Game Review Missouri S&T
The UCM offense picked up right where it left off last week against Missouri S&T. Junior quarterback Eric Czerniewski found junior wide receiver Jamorris Warren for a 27- yard touchdown, his first at UCM. Warren would add a second touchdown reception later in the game. That would be the first of many for the offense on the evening. UCM would score 27 unanswered points to begin the game and roll to a 50-13 victory to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Czerniewski put together another outstanding game. He went 19-22 for 279 yards and four touchdowns. UCM quarterbacks spread the ball out to 11 different receivers.
Junior tight end DeMarco Cosby led the Mules in receptions with six, for 114 yards. He was able to work the middle of field and caused problems for the Missouri S&T defense.
Junior running back Anthony Stewart paced the Mules’ running game. He racked up 58 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He also added four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Tywon Hubbard added 57 yards rushing for UCM. Junior running back Zain Gower scored a pair of rushing touchdowns

The Mules’ defense was also solid. Junior linebacker Cody Scribner led the charge with eight tackles, one for loss and a pass breakup. Junior defensive back Joseph Bangali stopped one Missouri S&T drive with an interception that he returned 20 yards.
UCM had many questions to answer coming into this game. The Mules answered many of those questions with major improvements from week one to week two.
The first area of improvement was tackling. The UCM defense did a much better job of tackling and playing with leverage this week against the Miners. I think tackling was a major point of emphasis in practice.

Second, the Mules also did a nice job of limiting their penalties. UCM was flagged one time last week. They were flagged 13 times the week before.  The offensive line play was also much better. The offense was able to do pretty much whatever they wanted. The quarterbacks had a solid pocket from which to throw. They had time to pick out a target. The running game also had a lot of holes to run through.

The entire team looked more comfortable. The game showed me the importance of playing week one versus having an open week. I thought it was also important that the Mules were able to play a lot of players in this game. That experience could be important later on in the season.

I saw improvement in week two. Now, I need to see more improvement as the conference season begins. We all know everything gets ratcheted up when conference play starts. The Mules (2-0) will hit the road for the first time this season, as they travel to Emporia State. This will be the MIAA opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Jones Field at Welch Stadium.

Scouting Emporia State
The Hornets (1-1) are led by Head Coach Garin Higgins. The former Hornet quarterback enters his third year at ESU. The Hornets return seven starters on offense, nine on defense and one specialist.

Emporia State will feature a Spread Offense and a 4-3 defense. ESU finished 4-7 and 2-7 in the MIAA last season. UCM Head Coach Willie Fritz has said that Emporia State is the most improved team in the league this year. I think I would have to agree with this statement.

The ESU offense is led by senior quarterback Andre Sloan-El. Sloan-El provides a dual threat at the quarterback position for ESU. He has thrown for 187 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Sloan-El has 34 yards and a touchdown running the football this year. We could also see sophomore quarterback Zach Rampy. Rampy is the Hornets’ third leading rusher with 70 yards, as well as 43 yards and one touchdown passing.

The Hornet rushing attack is the tandem of junior La’ Darrian Page and sophomore Adrian Abner. Page has run for 249 yards and four touchdowns. He averages 124.5 yards per game. What really concerns me is his ability to break the long run. His longest rushing play of the year is a 68 yard scamper. Aber has totaled 110 rushing yards on the season, with one rushing touchdown.

The ESU receiving corps is led by senior Danny McEvoy, who has five catches for 100 yards on the season. Redshirt freshman Shjaun Richardson also has five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

A pair senior linebackers anchor the ESU defense. Blake Ringwall has registered 14 tackles, two for loss. Katrel Larkins has 14 tackles, 1.5, for loss one sack and a forced fumble. Junior Daniel Webb provides a strong pass rush for the Hornets. He leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Sophomore defensive back Chris Poston leads the Hornets in interceptions with two.

Defensively, I think the Mules should pack the box and try to take away the running game. They need to force the Hornets’ offense to try and beat them with the passing game. I listened to the last game that Emporia State played, the Hornet passing game seemed to really struggle to make plays through the air.

Keys to the Game
The first two keys to this game for the Mules are to control line of scrimmage and win the turnover battle. This is true at any level of football in any game.

The third key is for the Mules to handle their first road test of the season, and their first MIAA test of the season. There's something different about going on the road especially in this conference. It will be important for the Mules to try and take the crowd out of the game early and try to eliminate the home-field advantage.

Finally, the UCM defense must play solid run defense against the Hornets. The Mules have to keep Page in front of them. They have to play with good leverage and tackle well.