Mules Football Celebrates Homecoming Saturday vs. UCO

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Oct. 9, 2019) - No. 15 Central Missouri Mules Football brings their 5-0 record back home this weekend for Homecoming.

OPPONENT
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (2-3, 2-3 MIAA)

WHERE
Warrensburg, Mo. - Walton Stadium / Kennedy Field

WHEN
Saturday, Oct. 12 - 1:30 p.m.

HOMECOMING WATCH 
• All members of the Central Missouri Mule Train are invited to watch the 2019 Homecoming Parade from the Achauer House. Donuts, beverages and spirit giveaways will be provided.
• The Achauer House is located at 314 South Holden Street.
• The parade gets underway at 9 a.m.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler and Joe Moore calling the action and Danielle Sachse on the sidelines. The Tailgate Show will begin at 12:20 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
• It's Homecoming Weekend in Warrensburg!
• Central Missouri puts their 5-0 record on the line this weekend as they play host to the 2-3 Central Oklahoma Bronchos.
• Central Missouri finished 2018 5-6 after a rash of injuries, missing the postseason for the first time in two years. They are off to a 5-0 start in 2019 after a 71-42 win at Missouri Southern last weekend.
• Central Oklahoma is off to a 2-3 start this season. They are coming off of a 35-7 drubbing  at home vs. Fort Hays State. They have dropped their last two games at Northwest Missouri and vs. Fort Hays State. 
• This will be the third Mules home game of the season. They are 2-0 after wins at over Fort Hays State and Washburn.
• Central Oklahoma was picked to finish 4th in the MIAA in the MIAA preseason coaches poll and 5th in the media poll. They finished 8-4 a year ago and won the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl over Angelo State.

SERIES HISTORY
• Central Missouri has lost back-to-back matchups against Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
• The Mules had previously won five straight against the Bronchos. 
• UCM has scored at least 30 points in 6 matches and 40 points in 4 of the 7 games these 2 teams have played. 
• This marks the eighth straight season the two teams have played. 
• The Mules have held the Bronchos under 20 points in three of the seven meetings. 
• Jim Svoboda is 5-2 lifetime against the Bronchos while UCO head coach Nick Bobeck is 2-5.
• The closest game came in 2015 when the Mules won 45-42. 
• UCM is 3-0 against the Bronchos in Warrensburg.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• It looked like the Mules were down and out early as the Bronchos opened up a 23-0 lead after the first quarter last year in Edmond.
• The Mules though responded with 26 straight points, getting four rushing touchdowns and leading 26-23.
• Central Oklahoma though scored 10 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 33-26 win. UCM had a chance with the ball on the Bronchos 11 in the final minute, but back-to-back sacks on third and fourth down ended the game. 
• Devante Turner had three rushing scores and picked up 116 yards on 13 carries. 
• Shae Wyatt caught seven passes for 140 yards. 

MULES IN THE POLLS
• UCM moved up to 15th in this week's AFCA top-25 rankings. They are also ranked 15th by d2football.com
• The Mules were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA preseason media poll and fifth by the MIAA coaches.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS
• Central Oklahoma comes to Warrensburg having dropped two straight games. They are 2-3 on the season and 1-1 on the road.
• The Bronchos are 10th in the league in scoring averaging 28.6 points per game. They are seventh defensively at 30.8 points allowed.
• Offense hasn't come easy for UCO. They are ninth in total offense at 365.2
• The Broncho offense is eighth in the league in both rushing and passing offense. They run the ball for an average of 157 yards per game and average 208.2 yards through the air.
• UCO has rolled out two quarterbacks. Will Collins has taken the most snaps and is 41-73 for 542 yards and five touchdowns. Keats Calhoon is 35-64 for 431 yards this season with three touchdowns.
• The Broncho defense is lacking game-changing plays. Central Oklahoma is yet to record a sack yet through five games and they only have three interceptions, both last in the MIAA.
• UCO has made every kick this season. They are 1-1 on field goal attempts and 20-20 on PAT's.
• Jakarri Hunt is the Bronchos leading tackler. He has 33 with two for a loss.
• UCO doesn't beat themselves. Their 19 penalties are the fewest in the MIAA. 

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules finished 5-6 in conference play in 2018 and placed seventh in the league standings. 
• UCM now stands at 67-30 in conference games under Jim Svoboda after their win Saturday and are 5-0 this season.

