2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet vs. Emporia State

Central Missouri State University

2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet - Game 3

The Game: Emporia State University at Central Missouri State University, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.; CMSU's Audrey J. Walton Stadium/Vernon Kennedy Field (10,000, natural grass), Warrensburg, Mo.; opening Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association game of the season for both teams.

The Mules (2-0-0): They routed Quincy University 75-0 Saturday in Warrensburg. CMSU's Kevin Nickerson, a junior from Kansas City (Mo.) Central High School, did the following the first three times he touched the ball: returned the opening kickoff 72 yards to the Quincy 27 (the Mules scored two plays later), returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown and returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown. He also caught two passes in the game for 17 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown reception. He finished the game with 254 all-purpose yards (165 on punt returns, 72 on kickoff returns and 17 receiving) and three touchdowns (two punt returns and a pass reception). That earned him the D2Football.com national special teams player-of-the-week award, co-special teams player-of-the-week honors from Football Gazette, as well as the MIAA offensive player-of-the-week award. His two punt returns for touchdowns in a game established CMSU and MIAA single-game records (the previous marks had been one by several people, including Nickerson on four occasions) and was one short of the NCAA Division II single-game record. He also tied his own CMSU and MIAA single-season marks for punt returns for touchdowns and extended his own CMSU and MIAA career records for punt returns for touchdowns to six. Red-shirt freshman Lee Thompson, from Liberty, Mo., had his second straight 100-yard rushing game, gaining 113 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 18 carries. He leads the MIAA in scoring with 30 points and is second in the league in rushing, averaging 111.0 yards per game. This week the Mules lead the conference in scoring , as well as total offense and total defense. Colston Weatherington, last year's league defensive player of the year, shares the MIAA lead in sacks with three. Quarterback Cable Davis, who played less than half the game against Quincy, threw just six passes but completed four for 59 yards, including two touchdowns. In two games Davis has completed 15 of 20 for 248 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. The Mules' 75-0 win was the fourth-largest winning margin in school history and their 75 points were the most they have scored in a game since 1914, when they beat Kirksville Normal School (now Truman State University) 76-0. That 1914 team was coached by Forrest C. (Phog) Allen. The Mules scored 11 touchdowns (six rushing, three passing, two punt returns) and established a modern-day school record for touchdowns in a game (previous record had been eight in 1969 and 1986. Quincy punted eight times, had just 114 yards in total offense (minus 5 rushing, 119 passing), crossed the 50-yard line only twice in the game (on its first drive and on its final drive), and never penetrated deeper than the CMSU 37.

The Hornets (1-1-0): They beat East Central University 31-14 last Saturday in Ada, Okla., scoring 17 unanswered points to break a 7-7 tie. Wide receiver Lester McCoy, last year's MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, caught nine passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, McCoy leads the conference with 18 catches for 309 yards. Running back DeAngelo Evans, who transferred from the University of Nebraska, rushed for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns against East Central. Evans is third in the league in rushing this week, averaging 92.5 yards per game. Quarterback Kelton Copeland rushed for 90 yards and passed for 197 Saturday. For the season, he has completed 19 of 38 for 335 yards. Strong safety Dontaye McCoy shares the MIAA lead in interceptions with two and was the conference's defensive player of the week after recording eight tackles, one sack and an interception against East Central.

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his fourth season at CMSU with a record of 22-13-0. The Mules were 7-4-0 last season after going 8-3-0 in 1998 and 5-6-0 in 1997. Fritz came to CMSU after four years as head coach at Blinn College (Texas), where he compiled a 39-5-1 record. His last two teams at Blinn each went 12-0-0 and won the junior college national championship each year (1995, 1996). Fritz is 0-3 against Emporia State. Jerry Kill is in his second season at ESU with a 6-7-0 record. The Hornets were 5-6-0 last season. Kill's overall record as a college head coach is 44-21-0 in seven seasons.

The Series: The Mules lead 26-16 and there have been four ties. Emporia State has won the last four meetings. The Mules are 4-5 against the Hornets since they began MIAA competition in 1991.

Last Year: The Hornets won 41-12 in Emporia in a game that featured four safeties, three by ESU. The Mules saw a 12-4 halftime lead vanish in the third quarter, as the Hornets scored 30 unanswered points. Ryan Johnson returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and Jerry Bishop returned an interception 60 yards for a score. CMSU managed just 89 yards in total offense. ESU's Lester McCoy had seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Last Time in Warrensburg: The Hornets won 56-24 in 1998. ESU All-American Brian Shay rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns to become the all-time leading rusher in NCAA history. The Mules' Kevin Nickerson started the game at quarterback, led the team in rushing with 90 yards on 19 carries, caught four passes for 16 yards and had three kickoff returns for 106 yards, including a 73-yarder.

Mules' Injuries: The Mules did not have any serious injuries in the Quincy game. Linebacker Tufue Tua, who started the season opener but missed the Quincy game because of a broken bone in his right hand, may be available for duty Saturday night.

Mules on Radio: KLRQ-FM (96.1) in Clinton, Mo., will broadcast the game live with Shawn Jones, Bob Jackson and Greg Hassler calling the action. Air time will be 6:30 p.m. KLRQ will also have the broadcast available on its Web site at http://www.klrq.com. The broadcast will also be available on the TEAMLINE telephone service by calling (800) 846-4700, then entering 3946 and following the instructions for credit card billing.

Next Game: The Mules play at Pittsburg State University Sept.23 in a 7 p.m. game. Emporia State plays at home against Missouri Southern State College Sept.23 at 7 p.m.