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SETTING THE STAGE: Third-Annual Battle of the Timberlands GameThe Southern Arkansas football team closes out their 2014 season against rival Arkansas-Monticello in the third-annual Battle of the Timberlands game, this year taking place in Monticello. In the two previous years of this trophy game, the Muleriders have come out victorious over the Boll Weevils. In the inagural game, SAU beat UAM by a score of 30-14 in Monticello. Last year, the Muleriders used a relentless rushing attack to capture the second installment of the newlynamed rivaly series as the Muleriders ran the ball 63 times for 321 yards en route to a 44-20 win in Magnolia.
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ABOUT ARKANSAS-MONTICELLOSCHEDULEThe Arkansas-Monticello football team enters play with a 2-7 record overall and a 2-7 mark in the Great American Conference. The Boll Weevils have wins against Southwestern Oklahoma and Southern Nazarene this sesaon, but enter play on a two-game losing skid. This is the final game of the 2014 season for the Boll Weevils as well.
THE COACHThe Boll Weevils are coached by Hud Jackson, who is in his fourth season at UAM. In his time at UAM, Jackson has guided the Boll Weevils to a 13-29 record. In his first year at UAM, Jackson led the Boll Weevils to a 5-6 record, a mark he repeated last year.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSEOffensively, the Boll Weevils average 25.9 points per game and average 344.1 yards of total offense per game, ranking seventh in the GAC in that category. 246.9 of those total yards come through the air as UAM ranks fourth in the GAC in passing offense. The reamining 97.2 yards of total offense are being gained on the ground as UAM ranks 10th in the GAC in rushing offense. Leading the UAM offense is junior quarterback Hunter Leppert. On the year, Leppert ranks fourth in the GAC in passing (228.6 ypg) and fourth in in the league in total offense (249.1 ypg). Thus far, Leppert has thrown for 1,829 yards and 12 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions.Â
On the season, Leppert appears to have three go-to receivers as Ivory Washington, Deadrien Terry, and Cody Bordelon have all caught 32 or more passes totaling over 350 yards each. Additionally, the trio have caught nine of UAM's 13 passing TDs this season.Â
SCOUTING THE DEFENSEDefensively, UAM is allowing 38.2 points per game and 422.0 yards of offense per game. Ranking 11th in the GAC, UAM is allowing 248.0 rushing yards per game. In the passing game, UAM ranks first in the GAC as they have limit opponents to just 174.0 yards through the air per game.Â
The Boll Weevils are lead defensively by Anthony Hughes as he has totaled 57 tackles on the season. Mike Early leads the team in takeaways with four interceptions.Â
THE SERIESThe series between SAU and UAM dates all the way back 1913 and this will be the 90th meeting all-time. SAU currently holds a commanding 53-35-1 overall record in the series and the Muleriders have won the 14 of the previous 17 meetings, including the last three games.
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Playing to Keep the TrophyThe Southern Arkansas football team is playing to keep the Battle of the Timberlands trophy in Magnolia for another year as the Muleriders have won the first two games in which the trophy has been up for grabs. SAU is also playing to finish their season at .500 as they enter play with a 4-5 record. If SAU is able to beat UAM, they will secure their third-straight season at .500 or better for the first time since the end of the 2003 season.
Pound the GroundThrough nine games this season, it is clear that the Muleriders' offense has an eye on establishing the run as they have taken to the ground 391 times for 1,811 yards (4.6 ypr). Those 391 carries are fourth in the GAC and their 43.4 rushing attempts per game is the third-most in the GAC. In all but one game this season, SAU has run the ball 30
or more times with three games yielding a rushing attempt total over 50. The lone game under 30 carries came against Ouachita Baptist as the Muleriders ran the ball just 27 times.
Si's Our GuyMuleriders' starting quarterback,
Si Blackshire, has been an offensive catalyst for SAU as he has accounted for 2,985 yards of total offense (331.7 ypg). A dual-threat QB, Blackshire currently leads the GAC and ranks 10th in all of DII in total offense and has produced 31 touchdowns (26 passing, five rushing).
Fourth Quarter WoesSo far this season, the Muleriders have been taken a lead, or have been tied heading into the fourth quarter in seven of nine games. In those games, however, the Muleriders are just 4-3. Of their five total losses on the season, SAU's opponents have out-scored the Muleriders 87-38 in the fourth quarter.
Ball SecurityA troubling trend for the Muleriders this season has been being plagued with costly turnovers. Six times this season, the Muleriders have turned the ball over multiple times in a game and have lost possession three or more times five times. While the turnovers have been a source of concern on the offensive end, the Muleriders' defense has done a good job of creating their own turnovers as well as they forced at least one turnover in each game and have totaled 19 takeaways. The Muleriders are now at -2 in turnover margin on the season.
Steele CurtainSouthern Arkansas senior linebacker
A.J. Steele has rejoined the program after a two-year hiatus following an all-conference campaign in 2011. So far this year, Steele has been a key contributor to the SAU defense as he leads the team in tackles with 84 (42 solo, 42 assisted). Additionally, Steele has 6.5 tackles for lost yardage, 2.0 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Big Play WilliamsRedshirt freshman
Deion Williams is showing that he has big play potential whenever he has the ball. So far this season, Williams has had 11 plays go for 20 or more yards. Seven of those plays have come in the rushing game, while the other four have come in the return game.
Young WeaponsA set of five freshmen have emerged as significant contributors to the SAU offense this season as wideouts
Tanner Hudson,Â
Sidney Moore, and
Jonathan Weisheit, along with running backs
Michael Nunnery and
Deion Williams have all scored at least one touchdown. So far this season, the four have combined for 1,286 yards of total offense and 13 TDs.
Ball ControlThroughout this season, the Muleriders have dominated their opponents in time of possession as they have possessed the ball for an average of 33:12 per game, ranking them second in the GAC and 14th in DII.
Deep ThreatSenior wide receiver
Zikerious Ware has emerged as the Muleriders' top receiving threat, particuarly down the field. On the seson, Ware has caught 15 passes beyond 25 yards with six of those going for more than 40 yards. Additionally, five of his seven TD catches have been gains of 25-yards or greater. His long reception was a 79-yard TD pass against Northwestern Oklahoma.
Get the Reps InIn each of the Muleriders' first four games played this season, SAU ran 80 offensive plays or more. Their high-watermark during that stretch was 92 plays, which they did in consecutive weeks against East Central and Southwestern Oklahoma. The 80 play-plus streak was snapped against Harding as the Muleriders were limited to 71 plays on offense. On average, SAU runs 80.0 plays per game.
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