RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Mulerider football team traveled to Russellville, Arkansas on Saturday evening and fell to the Great American Conference-leading Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys, 44-21.
 
The Muleriders (2-2, 2-2 GAC) collected 414 yards of total offense led by freshman quarterback Barrett Renner's 256 all-purpose yards (176 pass, 80 rush) and senior running back Deandre Jenkins' 125 all-purpose yards (92 rush, 33 rec.).
 
Southern Arkansas found the scoreboard late in the first half after a Renner pass found redshirt freshman Karonce Higgins for 36 yards and put SAU into Wonder Boy territory. On the next play the duo hooked up again, this time from 24 yards out with 11 seconds left in the half, as the Muleriders cut into a 24-0 Tech lead to trail by 17 at the break.
 
On the opening series of the second half, the Muleriders used an eight play drive that covered 63 yards and resulted in an eight yard touchdown pass from Renner to redshirt sophomore tight end Tanner Hudson that pulled SAU to within 10, 24-14.
 
Tech would answer back in only four plays to push their lead back to 17 as senior quarterback Arsenio Favor found the endzone from 18 yards out.
 
Renner would register a pair of key rushes totaling 26 yards on the ensuing drive, before he connected with redshirt sophomore Jonathan Weisheit for 23 yards on a first down pass that put the Muleriders at the ATU eight yard line. Redshirt sophomore fullback Garrett Turnbull was then on the receiving end of an eight yard toss from Renner on the next play, the last SAU score, that again cut the Wonder Boy lead back down to 10, 31-21.
 
Renner connected with nine different targets including Jenkins' five receptions and four from Higgins, who led all receivers with 88 yards.
 
Defensively, redshirt sophomore Elgin Moore led the Muleriders with 17 tackles and an interception, while senior Q'Niko Thomas and redshirt junior Dominic Kelly recorded nine tackles apiece. Thomas added a tackle for loss, while Kelly collected a 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.  
 
The Muleriders will remain on the road next Saturday, October 3, as the travel into Oklahoma, for a Great American Conference matchup with Southern Nazarene. Kick-off from Bethany is set for 2 p.m.