Box Score DURANT, Okla. – Southern Arkansas scored three touchdowns over the final 17 minutes in rallying for a 31-24 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State in Great American Conference action Saturday at Paul Laird Field.
 
The Muleriders (2-0, 1-0 GAC) have won their first two games of the season for the first time since 2005, and avenged a last-minute loss to the Savage Storm (1-1, 0-1 GAC) a year ago in Magnolia.
 
Trailing 24-10 late in the third quarter, SAU began its rally with junior quarterback Tyler Sykora (Hot Springs Village) finding senior receiver Rafael Thomas (Lufkin, Texas) for a 21-yard touchdown with 2:05 remaining in the quarter.  Sophomore kicker Jacob Carpenter's (Winona, Miss.) point-after was blocked though, leaving it 24-16.
 
Southern Arkansas then forced an SOSU punt, and junior linebacker Mark Spaight (North Little Rock), who blocked one last week at Texas College that led directly to a Mulerider touchdown, aptly repeated the feat and sophomore defensive back Demario Thomas (Shreveport, La.) recovered and returned it 21 yards for a score.  Sykora's two-point pass conversion was good to sophomore tight end Paul Walker-Hall (Allen, Texas) and it was tied 24-24 with 39 ticks left in the third.
 
SAU completed its comeback at 9:59 in the fourth quarter on junior running back Mark Johnson's (Longview, Texas) 10-yard touchdown run, with Carpenter's PAT applying the finishing touch to the win.
 
Johnson amassed 140 yards rushing in the game on 27 carries.
 
Southeastern led 10-7 at the half.  The third quarter saw five scoring plays, starting with a 42-yard field goal from Carpenter that knotted it 10-10 at 10:06.
 
The Savage Storm then added a pair of touchdowns over a four-minute span to build the 24-10 margin, with Quentin Morris catching a 70-yard pass from Jercolby Bradley at 9:12, and Ladarius Abrams scooting into the end zone from four yards out at 5:26.
 
Bradley's 25-yard touchdown pass to Morris put SOSU on the board first at 6:24 in the opening quarter.
 
Southern Arkansas evened the score at 7:58 in the second quarter on Sykora's 16-yard pass to senior fullback Carlos Brown (Pittsburg, Texas).
 
Chris Peoples gave Southeastern the 10-7 halftime lead with a 22-yard field goal at 4:46.
 
The Savage Storm posted 423 yards of offense, while limiting the Muleriders to 299 yards.  SAU never got its vaunted passing game going, with Sykora finishing 13 of 27 for only 135 yards, and tossing two interceptions, but they managed 164 yards rushing.
 
Southern Arkansas also overcame three fumbles, losing two.
 
Thomas had four catches for 46 yards to lead the Muleriders.
 
Bradley completed 19 of 40 passes for 299 yards and one interception, and also had 67 yards rushing on 14 totes to lead SOSU.  Morris had five catches for 113 yards.
 
Spaight finished with a game-high 12 tackles, eight solo, including half a tackle for loss.  Junior free safety Bobby Williams (Bossier City, La.) added 11 tackles.
 
Izzy Eziakor led Southeastern with 11 stops.
 
SAU plays at home for the first time this season next week, hosting Southwestern Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. on Family Day Saturday at Wilkins Stadium.