WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Nov. 1, 2017) - Central Missouri Mules Football will honor their 17 seniors on Senior Day in their final home game of the regular season.
OPPONENT: Northeastern State RiverHawks (1-8, 1-8 MIAA)
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 - 1 p.m.
WHERE: Warrensburg, Mo. - Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field
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 p.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 home for their regular season home finale after spending two weeks on the road. UCM went 1-1 during the two-week road trip with a win at Washburn and loss to Central Oklahoma.
• After winning three straight, Central Missouri lost for just the third time this season, a 48-30 loss at the hands of Central Oklahoma.
• Northeastern State picked up their first win of the season last week. In a battle of 0-8 teams, the RiverHawks came out on top in two overtimes against Missouri Southern 32-29.
• In the preseason coaches and media polls, UCM was selected to finish third in both, which would match their place from a year ago. Northeastern was picked 10th in the coaches and 11th in the media 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 29-15 all time on the road with Coach Svoboda on the sidelines.
• At home, Central Missouri is a perfect 3-0. All three of their losses have come away from Warrensburg. The Mules have also won seven straight home games dating back to last year.
STORY LINES
• The Mules look to bounce back after a tough loss at Central Oklahoma. Central Missouri had previously won three straight.
• The RiverHawks have just one win this season, which came last week against Missouri Southern. A 32-29 2OT decision between two previously winless teams.
• 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 win last weekend, they are guaranteed their 11th straight winning season and 19th in the last 20 years.
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. After six straight weeks in the receiving votes category, the Mules were back in the top-25 last week before falling back out after the loss to UCO.
• Under head coach
Jim Svoboda the Mules have been ranked in the AFCA Poll 31 times and have been ranked in the top 10 a total of five times.
• Central Missouri has been ranked in nearly every d2football.com poll this season. They entered the season ranked 21st in the preseason and reached a high of 12 after their win of Pittsburg State. The Mules were ranked 17th before the game against Central Oklahoma.
• This week was the second week of NCAA Regional Rankings. The Mules ranked ninth in Super Region III which consists of the MIAA, GAC, GLIAC, GLVC. The top seven teams in the rankings at the end of the year qualify for the postseason along with the top seven from the other three super regions for a 28-team field. The top team in each super region receives a bye into the next round when the field is cut to 16.
SERIES HISTORY
• Northwest Missouri holds an 8-4 all-time advantage over the Mules. Seven of those wins game between 1962-1985.
• The Mules have won four straight against the RiverHawks, all in the last four years and have scored at least 50 points in all four games.
• This marks the sixth straight season the two teams have played.
• The Mules have held the Bronchos under 20 points in three of the five meetings.
•
Jim Svoboda is 4-1 lifetime against the Bronchos while NSU head coach Rob Robinson is 0-4.
• The Mules lost Coach Svoboda's first game against NSU, 24-23 in 2012.
LAST MEETING WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
• In the Mules penultimate game in 2016, they jumped on top of the RiverHawks early, 31-10 going into halftime before walking out of Tahlequah with a 59-21 win.
• Of the Mules three first quarter touchdowns, two were interceptions returned for touchdowns, a 66 yarder from
Kolesen Crane to get the scoring started and a 75 yard return from
Diaron Rhodes.
•
Garrett Fugate threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He also Turned for 34 yards and another score.
Gabe Vandiver led the team with 73 rushing yards and Marqual McNac scored a rushing touchdown.
•
Jaylen Zachery scored a pair of touchdowns. He scored on a 39 yard pass from
Garrett Fugate. He also returned a kickoff 93 yards in the fourth quarter to put UCM ahead 52-21.
Kyle Echols had a game-high 132 yards on six receptions.
ABOUT THE RIVERHAWKS
• The bright spot of the RiverHawks season came last week when they defeated Missouri Southern 32-29 in 2OT, ensuring they wont go winless for the second time in four years under coach Rob Robinson.
• The 32 points scored are the most this season for the RiverHawks, who scored 27 the previous week against Nebraska-Kearney, which was a season-high at the time.
• Robinson is in his fourth season at the helm of Northeastern State. He went winless his first season in Tahlequah and has a 6-36 record.
• At 15.8 points per game, the RiverHawks are the worst scoring offense in the league. Defensively, they aren't much better at 44.6 which is 11th out of 12 teams. The RiverHawks have scored just 142 points this season while giving up 401.
