Mules Report October 9

Mules Report
October 9, 2007

Mules Report Archive

CONGRATS COACH FRITZ ON BECOMING THE ALL-TIME WINNINGEST FOOTBALL COACH IN CENTRAL MISSOURI HISTORY!

I knew my friend Willie was someone special from the moment he arrived on campus at Central Missouri a decade ago. I'd like to spend more time in this space honoring the aforementioned achievement. However, by the time I'm sitting down writing this, I know Willie and his staff have put the convincing 38-7 MIAA road win in Emporia, Kansas far behind them and a have sets their sights on making an even bigger statement this Saturday.

A win this Saturday gives the Mules a share of the lead in the MIAA with head-to-head wins over the other two one-loss teams Northwest and Washburn. A loss just about assures the Mules of putting their season's hopes on a bid to the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.

Sure the Mules are banged up, but I like what I saw last Saturday out of the guys who had to "step up". So without excuses and without further ado...

HOW TO BEAT THE BEARCATS

I'll start out with a couple of Coach Fritz quotes from earlier this season in order to paint a clear picture of what the Mules need to do to win.

1. "THIS TEAM NEEDS TO FINISH GAMES" - both losses this year were a step back to last season where the Mules just didn't put games away they had won. Central was tied with Minnesota State and was beating Pittsburg State at halftime; ergo, failure to finish.

2. "THIS TEAM JUST HAS TO NOT BEAT ITSELF" - I'll tell you what Willie means by this. It is not just about winning the turnover battle or committing less penalties. It is about everyone doing their job and not trying to win the game by themselves. It is about getting a lead, protecting it, and forcing the opponent to exit their game plan to adjust to what we're doing. Let them take the chances to try and beat us.

I'll add a little profundity of my own.

3. THIS TEAM NEEDS TO RUN THE BALL - RB Glenn Milner is a beast. He now has four 100-yard rushing games in a row, and I don't see the Bearcat defense as able to do a darn thing to keep it from being five. I'd love to see a new wrinkle or two on offense where the Mules play power football and line up in three back sets. The o-line is up to it and so are the running backs.

4. THIS TEAM NEEDS TO PLAY PHYSICAL - Finesse' won't get it done against the Bearcats. Our offensive line and defensive lines both need to win the battle for the line of scrimmage. We can do it and we won't win without doing it. A game like the one we played three weeks ago in Topeka will net the Mules a "W".

5. THIS TEAM NEEDS TO SCORE SOME POINTS ON OFFENSE - While the defense has bailed the offense out time and again this season, there's no way Central can get away with that this Saturday. When the offense gets inside the 20, they need to score every time. Again, I honestly believe we can move the ball on the ground every play, even if the Bearcats know it's coming. So, let's wear 'em out!

Let there be no doubt -- what's been a season full of hope, mixed with a little disappointment all comes down to this game.

In my opinion, the Bearcats are ripe for the picking.

Bill Steinke is a writer for MulesCentral.com. His Mules Report is published every Tuesday throughout the season. Bill resides in Knoxville, TN.

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