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Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
Ouachita 11-4-17
Brenna Johnson
45
Winner Ouachita OUA 8-2 , 8-2
42
Southern Arkansas SAU 6-4 , 6-4
Winner
Ouachita OUA
8-2 , 8-2
45
Final
42
Southern Arkansas SAU
6-4 , 6-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
OUA Ouachita 0 17 7 21 45
SAU Southern Arkansas 7 7 14 14 42

Game Recap: Football | | By: Jacob Pumphrey

Muleriders nipped late by Ouachita in Murphy USA Classic, 45-42

EL DORADO, Ark. – Redshirt junior quarterback Barrett Renner connected with seven different receivers en route to tossing for 533 yards and five touchdowns, but Southern Arkansas was topped late in a shootout at the Murphy USA Classic as Ouachita scored a go-ahead touchdown with 33 seconds remaining to pull out a 45-42 victory in the ninth playing of the neutral site affair in El Dorado.
 
RECORDS
(RV) Ouachita Baptist Tigers (8-2, 8-2 GAC)
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (6-4, 6-4 GAC)
 
OF NOTE
  • The lead changed five times in the fourth quarter and four within the final 3:35 of the game. The last three meetings between the two schools have been decided by a combined ten points with all three contests coming down to the final play of the game.
  • Southern Arkansas rushed just 25 times for 78 yards as the Muleriders relied on the arm of Renner to do a majority of the damage on Saturday afternoon in a contest that saw almost 1,200 yards of combined offense with 58 first downs.
  • Renner's 533 yards passing and 37 completions both stand as single-game program records, while his five touchdown passes are the second-most in a single-game; a feat he has now performed four times in his career and second this season after tying a program-record with six touchdowns through the air against Oklahoma Baptist.
  • In the first half, Renner claimed another career record as he surpassed Tyler Sykora's career mark for pass attempts which Renner now holds with 1,200 attempts.
  • Of the seven receivers Renner hooked up with in the loss, two recorded 100-plus yards receiving led by senior tight end Tanner Hudson's 166 yards on six catches. That yardage receiving total is the most for a Mulerider pass catcher since Karonce Higgins' 162 yard performance in the Battle of the Timberlands last season.
  • Higgins produced a team-high 12 catches for 124 yards with his biggest grab coming with 58 seconds remaining to give the Muleriders a temporary lead late. His 12 catches are the most in a game since Chris Terry caught ten passes in the 2013 season opener at Southeastern Oklahoma.
  • Desmond Jones snagged six passes for 42 yards, Kile Pletcher followed with five grabs for 84 yards, and Jared Lancaster brought in four passes for 74 yards and the game's first touchdown; a 30-yard strike from Renner that capped a methodical five play, 80-yard drive that took just 90 seconds as SAU took to the air on all five plays in their opening drive of the afternoon.
  • Two of the biggest completions on Saturday went to Jaidon Parrish who scored twice on a pair of 13-yard touchdown passes from Renner in the second-half. Darrion Ardoin caught two passes for 17 yards.
  • Michael Nunnery and Keiandre Purifoy combined for 55 yards with Nunnery scoring the only rushing touchdown of the game for SAU.
  • DeMarcus Pegue totaled nine tackles with Elgin Moore adding seven stops and an interception. Kendrix McCann and Antonio Washington each recorded a sack, while Darren Crawford added two pass breakups.

UP NEXT
The Muleriders return home for "Senior Day" and the sixth-annual Battle of the Timberlands as Southern Arkansas welcomes Great American Conference foe Arkansas-Monticello into Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field. Kickoff in the regular season finale is scheduled for 2 p.m.



 
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