Mules Take On RiverHawks Thursday in Home Opener

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Sept. 4, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Football returns to Warrensburg for their first home game of the 2018 season!

OPPONENT: Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-1, 0-1 MIAA)

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

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018 - 7 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 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 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 comes back to Warrensburg for their first home game of the 2018 season taking on the Northeastern State Riverhawks. 
• The Mules fell in their season opener 20-16 at Fort Hays State, allowing 14 fourth quarter points as the Tigers came back from down 10.
• Northeastern State also lost their first game of the season, 34-7 at home to Emporia State. The RiverHawks were 1-10 last season.
• 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 33-9 under Coach Svoboda. All time, the Mules are 238-183-13 and 2018 will be their 87th season at Walton Stadium. 
• Northeastern State hasn't won on the road since Nov. 14, 2015 at Lindenwood. They were picked to finish 11th this season in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Poll. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Northeastern State holds an 8-5 all-time advantage over the Mules. Seven of those wins came between 1962-1985.
• The Mules have won five straight against the RiverHawks, all in the last five years and have scored at least 50 points in all four games. 
• This marks the seventh straight season the two teams have played. 
• Jim Svoboda is 5-1 lifetime against the RiverHawks while NSU head coach Rob Robinson is 0-5.
• The Mules lost Coach Svoboda's first game against NSU, 24-23 in 2012. 

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The Mules scored 21 first quarter points and after a 7-7 tie, put the game away early. 
• Central Missouri picked up 720 yards of total offense with 340 rushing yards and 380 passing yards.
• UCM picked up 10-of-13 first downs and drove into the RiverHawks redzone eight times.
• Brook Bolles was 24-32 for 380 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for two scores with 110 yards on 13 carries.
• Koby Wilkerson was over 200 total yards with 138 rushing yards and 88 receiving. Devante Turner added 97 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. 

MULES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• UCM fell three spots in the American Football Coaches Association poll to number 21 this week. They also fell to No. 21 in the d2football.com poll, after checking in at No. 19 in the preseason poll. 

ABOUT THE RIVERHAWKS
• The RiverHawks have seven new starters on offense from the 2017 season. 
• One holdover is quarterback Cade Yeager. He was 18-30 week one for 201 yards and a touchdown.
• Northeastern State ran the ball 33 times against Emporia State, but gained only 14 yards, an average of 0.4 yards per rush.
• NSU also gave up 237 yards on ground to the Hornets. ESU didn't have to throw much, completing 17-of-32 passes against the RiverHawk defense for 201 yards and a touchdown.
• Ryheem Brummitt was the top receiving threat for NSU with five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
• Lane Yoder is the RiverHawks leader on defense with 11 tackles. He also had a quarterback hurry and blocked a kick.
• Ja'en Evans had an interception and Daxx McCalister a sack. 

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 57-25 in conference games under Jim Svoboda.
• The Mules are 5-1 in MIAA games against Northeastern State under Svoboda. 

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules finished 2017 undefeated at home at 4-0 and are 33-9 at home under Jim Svoboda, and winners of eight straight.  
• The Mules are 238-183-13 overall and 2018 will be their 87th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 30-17 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following the 2018 season-opening loss at Fort Hays State. 
• 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 50-8 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime. UCM led 10-3 at the break in Fort Hays before being outscored 14-0 in the fourth quarter.
• In 2017, the Mules led at the break in just four of 12 games. 
• The Mules are 11-20 all-time under Coach Svobda when trailing at halftime after the win over the Lions. 

21 AND UP
• UCM is 63-13 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 61-7 during the Svoboda era and 35-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• Central Missouri has scored in 290 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 is second in the MIAA in total offense with 508 yards per game.
• They are also second in rushing with 245 rushing yards. Devante Turner is third in the league with 106 rushing yards. 
• Turner is also second in the MIAA in all-purpose yards with 188 yards. 
• The Mules leading receiver is Ryan Sass. His 82 yards are the fifth most in the MIAA. 64 of those yards came on one play. Kyrion Parker's four receptions are tied for seventh in the league.
• Dylan Albertson's 10 tackles have him tied for 10th in the MIAA.
• Trevore Sanders leads the MIAA with three pass breakups. 
• UCM's 25 first downs were the second most in week one. They are also leading the MIAA in third down conversions after making 10-of-19 (52.6%) The Mules also converted two fourth down attempts. 

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 560-512-51 (.521) record in 1,123 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 65-29 (.691) during his seven 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 remain at home next week as they host Missouri Western Saturday, Sept. 15 with a 1 p.m. kickoff.