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules finished 2018 4-2 at home and are 39-11 at home under Jim Svoboda.
• UCM went undefeated at home in 2017, 4-0. 
• The Mules are 2-0 at home with wins over Fort Hays State and Washburn. 
• The Mules are 246-185-13 overall and 2019 will be their 88th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 34-20 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following their 71-42 win last weekend at Missouri Southern. 
• The Mules finished 2018 at 1-4 away from Warrensburg after going 5-2 on the road in 2017.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 58-8 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime. 
• The Mules are 13-25 all-time under Coach Svoboda when trailing at halftime.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 73-18 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 71-7 during the Svoboda era and 43-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• Central Missouri has scored in 305 straight games. 
• They got a scare in the 2018 regular season finale, as they were held scoreless through the first three quarters before scoring 21.
• The streak dates back to week three of the 1991 season.

2019 MULES STAT LEADERS
• The Mules offense is at it again. UCM is second in Division II in total offense with 587.6 yards per game.
• They are mostly getting it done through the air as they are fifth in passing offense with 342.6 yards per game, but also 19th in rushing offense at 245.0 yards per game.
• UCM is in the top-five scoring as well averaging 55.6 points per game, fourth in D2.
• The numbers are just as gaudy for quarterback Brook Bolles. He is sixth in the nation in total offense at 356.4 yards per game and leads the country in yards per completion (19.88)
• His 21 passing touchdowns are second, he is fifth in passing efficiency at 198.7% and 11th in passing yards per game at 314.2
• Bolles' primary target is Shae Wyatt whose 507 receiving yards leads the MIAA.
• Zach Davidson is back at the top of the MIAA in punting. He is averaging 42.8 yards per kick. But that's not all, Davidson is also fourth in the league with 417 receiving yards and tied for the league lead with eight TD receptions. 
• Ubong Udom's four sacks are second in the MIAA. 
• Both Koby Wilkerson and Devante Turner are in the MIAA top-10 in rushing. Wilkerson is sixth with 368 yards and third with six touchdowns. Turner is ninth with 328 yards and his five touchdowns are fourth. Turner is also third in the MIAA in all-purpose yards with 831. 

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 120 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 570-517-51 (.523) record in 1,138 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.

SEASON STARTS
• The last time the Mules started out 5-0 was in 2003.
• This is the first time under Coach Svoboda UCM has started 5-0. 
• Central Missouri hasn't started out 6-0 since 2002. Only 5 times in team history have they been 6-0. 
• UCM is one of 25 teams in Division II still unbeaten and one of three in the MIAA. 

GETTING OFFENSIVE
• Central Missouri has scored at least 30 points in all five games this season.
• UCM has reached 70 points twice. The Mules had only scored 70 one time under Coach Svoboda before doing so twice in 2019.

MAKING HISTORY
• Quarterback Brook Bolles is already all over the Mules record book. So far this season, he has set UCM records with 7 touchdown passes (at Missouri Southern) and 506 yards passing (at Missouri Western).
• Bolles' favorite target during his 7 touchdown pass game was Zach Davidson. Davidson caught four of Bolles' seven touchdowns, a feat that has only been done once before, in 1960.

SVOBODA AT THE HELM
• Central Missouri head coach Jim Svoboda has a record of 75-34 (.688) 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, three wins behind Terry Noland (78) for second all-time.
• Svoboda's .688 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 94 school offensive records and 21 MIAA offensive records during Svoboda's tenure.
• Under Coach Svoboda, UCM players have earned 24 All-American awards and 131 All-MIAA awards. 
• Since entering the league, the Mules are the No. 1 team in total offense with 462 yards per game, and No. 2 in scoring offense with 36 points per game. UCM's five postseason appearances are also the second most in the league, and the 30 wins is the third most in the MIAA.
• 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 219 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured two regional championships, and two MIAA Championships - men's indoor and outdoor track and the baseball regular season and tournament championship
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 165 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. 

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 261 student-athletes named to the 2018-19 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 33 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.
• 23 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 and nine Academic All-District. 
• All-time UCM is third in NCAA-II with 119 Academic All-Americans.
• Mason Janvrin was named the CoSIDA Baseball Academic All-American of the Year and an Elite 90 Award winner at the National Championships. 

MULES IN THE PROS
• There are two former Mules currently on NFL rosters. Tight end Delanie Walker is in his 14th season in the league and his seventh with the Tennessee Titans. Walker signed a four-year deal with the Titans, and a two-year extension through 2020, after playing in Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco.
• Walker finished 2017 with 74 receptions for 807 yards and three touchdowns, and has 479 catches for 5,621 yards with 34 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 has since made the Pro Bowl three consecutive years 2015-17.
• Walker was injured during the season opener in 2018 and placed on injured reserve, missing the rest of the season. He's off to a fast start in 2019 with 17 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. 
• Walker was inducted into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2015.
• Former Mules offensive lineman Derrick Puni is currently on injured reserve with the Dallas Cowboys after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019.