Central Missouri Punts on Playing Northwest Missouri at Arrowhead

By Greg Echlin

Central Missouri’s football team is taking its ball and going home. The Mules home game against Northwest Missouri on Nov. 10, held at Arrowhead Stadium the last two seasons, will be played on their campus in Warrensburg.

When pressed for a reason the Mules chose not to play at Arrowhead this season, UCM coach Jim Svoboda responded, “You are taking away a home game. It’s our home game, so if you play your cards right you hope a lot’s on the line and we can break that conference attendance record at our place.”

Last season, billed as The Fall Classic and designated as a home game for the Mules, it appeared that UCM was on its way to handing the Bearcats only their fourth loss in 14 games at Arrowhead, but a Mules defensive collapse in the last 34 seconds of the game allowed the Bearcats, ranked No. 1 at the time, to pull out a 24-20 victory. A classic finish for the Bearcats, not the Mules with 12,765 fans on hand.

In 2016, the Bearcats stomped the Mules, 42-16 in front of 15,349 fans.

Last year’s game marked Rich Wright’s first as a head coach at the home of the Chiefs, but he previously roamed the Arrowhead sidelines as a Bearcats assistant.

Northwest Missouri head coach Rich Wright — Rich Wright, Northwest Missouri’s head coach, said “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.”

“To play in an NFL venue in front of the crowds that we’ve been able to play in front of is a special deal, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed,” said Wright, who’s trying to lead the Bearcats to the MIAA title this season after yielding it to Fort Hays State last season.

The Bearcats and Pittsburg State Gorillas previously took their rivalry game to Arrowhead 12 times before the Gorillas decided to keep its home game against the Bearcats on campus.

But Gorillas coach Tim Beck isn’t ruling out the possibility that PSU will renew discussions with the Bearcats on a possible return to Arrowhead.

“There have probably been a little bit of discussion with our administration, I would say,” said Beck. “I can see the possibility of it coming back to Kansas City at some point.”

No matter what team that plays against the Bearcats in K.C., the opponent is aware that the Bearcat fans will show up in droves. It’s up to the opposition to match that. On the field and in the stands.