Mules Football Hosts Black Out Game vs. Missouri Southern

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Sept. 26, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Football is back home this Saturday for their Black-Out Game.

OPPONENT: Missouri Southern Lions (0-4, 0-4 MIAA)

WHERE: Warrensburg, Mo. - Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 29 - 1 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler & Joe Moore 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-to-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
• Central Missouri returns to Warrensburg looking to get back on track. The Mules will take on Missouri Southern Saturday, Sept. 29 with a 1 p.m. kickoff. 
• The Mules had won two in a row before losing on the road last week at Washburn 28-21. The Mules are 2-0 at home this season and 0-2 on the road. 
• Missouri Southern just fell to Fort Hays State at home 55-20. The Lions are 0-4 this season and 0-2 on the road. 
• In the preseason coaches and media polls, UCM was selected to finish third in both which would match their place from a year ago. 
• At home, Central Missouri was 4-1 last season. and is 34-9 under Coach Svoboda. All time, the Mules are 240-183-13 and 2018 will be their 87th season at Walton Stadium. 
• Missouri Southern was picked to finish last in both the coaches and the media preseason polls for the 2018 season. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series with Missouri Southern 22-15-2. Central Missouri has won 10 of the last 11 games with the Lions only win in that stretch coming in 2013. Coach Svoboda is 7-1 all-time against Missouri Southern. Central Missouri has scored more than 50 points against the Lions in each of the last three games and held MSSU to 10 points or fewer in two of the last three. 

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST MISSOURI SOUTHERN 
• The Mules set a record for total offense in a game with 726 yards of total offense.
• UCM scored 10 touchdowns on 16 drives and still only held onto the ball for 24:46.
• Devante Turner scored three times and rushed for 133 yards on 14 carries. He added a fourth touchdown on a 37 yard reception.
• The Mules ran for 377 yards on the ground and threw for 349 more.
• Brook Booles was 15-for-25 for 337 yards yards and two touchdowns in the air and also ran four times for 33 yards and a score.

MULES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• UCM was ranked 18th in the preseason American Football Coaches Association preseason poll and hovered around that spot for the first three weeks. Following the loss at Washburn, the Mules have fallen out of national rankings for the first time this season. 

ABOUT THE LIONS
• The most notable thing around Joplin recently has been the coaching situation. Denver Johnson stepped down in the middle of last week and Joe Bettasso was named as the Interim Head Coach. He served his first game last week in a loss to Fort Hays State
• There are two winless teams in the MIAA and Missouri Southern is one of them. They are 0-4 and have been blown out in all four games. Their closest margin of defeat was this past weekend when they lost by 38 points, 55-20 to Fort Hays State.
• Sean Kelly is the primary quarterback. He's 55-11 for 401 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.
• The Lions have run the ball 154 times and gained just 602 yards. Caleb Batie has rushed 46 times for 231 yards.
• Cole Dunbar is the leading receiver with 15 catches for 11 yards.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules finished 8-3 in conference play in 2017 and placed third in the league standings for the third consecutive season. 
• UCM now stands at 59-26 in conference games under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 7-1 in MIAA games against Missouri Southern under Svoboda. 

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules finished 2017 undefeated at home at 4-0 and are 35-9 at home under Jim Svoboda, and winners of 10 straight.  
• They've started out the 2018 season with two straight wins, scoring 50+ points in both. 
• The Mules are 240-183-13 overall and 2018 will be their 87th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 30-18 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following their 28-21 loss to Washburn last weekend. 
• The Mules finished 2017 at 5-2 away from Warrensburg. They were 4-2 in true road games and had a win in their only neutral site game. 

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 52-8 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime. UCM led 27-7 at the half against the Griffons on their way to a 51-14 win. 
• The Mules are 11-21 all-time under Coach Svobda when trailing at halftime after failing to comeback from down a touchdown against Washburn. 

21 AND UP
• UCM is 65-14 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 63-7 during the Svoboda era and 37-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• Central Missouri has scored in 293 straight games and have a chance to reach 300 by seasons end.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.

2018 MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Central Missouri leads the MIAA in total offense with 524.3 yards per game.
• They are also fourth in total defense, allowing just 317.0 yards per game. 
• UCM is fourth in rushing offense averaging 197 yards per game and leads the league in passing at 327.3 yards per game. 
• Devante Turner (10) and Koby Wilkerson (15) are both in the MIAA top-15 in rushing, as they finished last season. Turner's averaging 57 yards per game while Wilkerson is at 50.3
• Shae Wyatt and Kyrion Parker are fifth and sixth in the league in receiving yards. Wyatt leads his running mate by a single yard with 307 yards while Parker is at 306. Parker though has the edge in touchdowns, 4-2 which is second most in the conference. 
• Trevore Sanders and Duane Clayton are in the top-10 in pass breakups. 
• UCM's 27.0 first downs per game are the most in the MIAA. They are also second in the MIAA in third down conversions after making 27-60 (45%) The Mules also converted six fourth down attempts. 

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 562-513-51 (.522) record in 1,126 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 nine 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 67-30 (.691) during his eight-plus seasons leading the Mules. He has led the Mules to four postseason appearances.
• He is third on UCM's career wins list.
• Svoboda's .691 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 made back-to-back postseason appearances. UCM pulled the same feat in 2016-17 with a berth in the NCAA Playoffs in 2016 and a victory in the 2017 Mineral Water Bowl. 
• 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.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 215 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured two national championships, two MIAA regular season and two MIAA tournament championships. 
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 161 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won 10 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, women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015, and women's soccer and women's basketball) and 12 national championships overall.
• In 2016-17 and 2017-18, Central Missouri won the first two MIAA's Commissioner's Cup trophy for the conference's top overall athletic department. 

UP NEXT
• The Mules travel to Edmond, Okla. to take on Central Oklahoma Saturday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.