Xavier Jackson
Andrew Mather Photography

Football

Mules Football Back on the Road at Emporia State Saturday

Game 6: Central Missouri (1-4, 1-4 MIAA) at Emporia State (3-2, 3-2 MIAA)
Saturday, Oct. 8 | 1 p.m. | Emporia, Kan. (Francis G. Welch Stadium)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR
TV: MIAA Network (PPV)

Live Stats | Live Audio | Game Notes (PDF)
SCENE SETTER
  • Central Missouri Mules football (1-4, 1-4 MIAA) is back on the road for the third time in four weeks for a MIAA match up against the Emporia State Hornets (3-2, 3-2 MIAA) Saturday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kan.
  • The Mules are coming off their first victory of the season -- a 35-13 triumph over Northeastern State at home Oct. 1 -- while the Hornets took down No. 24-ranked Washburn on the road in Topeka, Kan., Oct. 1, 42-35.
  • The win was the first at Central Missouri for first season head coach Josh Lamberson.
  • 2022 marks the 125th season in Mules football history.
  • In the MIAA Football Preseason Polls, UCM was picked in a tie for seventh in the coaches' poll and ninth in the media poll. The Hornets were picked sixth in both the MIAA Coaches' and Preseason Media Polls.
ON THE AIR
  • Saturday's game will be broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, the new 107.9 FM and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action, Joe Moore providing color commentary and Jason Ketz on the sidelines.
  • 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.
MULE LEADERS
  • Offense: With five games in the books, the Mules are paced offensively by redshirt sophomore quarterback Cedric Case (95-for-160 with 4 INT, 1,043 yds, 6 TD, 78 long, 208.6 yds/game, 132 yds rushing, 2 rushing TD), redshirt sophomore running back Avian Thomas (31 carries, 134 net yds, 20 long, 33.5 yds/game) and redshirt junior wide receiver Arkell Smith (17 catches, 255 yds, 15.0 avg, 3 TD, 78 long, 51.0 yds/game).
  • Defense: Through five games, UCM is paced defensively by redshirt sophomore defensive back Noah Blair (42 tackles [27 unassisted/15 assisted], 2 TFL/3 yds, 3 INT/83 yds, 4 breakup) and redshirt senior linebacker Travis DeGrate (25 tackles [5 solo/20 assisted], 2 TFL/6 yds, 0.5 sacks/4 yds).
  • Special Teams: Redshirt junior kicker Sam Knowlton is 4-for-6 in field goals converted, hitting a season-long 42-yarder at Pittsburg State...Redshirt freshman punter Ethan Brown has 27 punts for 1,140 yards with an average distance of 42.2 yards and a long of 58. He's placed five punts inside the 20-yard line and four have been at least 50 yards.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE MULES
  • Cedric Case threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Central Missouri Mules football team to a 35-13 victory over the Northeastern State RiverHawks in a MIAA game played on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field during UCM's annual Family Weekend.
  • Case, a redshirt sophomore quarterback from Lincoln, Neb., completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts for 237 yards through the air, including a 50-yard touchdown strike to Trevor Twehous in the second quarter. He added 36 yards rushing and scored a rushing TD on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter.
  • Xavier Jackson rushed for 41 yards on a game-best 17 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns while fellow running back Weston Bridges rushed for a game-high 64 yards on seven attempts, pacing UCM on the ground.
  • Arkell Smith and Twehous led the Central Missouri aerial attack, with Smith compiling five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown and Twehous tallying 67 yards on four catches and a TD.
  • Weston King had a team-high seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss for seven yards and a five-yard quarterback sack while Noah Blair had four tackles, a pair of pass breakups and a 52-yard interception, pacing the UCM defense.
  • For the game, the Mules outgained the RiverHawks, 438-180, including a 201-77 advantage in rushing yards and a 237-103 edge in receiving yards.
  • Central Missouri posted a 34:37 to 25:23 advantage in time-of-possession and were 8-of-14 in third-down conversions.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Saturday's game at Emporia State will mark the 67th time in the all-time series dating all the way back to the inaugural meeting in 1901. The Mules lead the series, 42-20-4, going into the game Saturday. Last season, UCM took down Emporia State in Warrensburg, 45-38.
LAST TIME OUT VS. EMPORIA STATE
  • University of Central Missouri Mules football forced a season-high six turnovers and recovered a program single-game record four fumbles enroute to a 45-38 victory over the Emporia State Hornets at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.
  • UCM quarterback Logan Twehous went 22-for-34 with 403 yards and three touchdown passes, while receiver Cameron Saunders tallied a career-high 213 yards on nine catches, including a season-best 72-yard touchdown reception, pacing the high-scoring Mule offense.
  • Running back Koby Wilkerson added 83 yards on the ground, and receiver Arkell Smith and tight-end Jared Bubak each reeled in touchdown passes, respectively.