• The RiverHawks do not have a quarterback who qualifies for the MIAA statistical leaders through nine weeks. Cade Yeager got the start against Missouri Southern and threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He has started five games and has completed 870-of-184 passes with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His 1,105 yards leads the team. Dominic McKinzy has thrown for 834 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.
• On the ground, Ra'Keim Abdul has picked up a team-best 375 yards. The RiverHawks have only two rushing touchdowns this season, one from Abdul. C.J. Shavers has recevied the bulk of the carries with 90. He's gained 316 yards.
• Gary McKnight is the team's leading receiver with 777 yards and eight touchdowns. His 77 yards are fourth in the MIAA and his eight touchdowns are tied for second. McKnight is second in the league in yards per catch with 22.2. He's only second to teammate Rashawn Eubanks who has 10 catches for 267 yards and two scores, an average of 26.7 yards per catch.
• Northeastern State has given up 29 sacks this season, most in the MIAA. They are also last in the league with eight total sacks on defense.
• La'More Wise leads the team with 99 tackles. He also has five for a loss and an interception. He leads the MIAA in total tackles and solo tackles with 67 and has forced five fumbles. T'Nheous Smith has 2.5 sacks to lead the RiverHawks. Coleby Evans is next with 66 tackles and has four for a loss.
• Northeastern State is 4-for-8 this season on field goal attempts. Blake Pearce is 2-for-5 with a long of 39. Toshi Hayashi is 2-for-3, with all three attempts under 30 yards.
• The RiverHawks have punted 71 times this season. Pearce has averaged 40.7 yards per kick on 45 attempts. Tim Davis has also punted 23 times averaging 39.4 yards.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules scored 30 points for the fourth straight week, but it wasn't enough in a 48-30 loss to Central Oklahoma. The loss stops a three game winning streak and is the first to Central Oklahoma in team history.
• Central Missouri got on the board first on their second possession of the game.
Koby Wilkerson scored from eight yards out.
• After the Mules touchdown, UCO scored 24 straight points. Two touchdowns and a field goal gave UCO a 17-7 halftime lead. They got the ball to start the second half and scored just 5:10 into the period on Bruce White's second touchdown run of the game.
•
Jaylen Zachery brought the lead back down to 10, 27-17 with a 31 yard touchdown pass from
Brook Bolles on the first play of the fourth quarter. But the Bronchos scored three touchdowns in just 4:11 on eight plays and took a commanding 48-17 lead. UCM scored two late touchdowns, a 59 yard catch and run from Bolles to
Wesley Thomas and
Devante Turner punched one in from a yard out after a 59 yard reception from Zachery.
• Bolles threw for a career-high 372 passing yards, most of that coming after the Mules had been down. UCM couldn't get the running game going, totaling just 58 yards on the ground. Bolles led the team with 27 rushing yards. Zachery's touchdown was his first of the season and 16th of his career. He totaled a game-high 146 receiving yards on five catches. Thomas was also over 100 receiving yards with 129 and a score.
•
Diaron Rhodes led the Mules defense with 15 tackles.
Jackson Newman and
Monteze Latimore each had interceptions and
Tyron Taylor blocked a punt, the Mules second blocked punt of the season.
Austin Miller recorded his fourth sack.
MULES ALL TIME RECORDS
• Several Mules are climbing up the all-time single season and career rankings as the season is starting to wind down. Wide Receiver
Jaylen Zachery has already become the Mules all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards in program history and continues to add to his totals, currently at 160 receptions and 2,538 receiving yards. He is also moving up the all-purpose yards list and is fourth at 4,233.
•
Monteze Latimore picked off his 11th career pass to move into a tie for sixth-place. He and
Diaron Rhodes are in a battle for most pass breakups, tied at 26.
• Quarterback
Brook Bolles is slowing making his way towards a few single-season top-10 lists. He is already fourth in total offense at 3,207. He cracked the top-10 this week in single-season passing yards at 2,843 which is seventh. He also needs just 23 more completions and 19 more attempts to get into the top-10.
• Additionally,
Devante Turner is also near some single-season top-10 lists at running back. He needs 317 more yards to reach 1,000 and 367 more yards for 10th all-time in a single season. He is also three rushing touchdowns shy of the top 10 and 18 points scored.
