[August 6, 2008]

By: Houston Taylor

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas Coach Steve Quinn is expecting approximately 135 players to report for fall practice Thursday as the Muleriders begin preparation for the 2008 football season.

The team will go through light practices on Thursday and Friday evening and will hold strength and conditioning tests on Friday before getting into full-fledged practice Saturday through Monday at 7 p.m. nightly. They will follow the one-a day practice schedule Wednesday and Friday of next week as well. Tuesday will bring two-a days at 9:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. and will be held every other day through the following Saturday.

After practicing Sunday, August 17 at 8 p.m., SAU will go back to two-a-days the next day before holding media day Tuesday, August 19 at 10 a.m., with practice scheduled for 7 p.m. that night. Wednesday and Thursday will be a regular two-day and one-day practice schedule, respectively, whereas Friday’s practices will be held at 7:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. The team will not practice on that Saturday.

Southern Arkansas will wrap up game week practices beginning Sunday, August 24 at 8 p.m. and will go at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday as players will be involved with registration during the day.

The Muleriders will depart Wednesday morning, the first day of classes, for Florence, Ala., for their season-opener on Thursday, August 28 against North Alabama. The Lions are ranked seventh in both Lindy’s and the Sporting News pre-season publications.

SAU travels the following Saturday, September 6, for their first-ever meeting against Truman State in Kirksville, Mo., about 30 miles south of the Iowa border. Southern Arkansas begins Gulf South Conference play in their home-opener September 13 when they host defending national champion Valdosta State, ranked first and third in the polls. They then travel to West Alabama September 18 for their only television appearance of the season, before hosting Henderson State September 27 on Hall of Fame Day. Following a tilt at Harding on October 4, the Muleriders return to Magnolia for homecoming October 11 against Arkansas Tech. They make the short trip the next week to face Ouachita Baptist before hosting Delta State in their final home game of the season October 25. After an open date the following week, SAU closes the regular season at Arkansas-Monticello on November 8.