Mules’ senior wide receiver Bobby Guillory returned the opening kickoff 97 yards to start the game and gave the Mules a lead they would never relinquish. UCM (4-0, 2-0 in the MIAA) used that momentum to secure a huge 23-14 win.

I've been talking about how close the kick return unit was to breaking a kickoff return for a touchdown. Saturday, Guillory and his teammates gave the Mule faithful a reason to cheer from the opening kickoff. Guillory would find the end zone again late in the first quarter on an 18 yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Eric Czerniewski.
The UCM special teams struck again when they blocked a punt to set up a six yard touchdown run for junior running back Anthony Stewart. Stewart led the Mules with 53 yards rushing. Freshman kicker Aaron Jamieson drilled a 43 yard field goal to close the half for the Mules

The Mules’ defense bent in the second half but refused to break. I thought the defense played extremely well in the game. They did what they had to do. They did not allow Pitt State the big play, with the exception of the long touchdown pass in the second half. They shut down the option game and forced Pitt State to use the dive play up the middle a lot. The secondary was solid they did not allow Pittsburg State to complete their play action pass over the top.

The defense stood tall in the second half. They stuffed Pittsburg State twice on the goal line. The UCM defense forced four turnovers. Senior defensive back Randy Shepherd was responsible for two of those turnovers, including an interception that capped the game for the Mules.

The offense came out strong in the first half. They were not flashy in the second half, but they didn't turn the ball over. Czerniewski was 16-28 for 146 yards and one touchdown. Guillory caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Junior Adam Parks caught three passes for 22 yards.

I thought the linebacker play was big in this game. Sophomore linebacker Calvin Patterson led the charge with 14 tackles. The crowd was as loud as I've ever heard for a UCM football game. I think it really made a difference at key moments during the game. Let's try to keep the momentum going and make Walton Stadium a tough place to play. That's what the home crowd is supposed to sound like on a Saturday afternoon!
The win Saturday was big, but now the Mules have to go on the road to Washburn to play an Ichabod team that dropped a heartbreaker on the road at Western last week. I bet Washburn will be more than ready for the 1 p.m. kickoff

Scouting Washburn
The Ichabods are led by Head Coach Craig Schurig. Schurig enters his eighth year at Washburn. Washburn (3-1, 1-1 in the MIAA) will feature a West Coast\Pro Set Offense and a 4-4 defense. They return 10 starters on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists.

The Ichabod offense is directed by sophomore quarterback Dane Simoneau. Simoneau, has thrown for 876 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. His favorite targets are senior wide receivers Brad Cole and Drameagon Powers. Cole has 12 catches and five touchdowns. Powers has contributed 12 catches.

Redshirt freshman Vershon Moore leads the Washburn ground game with 255 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Sophomore Justin Cooper provides a nice complement to Cooper. He has rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns.
Over the years, the calling card for Washburn teams has been the defense. This year appears to be no exception. The Ichabod defense has allowed only 25.8 points per game this season. They have done a nice job stopping the run only allowing 3.4 yards per attempt.

Junior free safety Casey Curran leads the team in tackles with 36. I think the strength of the Ichabod defense is in the linebacker corps. Michael Krajicek has made six stops for loss. Zach Watkins has made 28 stops. He also has one interception and two forced fumbles.

Senior defensive end Eric Lawrence provides an outstanding pass rush for the Ichabods. He leads the team in tackles for loss and sacks with 6.5 and 3.5.respectively. Redshirt freshman defensive back Pierre Desir has three interceptions on the season.

Keys to the Game
The first two keys to this game as always are winning the turnover margin and controlling line of scrimmage. I realize it's not flashy and not profound, but you have to do these things if you want to win football games.

Third, the UCM offense has to be able to put points on the board in the second half. They always seem to struggle coming out after halftime. Hopefully, they can correct the problem this week and put some points on the board in the second half against Washburn. Fourth, UCM has to continue to make big plays on special teams.