UCM preview

The last three straight home games for the Lions have been wild. The first game saw a first quarter meltdown, followed by three quarters of dominance. The second game saw a thrilling final two minutes. Last week’s game saw LU putting a team out of its misery.

Now, the Lions are playing an opponent that could develop into a rivalry. On Saturday Nov. 5, LU squares off against Central Missouri in St. Charles where the Lions have a 26 home game winning streak.

“We got to beat ‘em for it to be a rivalry,” Lions head coach Patrick Ross said. “They see us as the new kid on the block that is probably not tough enough to play with them.”

Central Missouri has long been a part of the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Mules’ current record is 6-3 and they are slotted number 10 in the NCAA Division 2 Regional rankings. LU will join the 99-year-old conference next year, and in 2013 it will be able to participate in the Division 2 playoffs.

“We want to create some excitement with the teams in that conference,” Ross said.

This is the first time the Lions will battle an MIAA opponent and on Nov. 12, they will face Central Oklahoma, another MIAA team.

“We have already proven that we are a good football team,” Ross said. The Lions are 7-2 with big wins against Northern Colorado, a Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision team; Texas A&M: Kingsville, a Division 2 powerhouse; and Azusa Pacific, a top NAIA team transitioning into Division 2.

The Lions have been able to win because of their balanced offense they possess, “If we can run the ball, it’s going to open up the passing game,” LU junior quarterback John Uribe said.

Uribe has more than 2,000 passing yards, becoming the fourth quarterback in LU history to pass that milestone. He has 17 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 60.

Junior running back Therman McGowan has turned into the main man with starting running back Denodus O’Bryant battling injuries. McGowan has 582 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The entire running backs corps is averaging 200 yards a game.

Junior wide receiver Andrew Helmick has 10 touchdowns for the year. He is two shy of the LU single season record. He has also caught 45 passes for 711 yards.

Central Missouri's two losses have come against teams nationally ranked in the top five.

“We never quit, we never give up, we push 100 percent effort on every play,” Ross said.

LU put an ad on the local ESPN radio station to promote this game.

It’s that big.