Setting the Scene: On the Road in Ada
Having played their final home game of the 2016 season last week (a 38-24 win over Southeastern Oklahoma), the Southern Arkansas football team will take to the road for their final two regular season contests, and a stop in Ada, Okla. to take on East Central is first on the docket for the Muleriders.
SAU, 7-2 on the season, will look to continue their winning ways and further position themselves for a possible postseason appearance in the form of the NCAA Division II Playoffs or a bowl game bid. The Muleriders last made a postseason appearance in 2012 after an 8-2 regular season earned SAU a berth into the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl against McMurry University. The last time that SAU qualified for the NCAA playoffs was in 2003 after a 9-2 regular season earned them an opening round matchup with #2 North Alabama.
About East Central
SCHEDULE
The East Central football team enters play this weekend with a 1-8 overall record and a 1-8 mark in the Great American Conference. The Tigers enter play this weekend having lost their last six games. ECU's victory on the year came on the road in Bethany as the Tigers defeated Southern Nazarene 23-6 in week three of the season.
THE COACH
The Tigers are coached by Tim McCarty, who is in his 10th season overall at East Central while also being in his eighth season of his second stint as the head man at ECU. Before leading the Tigers for the second time starting in 2009, McCarty previously was the head coach at ECU for two seasons from 2004-2005. Over his first stint as head coach, McCarty went 9-12 overall. In his first season back in his second stint in 2009, McCarty's Tigers went 0-11, but two years after that in 2011, McCarty had the Tigers an 8-3 team. Overall at ECU, McCarty has a record of 46-59.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Tigers are averaging 18.6 points per game and 348.2 yards of total offense per game as well with 269.0 of the yards coming through the air and the remaining 79.2 yards being gained on the ground. Their points per game average and total offense ranks 11th in the GAC while their passing offense is sixth and their rushing offense 12th in the league.
Under center for the Tigers is senior QB Brooks Holder. Holder has played in all nine games this year and has started the previous two games; three in total. On the year, Holder has completed 108-of-205 passes for 1,348 yards and 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The Tigers leading rusher is Tre'von Jackson with 289 yards on 75 carries with two touchdowns.
In terms of receiving, the Tigers have a reliable target in David Moore. On the year, Moore has caught 47 passes for 761 yards with 10 of those receptions ending in the redzone. Moore's 10 receiving touchdowns ranks second in the GAC and rank tied for 15th in NCAA DII.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Tigers are allowing 37.0 points per game and 460.3 yards of total offense per game with 250.7 of the yards coming on the ground and the remaining 209.7 being gained through the air. Their scoring defense ranks ninth in the GAC while their total defense ranks 10th in the league. On the year, the Tigers have forced 18 turnovers with seven being interceptions and 11 being fumble recoveries.
THE SERIES
This will be the 18th meeting all-time between the Muleriders and Tigers with SAU holding a 10-7 lead in the series. The all-time series dates back to 1953 and has seen these two teams meet yearly since 2011 as each school became charter members of the Great American Conference. Since becoming conference opponents, SAU leads the series 3-2. All-time in games played in Ada, SAU leads 5-4.
SAU NEWS AND NOTES
Quick Hits From Last Week
» The senior class ended their careers 16-2 at home inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field
»
Barrett Renner tied a single-game best in touchdown passes (5). He has accomplished that feat three times in his career and the five TD tosses are tied for the second-most in a game at SAU
» Tight End
Tanner Hudson had three TD catches to set a single-game high for him and also tying him for the second-most in a game at SAU
» Hudson also punted five times for an average of 51.8 yards per punt with two going over 50 yards including a long punt of 70 yards. Hudson now has two punts of 70 yards or longer on the season
» The SAU defense had two interceptions against Southeastern, making it the sixth game this season that SAU has had at least two interceptions.
Holding Down Hudson
Tanner Hudson has played numerous positions in his time at SAU from quarterback upon his transfer into the program, to rugby punter this past year, and with time spent at the wide receiver and tight end positions along the way. Of all of those positions, however, the versatile Hudson flourished as a pass-catching tight end.
An All-GAC Second-Team selection at the position, Hudson proved to be a match-up nightmare in the passing game as he hauled in 44 passes for a team-best
697 yards. Hudson was also on the receiving end of eight TD passes to lead the Muleriders.
This year, Hudson remains a threat in the passing game as he leads the team in yards (552) and touchdowns (7) while also ranking second on the team in receptions (37).
