Football Travels to Topeka for Start of Two-Game Road Trip

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Oct. 18, 2017) - Mules football prepares for a tough road contest Saturday in a battle of two 5-2 teams in the MIAA.

OPPONENT: Washburn Ichabods (5-2, 5-2 MIAA)

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 21 - 1 p.m.

WHERE: Topeka, Kan. - Yager Stadium 

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 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 Blueframe Internet portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/. It is a pay-per-view webcast. MIAA Network content is available live via live DVR and is immediately archived for on-demand viewing after each event. 
• All MIAA football games are also available for viewing on The MIAA Network Apps for Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.

KICKOFF
• The Mules are back on the road for the start of a two-game road trip that will take them into Kansas and Oklahoma. This week, UCM is in Topeka to take on Washburn. 
• Central Missouri has won back-to-back games for only the second time this season after their 77-22 thrashing of Missouri Southern last Saturday. 
• Washburn, like Central Missouri comes into the matchup with a 5-2 record, with losses to Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays State, who defeated the Ichabods last weekend, 37-20. 
• In the preseason coaches and media polls, UCM was selected to finish third in both, which would match their place from a year ago. Washburn was chosen sixth in both polls. 
• Central Missouri finished 2016 at 4-1 on the road last year, with their only loss coming in the NCAA Playoffs against Harding. UCM is 31-9 all time at home with Coach Svoboda on the sidelines. 
• The Mules are yet to lose at home this season having gone 2-0, and their last home loss came in double-OT to Emporia State back in Sept. 2016. 
 
STORY LINES
• The Mules have won back-to-back games for the first time since September. The last time UCM won three straight was at the end of last season, when they won their final six games.
• Both teams enter this matchup at 5-2 and in a tie for third place in the MIAA standings and have been receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. 
• The Mules play four of their 11 regular season games in Warrensburg this season (one home game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City). In the last eight seasons (including 2017) they have played more games on the road in six of them. 
• The Mules have finished each of the last 10 seasons with a winning record after their 9-3 mark in 2016 and have now done so in 18 of the last 19 seasons as well. 

MULES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• UCM opened up the season ranked 21st in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason poll, and reached a high of 13 after week one. They fell out of the rankings and have been receiving votes in the last six polls. 
• Under head coach Jim Svoboda the Mules have been ranked in the AFCA Poll 30 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of five times. 
• Central Missouri had been ranked in every d2football.com poll this season up until two weeks ago. They entered the season ranked 21st in the preseason and reached a high of 12 after their win of Pittsburg State. UCM re-entered the rankings last week at No. 24 and moved up after their win against Missouri Southern to No. 20. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Central Missouri owns the all-time series history with a mark of 26-18-2. The Mules have won the last five meetings and are undefeated (5-0) under coach Jim Svoboda
• Washburn's last win against UCM came back in 2009, a 36-21 win.
• Since 1997, the Mules have won 15-of-18 matchups.
• There have been 13 shutouts in the 46 games played between the two teams.
• Icahbod coach Craig Schurig is just 3-9 lifetime against the Mules. 

LAST MEETING WITH WASHBURN 
• The Mules jumped out early against Washburn on UCM Hometaking taking a 13-3 lead after the first quarter. Marquel McNac and Wesley Thomas each had touchdowns.
• Washburn stayed in the game and a field goal as time expired in the first half cut the Mule lead to six, 26-20.
• Central Missouri only scored three second-half points, but it was all they needed as the defense held on for a 29-27 win. A Monteze Latimore interception in Mule territory sealed the win.
• Garrett Fugate threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns in the contest and the Mules ran for 113 yards. Seth Hebert had a big day with 84 yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. 

