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The University of Central Missouri Mules needed a bounce back
performance against Emporia State. That's exactly what they got
last Saturday in defeating the Hornets 42-14. UCM was missing
multiple starters for this game, but they still found a way to get a
much-needed victory.
Several things impressed me as I sat in the press box at Walton
Stadium/Kennedy Field on Saturday. First, was the improved play of
the Mules’ secondary. The secondary did a much better job of
staying over the top on the deep passes. The Hornets still managed
to get over the top a couple of times. However, one of them was
with primarily younger players in the game. The Mules' defense also
put constant pressure on the Emporia quarterbacks.
The second thing that impressed me was the play of the Mules'
revamped offensive line. This group gave junior quarterback Eric
Czerniewski time to set his career mark for passing touchdowns in a
game with four. Senior running back Glenn Milner also had a solid
game as a rushing and receiving threat for the Mules
Third, the Mules' special teams is beginning to look like the unit
we expect from a Willie Fritz-coached football team. Red-shirt
freshman defensive back Brett Ginn found a seam in the punt
protection and raced in and blocked the punt.
I was also impressed with the way the Mules players picked
themselves up after a tough loss last week. I thought the Central
coaches and players did a nice job of making adjustments to
integrate the new starters into the game. The players who got their
opportunity to play in the absence of several key players did a nice
job of taking advantage of their opportunities.
The Mules played well against the Hornets. The challenge will be
even greater on Saturday when the nationally ranked Northwest
Missouri State Bearcats come to town. This is another game that
gets circled when the schedule comes out. The Mules will need to
play even better this week to get the win.
Scouting Northwest Missouri State
The Bearcats are led by veteran head coach Mel Tjeerdsma, who is in
his 15th season at Northwest. The Bearcats defeated Pittsburg State
35-10 last Saturday.
The Northwest offense is led by senior quarterback Joel Osborn.
Osborn has thrown for 1,466 yards on the season. He has a plethora
of receivers to choose from, including his favorite target senior
wide receiver Kendall Wright. Wright has 33 catches for 454 yards
and two touchdowns on the season. Wright is also a threat in the
kick and punt return game for the Bearcats. He is a threat to go
the distance every time he touches the ball. The Bearcat receiving
corps also has four other receivers with 10 or more catches on the
season, including junior wide receivers Abe Qaoud and Raphael
Robinson who have 27 and 23 receptions apiece.
The Northwest rushing attack is led by LaRon Council. He averages
an amazing 5.1 yards per carry. He has totaled 668 yards and 16
touchdowns on the season. Council led the nation in scoring headed
into the Pittsburg State game.
The solid Bearcat defense is led by sophomore safety Aldwin Foster-Rettig
with 36 tackles, one for loss and one interception. Sophomore
linebacker Adam Vondrak has contributed 31 tackles, three for loss.
Strong safety Myles Burnsides has added 29 tackles and a
team-leading two interceptions.
Keys to the Game
I think there are five keys for the Mules to be successful in this
game. First as always, the Mules must win the turnover/takeaway
margin.
The Mules must be solid on special teams. I would kick away from
Wright and not allow him to beat UCM with a big play in the kicking
game. The punt protection must continue to be solid to not allow
the blocked kick to change the momentum of the game.
Third, Central must continue to improve their pass defense. The
secondary must stay over the top of the speedy Bearcat receiving
corps. The defense needs to make the Northwest offense drive the
long field and not give up easy touchdowns.
Fourth, the Mules’ offense must be able to stay on the field. This
will keep high-powered Bearcat offense off the field and wear down
the Northwest defense.
Finally, the UCM crowd has to make themselves a factor in this
game. Northwest will bring a big crowd to the game. The crowd was
good for Family Day. They need to come back and bring a friend this
week. UCM fans need to make a lot of noise and make it difficult
for the Northwest offense to communicate. Come out and help push
the Mules over the top in this match-up of nationally ranked teams!
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by David Rohrbach
