KICKOFF
• The 16th/8th-ranked Mules host Fort Hays State on Thursday, Sept. 8 in the 2016 home opener. Kickoff from Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field is set for 7 p.m.
• The Mules opened the 2016 season last Thursday night with a thrilling 34-27 win at Pittsburg State.
• Fort Hays State opened its 2016 campaign with a 22-10 win over Missouri Southern in Hays.
• The Mules were 8-3 a season ago and finished in a tie for third in the MIAA standings, narrowly missing out on a postseason berth.
• Fort Hays State was 8-4 last season and finished in a tie for third in the MIAA with UCM at 8-3.
• UCM was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls with Fort Hays State picked fifth in the media poll and sixth by the league's coaches.
• This is the 1,100th all-time game for UCM.
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 5:50 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.
STORY LINES
• This will be the earliest meeting of the season between UCM and Fort Hays State. Each of the last four meetings has been the regular season finale for both teams.
• The Mules were second in the MIAA in total offense and third in the league total defense in 2015.
• 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.
RANKINGS
• The Mules appear in both Division II polls. UCM is ranked No. 16 in the AFCA Poll and eighth in the D2Football.com poll.
• The Tigers are receiving votes in the AFCA Poll.
MIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• The Mules had two players honored by the league for their performances in the 34-27 win at Pittsburg State.
•
Tyler Jones earned MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors after catching three passes for a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown. The TD was the first of his career and the 79-yarder turned out to be the game-winner.
•
Jaylen Zachery earned MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career. He racked up 153 return yards, including a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown. He averaged 32.7 yards per punt return and 18.3 yards per kickoff return.
SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 13th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Fort Hays State with the Mules holding an 8-4 advantage.
• The Tigers won last year's meeting, 28-14 in Hays and have won two straight in the series.
• The Mules are 4-2 against Fort Hays State under
Jim Svoboda, while the Tigers are 2-3 against UCM under Chris Brown.
• In the five meetings under the current head coach UCM is averaging 25.6 points per game, while the Tigers are averaging 25.2.
LAST MEETING WITH FORT HAYS STATE
• The Tigers outgained the Mules 441-268 en route to a 28-14 win in the 2015 season finale in Hays, Kan.
• Fort Hays State jumped on top 14-0 before UCM got on the board late in the first half on a
Jaylen Zachery 34-yard touchdown reception to pull within 14-7 at intermission.
• FHSU scored a pair of rushing touchdowns from Treveon Albert in the third quarter to lead 28-7.
Garrett Fugate hit
Kyle Echols for a 13-yard touchdown to pull UCM within 28-14 early in the fourth quarter.
• UCM threatened late, but two interceptions in Tiger territory ended those threats.
• The Mules turned it over five times, including four interceptions in the game.
• Fort Hays State rushed for 326 yards on 63 carries, a 5.2 yards per carry average.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Fort Hays State was picked to finish fifth in the MIAA Preseason Media poll and sixth in the coaches poll.
• FHSU is led by sixth-year head coach Chris Brown, who has compiled a 31-25 mark during his tenure.
• The Tigers were 8-4 a season ago and tied with the Mules for third in the MIAA standings at 8-3. FHSU earned a bid to the Mineral Water Bowl, where they fell to Minnesota-Duluth 30-22.
• The Tigers were sixth in the MIAA in scoring offense (27.8 ppg) and fourth (23.9 ppg) in scoring defense in 2015. They were sixth in total offense at 398.1 yards per game and fifth in total defense at 388.2 ypg. The FHSU offense was No. 1 in the league in rushing (251.1 ypg) and 12th in passing (147.0 ypg). Defensively, the Tigers ranked sixth against both the run (157.4 ypg allowed) and pass (230.8 ypg).
• The Tigers were outgained 394-354 in their 22-10 season-opening win over Missouri Southern, but the FHSU defense forced a pair of turnovers.
• Jacob Mezera was 15-of-32 for 147 yards, while Malik Thomas rushed for 115 yards and a TD and Shaquille Cooper added 98 yards on the ground.