ABOUT THE ICHABODS
• Washburn had won four straight games before a loss last week to Fort Hays State, 37-20. Like Central Missouri, Washburn is 5-2 with losses to Northwest Missouri and the Tigers. The Ichabods lost to the Tigers on the road and are 2-1 playing in Yager Stadium this season. Washburn has played in only two games this season that was decided by 10 points or fewer, a 20-14 loss to Northwest Missouri and a 26-16 win over Lindenwood. 
• Head Coach Craig Schurig is in his 16th season at the helm of the Ichabods and is the longest tenured coach in the MIAA. Schurig has a 108-71 lifetime record with Washburn and has led them to three NCAA playoffs berths. 
• Offensively, the Ichabods rank in the middle of the pack in the MIAA in most offense categories. They are fifth in the league scoring 33.6 points per game and ninth in total offense with 364.9 yards per game. The Ichabods get a lot of their offense from their running game. Washburn is fifth in the MIAA with 171.3 rushing yards per game, and their 14 rushing touchdowns rank third. They average 193.6 yards through the air which is ninth in the MIAA and have 12 passing TDs. 
• Defensively, the Ichabods rank third in the MIAA surrendering just 21.3 points per game. They are also third in total defense, allowing just 356.3 total yards per game and are fifth in both rushing yards allowed per game (140.) and passing yards per game (216.3). Their eight interceptions are third in the MIAA and they have 13 sacks. 
• Washburn quarterback has thrown for 1,179 yards this season with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He's completed 96-of-178 pass attempts for a 53.9 completion percentage. He's also run the ball for 219 yards.
• Mickeel Stewart and Zach Willis have shared the rushing duties. Stewart has 353 yards on 79 attempts and six touchdowns. Willis is averaging 6.9 yards per rush and has four scores with 339 yards on 49 carries. 
• On the receiving front, James Brania-Hopp has been the go-to guy with 22 catches for 343 yards and three touchdowns. Carey Woods also has three touchdowns and 21 catches for 198 yards. Will Hamilton is averaging 15.5 yards per catch with 248 yards on 16 receptions. Brania-Hoop ranks third in the MIAA in receiving yards.
• Washburn has used their dangerous return game to help flip field position. Corey Ballentine, one of the top sprinters in the MIAA, is second in the league averaging 29.8 yards per kick return. Teammate Josh Wright is at the top of the conference in punt returns. He averages 15.8 per return with 142 yards on nine attempts. 
• The Ichabods' Perry Schmiedeler has only attempted seven field goals in seven games and made five of them with a long of 36. He made both field goals of 30+ yards last week at Hays. 
• Schmiedeler also handles the punting duties for Washburn. He's kicked 34 times and averages 42.3 yards per kick with a long of 56. He ranks fourth in the MIAA and has had nine kicks land inside the 20 and five travel 50+ yards. 
• Washburn has a big time play maker on defense by the name of D.J. Olmstead. The safety is second in the NCAA with six interceptions, three of which he has returned for touchdowns which is best in Division II. Olmstead has also recovered two fumbles, broken up six passes and has 32 tackles. 
• Derrick McGrevy is second in the MIAA in tackles averaging 10.6 per game. 35 of those tackles have been solo and he's got 4.5 tackles for loss including a sack. Will Jones leads the defense with four sacks
• Washburn has done a good job of limiting turnovers with just four lost fumbles and three interceptions. They are 20th in the nation and third in the MIAA in turnover margin with a 2-1 ratio with 14 takeaways and seven turnovers. 
• Washburn doesn't commit many penalties, just 45 for 337 yards which ranks fourth in the MIAA. They also rank sixth in the league in third-down conversions with 41 out of 100 for 41%.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules hung another big number on the scoreboard for the second consecutive week, scoring 71 points, their most since opening day 2006 against Lincoln. It's their third time this season with 40+ points and second time with 60+ points. 
• The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, but an Alex Langer field goal had UCM on top 17-14 after the opening period. 
• That's when the Mules turned it on and scored 55 unanswered points to put the game away. UCM hung up 27 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third. 
• Brook Bolles had a solid game with 337 yards on just 15 completions. He finished 15-for-25 with two touchdowns. He also ran for a score, one of seven rushing touchdowns for the Mules. Devante Turner had three of UCM's seven rushing TDs. He led the game with 122 yards on 14 carries for an average of 8.7 yards per rush and also scored once through the air. Koby Wilkerson added a score and picked up 81 yards on nine carries. Sharvon Gunn and Kyle Bradley also finished the game with rushing touchdowns. Wilkerson's 78 receiving yards were a team-best, just three more than Kyrion Parker who had a team-high three receptions. Wesley Thomas made his only reception of the day count for six, a 10-yard score in the second quarter. 
• The Mules also scored their first special teams touchdown of the season when Diaron Rhodes blocked a punt, then returned it 37 yards afer the Lions first possession of the second half. 
• Central Missouri had a season-high three interceptions. Monteze Latimore picked off his second of the season and had a team-high 10 tackles.

MULES ALL TIME RECORDS
• Mules wide receiver Jaylen Zachery became the UCM all-time leading receiver against the Lopers and on Saturday became the all-time leader in receiving yards. For his career, Zachery has 149 catches for 2,388 yards. He is also six yards shy of reaching the top-five in all purpose yards. He became the sixth Mule to ever reach 4,000 career all-purpose yards earlier this season. Monteze Latimore picked off his 10th career pass to move into a tie for seventh-place and he now has 24 career pass breakups and is all alone in second place. 

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules finished 9-2 in conference play in 2016 and placed third in the league standings for the second consecutive season. 
• UCM now stands at 54-23 in conference games under Jim Svoboda.
• At 5-2 the Mules are currently tied for third-place with Washburn. 

