Central Missouri State University

2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet - Game 10

The Game: CMSU at Missouri Southern State College, Nov. 4, 1 p.m.; MSSC's Fred G. Hughes Stadium (7,000, artificial turf), Joplin, Mo.; final road game of the season for CMSU; final home game for MSSC.

The Mules (6-3-0, 4-3-0 MIAA): They beat Southwest Baptist University 41-10 last Saturday in Warrensburg to ensure a third straight winning season under Willie Fritz. The Bearcats committed five turnovers in the game and the Mules converted three of them into touchdowns. Brandon Hays and Manny Evans scored on touchdown runs of eight and four yards, respectively, on the next play following fumble recoveries and Tommy Harris returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown. Hays, who sat out last season after transferring from Missouri Southern and who had had only one carry all season prior to this game, rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Evans rushed for 62 yards and a pair of TDs on 14 carries. SBU finished with minus 37 yards rushing. Nate Thomas caught his first collegiate touchdown pass, a nine-yarder, for CMSU's first score of the game. Leading receiver Marcus Thomas had five catches for 53 yards. Cable Davis, despite being sacked a season-high five times, completed 13 of 22 passes for 169 yards. Kevin Nickerson maintained his MIAA lead in kickoff return average (39.4) and punt return average (20.7). Individually in the conference this week, Evans is ranked fifth in rushing (79.1 yards per game), while Lee Thompson is ranked ninth (67.9). Davis is second in the league in passing efficiency and is fifth in passing yards per game (158.0). Marcus Thomas leads the Mules' receivers with 33 catches for 541 yards and is ranked eighth in the MIAA. Clint Steiner leads CMSU in tackles on the season with 73, while Colston Weatherington leads the conference in sacks with five-and-a-half and in tackles for loss with 20. Pat Wilson leads the league in field goals (9) and is second in field goal percentage (64.3), hitting nine of 14 this season. The Mules are fifth in the MIAA this week in passing offense (168.0) and sixth in rushing offense (166.8). They are second in rushing defense (132.2) and fourth in pass defense (171.4).

The Lions (1-8-0, 1-6-0 MIAA): They lost to Missouri Western State College 28-21 last Saturday in Joplin for their fourth straight loss following their only win of the season, a 41-24 decision over Southwest Baptist on Sept 30. Quarterback Josh Chapman provided most of the Lions' offense, as he rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and completed 11 of 18 passes for 146 yards and two TDs. Chapman is MSSC's leading rusher for the season, averaging 68.2 yards per game to rank eighth in the MIAA. He is the leading rusher among conference quarterbacks. He ranks seventh in the league in passing yards with an average of 98.1 per game. However, his top receiver, Joey Ballard, with 27 catches for 276 yards, is out for the season after being injured the previous week against Truman State University. Ballard was also the Lions' top kick returner. Matt Reid leads MSSC in tackles with 75. In this week's MIAA statistics, the Lions are ranked seventh in rushing offense(169.4) and eighth in passing offense (114.0). They are ranked seventh in pass defense (187.3) and ninth in rushing defense (219.2).

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his fourth season at CMSU with a record of 26-16-0. 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 Southern. Bill Cooke is in his second season at MSSC with a 4-15-0 record. He served previously as the Lions' interim head coach for the 1988 season and was 3-7-0.

The Series: The Lions lead the series 12-7 and there have been two ties. The Mules have won the last three meetings. MSSC's last win in the series was a 42-29 decision in 1996 in Joplin. CMSU is 5-6-0 against the Lions since they began MIAA competition in 1989.

Last Year: The Mules rushed for 297 yards and scored 47 straight points in a 47-7 win in Warrensburg. The Lions scored with six minutes remaining to avoid the shutout. CMSU threw only nine passes in the game, completing six for 65 yards.

Last Time in Joplin: The Mules won 20-13 in 1998. Dexter Ford scored on the final play of the third quarter to put CMSU ahead, then Shane Meyer added a field goal with 6:35 remaining. Kenneth Bouie made the defensive play of the game, stopping the Lions' Antonio Whitney for a two-yard loss on a fourth-and-two situation at the Mules' four-yard line with 1:57 left in the contest.

Mules on Turf: This will be the 22nd time the Mules have played on artificial turf. Their record is 3-17-1. At Hughes Stadium, CMSU is 2-6-1 with its wins there coming in 1990 and 1998. The Mules' only other victory on artificial turf came in 1982, when they won 10-0 at Murray State University, which was coached by current Virginia Tech University head coach Frank Beamer.

Mules' Injuries: Reserve running back Aaron Emel will miss the game because of a fractured collarbone. Reserve running back and kick returner Dan Moon is also out with a knee injury. Linebacker Tufue Tua has missed the last two games because of an injured knee, but should be available 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 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 their final game of the season at home Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. against two-time NCAA Division II champion Northwest Missouri State University. The game will be televised on a tape-delay basis by Metro Sports of Kansas City, Mo. Missouri Southern plays its final game of the season at the University of Missouri-Rolla Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.