SOUTHERN ARKANSAS - ARKANSAS TECH FOOTBALL GAME NOTES

SERIES (43-28-4, Arkansas Tech)
Saturday's game will be the 76th meeting between Southern Arkansas and Arkansas Tech, with the Wonder Boys holding a 43-28-4 advantage in the series.  The teams began play in 1916 with a 6-0 ATU win in Russellville.  After not facing each other the next three seasons, they played from 1920-22, with Tech winning all three, including a 118-0 walloping of the Muleriders in 1922, the most lopsided loss in SAU's history.  The teams resumed play from 1930-36, with Southern Arkansas getting its first win by a 7-0 margin in 1932 in Russellville.  That would be the only Mulerider win in the first 16 meetings.  The teams played to scoreless ties in 1930, 1931, and 1934.  The Wonder Boys got wins in 1933, 1935, and 1936.  The series picked back up in 1946 and ATU won through 1950, the year both schools became four-year institutions, and giving Tech its longest win streak, at seven, in the series.  SAU stopped the skid with a 27-0 shutout in 1951, and won again the following year en route to back-to-back Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) titles.  Southern Arkansas' longest win streak of the series is five games from 1972-1976.  The last tie, 14-14, was played in 1987. 
           
In 1996, the Muleriders started a three-game win streak in the series, before the Wonder Boys eked out a 20-17 overtime decision in 1999 that kept Southern Arkansas from winning the conference championship, claimed by ATU.  Arkansas Tech won in 2000, and the Muleriders came from behind to celebrate Homecoming with a 28-25 victory in 2001.  The teams did not play in 2002 and 2003 because of schedule rotation.  The Wonder Boys won the next three, 35-21 in 2004 at Russellville, and 38-35 and 36-29 in 2005 and 2006, respectively, both in Magnolia.  SAU snapped that three-game streak the next year in Russellville with a wild, offensive shootout in a 56-49 game, and made it two consecutive with a 45-42 victory in 2008 in Magnolia.   ATU won each of the next two seasons, 37-24 and 35-19, both on its home field, before Southern Arkansas claimed a 49-17 decision in its homecoming game this past year. 
 
Arkansas Tech holds an 18-17-3 advantage in games played in Magnolia and a 25-11-1 edge in Russellville.
 
REGION POLL
Southern Arkansas entered the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 poll this week for the first time this season at 10th.  It's the Muleriders first entry in a region poll since November 2003 when they were ranked fourth in the South Region and advanced to the playoffs, losing 48-24 in the first round at North Alabama.
           
The region polls are used to seed teams for the Division II playoffs, with the top six teams in each of the four Super Regions advancing.  SAU would need to defeat Arkansas Tech Saturday and then hope that teams ranked above them lose this week in order to move up four spots in the poll for a chance at the playoffs.
 
WINNING SEASON
At 7-2, Southern Arkansas has already assured itself of its first winning season since the 2005 team went 6-5, and the most wins in a season since the 2003 squad finished 9-3.  With a victory over the Wonder Boys this week, they would assure the best season percentage-wise since the 8-2 team of 1999.
 
RECORD WATCH
Southern Arkansas junior starting quarterback Tyler Sykora has continued his assault on the Mulerider record book all year, setting five career school marks, five season records, including four of his own, and tying one of his own single-game records thus far. He was 18 for 31 passing for 336 yards last week in SAU's 44-28 win at Ouachita Baptist, with the 18 completions and 31 attempts snapping his own season records in those categories from a year ago, and the 336 yards lifted him to both the new career and season records for total offensive yards.   
 
Sykora should break one more record Saturday against Arkansas Tech - with 345 plays this year he needs just 23 to break the season mark of Damian Melancon's 367 in 2004.  Depending on his passing performance Saturday, he's also on pace to set the new season record for completion percentage, which he currently holds (.605) from last year.
 
The southpaw currently owns 14 school records, including five career, six season, and three single-game records.
 
Mulerider junior running back Mark Johnson's one touchdown three weeks ago against Southern Nazarene enabled him to tie the career rushing touchdown record of 27 held by Torrence Jones (2001-2004).  His 507 career rushing attempts are just 90 shy of Gerald Pride's 597 (1979-1982).
 
Johnson has been bothered by an injury and hasn't played the past two games.