Game 10: Central Missouri (3-6, 3-6 MIAA) at Missouri Western (4-5, 4-5 MIAA)
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 | 1 p.m. | St. Joseph, Mo. (Spratt Memorial Stadium)
Radio: 1450 KOKO AM, 107.9 FM, 98.5 FM / Video: MIAA Network (PPV)

UCM Game Notes (PDF)

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THIS WEEK
• Mules football (3-6, 3-6 MIAA) is scheduled to play its final road game of the 2021 regular season when they travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for an MIAA game at Missouri Western (4-5, 4-5 MIAA) Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, at 1 p.m. at Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium.
• UCM is coming off a 77-35 victory at Lincoln Oct. 30 in Jefferson City, Mo., while the Griffons won at Missouri Southern, 45-28, on Oct. 30.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action, and Brinkley Beever on the sideline. The Pregame Show will begin at 12:15 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 St. Joseph will mark the 37th meeting in the all-time series that dates to 1975. The Mules hold a narrow 18-17-1 edge in the series after winning in St. Joseph in 2019, 48-45 in overtime.
• Central Missouri is 8-10 in the all-time series in St. Joseph.
• Going into Saturday, UCM has won the last five meetings with the Griffons.
• Head coach Jim Svoboda is 6-4 against Missouri Western in his Central Missouri tenure.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST MISSOURI WESTERN
• The No. 21 Central Missouri Mules raced out to a 24-0 lead at half and led 30-0 in the third, before hanging on for a 48-45 overtime win over Missouri Western to improve to 3-0 on Sept. 21, 2019, in St. Joseph.
• The wild game saw 1,206 yards of total offense, 702 from the Mules and 504 from the Griffons.
• Each team picked up 27 first downs and rushed for 168 yards.
• Chris Diddle kicked a game-winning, 23-yard field-goal in overtime.
• Quarterback Brook Bolles hit a couple of milestones. First, he surpassed 300 career pass completions. He became just the 10th Mule to ever complete 300 passes. Bolles also went over 5,000 passing yards, just the seventh Mule to reach that figure. With five touchdown passes, Bolles also passes Tommy Corwin for ninth all-time with 38.
• Not only did Bolles throw for his first 400-yard game, but he also set a new school record throwing for 506 yards, the first Mule to ever throw for 500 yards in a game. His 520 yards of total offense is also a single-game record.
 
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 GRIFFONS
• Missouri Western is 4-5 overall and in the MIAA going into Saturday's contest after winning at Missouri Southern Oct. 30 in Joplin, Mo., 45-28.
• In the win at Southern, the Griffons matched a school record with 32 first downs and put up 412 rushing yards.
• Quarterback Reagan Jones ran for three touchdowns and connected with Cooper Burton for a passing TD as well.
• Through nine games, Missouri Western ranks sixth in the MIAA in scoring offense with 30.4 points per game and 10th in scoring defense, giving up 32.2 points per game.
• In total offense, MWSU is eighth in the conference with 392.8 yards per game, while the Griffons are ninth in total defense, allowing 434.3 yards per game.
• Missouri Western has excelled at running the football this season, ranking third in the MIAA in rushing offense with 169.9 yards on the ground per game.
• The Griffons have struggled defending the pass and are 12th in the conference in passing defense, surrendering 291.7 yards per game through the air.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE MULES
• University of Central Missouri Mules football rolled up 543 yards of total offense and forced five turnovers in a 77-35 victory at Lincoln Saturday, Oct. 30, at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
• Central Missouri scored a season-high 77 points, which is the most total points UCM football has scored in a single game since a 78-0 win at Lincoln in 2006.
• Logan Twehous tallied five touchdowns, including four passing and one rushing TD, and went 10-for-17 with 266 yards, while Cameron Saunders surpassed 1,000 season receiving yards with 156 yards and a pair of touchdowns on six catches.
• Saunders now sits at 1,110 receiving yards on the season, ranking fourth in program history.
• Koby Wilkerson led Central Missouri on the ground, rushing for 61 yards on 13 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
• Cooper Crane had a season-best 13 tackles, including eight solo and five assisted as well as four tackles-for-loss for 10 yards, and recovered one of four Blue Tiger fumbles, while Travis DeGrate forced two fumbles and had a 12-yard tackle-for-loss, leading the UCM defense.
• UCM passed for 419 yards in the game while holding the Blue Tigers to just 164 yards through the air. The Mules were also a perfect 7-for-7 in the red-zone.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 3-6 in the MIAA after their 77-35 win at Lincoln Oct. 30.
• UCM now stands at 76-38 in conference games under Jim Svoboda.
• Through nine games, Central Missouri leads the MIAA in passing offense, averaging 320.3 yards per game through the air. In total offense, UCM is fifth with 435.4 yards per game. Defensively, Central Missouri is 10th in total defense, allowing 480.4 yards per game.
• Cam Saunders leads the MIAA in receiving with an average of 123.3 yards per game. Logan Twehous is third in passing with 280 yards per game and second in total offense with 299.6 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 33-23 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following its 77-35 victory at Lincoln Oct. 30.
• The Mules finished 2019 with a 5-2 record away from Warrensburg.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 64-9 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 82-22 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 79-7 during the Svoboda era and 48-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• Central Missouri has scored in 322 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 579-525-51 record in 1,155 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 84-42 (.667) 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 .667 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 wrap up their 2021 season with a home game vs. Central Oklahoma Saturday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. UCM will honor its seniors prior to kickoff.