Central Missouri State University

2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet - Game 8

The Game: Missouri Western State College at CMSU, Oct. 21, 2 p.m.; CMSU's Audrey J. Walton Stadium/Vernon Kennedy Field (10,000, natural grass), Warrensburg, Mo.; CMSU's Homecoming game.

The Mules (5-2-0, 3-2-0 MIAA): They beat the University of Missouri-Rolla 33-7 last Saturday in Rolla. Kevin Nickerson returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to start CMSU on a string of 33 straight points. It was the eighth kick return for a touchdown of Nickerson's career (six punts, two kickoffs) and leaves him just two short of the NCAA Division II record for combined kick returns for touchdowns. He now leads the MIAA in kickoff return average (41.4) and punt return average (23.0). The Mules rolled up 223 yards on the ground, with Manny Evans gaining 93 yards, Lee Thompson 74 and Aaron Emel 54. CMSU threw just nine passes in the game and completed five for 64 yards. Cable Davis extended his string of at least one touchdown pass in each game to seven with a 10-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Marcus Thomas in the second quarter. It was the first touchdown reception of the season for Thomas. Red-shirt freshman Jeremy Wooden, who normally sees most of his playing time on special teams, came off the bench in the second quarter to replace the injured Tufue Tua and finished with a team-leading 10 tackles. Individually in the MIAA this week, Evans is ranked fourth in rushing (88.2 yards per game), while Thompson is ranked seventh (71.9). Davis still leads the conference in passing efficiency and is sixth in passing yards per game (146.0). Nickerson leads the Mules' receivers with 24 for 267 yards, while Thomas has 23 for 397 yards. Clint Steiner leads CMSU in tackles on the season with 60. The Mules are ranked fifth in the league in rushing offense and fifth in passing offense. They are ranked third in passing defense and seventh in rushing defense. Saturday's win moved CMSU up to sixth in the Midwest Region rankings.

The Griffons (4-3-0, 4-1-0 MIAA): They beat Truman State University 20-19 last Saturday in St. Joseph. Kasey Waterman's two-yard scoring pass to Mike Connaker with 29 seconds left in the game capped a 66-yard drive in the final three minutes to win it for Western. Waterman completed 15 of 30 passes to 10 different receivers for 198 yards and three touchdowns against the Bulldogs. Leading rusher Brandon Perry did not play because of an injury, but Connaker rushed for 96 yards on 21 carries. The Griffons gave up 369 yards passing to Truman, but limited the Bulldogs to just 59 yards on the ground. Waterman is third in the MIAA in passing this week with an average of 230.6 yards per game. Perry ranks fifth in the conference in rushing with an average of 86.3 yards per game. Jerris Evans is Western's top receiver with 37 catches for 521 yards and five touchdowns. Against Truman, he caught four for 46 yards. Linebacker Eric Walker leads the Griffons in tackles with 81. In this week's MIAA statistics, Western is ranked third in passing offense and seventh in rushing offense. They are ranked sixth in rushing defense and seventh in passing defense.

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his fourth season at CMSU with a record of 25-15-0. 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 2-1-0 vs. the Griffons. Jerry Partridge is in his fourth season at Western with a 21-19-0 record. He is 1-2-0 against CMSU.

The Series: The Mules lead the series 10-5 and there has been one tie. CMSU has won the last two meetings and eight of the 11 games since Missouri Western began MIAA competition in 1989. The Griffons' last win in the series was a 27-24 overtime decision in 1997 in St. Joseph. Western's last win in Warrensburg was a 48-13 verdict in 1996.

Last Year: The Mules won 35-28 in St. Joseph with a 21-point fourth quarter. Ryan Koob connected with Greg Schmidt for a 70-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left in the game to win it after the Mules had taken over at their own 11 with 2:08 remaining. Jason Graham rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns for CMSU. Mike Connaker rushed for 144 yards on 28 carries for the Griffons. Kasey Waterman completed 18 of 35 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns for Western, but was also intercepted three times. The Griffons also lost the ball twice on fumbles, while the Mules had just one turnover.

Last Time in Warrensburg: The Mules won 38-28 in 1998 in a game televised by Metro Sports of Kansas City, Mo. CMSU rushed for 272 yards and took advantage of five Griffon turnovers. Kasey Waterman completed 13 of 45 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns for Western, but was intercepted three times.

Mules' Injuries: Linebacker Tufue Tua injured his right knee against Missouri-Rolla and is expected to miss Saturday's game. Center Matt Gigliotti and strong safety Casey Blackstun did not play against UMR because of ankle injuries, but they are considered probable for Saturday. 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 1:30 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 Southwest Baptist University Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. for Youth Day. Missouri Western plays at Missouri Southern State College Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.