2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet vs. Northwest Missouri

Central Missouri State University

2000 Mules' Football Fact Sheet - Game 11

The Game: Northwest Missouri State University at CMSU, Nov. 11, 1 p.m.; CMSU's Audrey J. Walton Stadium/Vernon Kennedy Field (10,000, natural grass), Warrensburg, Mo.; final regular-season game for both teams.

The Mules (7-3-0, 5-3-0 MIAA): They beat Missouri Southern State College 35-0 last Saturday in Joplin for their second shutout of the season. The win was the Mules' 22nd over the last three seasons, their most ever in a three-year span. Kevin Nickerson started CMSU's scoring with a 29-yard punt return for a touchdown. It was his third punt return for a touchdown this season, an MIAA record, and the seventh of his career, which also is a league mark. He is one away from the NCAA Division II record for career punt returns for touchdowns. The Mules' defense turned in a solid performance against the Lions, blocking a punt, scoring two safeties and returning an interception for a touchdown. MSSC managed just 91 yards in total offense (75 rushing, 16 passing). Linebacker Andy Sims led CMSU's defense with 11 tackles, including a sack that produced one of the safeties, and that performance earned him the conference defensive player-of-the-week award. Offensively, the Mules had their lowest passing yardage total of the season, as Cable Davis completed just three of 13 passes for 27 yards. On the ground, Lee Thompson led CMSU with 88 yards on just eight carries and Manny Evans added 71 yards on 22 tries. Individually in the MIAA this week, Evans is ranked fifth in rushing (79.0 yards per game), while Thompson is ranked sixth (70.1). Davis is second in the conference in passing efficiency and is fifth in passing yards per game (144.9). Marcus Thomas leads the Mules' receivers with 33 catches for 545 yards and is ranked ninth in the league. Clint Steiner tops CMSU in tackles on the season with 78, while Colston Weatherington paces the MIAA in sacks with six-and-a-half and in tackles for loss with 22. Pat Wilson leads the league in field goals (10) and in field goal percentage (66.7), hitting 10 of 15 this season. The Mules are third in the conference this week in scoring (34.1), fifth in rushing offense (167.8) and passing offense (153.9) and seventh in total offense (322.8). They are first in total defense (282.4), scoring defense (15.5) and pass defense (155.9) and second in rushing defense (126.5).

The Bearcats (10-0-0, 8-0-0 MIAA): They beat the University of Missouri-Rolla 70-7 last Saturday in Maryville, scoring on 10 of their 11 possessions and setting a school record for points in a game. The victory was the Bearcats' 23rd in a row, giving them the longest active winning streak in all of NCAA football, and was their 35th straight MIAA win dating back to 1996. NWMSU had won its previous three games by scores of 63-21 over Washburn University, 62-7 over Emporia State University and 52-0 over Missouri Southern. The Bearcats have been ranked number one in Division II all season. Quarterback Travis Miles completed 10 of 11 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri-Rolla. For the season, he leads the conference in passing efficiency and ranks third in passing yards per game (251.4). His completion percentage of .629 is tops in the league and his seven interceptions are the fewest among MIAA quarterbacks. Tony Miles is NWMSU's top receiver with 49 catches for 884 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ranks third in the conference in punt returns and fourth in kickoff returns. David Jansen leads the Bearcats in rushing with an average of 93.7 yards per game. He enters Saturday's game needing 63 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Linebackers Wes Simmons and Brian Williams have 60 tackles each to lead NWMSU's defense. In this week's league statistics, the Bearcats are ranked first in scoring (48.2) and total offense (496.4), second in passing offense (271.5) and fourth in rushing offense (224.9). They are ranked first in rushing defense (114.2), second in total defense (286.5), third in scoring defense (16.5) and sixth in pass defense (171.3).

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his fourth season at CMSU with a record of 27-16-0. 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 0-3-0 vs. the Bearcats. Mel Tjeerdsma is in his seventh season at NWMSU with a 68-20-0 record. He has led the Bearcats to back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships. After sharing the 1996 MIAA title with Pittsburg State University, the Bearcats have won the last three league titles with undefeated records. He is 5-1-0 vs. the Mules.

The Series: The Bearcats lead the series 44-32 and there have been two ties. NWMSU has won the last five meetings. The Mules' last victory in the series was a 34-9 decision in 1994 in Maryville. CMSU's last win in Warrensburg was a 41-10 verdict in 1993.

Last Year: The Bearcats won 41-14 in Maryville. They scored 17 first-quarter points and limited the Mules to a field goal and two safeties through three quarters. David Jansen rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, while Travis Miles completed 14 of 22 passes for 176 yards. Jason Graham rushed for 233 yards and a touchdown for CMSU.

Last Time in Warrensburg: The Bearcats won 34-20 in 1998. The Mules were unable to overcome five turnovers against NWMSU, despite passing for 364 yards. The Bearcats' Tony Miles had eight pass receptions for 111 yards.

Mules' Injuries: Offensive guard John Young (neck) and reserve linebacker Jeremy Wooden (knee) are considered doubtful for Saturday's game. Reserve running back Aaron Emel (fractured collarbone), reserve running back/kick returner Dan Moon (knee) and defensive tackle Brandon Stoker (knee) will not play Saturday.

Mules' Seniors: Saturday's game will be the final contest for 11 seniors on the Mules' squad: Andy Ball, Duane Brisbon, Cable Davis, Nick Goos, Tommy Harris, Dan McGuire, Clint Steiner, Brandon Stoker, Wright Thompson, Tufue Tua, Antoine Williams.

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.

Mules on TV: Metro Sports, a Kansas City, Mo.-based cable outlet, will broadcast Saturday's game on a tape-delay basis. The broadcast will air at noon Sunday, Nov. 12, and again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, on those cable services in the Kansas City area that carry Metro Sports. CMSU's PBS station, KMOS-TV, will carry the taped broadcast Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 10 p.m.