA.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 545-506-51 (.518) 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 50-23 (.685) 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 six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee's 16-15 come from behind win at Detroit two weeks ago.
• Walker has 349 catches for 4,139 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
• The Mules return home to host Nebraska-Kearney next Saturday, Oct. 8 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and next Saturday is Military Appreciation Day.
• UCM heads to Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a night game against the Lions. Kickoff at Fred G. Hughes Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