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules went 5-1 at home in 2016 and are 32-9 at home under Jim Svoboda, and winners of seven straight. 
• The Mules are 237-183-13 overall in their 86th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 28-15 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following the win over Nebraska-Kearney.
• The Mules finished 2016 at 4-1 away from Warrensburg. They went a perfect 4-0 in true road games.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 48-7 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime. Their 44-14 halftime lead against the Lions was their largest this season. 
• The Mules are 10-19 all-time under Svoboda and 2-2 to start 2017 when trailing at halftime after the win against the Hornets. 

21 AND UP
• UCM is 59-12 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 57-6 during the Svoboda era and 33-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• The Mules scored 10 touchdowns to keep their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout intact and improve to 285 games. The Mules scored 10 touchdowns against the Lions. 
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.

2017 MIAA AND NCAA STAT LEADERS
• The Mules deploy two of the top-10 rushers in the league in a pair of redshirt-freshmen, Devante Turner and Koby Wilkerson. Turner is third in the MIAA with 570 yards and leads the league and is eighth in Division II averaging 7.31 yards per carry. Teammate Koby Wilkerson has 427 rushing yards and is sixth in the MIAA. Turner also became the conference leader in touchdowns after his three TD performance against Missouri Southern and now has eight for the season. 
• Brook Bolles is second in the MIAA and 11th in Division II in passing yards per game with 302.1. He now has four straight games with 300+ passing yards and is over 2,000 passing yards for the season. 
• Three Mules are in the league's top-20 in receptions. Jaylen Zachery is sixth with 30. He is also seventh in the MIAA with 473 receiving yards. Kyrion Parker has 22 catches and Seth Hebert has 21 catches to rank 15th and 18th, respectively. Parker is also in the top-10 with 442 yards to rank eighth. Hebert is 11th with 345 yards. 
• The Mules' 16 sacks are the tied for the fifth most in the MIAA. Kolesen Crane has three and Dylan Albertson has two. Monteze Latimore has 10 passes defended and two interceptions and Josh Terry has seven which puts them both in the MIAA top-10.
• Punter Zach Davidson sits second both in the MIAA and the NCAA in punting  average. On 31 attempts, he is averaging 45.2 yards per kick with eight kicks of 50+ yards and 11 inside the 20. 
• Alex Langer is averaging 1.57 field goals made per game, the second most in the MIAA and seventh most in the NCAA. He's connected on 11 attempts and his 84.6 (11-for-13) percentage leads the MIAA. He nailed a career-long 43 yarder against the Lopers, the seventh-longest in the MIAA this season. 

AROUND THE MIAA
• Both Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays State are the only unbeaten's left in the MIAA at 6-0. The Bearcats host Lindenwood while the Tigers are at Missouri Western.
• The MIAA has two teams ranked in the AFCA top-25 and the Mules and now Washburn are receiving votes. Northwest Missouri remained number one and Fort Hays State remains at No. 8. 
• Additional matchups this weekend sees Pittsburg State at Emporia State, Northeastern State at Nebraska-Kearney and Central Oklahoma at Missouri Southern. 

A WIN OVER WASHBURN WOULD...
• Be their sixth straight over the Lions.
• Give UCM a three-game win streak for the first time this season.
• Move UCM to sole possession of third place in the MIAA. 
• Move UCM to 6-2 overall. 

A LOSS TO WASHBURN WOULD...
• Be their first loss to MSSU since 2009.
• Put the Mules at 5-2 and drop them to fourth place in the MIAA. 
• Be their second road loss of the season. 
• Be their first loss to an unranked team since losing to Emporia State last season.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 556-510-51 (.520) record in 1,117 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 2016.

SVOBODA AT THE HELM
• Central Missouri head coach Jim Svoboda has a record of 61-27 (.693) during his seven-plus seasons leading the Mules. He has led the Mules to three postseason appearances.
• He is third on UCM's career wins list.
• Svoboda's .693 winning percentage 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 84 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 12th season in the league and his fifth with the Tennessee Titans. Walker signed a four-year deal with the Titans, and a two-year extension through 2018, after playing in Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco.
• Walker finished 2016 with 65 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns, and has 405 catches for 4,814 yards with 31 touchdowns in his career.
• In 2015, he caught 94 passes for 1,088 yards, his first career 1,000 receiving yard season, and six touchdowns and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. He made the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive year in 2016 as well. 
• Walker was inducted into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2015.
• This season, Walker has 25 catches for 261 yards. 

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 211 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured three MIAA regular season titles, one MIAA Tournament crown and two NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 157 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.
• In 2016-17, Central Missouri won the inaugural MIAA's Commissioner's Cup trophy for the conference's top overall athletic department. 

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 252 student-athletes named to the 2016-17 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 22 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.
• 20 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had five student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports. 
• All-time UCM is fourth in NCAA-II with 103 Academic All-Americans.
• Carly Thomas of Jennies Bowling was awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.

UP NEXT
• The Mules remain on the road for one more week and travel to Edmond, Okla. to take on Central Oklahoma, who have played in five one-possession games this season.