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Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
Karonce Higgins vs. ECU (10-20-18)
Lilly Welch
9
East Central ECU 2-6 , 2-6
48
Winner Southern Arkansas SAU 7-1 , 7-1
East Central ECU
2-6 , 2-6
9
Final
48
Southern Arkansas SAU
7-1 , 7-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ECU East Central 0 3 0 6 9
SAU Southern Arkansas 0 6 21 21 48

Game Recap: Football | | By: Jacob Pumphrey

Explosive second half highlights #22/21 Muleriders' Homecoming rout of East Central

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – After suffering their first defeat of the season last weekend on the road, the #22/21 Southern Arkansas bounced back in a big way in front of 5,111 fans on the university's homecoming day as the Muleriders used an explosive second half to break open a three-point ballgame at the intermission and take a 48-9 Great American Conference victory to improve to 7-1 on the season.
 
Saturday afternoon's victory keeps the Muleriders among the top of the conference standings and represents the 16th-consecutive win for SAU at home inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field; a streak that dates back to a Week 6 Homecoming win over Oklahoma Baptist in 2015.
 
RECORDS
#22/21 Southern Arkansas Muleriders (7-1, 7-1 GAC)
East Central Tigers (2-6, 2-6 GAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – First Half
  • Each team scored in the first half with the Tigers breaking the scoreless tie with a 34-yard field goal off the leg of Bobby Schmidt.
  • A sluggish first half offensively for the Muleriders would; however, be capped off by a 51-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior Barrett Renner to classmate wideout Karonce Higgins with 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The scoring connection ended a five-play, 75 yard drive that took just 78 seconds.
  • Despite a missed PAT, Southern Arkansas carried a 6-3 lead into the halftime break.
  • The scoring plays for both teams came on each's last drive of the half. (East Central had just 14 seconds before the break following the Mulerider touchdown). The remaining eight drives of the first half included a combined six punts and two fumbles.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – Second Half
  • Keiandre Purifoy scored the second half's first points on a one-yard plunge and 5:30 minutes later Renner tossed a pass out in front of Lorenzo Alexander who snagged it for a two-yard touchdown reception.
  • Less than four minutes later, Higgins got in on the scoring act once more as he hauled in a 52-yard pass from Renner for the former's second six-point catch of the game.
  • As they have proven all season, the combo did not shy away from connecting with one another as Renner found Higgins, who made an acrobatic grab over a defender for his third receiving and Renner's fourth passing score of the game.
  • That touchdown pitch-and-catch came after Purifoy added a three-yard touchdown run.
  • The final Mulerider score of game was a special one as Hayden Mallory connected with Micah Small for each's first collegiate touchdown which put the finishing touches on the explosive second half.
  • ECU's lone touchdown would come early in the fourth quarter as a seven-yard touchdown pass momentarily cut the Mulerider lead to 18 at 27-9 with 14:08 to play in the game.
  • Besides the touchdown for the Tigers, the Mulerider defense forced four ECU punts and a fumble in a dominant second half.
 
TURNING POINT(s)
  • Higgins' second touchdown grab, along with an Austin Wilkerson extra point, put Southern Arkansas up three possessions with 16 and a half minutes to play in the game.
 
OF NOTE
  • Renner finished 19-of-26 for 242 yards and four touchdowns, while Mallory completed 3-of-4 passing for 48 yards and the scoring strike to Small.
  • Renner now has thrown for 113 touchdowns in his career; the second-most collegiately in the state of Arkansas and he is just 11 back of Henderson State's Kevin Rodgers' state record 124. The redshirt senior has also totaled 11,919 yards passing; 1,759 yards back of Rodgers for the state record.
  • Alexander totaled 95 yards rushing and Purifoy added 65 yards and two scores. Dennis Daniels, on six strong carries, tallied 40 yards.
  • Higgins' seven receptions for 161 yards and three touchdowns give him 173 career catches, 2,663 yards receiving, and 28 touchdowns for his career. He is six catches, 189 yards and eight receiving touchdowns away from the career program marks in each category respectively.
  • Higgins also added 60 kickoff return yards which all came on a return that he initially took 93 yards for a score, before an illegal blocking penalty negated the touchdown.
  • Seven additional players caught passes from Renner including Jaidon Parrish who hauled in four for 35 yards.
  • Seven Muleriders recorded four or more stops on Saturday including a trio of defenders that each registered six tackles. DaVondrick Lison, Kaseem Smith and Anthony Washington each produced six stops and all recorded at least a half tackle for loss led by Lison's 2.0 as SAU totaled seven for the game.
  • Antonio Washington forced a fumble that Kobe McDonald recovered and Malachi Pointer delivered a pair of quarterback hurries.
  • SAU held the Tigers to just nine first downs and 206 yards of total offense, including just 76 through the air.
  • The Mulerider offense went over the half century mark in yardage totaling 504 in 72 plays. Additionally, SAU converted eight of its 13 third-down opportunities.
 
UP NEXT
The Muleriders hit the road for the first of their remaining three games away from Wilkins Stadium to close out the regular season. October 27th's contest with Henderson State takes place in the El Dorado's Memorial Stadium at the Murphy USA Classic. Kickoff from Union County is set for 2 p.m. Live coverage links will be made available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
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