Last Saturday could be described as one of those days for the Mules football team. It appeared that almost everything that could have gone wrong did for UCM. We saw mistakes that we haven't seen this Mules team make so far this year. The bottom line for me in this game was the five turnovers. One could say that the ball didn't bounce the Mules way, but there are still those five turnovers. A team is going to struggle to win any game when they turn the ball over five times.

Washburn did a good job of capitalizing on UCM's turnovers. They used a short field to their advantage on several occasions. I think Washburn proved that they will be a factor in the region. The Ichabods did a great job of bouncing back after a heartbreaking loss last week to Missouri Western.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time dissecting this game. The Mules still have all their goals in front of them. They are still (4-1; 2-1), this game is only one game. UCM must quickly put this game behind them and focus on correcting their mistakes. UCM will return home Saturday to face the Truman team that will be smarting after a 70-0 loss to Northwest Missouri. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Walton Stadium.

Scouting Truman State
The Bulldogs are led by Head Coach Aaron Vicko, who enters his first season as the head coach. Truman will feature a Spread Offense and a 3-4 defense. TSU returns seven starters on offense, three on defense and two specialists.

The Truman State offense is led by junior quarterback Philip Davis. Davis leads the team in total offense at just over 200 yards a game. He has thrown for 676 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Davis is also the team’s second-leading rusher with 158 yards and one touchdown on the season

Sophomore running back Donald Harvey leads the Bulldogs ground game. He has rushed for 158 yards and one touchdown on the season.

Davis relies on a three-pronged attack in the passing game. Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Brown had snagged 13 perceptions of the season for 141 yards. Senior running back Phil Kenney is second on the team with 12 catches. Redshirt junior Vanness Emokpae leads the team with three touchdown receptions on the year.

The Truman State defense is led by senior defensive back Demetrius Lavant. Lavant has a team-leading 44 tackles on the season with five pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Senior linebacker Eric Sternberg provides a consistent pass rush for the Bulldogs. He leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss with 4 and 6.5 respectively.

Keys to the Game
I think that there are four keys to be Mules winning this game. The first two are the same as always, win the turnover battle and control the line of scrimmage. I know it's not flashy, but it still has to be done to win games. The Mules have to do a better job of hanging on to the ball. The Mules made mistakes they haven't made all year and that can't happen again this week.

Third, UCM needs to continue to make big plays on special teams. This allows the offense to operate on a short field. It also puts the opposing offense in the shadow of their own goal line, which allows the defense an opportunity to make big plays.

Fourth, the Mules can't beat the Mules UCM has to avoid mistakes such as penalties and missed assignments that make it easier for Truman offensively and defensively. I think this game comes down to the Mules just executing and taking care of business.