Central Missouri State University

2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet - Game 7

The Game: CMSU at University of Missouri-Rolla, Oct. 14, 1 p.m.; UMR's Allgood-Bailey Stadium (8,000, natural grass), Rolla, Mo.

The Mules (4-2-0, 2-2-0 MIAA): They lost 28-14 to Truman State University last Saturday in Kirksville, Mo. Truman's defense kept the MIAA's top scoring team off the scoreboard until late in the fourth quarter, when CMSU's offense scored after recovering a Bulldog fumble at the TSU seven-yard line. The Mules' defense had produced their first touchdown when Andy Sims blocked a punt and Brian Riley took it into the end zone. CMSU had five turnovers in the game, three fumbles and two interceptions, all of which occurred in Truman territory. The Bulldogs ran 29 more plays than the Mules, had a 14-minute advantage in possession time and out-gained CMSU 471-266. Manny Evans rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries, but for the second straight game, the Mules were held to less than 100 yards on the ground. Cable Davis extended his string of at least one touchdown pass in each game to six with a seven-yard scoring pass to fullback Nick Goos in the fourth quarter. Individually in the MIAA this week, Evans is ranked third in rushing (87.2 yards per game), while Lee Thompson is seventh (71.5). Davis still leads the conference in passing efficiency and is fourth in passing yards per game (171.0). Kevin Nickerson had a career-high 10 catches for 67 yards against Truman to take over the team receiving lead with 24 receptions for 267 yards to rank seventh in the league. Nickerson tops the MIAA in punt returns with a 26.3-yard average and is second in kickoff returns with an average of 33.1. Marcus Thomas had just three catches for 27 yards against the Bulldogs and ranks 10th in the conference with 20 for 366 yards. After a career-high 20 tackles the previous game, Clint Steiner had 17 against Truman and leads the Mules on the season with 56. Punter Kenny Zordani slipped from first to third in the league after averaging just 31.8 yards on five punts Saturday. CMSU is ranked fourth in the MIAA in passing offense, fifth in rushing offense and passing defense, and seventh in rushing defense. Saturday's loss tumbled the Mules out of the AFCA Division II Top 25 poll (they had been 23rd) and dropped them to ninth in the Midwest Region ratings.

The Miners (2-4-0, 0-4-0 MIAA): They lost 34-14 to Washburn University last Saturday in Rolla in their Homecoming game. It was the UMR's fourth straight loss after opening the season with two straight wins and snapping a 22-game losing streak. The Miners jumped out to a 14-0 lead against Washburn, then gave up 34 unanswered points. The Ichabods rushed for 219 yards and passed for 261 against UMR. Ken Okwuonu led the Miners' rushing attack with 108 yards on 23 carries. He is sixth in the MIAA in rushing this week with an average of 82.5 yards per game. Freshman quarterback Scott Brown completed 10 of 19 passes for 99 yards against Washburn. He ranks eighth in the conference this week with an average of 67.8 yards per game. Sam Petty is UMR's top receiver with 17 catches for 193 yards and one touchdown. Against WU, he caught five passes for 36 yards. Free safety Drew Bullocks had 14 tackles against Washburn and leads the league in tackles with 67. In this week's MIAA statistics, the Miners are ranked ninth in rushing offense and passing offense. They are ranked 10th in rushing defense and passing defense.

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his fourth season at CMSU with a record of 24-15-0. 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 3-0-0 vs. Missouri-Rolla. Kirby Cannon is in his second season at UMR with a 2-15-0 record. He is 0-1-0 against the Mules.

The Series: Missouri-Rolla leads the series 33-32 and there have been two ties. CMSU has won the last eight meetings and 13 of the last 14. The Miners' last win in the series was a 13-7 decision in 1991 in Rolla. UMR has not scored against the Mules since 1997.

Last Year: The Mules won 41-0 in Warrensburg in their Homecoming game. After a scoreless first quarter, CMSU scored all its points in the second and third quarters. Jason Graham rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. The Mules threw only seven passes in the game, completing two for 15 yards. The Miners had just 168 yards in total offense and punted 12 times.

Last Time in Rolla: The Mules won 44-14 in 1997. The Mules scored on their first four possessions. Corey Kelley rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns, as CMSU gained 393 yards on the ground.

Mules' Injuries: The Mules did not have any serious injuries in the Truman game. Defensive tackle Brandon Stoker (knee), who was injured against Emporia State University, is out for the rest of the season.

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 12:30 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 1-800-846-4700, then entering 3946 and following the instructions for credit-card billing.

Next Game: The Mules play at home against Missouri Western State College Oct. 21 in their Homecoming game at 2 p.m. Missouri-Rolla plays at Southwest Baptist University Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m.