Box Score MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas' defense forced four second half turnovers and junior quarterback
Tyler Sykora (Hot Springs Village) matched his school record with five touchdown passes as the Muleriders rallied from a 14-0 deficit to knock off Southwestern Oklahoma State 35-34 in Great American Conference action Saturday at Wilkins Stadium.
SAU moves to 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2003 and 2-0 in league play, while the Bulldogs drop to 1-2 and 1-1.
Trailing 34-28 late in the fourth quarter, the Southern Arkansas defense came up with the first of three turnovers in the final stanza when sophomore defensive back
Demario Thomas (Shreveport, La.) returned a fumble recovery at the Mulerider 35 yard line 56 yards to the SWOSU nine, and then Sykora hit senior fullback
Carlos Brown (Pittsburg, Texas) for the nine-yard touchdown on the next play at 5:10 that gave SAU the 35-34 lead and eventual win.
Southwestern didn't give up easily, driving to the Southern Arkansas 46 on the ensuing series, and later to the Mulerider 31 with less than two minutes remaining, but junior linebacker
Sam Cowling (De Queen) corralled a fumble on the first drive, and junior defensive back
Nick Davis (Camden) intercepted a pass with 1:24 left to seal the game.
The Bulldogs jumped out to the 14-0 lead in the first quarter, getting a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dustin Stenta to Brad Smithey at 13:18, and a three-yard scoring run from Aaron Wilson with 12 ticks left in the quarter.
Sykora then marched SAU promptly down the field to begin the second quarter, completing four passes on a five-play drive, including the first of his five touchdown passes to junior receiver
Jack Brown (West Mesquite, Texas) to narrow it to a 14-7 game at 14:20.
Sykora found junior tight end
Brooks White (Van Buren) later in the frame from four yards out to tie it with six minutes in the quarter.
SWOSU responded at 1:04 for a 21-14 halftime lead when D.C. Walker rushed 17 yards for a score.
Southwestern built it to a 28-14 margin at 10:28 in the third quarter when Terrance Franklin intercepted a Sykora pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown.
Southern Arkansas pulled back to within 28-21 at 6:53 on a 20-yard scoring pass from Sykora to senior receiver
Rafael Thomas (Lufkin, Texas).
Colton Rainey's 29-yard field goal pushed it to a 31-21 game at 3:36, but the Muleriders completed the third quarter scoring when Sykora found Thomas again, this time for a 40-yard touchdown, 31-28 at 1:38.
Rainey began the fourth quarter with a 32-yard field goal at 13:46 for the 34-28 game, before Sykora and
Carlos Brown hooked up for the eventual game-winner.
Sykora finished 24 of 36 passing for 281 yards, with the lone interception, and the five TD's. He twice threw for five scores last year, setting the single-game school mark then. His 24 pass completions gives him 287 for his career, moving him past former quarterback
John Launius' (Arkadelphia) 282 from 1988-1991 for the new school career record, and his five touchdown passes gives him 35 in his career, tying the school record held by former quarterback
Ted Williams (Pineland, Texas) set from 2000-03.
Thomas had six receptions for 107 yards in the game, while
Jack Brown had seven for 64 yards.
Junior running back
Mark Johnson (Longview, Texas) led SAU on the ground with 74 yards.
Stenta finished 19 of 39 passing for 244 yards, with Smithey catching nine for 79 yards. Walker finished with 106 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Southern Arkansas' defense was the story, especially in the second half, with junior linebacker
Mark Spaight (North Little Rock) and senior linebacker
Malcolm Walker (Daingerfield, Texas), leading with 11 tackles apiece. Spaight had eight solos, including a five-yard sack. Junior defensive back
Bobby Williams (Bossier City, La.) had nine stops, six solo, and broke up a pass.
Kale Sawatzky led the Bulldogs with a game-high 13 tackles.
The Muleriders travel next Saturday to Monticello for a 6 p.m. kickoff against Arkansas-Monticello.
