The sixth week of the 2019 season sends the Southern Arkansas Football team on their longest trek of the campaign; a lengthy tour back to the Sooner State for a 2 p.m. kickoff in Alva against Northwestern Oklahoma.

The Muleriders (4-1, 4-1 GAC) and Rangers (2-3, 2-3 GAC) meet for the tenth time all-time on Saturday and it marks the seventh-consecutive meeting between the two opponents as members of the Great American Conference. Prior to being GAC foes, SAU and NWOSU played in 1977 and 1978 as well as in 1997.

This weekend's game will be the fifth meeting all-time in Alva with the Rangers having won the last meeting 38-16 in 2017. Overall, the Muleriders have a 7-2 lead in the all-time series and had a five-game winning streak in the series before losing on the
road to the Rangers in 2017. Last season, Southern Arkansas avenged that loss with a 27-14 win in Magnolia.

Overall, it will be the 23rd time a Bill Keopple-led Mulerider team will compete in Oklahoma. Southern Arkansas is currently 15-7 on the road against opponents from the Sooner State.

The Muleriders are currently tied for second in the Great American Conference with Harding and Henderson State who are also 4-1. The trio trails Natural State foe Ouachita who sits atop the standings unbeaten at 5-0. Northwestern Oklahoma enters
tied for tied for seventh and needing a win to move back to .500.

With 61 wins, head coach Bill Keopple is currently one victory shy of tying Mulerider gridiron legend Raymond "Rip" Powell for second all-time on the program wins list. Two more wins and Keopple ties Auburn Smith for most wins in program history.

MULERIDER OFFENSE
The Muleriders, through five games in 2019, are averaging 28.2 points per game; the fifth-best scoring mark in the GAC. In all four wins this season, the Muleriders have reached the 30-point mark. The offense's 386.2.0 yards per game ranks fifth and is tallied behind the league's third-best rushing offense at 217.6 yards per game; the 27th-best rushing offense in Division II. Through the air, the Muleriders are passing for 168.6 yards per game and have thrown it just 110 times this season.

In comparison, Southern Arkansas has not attempted fewer than 155 passes combined in the first five weeks of a season dating back to 2009. Conversely, the Mulerider ground game has racked up the most real estate on the ground through a season's first five games since the 2014 campaign.

It marks just the third time under head coach Bill Keopple that the Muleriders have averaged at least 200 yards rushing through the first five games of the season and the 1,088 yards is the second most entering the sixth week of the season by a Mulerider team in Keopple's 11 years on the sidelines.

Nationally, Southern Arkansas is one of four teams in the country to have converted all of their red zone opportunities through four games this season. Up front, the Mulerider offensive line has allowed just .8 sacks per game; the 14th-best mark in the country.

Individually, redshirt freshman Kor'Davion Washington continues his climb up the league's rushing charts and currently ranks second in rushing yards per game at 92.0; the 29th-highest total in Division II this season. His 6.67 yards per carry is currently the 15th-highest per carry average in the country.

Senior SirCharles Perkins ranks sixth in the GAC in all-purpose yards averaging 93.8 per game.

Junior quarterback Hayden Mallory's 159.8 passing yards per game ranks eighth in the GAC, while his 132.9 pass efficiency rating ranks fourth.

The top target through five weeks for the Mulerider passing attack has been redshirt senior Jared Lancaster who has caught 15 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. A dozen players have caught a pass for the Muleriders this fall.

Additional scoring for Southern Arkansas has come from the leg of sophomore place kicker Austin Wilkerson. He ranks fourth in the conference with 6.6 points per game via kick.

MULERIDER DEFENSE
Defensively, Mulerider opponents are averaging 21.4 points per game which gives SAU the fourth-best scoring defense in the league and nearly a +7 scoring margin. In terms of total defense, Southern Arkansas ranks third in the GAC at 298.0 yards per game which stands due to a rushing (147.6 | 4th) and passing (150.4 | 4th) defense that both rank in the top four in the GAC.

The Mulerider pass defense ranks 16th in the country in yards allowed through the air per game. Additionally, SAU has allowed the third-fewest opponent first downs in the league at 15.5 per game.

Individually, seven players have recorded twenty or more tackles with five players having at least 25 stops this season. Redshirt junior Antonio Washington, redshirt senior Stacy Lawrence and sophomore Brock Floyd lead the team with 27 total tackles. Washington leads the Great American Conference in tackles for loss with 8.5 totaling 37 yards which ranks 26th nationally in Division II. He has also recorded three sacks, three pass breakups and six quarterback hurries.

Five players have picked off six passes for SAU this season led by senior Lorenzo Watkins' two. Junior La'Vonte White returning his 37 yards. White also leads the team in passes defended with four.

NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
The Rangers are averaging 16.4 points per game and are allowing opponents to score 23.0 points per game through he season's first five weeks. Offensively, the Rangers average 303.0 yards per game and are led by a passing offense that averages 167.0 yards through the air.

Additionally, NWOSU owns the top turnover margin in the league at +6. Defensively, the Rangers surrender 364.2 yards per game, including 182.4 on the ground. The unit leads the league in interceptions with 8 at an average of just under 11 yards per return. The aforementioned top red zone offense in the country meets the league's worst red zone defense which allows a score 50% of the time.

At 162.4 yards passing per game, Ranger quarterback Trent Easley ranks sixth in the GAC, while his 99.8 pass efficiency ranks ninth. Easley's 181.2 yards of total offense per game ranks seventh. Calion Baker's 92.0 all-purpose yards per game is the eighth-highest average in the league.

Jacob Peyton is the team's leading rusher with 309 yards on the ground, while Denzel Davis has caught a team-best 19 passes for 198 yards. Kentrez Bell is the leading receiver yardage wise with 234 yards at 23.4 per catch. Maurice Wright Jr. leads the team and ranks third in the GAC at 9.0 stops per game. James Ellis follows with 7.8 tackles per game which ranks tenth in the conference.