Mules Host No. 3 Northwest Missouri for Military Appreciation Day

Game 3: Central Missouri (0-2, 0-2 MIAA) vs. No. 3 Northwest Missouri (1-0, 1-0 MIAA)
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field)
Radio: 1450 AM, 107.9 FM, 98.5 FM / Video: MIAA Network

UCM Game Notes (PDF)

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THIS WEEK
• University of Central Missouri Mules football (0-2, 0-2 MIAA) will look to pick up its opening win of the 2021 season when it hosts MIAA rival Northwest Missouri State (1-0, 1-0 MIAA) Saturday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in Warrensburg.
• UCM enters Saturday's contest at 0-2 overall and in the MIAA after falling at Washburn Sept. 9 in Topeka, Kan., 29-10.
• The Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State are 1-0 overall and in MIAA action after winning at Fort Hays State, 15-7, Sept. 2 in Hays, Kan. Northwest Missouri was slated to play Lincoln for its home opener in Maryville, Mo., Sept. 9, but the contest was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Lincoln program.
• Mules football finished the 2019 season with an overall record of 11-2 and won a share of the MIAA Championship -- the 13th in program history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UCM did not play an official schedule in 2020.
• Northwest Missouri also did not play an official schedule in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bearcats compiled an overall mark of 12-2 and shared the MIAA regular season championship with the Mules in 2019 with a 10-1 conference record.
• 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 Bearcats were tabbed the 2021 MIAA preseason favorites in both the preseason coaches' and media polls.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, the new 107.9 FM and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler and Joe Moore calling the action and Brinkley Beever on the sidelines. 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 Blueframe 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
• Northwest Missouri has gotten the better of Central Missouri in the in the all-time series, winning 18 of the last 21 matchups, including a playoff game in 2010.
• The last Mules win came back in 2012. Since then, the Bearcats have won the last seven.
• Northwest Missouri also holds the advantage all time at 62-35-2. UCM and Northwest Missouri first met in 1921.

MULES UPDATE
• Central Missouri enters the weekend at 0-2 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA after falling at Washburn Sept. 9 in Topeka, Kan., 29-10.
• Washburn tallied 485 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns in the win.
• In his season debut for the Mules, redshirt junior quarterback Logan Twehous went 10-for-21 for 67 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a team-best 33 yards.
• Devante Turner rushed for 13 yards on eight carries, while Koby Wilkerson added 14 yards on nine carries and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Twehous in the second quarter.
• Wilkerson led Central Missouri's receiving efforts, tallying 33 yards and a TD on five catches, while Zion Perry compiled 30 yards on two catches.
• Defensively, Codie Bell paced UCM, making nine total tackles and tallying an interception, and Chima Dunga and Deven Smith each had eight tackles. Azaiah Bello and Brian Adkins also had interceptions in the contest.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST NORTHWEST MISSOURI
• The Mules fell to the No. 12 Bearcats, 45-23, in Maryville, Mo., on Nov. 16, 2019.
• The loss marked UCM's only regular season setback during the 2019 season.
• In the game, Central Missouri turned the ball over six times.

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.

A LOOK AT THE BEARCATS
• The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats enter the week at 1-0 overall and in the MIAA after winning at Fort Hays State, 15-7, back on Sept. 2. The Bearcats were scheduled to face Lincoln in Maryville, Mo., Sept. 9, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Lincoln program.
• Northwest Missouri is ranked third in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll and fourth in the most recent D2Football.com poll.
• In NWMSU's victory over Fort Hays State, Bearcat quarterback Braden Wright passed for 96 yards on 13-of-23 passing, while Al McKeller posted 161 rushing yards and a score. Davonte Green had 11 carries for 53 yards, including a game-high 23-yard run. Kaden Davis led the Bearcat receivers with three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules posted an 11-2 record in MIAA action in 2019 and captured a share of the conference title with Northwest Missouri State. It was Central Missouri's 13th MIAA championship since 1924 and the 17th in program history.
• UCM now stands at 73-34 in conference games under Jim Svoboda after the setback to Pittsburg State Sept. 2.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri's loss to Pittsburg State Sept. 2 marked the first home setback for UCM at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field since a 48-21 loss to Northwest Missouri Nov. 10, 2018.
• The Mules went a perfect 6-0 at home at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in 2019 and are 43-13 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 250-187-13 overall and 2021 will be their 89th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• Central Missouri is 31-23 in road games during the Jim Svoboda era following their 29-10 setback at Washburn Sept. 9 in Topeka, Kan.
• The Mules finished 2019 with a 5-2 record away from Warrensburg.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• The Mules are 63-10 during the Jim Svoboda era when leading at halftime.
• The Mules are 14-29 all-time under Coach Svoboda when trailing at halftime after falling at Washburn.

21 AND UP
• UCM is 79-19 under Jim Svoboda when scoring at least 21 points.
• When scoring 30 or more points, UCM is 77-7 during the Svoboda era and 46-1 when scoring 40 or more points.

SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
• Central Missouri has scored in 315 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 576-521-51 (.524) record in 1,148 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 81-38 (.681) 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 .681 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.

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 welcome Nebraska Kearney to Warrensburg for the annual UCM Family Day game Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.