  • Codie Bell made 11 solo tackles and one assisted tackle for 12 tackles, while Chima Dunga recovered one of UCM's school-record four fumbles and returned it for a touchdown, leading the Central Missouri defense.
  • Travis DeGrate, Tyron Taylor and Joshua Terry added fumble recoveries, and Dylan Price and Aundra Gilbert compiled interceptions, amounting to the Mules' six forced turnovers in the contest.
  • UCM scored six touchdowns and a field goal while posting 495 total yards of offense in the game, including 403 yards through the air and 92 yards rushing.
  • Emporia State quarterback Braden Gleason went 48-for-67 and threw for 497 yards while scoring two touchdowns, leading the Hornets.
  • ESU tallied 665 yards of total offense in the contest, including 497 yards passing and 168 yards on the ground.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
  • The Emporia State University Hornets are 3-2 overall and in MIAA play entering the week after going on the road and taking down the No. 24-ranked Washburn Ichabods, 42-35, in Topeka, Kan., Saturday, Oct. 1.
  • Through five games, the Hornets lead the conference in passing offense with 1,539 yards through the air and an average of 307.8 passing yard per game. ESU has scored 13 touchdowns via the pass so far in 2022. In overall scoring offense, Emporia State is fourth in the MIAA with 29.2 points per game. ESU is also fourth in scoring defense, giving up 19.8 points per game.
  • Offensively, the Hornets are paced by reigning MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week Braden Gleason (quarterback), who leads the conference in passing with 133 completions on 206 attempts with just one interception. He has 13 passing TDs on 1,530 yards and is averaging 306 yards per game.
  • On the defensive side of the ball, Emporia State is led by linebacker Cade Harelson, who is third in the MIAA in tackles with 42, including 20 solo and 22 assisted tackles.
THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
  • UCM is 1-4 in MIAA action entering Saturday's game at Emporia State.
  • Through five games, the Mules lead the conference in interceptions with eight for 88 yards.
  • UCM's Noah Blair is tied for the MIAA lead with three interceptions for 83 yards entering the week.
THE MULES AT HOME
  • The Mules are 252-186-13 overall and 2022 will be their 90th season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
  • Under Josh Lamberson, Central Missouri is 1-1 at home.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES
  • Central Missouri has scored in 319 straight games.
  • The streak dates to week three of the 1991 season.
MULES FOOTBALL HISTORY
  • In the 124 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 581-530-51 record.
  • 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 -- Josh Lamberson's first season as offensive coordinator for UCM.
  • 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.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
  • Central Missouri has won a combined 233 MIAA conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
  • Last season, UCM captured two regional championships in men's golf and women's soccer, and five MIAA Championships - women's soccer, volleyball (regular season and tournament) and baseball (regular season and tournament).
  • Since 1983, the tenure of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 179 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.
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.
ON THE HORIZON
  • The Mules return home to Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field to host Missouri Southern in the annual UCM Homecoming Game Saturday, Oct. 15, at 1:30 p.m.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Codie Bell

#1 Codie Bell

DB
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Aundra Gilbert

#9 Aundra Gilbert

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Dylan Price

#3 Dylan Price

DB
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Cameron Saunders

#2 Cameron Saunders

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Joshua Terry

#24 Joshua Terry

DB
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
Logan Twehous

#12 Logan Twehous

QB
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Koby Wilkerson

#5 Koby Wilkerson

RB
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Jared Bubak

#8 Jared Bubak

TE
6' 4"
Senior
Chima Dunga

#0 Chima Dunga

DL
6' 1"
Senior
Tyron Taylor

#33 Tyron Taylor

DB
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Codie Bell

#1 Codie Bell

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
DB
Aundra Gilbert

#9 Aundra Gilbert

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Dylan Price

#3 Dylan Price

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Cameron Saunders

#2 Cameron Saunders

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Joshua Terry

#24 Joshua Terry

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
DB
Logan Twehous

#12 Logan Twehous

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Koby Wilkerson

#5 Koby Wilkerson

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
RB
Jared Bubak

#8 Jared Bubak

6' 4"
Senior
TE
Chima Dunga

#0 Chima Dunga

6' 1"
Senior
DL
Tyron Taylor

#33 Tyron Taylor

6' 0"
Sophomore
DB