• The Tigers got a defensive touchdown in the win and kicked three field goals.
LAST TIME OUT
• The 20th-ranked Mules rallied from a 13-0 deficit to beat Pittsburg State 34-27 in the season-opener last Thursday night in Pittsburg.
•
Jaylen Zachery got UCM on the board with an 18-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and later scored on a 73-yard punt return to put UCM in front 27-13. It was the second punt return touchdown of his career. The punt return TD was the first given up by Pittsburg State in at least 33 years.
• The Gorillas scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives to tie the game at 27-all, but
Garrett Fugate hit
Tyler Jones for a 79-yard touchdown with just over four minutes to play in the game to put UCM back in front.
• The UCM defense iced the game when
Tevin Teamer picked off a Gorilla pass at the UCM one-yard line. It was the second interception of the game for the Mules.
•
Michael Tannehill recorded a game and career-high 15 tackles in his first career start at linebacker.
THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 1-0 in conference play after the 34-27 season-opening win at Pittsburg State.
• UCM was 8-3 in MIAA play last season and now stands at 41-19 in conference games under
Jim Svoboda. The third best conference record during that span behind NWMSU and MWSU.
MULES IN HOME OPENERS
• The Mules are 5-1 in home-openers under head coach
Jim Svoboda.
• UCM rallied to beat Missouri Western 18-17 in last year's home-opener.
THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules went 4-1 at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field last season and are 24-8 at home under
Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 229-182-13 overall in their 86th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 23-13 in road games during the
Jim Svoboda era after winning at Pitt State in the season-opener on Sept. 1
WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 39-7 during the
Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime.
• The Mules are 7-14 under Svoboda when trailing at halftime after rallying from a 13-7 intermission deficit at Pittsburg State.
21 AND UP
• UCM is 46-10 under
Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 46-4 during the Svoboda era and 27-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• With
Jaylen Zachery's 18-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter at Pitt State, the Mules extended their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 272.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.
CAREER FIRSTS
• A couple of senior Mules made their first career starts last Thursday at Pittsburg State and during the game scored their first career touchdowns.
• Running back
Gabe Vandiver and wide receiver
Tyler Jones both made their first career starts last Thursday night.
• Vandiver carried six times for 58 yards and his first career touchdown, while Jones tied his career-high with three catches and set a new career mark with 161 yards and his first career TD.
• Another player making his first career start, sophomore linebacker
Michael Tannehill, recorded a game and career-high 15 tackles to lead the Mules.
NEW LOOK 'D'
• UCM made the switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense this year under new defensive coordinator
Wes Bell. He came to UCM after spending the last nine years at Missouri Western, including the the last two as defensive coordinator.
• Bell's defense was second in the MIAA last year in scoring defense, allowing just 19.7 points per game. They were second in total defense as well, giving up 346.6 yards per game.
• The unit was second against the run (121.7 ypg) and fourth against the pass (224.9 ypg). They had the second most interceptions in the league and were fifth in sacks with 29.
A WIN OVER FORT HAYS STATE WOULD...
• Give UCM a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2009 season.
• Snap a two-game losing skid against the Tigers.
• Give UCM a 9-4 lead in the all-time series with the Tigers.
A LOSS TO FORT HAYS STATE WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 1-1 for the sixth time in seven seasons under
Jim Svoboda.
• Give Fort Hays State three straight wins over the Mules for the first time ever and pull the Tigers within 8-5 in the all-time series.
• Snap UCM's current three-game home winning streak.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120th season of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 543-505-51 (.517) record in 1,099 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 48-22 (.686) 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 about to start 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.
• Walker has 340 catches for 4,014 yards with 24 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 head back out on the road next Saturday, Sept. 17 to take on Missouri Western at 6 p.m. at the newly remodeled Spratt Memorial Stadium in St. Joseph.
• UCM returns home on Saturday, Sept. 24 for a Family Weekend showdown with Emporia State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
