1999 Mules Football Fact Sheet vs. Southwest Baptist

1999 MULES' FOOTBALL FACT SHEET - GAME 9

The Game: CMSU at Southwest Baptist University, Oct. 30, 1:30 p.m.; Southwest Baptist's Plaster Stadium (2,500 - natural grass), Bolivar, Missouri; SBU's Homecoming game.

The Mules (5-3-0, 3-3-0 MIAA): They beat Missouri Western State College 35-28 last Saturday in St. Joseph to spoil the Griffons' Homecoming game. The Mules won it in dramatic fashion, as quarterback Ryan Koob and wide receiver Greg Schmidt teamed up on a 70-yard pass play for the winning touchdown with three seconds left in the game. The touchdown pass was Schmidt's only catch of the game, but it was the fourth touchdown reception of 70 yards or more in his career. The Mules used a 21-point fourth quarter to overcome a 20-14 Missouri Western lead. Jason Graham rushed for 157 yards in 30 carries and scored three touchdowns (of one, two and 29 yards). Graham now has rushed for 100 yards or more in four consecutive games, the first time a Mules' player has done that since Henry Caldwell did it in 1993. Graham's yardage total Saturday pushed his season rushing yardage total to 893, leaving him just 107 yards away from becoming the first Mules' player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Caldwell in 1993. Graham also has taken over the MIAA rushing lead this week with his average of 111.6 yards per game. In the Mules' last four games, Graham has averaged 167.8 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns. Koob went all the way at quarterback in his second start of the season and completed 11 of 19 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The Mules' defense forced five turnovers by the Griffons and strong safety Clint Steiner had three of the five, a fumble recovery and two interceptions. The three turnovers, plus a team-leading 11 tackles earned Steiner the MIAA defensive player-of-the-week award. Despite giving up 407 total yards to the Griffons, the Mules still lead the MIAA in total defense (266.8 yards per game) and in rushing defense (111.0 yards per game). Linebacker RheQuan Robinson leads the Mules in tackles with 68. Sack leader Colston Weatherington recorded his 11th sack of the season against Missouri Western. He needs four more to break the Mules' season record of 14 set by Milt Sanderman in 1984.

The Bearcats (2-6-0, 2-4-0 MIAA): They scored two second-half touchdowns to win 14-7 at the University of Missouri-Rolla last Saturday. Their third quarter touchdown snapped a string of 18 straight scoreless quarters that included four straight shutout losses. Their last score prior to last Saturday had been a game-winning touchdown pass to beat Truman State University 18-16 on Sept. 18. Fullback J.T. Wall rushed for 114 yards in 25 carries to lead the Bearcats' rushing attack against the Miners. For the season, Wall has rushed for 376 yards and is averaging 47.0 yards per game. Quarterback Chris Lowe made his first collegiate start at quarterback and completed four of 11 passes for 35 yards. The Bearcats limited the Miners to 120 yards in total offense. While the Mules are ranked first in the MIAA in rushing defense and total defense, the Bearcats are ranked last in the MIAA in rushing offense and total offense. The Bearcats feature the MIAA's top punter in freshman David Sepanski, who is averaging 41.1 yards per punt.

The Coaches: Willie Fritz is in his third season at Central Missouri with a record of 18-12. The Mules were 8-3-0 last season after going 5-6-0 in 1997. Fritz came to Central Missouri 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 2-0-0 vs. SBU. Dennis Roland is in his second season at Southwest Baptist, with a record of 5-14-0. He is 0-1-0 vs. CMSU.

The Series: The Mules lead the series 10-2. They have won the last eight meetings. The last win for the Bearcats in the series was a 21-18 decision in 1990 in Warrensburg. Their last victory over the Mules in Bolivar was a 51-21 decision in 1989.

Last Year: The Mules won 34-0 in Warrensburg. They scored all their points in the second and third quarters and limited the Bearcats to 158 yards in total offense. The Mules' Ryan Koob completed six of 10 passes for 111 yards, while Dexter Ford rushed for 88 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Last Time in Bolivar: The Mules won 52-17 in 1997. The Bearcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, then the Mules scored 52 unanswered points, including 35 in the third quarter. The Mules rushed for 356 yards and had two 100-yard rushers, Jonathan Limbrick with 192 and Korley Ward with 103. The Bearcats managed just 148 yards in total offense.

Mules' Injuries: Linebacker Andy Sims suffered a groin muscle injury against Missouri Western. He did not play in the second half and is not expected to play Saturday.

Mules on Radio: KLRQ-FM (96.1) in Clinton will broadcast the game live with Bob Jackson and Chris Shaeffer calling the game. Air time will be 1:15 p.m. The broadcast also will be available on the TEAMLINE telephone service by calling (800) 846-4700, then entering 3946 and following the instructions for credit card billing. KLRQ also will have the broadcast available on its Web site at http://www.klrq.com.

Next Game: The Mules play Missouri Southern State College on Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. in the Mules' final home game of the season. It will be Youth Day at CMSU. Southwest Baptist plays at home Nov. 6 against Pittsburg State University in a 1:30 p.m. game.