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Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
FB | Oklahoma Baptist (10-8-16)
Brenna Johnson
52
Winner Southern Arkansas SAU 5-1 , 5-1
7
Okla. Baptist OKBU 2-4 , 2-4
Winner
Southern Arkansas SAU
5-1 , 5-1
52
Final
7
Okla. Baptist OKBU
2-4 , 2-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SAU Southern Arkansas 7 21 17 7 52
OKBU Okla. Baptist 0 0 0 7 7

Game Recap: Football | | By: Daniel Gallegos

Muleriders dominate Bison in 52-7 win; move to 5-1 on the year

SHAWNEE, Okla. – The Southern Arkansas football team found themselves receiving votes in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches' Top-25 poll earlier this week after a 4-1 start to the season, and thanks to a thoroughly dominating 52-7 win on the road against Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday, the Muleriders figure to receive even more votes in next week's poll and likely inching closer to breaking the top-25.
 
RECORDS
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (5-1, 5-1 GAC)
Oklahoma Baptist Bison (2-4, 2-4 GAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • SAU established their defensive dominance on the very first possession of the game as they forced the Bison into a 3-and-out.
  • The Muleriders went on to limit the Bison to just 106 yards of total offense with 57 yards coming in the air and 49 yards coming on the ground. Both of those totals were game-lows put up by the SAU defense.
    • Entering the game, the Bison had the GAC's leading rusher in Isaiah Mallory as he was averaging 129.0 yards per game. The Mulerider defense stoned Mallory, however, and held him to just 35 yards on 14 carries (2.5 ypr)
  • Offensively, the Muleriders had a pair of lengthy drives going, but turned the ball over on downs each of their first two possessions before finding the endzone right at the end of the first quarter. That initial score was a 50-yard TD pass from Barrett Renner to Karonce Higgins.
  • The Muleriders scored touchdowns on two of their next three possessions, with each score coming on the ground from five yards out. The first to find pay-dirt in that stretch was Michael Nunnery and the other was Keiandre Purifoy.
  • Late in the second quarter, the Mulerider defense contributed a score as Darren Crawford had a 70-yard pick-six to put SAU up 28-0 at the half.
  • In the second half, SAU kept the foot on the gas scoring 17 points in the third quarter and seven more in the fourth.
    • The TD in the fourth quarter pushed SAU over the half-century mark in points for the first time this season and for the first time since hanging 55 on Southern Nazarene
  • With 5:23 remaining in the game, Oklahoma Baptist spoiled SAU's chance at their first shutout since 2012 as the Bison scored a rushing TD from two-yards out.
 
OF NOTE
  • The Muleriders rushing attack reached new season-highs in attempts (54), yards (260) and touchdowns (5). It was the second-straight game that SAU ran for over 200 yards and in the four games prior, the Muleriders averaged a GAC-low 93.5 yards per game on the ground.
  • SAU possessed the ball for just over 40 minutes in the game and ran 36 more plays than Oklahoma Baptist
 
UP NEXT
The Muleriders will now prepare for another road game as they are set to travel to Arkadelphia on Saturday, October 15 to take on Ouachita Baptist. Kick-off for the game against the Tigers is set for 1 p.m. inside Cliff Harris Stadium
 
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