No. 18 Mules Football Continues Homestand by Hosting Nebraska Kearney Saturday for Breast Cancer Awareness Game

Football | 10/4/2023 10:21:00 AM

• No. 18 Central Missouri Mules football (4-1, 4-1 MIAA) is scheduled to host the Nebraska Kearney Lopers (2-3, 2-3 MIAA) for the 2023 Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce and Breast Cancer Awareness Game Saturday, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in Warrensburg.
• The first 1,000 fans through the gates Saturday will receive a pink rally towel courtesy of the official healthcare provider for UCM Athletics, Western Missouri Medical Center.
• The Mules are coming off a 41-38 victory over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Saturday, Sept. 30, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. The win was the first over the Bearcats for UCM since 2012.
• The Mules are ranked number 18 in both the latest AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and D2Football.com Top-25 Poll entering Saturday.
• Through five games, Central Missouri still leads the nation in passing offense with an average of 399.4 yards per game, first downs with 153 and total offense with an average of 551.6 yards per game.
• With five games in the books, quarterback Zach Zebrowski continues to lead NCAA Division II in passing yards (1,887), passing touchdowns (20) and total offense (413 yards per game) while receiver Arkell Smith ranks third in receiving TDs (7) and sixth in receiving yards (530), and running back Marcellous Hawkins is sixth in rushing TDs (8).
• 2023 marks the 126th season in Mules football history.
• In the MIAA Football Preseason Polls, UCM was picked seventh in both the preseason coaches' and media polls while Nebraska Kearney was voted to tie for fifth in the coaches' poll and finish sixth in the media poll.

• Saturday's game will be broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action, Joe Moore providing color commentary and Brinkley Beever on the sidelines.
• The game will also be webcast online through Central Missouri's MIAA Network 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.

• Offense: Through five games, the Mules are led offensively by quarterback Zach Zebrowski (169-of-149, 3 INT, 1887 yds., 20 TD, 62 LG, 377.4 yds./game), receivers Arkell Smith (41 rec., 530 yds., 7 TD, 60 LG, 106 yds./game), Jack Pospisil (25 rec., 302 yds., 3 TD, 62 LG, 60.4 yds./game), Demarcus Gregory (24 rec., 235 yds., 1 TD, 40 LG, 47 yds/game) and Michael Fitzgerald (14 rec., 246 yds., 2 TD, 40 LG, 49.2 yds./game), and running back Marcellous Hawkins (68 carries, 426 yds., 8 TD, 55 LG, 85.2 yds./game).
• Defense: UCM is paced defensively through five games by defensive backs Curtis Appleton II (32 tackles [18 solo, 14 asst], 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery) and Sharmari Reed (21 tackles [11 solo, 10 asst], 1.0-1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles), and linebackers Cale Miller (31 tackles [12 solo, 19 asst], 4.5-17 TFL, 1.0-9 sacks, 1 INT) and Isaac Montgomery (23 tackles [8 solo, 15 asst.], 1.0-1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble)
• Special Teams: After five contests, the Central Missouri special teams unit is led by punter Ethan Brown (13 punts, 508 yards, 39.1 average, 51 long, 1 touchback, 5 fair catches, 6 inside 20, 1 50+) and place-kicker Luke Dobson (3-3 FG, 41 long, 11-11 PAT).

• MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week: Arkell Smith, WR, Sept. 11; Zach Zebrowski, QB, Sept. 25; Marcellous Hawkins, RB, Oct. 2
• MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week: David Olajiga, DL, Sept. 25

• The 2023 Mules feature 54 true freshmen and 24 transfers.
• UCM also has eight new coaches on the sidelines for 2023 in Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Coach Hayden Hawk, Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach Justin Bane, Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Greg Jones, Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Stephen Franklin, Offensive Recruiting Coordinator/Running Backs Coach Adrian Duncan, Defensive Recruiting Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach Brian "BK" Smith, Offensive Player Personnel/Tight Ends Coach Chace Gadapee and Assistant Special Teams Coordinator/Kickers, Punters and Snappers Coach Terrance Dennis. These
• Central Missouri's eight new coaches join returning coaches Josh Lamberson (Head Coach), Joe Holtzclaw (Co-Offensive Coordinator Run Game/Offensive Line Coach), Dana Chambers (Defensive Line Coach/Alumni & Community Engagement Coordinator) and Kevin Kim (Defensive Player Personnel/Inside Linebackers Coach).

• Saturday's game against Nebraska Kearney will be the 13th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1960. UCM leads the series, 8-4, but has dropped the last two meetings with the Lopers. Last season, Central Missouri fell to UNK in Kearney, Neb., 38-6.

• Marcellous Hawkins rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns and Zach Zebrowski threw for 412 yards with two touchdowns as the No. 21-ranked Central Missouri Mules football team took down the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 41-38, Saturday, Sept. 30, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. The victory marked UCM's first win over the Bearcats since 2012.
• Hawkins compiled his career-best 149 rushing yards on 18 carries, including touchdown runs of nine and 30 yards. Zebrowski went 33-for-55 for 412 yards and threw TD passes of 24 and six yards.
• Arkell Smith added 153 receiving yards on 10 catches while Jack Pospisil tallied 88 yards on 10 catches with a touchdown.
• Curtis Appleton II paced the UCM defense, making 11 tackles and posting an interception. Sharmari Reed and Jaden Dawson also had interceptions in the victory while David Olajiga, Martin Bender, Weston King and Lane West each tallied quarterback sacks.
• For the game, the Mules outgained the Bearcats 568 yards to 410 yards, including a 156-127 advantage in rushing and 412-283 edge in passing. Central Missouri also won the time of possession battle over Northwest Missouri, 33:06 to 26:54.

• Quarterback T.J. Davis rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns, helping the No. 19-ranked Nebraska Kearney Lopers overpower Central Missouri Mules football, 38-6, Saturday afternoon, Sept. 24, 2022, at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium/Foster Field.
• Davis, the 2021 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, had 15 carries for his 191 yards rushing and three TD's, including a game-best 68-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He added a 64-yard TD pass to UNK's Joe Siffend in the first quarter, posting 134 passing yards with four completions on 10 attempts.
• Central Missouri was limited to just two Samuel Knowlton field goals – a 16-yard conversion in the first quarter and 27-yard field-goal at the end of the second quarter – in the game.
• UCM quarterback Cedric Case threw for 243 yards, completing 24 out of 37 attempts with a long of 44 yards, while JD Kolb rushed for 50 yards on nine carries and Avian Thomas ran for 46 yards on 11 attempts, pacing the Mule offense for the game.
• Kingsley Ayeni, IV, led Central Missouri defensively with six tackles, including a four-yard tackle-for-loss and quarterback sack. Keshawn Howell added a 10-yard fumble recovery and Duane Clayton II had an interception, respectively.
• The Lopers outgained the Mules in the contest, 540-395, including a 366-148 advantage in rushing yards. UCM did get the best of Nebraska Kearney through the air, posting a 247-174 edge in passing yards.
• Penalties played a major factor in the contest, as Central Missouri was penalized eight times for 80 yards and UNK had just five penalties for 39 yards.

• The Mules are 257-187-13 overall and 2023 is their 91st season playing home games at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.
• Under Josh Lamberson, Central Missouri is 6-2 at home.

• Central Missouri has scored in 330 straight games.
• The streak dates to week three of the 1991 season.

• In the 126 seasons of UCM Football the Mules have compiled a 588-534-51 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.

• 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.

• The Mules head south to Tahlequah, Okla., for a MIAA road game at Northeastern State Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m.