Miracle in Kearney! Mules Stun Lopers on Last Second Touchdown

KEARNEY, Neb. (Nov. 2, 2019) - In one of the wildest finishes you will ever see, No. 11 Central Missouri Mules Football pulled off a stunner in Kearney, Neb. for a 47-40 win over the Lopers. UCM scored 17 points in the final 4:57 to snatch victory from the claws of defeat and move to 9-0 on the season.

How it Happened
The Final Five
• Jumping right ahead to the good stuff, UCM trailed 40-30 with under five minutes left to play. On 4th-and-7 from the 50 yard line, Brook Bolles hit Shae Wyatt streaking across the field for the first down, and Wyatt ran all the way into the endzone to cut the lead to 40-37 with 4:57 left.
• On the ensuing kick off, returner Darius Webb was stripped of the ball at the 11 and Codie Bell was there to fall on it, giving the Mules the ball right back with 4:48 on the clock.
• The Loper defense held firm and forced a Mules field goal attempt. Samuel Knowlton tied the game connecting from 21 yards out.
• Nebraska-Kearney got the ball back with a chance to retake the lead with 3:31 left. The Lopers started the drive with a long 37 yard into Mule territory. They marched the ball down to the Mules 13 yard line where they set up for a game-winning 30 yard field goal with 19 seconds left to play.
• Kicking into the wind, Junior Gonzalez ripped a low line-drive, but Ubong Udom got his hand on it and swatted it down where Dylan Price scooped up the loose ball and returned it 22 yards to the Mules 37.
• With no time outs and 12 seconds left the Mules had one last shot before the game went into overtime. That's all it took. The Lopers played their man defense and Cameron Saunders and Zach Davidson both got behind the defense and Bolles launched a seed into the waiting arms of Saunders who trotted into the end zone for a 63 yard game-winning score.

The Other 55 Minutes
• The Mules outgained the Lopers 606-521 in total yards. UCM threw for 464 yards and the Lopers picked up 300 on the ground.
• Both teams turned the ball over twice which led to 14 Loper points and 10 points for the Mules.
• Nebraska-Kearney led in time-of-possession 31:52-28:08.
• The Lopers picked up 8-of-14 third downs and the Mules were just 4-14. 
• Clean game in terms of penalties. The Mules committed five for 40 yards and the Lopers four for 35 yards.
 
• The game started with the Mules scoring on an 18-yard Devante Turner rush. The lead didn't last as the Lopers scored 14 straight for a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter.
• The Mules scored three times in the second quarter getting a 34 yard field goal from Knowlton and touchdown passes from Bolles to Saunders and Davidson. At the half, the Mules led by three, 23-20. 
• UCM pushed the lead to 10 to start the second half, 30-20 as Bolles hit Davidson for a 34-yard touchdown. 
• After that, the Lopers scored three straight touchdowns, getting 20 unanswered points to go from a 10 deficit to a 10-point lead, 40-30.
• That led to the wild finish where the Mules scored 17 in the final five minutes for the improbable win.

It Was Over When...
• The Mules sacked Loper quarterback TJ Davis on the final play of the game and the clock hit 00:00.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Brook Bolles finished with 464 yards passing going 23-41 with five touchdowns.
• Shae Wyatt caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
• Cameron Saunders also finished with two touchdown passes catching four passes for 117 yards.
• Zach Davidson also caught four passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
• Devante Turner ran 22 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He picked up 173 all-purpose yards.
• Codie Bell led the defense with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery. 
• Azaiah Bello and Zack Aschemann each had a sack.
• Kolesen Crane had four tackles and a fumble recovery.

For the Lopers
• David Goodwin rushed 20 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
• TJ Davis completed 9-of-14 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 23 times for 43 yards and a touchdown. 
• Sedarius Young caught three passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. 
• Sal Silvio led the game with 13 tackles including a sack.
• Terrell Williams had an interception and five tackles.

News and Notes
• Central Missouri moves to 9-0 for the first time in team history.
• Coach Svoboda won game number 79 and is now second all-time at UCM.
• Brook Bolles surpassed 7,000 career passing yards and now has 7,017 and is third all-time. His five touchdowns give him 58 for his career, tied for second in Mules history.
• Shae Wyatt moved into the Mules all-time top-10 in receiving yards and stands at 1,718 career yards.
• Devante Turner moved into the all-time top five in all-purpose yards and currently has 4,331. His touchdown was also his 33rd, fourth in team history.
• Kolesen Crane is now responsible for nine turnovers this season, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

Up Next
• Central Missouri returns home for the final home game of the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 9 against Lincoln for Senior Day. Kickoff is 1 pm. The game will also be Salute to Service Day and all active and veteran military personnel and their families receive free admission. The game is also Youth and School Day, local schools and children groups can receive free tickets by contacting the UCM Ticket Office. Toys 4 Tots will also be receiving donations of new and unwrapped toys. Any toy donation or a $10 monetary donation will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate from a UCM Athletic Partner.