Mules Football Heads to Lincoln Saturday

Game 9: Central Missouri (2-6, 2-6 MIAA) at Lincoln (0-7, 0-7 MIAA)
Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021 | 2 p.m. | Jefferson City, Mo. (Dwight T. Reed Stadium)
Radio: 98.5 FM / Video: MIAA Network (PPV)

UCM Game Notes (PDF)

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THIS WEEK
• Mules football (2-6, 2-6 MIAA) will aim to snap a two-game losing skid when they travel to Jefferson City, Mo., for a 2 p.m. MIAA game at Lincoln (0-7, 0-7 MIAA) Saturday, Oct. 30, at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
• Central Missouri is coming off a 21-17 home setback to Fort Hays State in the annual UCM Homecoming Game Saturday, Oct. 23, in Warrensburg.
• The Blue Tigers were shutout, 56-0, at Nebraska Kearney in their last action Saturday, Oct. 23.
• Central Missouri tied for second with Fort Hays State and received one first-place vote in the 2021 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Mules were also tabbed second in the MIAA Preseason Media Poll and received a first-place vote.
• The Blue Tigers were picked last in the MIAA preseason coaches' and media polls.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 98.5 The BAR and warrensburgradio.com with Joe Moore calling the action, and Brinkley Beever on the sideline. The Pregame Show will begin at 1:15 p.m. on the UCM Sports Network.
• The game will also be webcast online through Central Missouri's Blue Frame Internet portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/. It is a pay-to-view webcast. MIAA Network content is available live via 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.

SERIES HISTORY
• Saturday's contest in Jefferson City will be the 32nd meeting the all-time series that dates back to 1957. The Mules lead the series, 24-7.
• Central Missouri has won 19 consecutive games against Lincoln. UCM's last loss against the Blue Tigers was a 21-6 setback in Jefferson City in 1978.
• Head coach Jim Svoboda is a perfect 2-0 against Lincoln.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST LINCOLN
• The Mules rolled up 790 yards of total offense and tallied 35 first downs in a 73-6 rout of the Lincoln Blue Tigers Nov. 9, 2019, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. The win clinched at least a share of UCM's first MIAA championship since 2003.
• Defensively, UCM held the Blue Tigers to 263 yard and just 14 first downs.
• The Mules scored 10 touchdowns and a field goal in the game.
• Quarterback Brooke Bolles finished his day an efficient 17-20 for 363 yards and five touchdowns.

MULES IN THE POLLS
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA preseason media poll and tied for second by the MIAA coaches.

ABOUT THE BLUE TIGERS
• Lincoln enters the weekend at 0-7 overall and 0-7 in the MIAA after getting shutout at Nebraska Kearney Oct. 23, in Kearney, Neb., 56-0.
• The Blue Tigers have lost 11 straight games dating back the 2019 season. Lincoln's last win was a 27-9 victory over Northeastern State at home Oct. 19, 2019.
• Through seven contests, the Blue Tigers are led by quarterback Zamar Brake, who is 94-for-176 with three interceptions, 1,410 yards, 11 touchdowns and 201.4 yards per game. Leading the Lincoln ground game is running back Hosea Franklin, who has rushed for 598 yards on 143 carries with six touchdowns and 85.4 yards per game, while receiver Winston Ausmer paces Lincoln through the air with 25 catches, 375 yards, four TDs and 53.6 yards per game.
• Going into Saturday, the Blue Tigers are 11th in the MIAA in scoring offense with 17.5 points per game and 12th in scoring defense, surrendering 61.9 points per game. Lincoln is 11th in total offense with 321.4 yards per game and 12th in total defense, allowing 572.7 yards per contest.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE MULES
• Fort Hays State scored a touchdown with 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to stun the University of Central Missouri Mules, 21-17, in the annual UCM Homecoming Game Saturday, Oct. 23, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• Logan Twehous went 28-for-42 with 322 yards and one touchdown and added 26 yards and a TD on the ground to lead the Mules, while Cam Saunders had eight receptions for 156 yards and Koby Wilkerson rushed for 44 yards on 14 attempts.
• Receiver Drew Slager, who returned to the field after missing four games due to injury, scored a touchdown and tallied 55 yards on eight catches.
• Codie Bell led the Central Missouri defense, totaling 12 tackles, including eight solo and four assisted, and making a 17-yard interception, while Clay Griffin and Marques Cooper each had quarterback sacks.
• Central Missouri outgained Fort Hays State in the game, 435-430, including a 113-51 advantage in rushing, but were outgained in the air by FHSU, 379-322.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 2-6 in the MIAA after their 21-17 loss to Fort Hays State Oct. 23.
• UCM now stands at 75-38 in conference games under Jim Svoboda.
• Through eight games, Central Missouri ranks third in the MIAA in passing offense, averaging 308 yards per game through the air. In total offense, UCM is fifth with 422 yards per game. Defensively, Central Missouri is 11th in total defense, allowing 490.8 yards per game.
• Cam Saunders leads the MIAA in receiving with an average of 119.5 yards per game. Logan Twehous is third in passing with 282 yards per game and total offense with 301.1 yards per game.

