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Mules Defense Dominates Ichabods in 28-14 Win

Mules defense did not allow a first down for Washburn in the first half of play on Saturday
(Photo by Dave Kopp)

The University of Central Missouri Fighting Mules used the lethal combination of a stellar running game and a suffocating defense to hand Washburn a 28-14 loss and get head coach Willie Fritz his 78th career win, tying him with Terry Noland as the all-time winningest coach in UCM history.

When the game started it didn’t look as if it would go the Mules way as junior quarterback Stinson Dean threw an interception to the Ichabods’ Cary Williams, who returned it 49 yards for a score at the 8:57 mark.

It was Dean’s first start in nearly four years (since high school), but it didn’t take long for him to get back in the groove as he led the Mules offense down the field for a 12 play, 65 yard scoring drive that spanned a season long 6:24 on the next possession. Junior running back Glenn Milner capped the march with a six-yard touchdown but perhaps the biggest play of the drive was an acrobatic, juggling catch by junior wideout Tim Richmond for 21 yards to convert on third and 12.

The Mules defense followed that by forcing WU into another three-and-out, holding the Ichabods to only six plays in the first quarter. The offense tried to capitalize on the next possession, but stalled in Washburn territory and was forced to punt.

The defense came up big again though as senior free safety Kendall Ricketts laid a big hit on WU quarterback Jordan Brill on third and seven, while sophomore Adrian Chapman picked off the pass and returned it 11 yards to the WU 21. Brill got up shaky and would not return until the second half. Two plays later, Milner rolled around the corner from 21 yards out to give the Mules their first lead of the day with 11:15 to go before the break.

Central Missouri kept the onslaught going as it forced Washburn into a couple more three-and-outs before getting the ball back on its own 26 with 4:44 to go. UCM would move down the field in 13 plays and hand the ball to Justin Gore, who coasted in from five yards out to give the Mules a 21-7 lead with 14 seconds left on the clock.

The Central Missouri defense had some staggering numbers at the break. It held Washburn to 20 total yards, including -1 yard passing and not even a single first down on 16 plays. The Mules had 224 yards of offense and 14 first downs while dominating the time of possession by a margin of 20:30-to-9:30. Central Missouri ran 48 offensive plays in the half, thanks in large part to the 135 yards rushing by Milner and Jeremy Braden.

The Mules came out in the second half and allowed the Ichabods to gain a first down, but sacked Brill a few plays later and WU ended up netting only six yards before being forced to punt.

That was all the Mules offense needed to put WU away though. UCM marched a season-long 78 yards down the field in their first possession of the half, capped by a third Milner score to make it 28-7 with 8:11 left in the third quarter.

The Mules looked as if they would pile it on when Justin Brown picked off another WU pass at the UCM 20 and returned it all the way to the home team’s 45 before getting knocked out of bounds. The Mules returned the favor though, tossing another interception a couple plays later to give it back to WU at its 36.

The Ichabods answered this time though, driving down the field and scoring on a six-yard TD pass to Drameagon Powers. It cut the advantage to a couple touchdowns, but that was as close as it would get. Anthony Parks returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards and gave the field position back to the Mules.

In the fourth quarter UCM gave the Ichabods one more chance, as Braden had a controversial fumble that gave WU the ball back at the Mules 30 yard line. Brill went for the score on the next play but Ricketts was there and picked off his first pass of the year, returning it 49 yards to the WU 43 with 4:57 left. The Mules ran it seven consecutive times and forced Washburn to burn its timeouts and get the clock down to 1:59 before turning it over on downs.

The Mules’ Bruce Williams iced it a couple plays later though, picking off Brill for the fourth time and returning it 40 yards to the WU 21. The Mules just ran out the clock from there.

Central Missouri finished the day with 374 yards of offense (201 rushing), compared to Washburn’s 142 total yards. Milner led the way for UCM with 119 on the ground while Dean completed 15-of-25 for 173 yards in the air. Adrian Singletary led the Mules ‘D’ with seven stops to help UCM to 2-0 in the MIAA for the first time since 2003.