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 55-24 in conference games under
Jim Svoboda.
• At 6-3 the Mules are tied for third place with Washburn. Fort Hays State remains undefeated atop the league with Northwest Missouri is 8-1.
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 29-16 in road games during the
Jim Svoboda era following the loss to Central Oklahoma.
• 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 49-7 during the
Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime. Their 44-14 halftime lead against Missouri Southern was their largest this season. After not having a halftime lead for the first five games, UCM has gone into the break with the lead in three of their last four games.
• The Mules are 10-20 all-time under Svoboda and 2-3 in 2017 when trailing at halftime after the loss to the Bronchos.
21 AND UP
• UCM is 60-13 under
Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 58-7 during the Svoboda era and 34-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• The Mules scored four touchdowns to keep their MIAA record streak of consecutive games without being shutout intact and improve to 286 games. The Mules have scored 23 touchdowns in their last three games.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.
2017 MIAA AND NCAA STAT LEADERS
• Central Missouri boasts one of the best offenses in the country. They are in the top-15 in the NCAA in both scoring offense and total offense per game. At 519.2 yards per game, UCM is third in Division II in total offense. UCM's 40.6 points per game ranks 13th in the country.
• 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 fourth in the MIAA with 683 yards and is second in the league and is 18th in Division II averaging 6.83 yards per carry. Teammate
Koby Wilkerson has 519 rushing yards and is eighth in the MIAA. Turner also has 12 rushing touchdowns this season to lead the MIAA and is 15th in Division II.
•
Brook Bolles is another reason for the Mules scoring attack lately. He is tops in the MIAA and third in Division II with 2,843 passing yards. He has five straight games with at least 300 passing yards and his 18 passing touchdowns are fourth in the MIAA and 27th in the nation.
• Three Mules are in the league's top-25 in receptions.
Jaylen Zachery is fourth with 41. He is also sixth in the MIAA with 679 receiving yards.
Seth Hebert has 27 catches and
Kyrion Parker has 26 catches to rank 19th and 21st, respectively. Parker is also in the top-10 with 526 yards to rank ninth.
• The Mules' 21 sacks are the tied for the fifth most in the MIAA.
Kolesen Crane and
Austin Miller have four.
Monteze Latimore has 13 passes defended and three interceptions and Josh Terry has eight which puts them both in the MIAA top-10.
• Punter
Zach Davidson sits third in the MIAA and fourth the NCAA in punting average. On 39 attempts, he is averaging 43.8 yards per kick with nine kicks of 50+ yards and 13 inside the 20.
•
Alex Langer is averaging 1.33 field goals made per game, the third most in the MIAA and 20th most in the NCAA. His .857 FG% (12-for-14) is ninth in the NCAA.
AROUND THE MIAA
• Pittsburg State defeated Northwest Missouri last week, leaving Fort Hays State as the only unbeaten left in the MIAA. Those two teams meet this week in what will likely determine the MIAA Champion.
• With the Mules falling out of the national rankings, the MIAA is back to having two teams in the top-25. Northwest Missouri drops from No. 1 to No. 8 following their loss while Fort Hays State climbs up to No. 6. The Mules and Washburn are receiving votes.
• Additional matchups this weekend sees Central Oklahoma at Washburn, Pittsburg State at Nebraska-Kearney, Missouri Western at Emporia State and Lindenwood at Missouri Southern.
A WIN OVER NORTHEASTERN STATE WOULD...
• Be their fifth straight over the Bronchos.
• Stop a losing streak from starting.
• Be the Mules eighth straight win at home.
• Finish the year at 4-0 in games played at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field
• Move UCM to 7-3.
A LOSS TO NORTHEASTERN STATE WOULD...
• Be their first loss to NSU since 2012.
• Give the Mules a two-game losing streak for the first time this season.
• Snap a seven game home winning streak.
• Drop UCM to 6-4 on the season.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 557-511-51 (.521) record in 1,119 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 62-28 (.689) 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 .689 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 86 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 32 catches for 324 yards. He had tied a season-high with seven receptions Sunday against the Browns, but left in the fourth quarter with an ankle sprain.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 212 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
• Central Missouri closes out the regular season on the road against Lindenwood. Kickoff in St. Charles is scheduled for 1 p.m.
