Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney football team faces its third straight nationally-ranked team when No. 11 Central Missouri comes to Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field this Saturday.

Kickoff between the Lopers (5-3) and Mules (8-0) is set for high noon with the nationally-ranked volleyball teams from UNK and UCM facing each other at 5 p.m. Check the football schedule page for media links. 

GAME NOTES/DEPTH CHARTS

Nebraska-Kearney

Central Missouri

This is just the 11th all-time meeting between Kearney and Central with last year's game maybe the most exciting in the series. In Warrensburg the Mules scored 35 of the first 42 points and then made a late defensive play to win 42-35 and grab an 8-2 series advantage.

Out gaining the Lopers 450-395, UCM saw current sophomore corner Trevore Saunders force a fumble with 4:20 to go. That led to a 42-yard return by current junior safety Codie Bell which moved the ball deep into Loper territory. A few plays later the Mule offense scored the winning touchdown.

UCM has taken the past six games in the series by an average score of 44-16. The Lopers, using an option-based attack, did win the 2012 between the two as it ran for 332 yards and held the Mules to -31 rushing yards.

That's not going to happen again as Central comes in with Arena Football League offensive numbers; 49 points per game, 554 yards every week and 50% conversion rates on both third and fourth downs. The Mules have had games of 55, 70 and 71 points, respectively, to be 8-0 for the second time in school history. 

Winning four games by eight points or less UCM's high powered attack is led by fifth-year quarterback Brook Bolles who sat out 2018 due to injury. The Lincoln North Star graduate, recruited to Warrensburg by former Loper head coach Josh Lamberson, has 27 TD tosses and is averaging 309 yards per game. He's also rushed for 259 yards and four scores.

No other offensive starter is a senior with the other headliners being junior backs Devante Turner (#1) and Kolby Wilkerson (#26), junior tight Zach Davidson (#30), and receivers Cameron Saunders (#15) and Shae Wyatt (#8).

Central Mo is also young on defense as only inside backer Kolesen Crane (#21) is a senior starter. The Mules are giving up 29 points and 415 yards per week and lead the MIAA in both sacks (31) and interception return yards (184). Two of the team's nine picks have been returned for TD's.

All-MIAA name team member Ubong Udom (#11) has a league best seven sacks and four forced fumbles with Crane having four INT's for 46 yards as well as 37 tackles. Also of note are Bell (#29) and junior inside backer John Embrey (#40). On special teams Turner is a dangerous on both the punt (22.2; one TD) and kick (24.2) return units with redshirt freshman Sam Knowlton (#41) and sophomore Chris Diddle (#98) a combined 46 of 51 on PAT's and 6 of 10 on field goals.

UNK will likely try and play keep away from the UCM offense by hanging on to the ball as per usual. The Lopers lead the MIAA and are fifth in NCAA Division II in time of possession (33:48). In the big win over Northwest Missouri State the Lopers posted a 41:01-18:59 advantage. Running 77% of the time Kearney has run 47 more plays than its opposition and has also gotten off to fast starts in most of its games, outscoring the competition 163-72 (20-9 avg.) in the first half.

Defensively UNK has been stout against the run, ranking 32nd nationally (109.1 yards per game). The unit has allowed just nine runs of 15 yards or more and is surrendering just 3.2 yards per carry.

Individually senior ILB Sal Silvio (286) and senior OLB Zach Sullivan (154) are on UNK's all-time career tackles list with senior DE Hinwa Allieu (146) about to join that list of 46. Note most defensive stats start with the 1990 campaign. Allieu is also seventh on the all-time sack list (15.5) with Silvio's 7.3 tackles per game average currently third highest in Loper lore.

Offensively redshirt freshman QB TJ Davis (Colorado Springs) is up to 621 rushing yards and eight ground scores. These are among the best rushing numbers by a UNK signal caller in a single season. He's is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, had had three 100-yard efforts and 11 had runs of at least 15 yards.

Davis is also now completing 50% of his passes (24 of 48) with two scores and a solid 14.9 yards per completion average. Redshirt freshman Aubrey Marschel-Parker (29.5), sophomore Montrez Jackson (26.0), and senior Sedarius Young (24.9) all have huge yards per catch averages thanks to UNK's strong run game. Last year in Warrensburg Jackson went for 193 yards and a TD on only five receptions.

UNK heads to No. T-31 Missouri Western State (6-2) next Saturday. The Griffons are at No. T-34 Pittsburg State (5-3) this Saturday.