Wise to Throw to Weisheit
Junior wide receiver
Jonathan Weisheit has been one of SAU's most consistent and reliable targets in the passing game since his redshirt freshman campaign. In each of his first two full seasons, Weisheit caught 30+ passes and averaged over 10 yards per reception. Last year, Weisheit earned All-GAC honors as he ranked sixth in the league in receptions per game while also ranking seventh in receiving yards per game. All told, Weisheit hauled in 49 passes for 658 yards and three TDs.
Through nine games this year, Weisheit has been the top target with a team-best 46 receptions for an average of 5.1 receptions per game ranks fifth in the GAC.
Penny For Your Thoughts, Nickel For Your Defense
Redshirt sophomore
Stacy Lawrence has started all eight games at the Nickle position of the Mulerider Defense and the Irving, Texas native has played well beyond his experience. To date, Lawrence has the fourth-most tackles on the team with 45 and he also currently leads the team in Interceptions (4) and Passes Defended (12). His four INTs are tied for the most in the GAC. Against Arkansas Tech, Lawrence sealed the game for the Muleriders as he intercepted a pass in the endzone with under two minutes left in the game. Against Henderson, he returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a TD.
It's a Track Meet Out There
Last year, sophomore wide receiver
Karonce Higgins began to show flashes of what he could become as a wideout at SAU as he caught 22 passes for 499 yards (22.7 ypr) and five scores. Regarded as one of the fastest players in the GAC, Higgins also showed out last year on the track as he finished second in the 200-meter dash at the inaugural GAC Track Championships and later qualified for the NCAA Championships in the event.
This year, Higgins is proving to be a big-play threat once more as he is currently averaging 15.2 yards per reception and against NWOSU, Higgins took a short shovel pass behind the line of scrimmage, caught the edge and sprinted down the sideline for an 87-yard touchdown.
Getting Defensive
Through the nine games of the season, the SAU defense has played exceptionally well and one of the fruits of their improved play has been their ability to force turnovers. Currently, the Mulerider defense has forced 23 turnovers with 15 INTs and eight fumble recoveries. Their 23 takeaways are second in the GAC.
Methodical Marchers
The Southern Arkansas offense has shown through the first five games of the season that field position, or lack there of, won't stop them from scoring touchdowns.
On the year, SAU has scored 40 touchdowns. Of those TD drives, 20 have covered 70 or more yards. Against Arkansas Tech, all four of their TD drives were at least 75 yards with an average drive length being 75.3 yards. The Muleriders matched that single-game output against Henderson with four touchdown drives of at least 70 yards.
Picked 5th in Wide-Open GAC
The Southern Arkansas football team enters the 2016 season picked to finish fifth in the Great American Conference according to the league's head coaches in the annual preseason poll. Last year, the Muleriders were picked to finish sixth, but a 7-4 record tied SAU for fourth with Harding and Ouachita.
Ahead of the Muleriders in the 2016 preseason poll are Henderson State, Harding, Ouachita, and Southwestern Oklahoma. SAU went 2-2 against those for team picked higher with wins coming against Ouachita and Southwestern Oklahoma.
Familiar Faces All Around
Familiarity will be a strength of the 2016 Mulerider football team as a total of 41 lettermen and 16 starters are back with eight starters apiece coming on each side of the ball. Highlighted among the starters are All-GAC honorees
Davondrick Lison,
Calvin Lyons,
Elgin Moore,
Chris Paul,
Barrett Renner, and
Jonathan Weisheit.
Relying on Renner
For the first time since the start of the 2013 season, the Muleriders will have the return services of their starting quarterback from the previous year as
Barrett Renner is back for his sophomore season. Last year, Renner continued a line of high-level quarterback play at SAU as he set five new school records and was named as the GAC's Freshman of the Year as well as being the league's first-team QB on the all-conference squad.
This season, Renner will be the focal point of the Muleriders' offense once again while also being the man to stop for opposing defenses. Last year, Renner was an all-region selection and he led the league and ranked ninth in NCAA DII in Total Offense with over 3,700 yards gained.
Welcome to the O-Show
Mulerider Football and offensive production/explosion have been synonymous with one another for the past five years since
Landon Keopple became the offensive coordinator. In his first year in 2011, Keopple put together an offense that averaged 26.2 points per game and 376.4 yards of total offense per game. Those numbers were markedly better than the previous year where SAU averaged 16.3 ppg and 268.4 yards of total offense.
In the four years since his first as OC, Keopple has developed one of the top offenses not only in the GAC, but in all of NCAA DII. Beginning in the 2012 season, the Muleriders average 36.8 points per game and 477.4 yards of total offense per game. In three of the last four years, SAU has gained over 5,000 yards and in those same years they have scored more than 385 points.
All told under Keopple as the OC, the Muleriders score nearly 35 points per game and average over 450 yards of total offense as well.
