What a great win by the Mules this past Saturday over Missouri Southern.  It may not have been the prettiest win or the most efficient win the Mules have ever had, but it was a solid MIAA win.

Offensively the Mules were O.K. The offensive line was solid just as they have been all year.  Running back Glenn Milner made plays when we needed them; he had 30 carriers for 118 yards.  Six receivers caught passes from Mules quarterback Eric Czerniewski, who was 14 of 25 for 134 yards The downside was he threw three interceptions.  Two of his picks were just bad luck. The first one he was hit as he threw and the ball fluttered for a pick; the second interception occurred when a receiver ran a wrong route. Those things happen.  Keep in mind Eric is just a sophomore, and he was making just his sixth start for the Mules.

The Mules defense is what we should all be excited about. They recorded six sacks and 12 tackles for loss.  Three of those sacks were recorded by defensive end John Wood, giving him six for the year.  With all the injuries to the Mules defense, second and third string players had to really step up -- and they did. Ryan Nesbitt and Jacob Glose, both backup players, led the team in tackles with 23 combined.  The good news is that there were no new injuries this past Saturday.

This week the Mules turn their attention to the winless Bearcats of Southwest Baptist.  The Bearcats have a great passing offense.  They average 324 yards per game through the air, leading the MIAA. The bright spot for SBU is WR Nick Smart. He caught 17 balls against Pittsburg State last week giving him 102 for the year -- a new MIAA record.  He is 18 short of the D-II record.  SBU struggles running the ball averaging only 78 yards per game and they have the 9^th ranked defense in the MIAA giving up 440 yards per game. 

If the Mules play mistake-free football and execute the game plan, they should be able to leave Bolivar with a win, keeping their post season hopes still alive.