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules went a perfect 6-0 at home at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in 2019 and are 43-12 at home under Jim Svoboda.
• UCM outscored its adversaries at home in 2019, 46.5 points to 24 points. The Mules also outgained their opponents in total yards, 3,243 to 2,268.
• The Mules are 251-188-13 overall and 2021 will be their 89th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 32-23 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following its 30-28 loss at Missouri Southern Oct. 16.
• The Mules finished 2019 with a 5-2 record away from Warrensburg.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 63-9 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime.
• The Mules are 14-32 all-time under Coach Svoboda when trailing at halftime after falling to Fort Hays State.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 81-22 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 78-7 during the Svoboda era and 47-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• Central Missouri has scored in 321 straight games.
• The streak dates to week three of the 1991 season.

MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In the 121 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 578-525-51 record in 1,154 total games.
• The Mules have won 10 or more games four times in the history of the program and have posted 13 seasons of eight or more wins.
• UCM tied the program-record for wins in a season with 11 in 2019. The Mules also won 11 games in 2010 -- Jim Svoboda's first season at the helm.
• UCM has won or shared 13 MIAA championships in school history with the last coming in 2019.
• The Mules have qualified for the postseason 10 times in their history, including three trips to the NCAA-II Playoffs, the last coming in 2019.

SVOBODA AT THE HELM
• Central Missouri head coach Jim Svoboda has a record of 83-42 (.664) during his eight-plus seasons leading the Mules. He has led the Mules to five postseason appearances.
• He is second on UCM's career wins list.
• Svoboda's .664 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. In 2019, the Mules hosted their second playoff game in program history, downing Indianapolis, 37-27.
• The Mules have set or tied 108 school offensive records and 21 MIAA offensive records during Svoboda's tenure.
• Under Coach Svoboda, UCM players have earned 28 All-American awards and 146 All-MIAA awards.
• Since entering the league, the Mules are the No. 1 team in total offense with 470.4 yards per game, and No. 2 in scoring offense with 37.1 points per game. UCM's six postseason appearances are also the second most in the league, and the 81 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 228 MIAA conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured two regional championships in men's golf and baseball, and five MIAA Championships - women's indoor track and field, men's golf, softball and baseball (regular season and postseason tournament)
• Since 1983, the tenure of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 170 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 in 2017 and 2018) and 12 national championships overall.
• Central Missouri has won the MIAA Commissioner's Cup, presented by McCownGordon Construction, four times in the last five years, including 2020-21. The cup is presented at the end of each academic year to the conference's top performing school in league play.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 189 student-athletes named to the 2020-21 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• Thirty 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.
• Seventeen UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had six student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports and 18 Academic All-District.
• All-time UCM is third in NCAA-II with 122 Academic All-Americans.
• Jennies basketball's Gigi McAtee and Mules golf's Ian Barnes earned the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award for having the highest GPA at their respective NCAA Championships.
• Jennies track and field junior Ashlan Burton took home the 2021 MIAA Spring Student-Athlete of the Year award and was selected as a conference nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

MULES IN THE PROS
• Former Mules' All-American tight end Zach Davidson (2016-2020) was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
• He marked the 12th Mules football player to be drafted in program history and the first since former UCM standout tight end Delanie Walker in 2006.
• In program history, 78 Central Missouri football players have either been drafted or signed professional free-agent contracts.

UP NEXT
• The Mules head to St. Joseph, Mo., for a 1 p.m. MIAA contest at Missouri Western Saturday, Nov. 6, at Spratt Memorial Stadium.