In need of bouncing back from a tough home loss to nationally-ranked Harding, Southern Arkansas (3-1, 3-1 GAC) picked up a pivotal Great American Conference victory over Arkansas Tech last weekend. The 35-14 win included the Muleriders hitting
pay dirt three times over the final 6:30 of the game to claim the program's first victory in Russellville since 2007.

The Muleriders are 3-1 through the first month of the season; the third time in the last four campaigns that SAU has won three of their first four games. Week 5 brings the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs (2-2, 2-2 GAC) to Magnolia under second-year head coach Chet Pobolish. SWOSU earned wins over Southeastern Oklahoma State and East Central during the first two weeks of the season. The Bulldogs have lost two straight, but are coming off of a near-upset of No. 6/4 Ouachita in Weatherford which saw the Tigers outlast SWOSU 26-21.

This will be the ninth meeting all-time between Southern Arkansas and Southwestern Oklahoma State as the two teams first began playing each other in 2011 as conference opponents in the newly-formed Great American Conference. The first six meetings were decided by a combined 24 points, with the largest margin of victory in the those games being just nine points as SAU beat SWOSU 31-22 in the initial meeting in 2011. However, the previous two match ups have each been decided by 24 points. The teams' previous meeting in Magnolia saw Southern Arkansas win 38-14 and last season the Muleriders won 36-12 in Weatherford. In 2014, SWOSU picked up their first victory in the series with a 27-24 win at home. Overall, the Muleriders hold a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series and are unbeaten in four games played in Magnolia.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSES
The Muleriders, through four games in 2019, are averaging 24.8 points per game; the fifth-best scoring mark in the GAC. In all three wins this season, the Muleriders have reached the 30-point mark. The offense's 369.0 yards per game ranks sixth and is tallied behind the league's third-best rushing offense at 214.0 yards per game. Through the air, the Muleriders are passing for 155.0 yards per game and have thrown it just 92 times this season. In comparison, Southern Arkansas has not attempted fewer than 125 passes combined in the first four weeks of a season dating back to 2009. Conversely, the Mulerider ground game has racked up the most yards through a season's first four games since the 2014 campaign. Nationally, Southern Arkansas is one of a dozen teams in the country to have converted all of their red zone opportunities through four games this season.

Individually, redshirt freshman Kor'Davion Washington has climbed up the league's rushing charts and currently ranks third in rushing yards per game at 93.0 following a career-best effort at Arkansas Tech that saw the Shreveport, Louisiana, native tally career-highs in carries, total yards, yards per carry and touchdowns (19-154-8.1-2). His 7.29 yards per carry is currently the 12th-highest per carry average in the country. Junior quarterback Hayden Mallory's 143.2 passing yards per game ranks eighth in the GAC, while his 112.2 pass efficiency rating ranks seventh. The top target through the first month of the season for the Mulerider passing attack has been redshirt senior Jared Lancaster who has caught a dozen passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Additional scoring for Southern Arkansas has come from the leg of sophomore place kicker Austin Wilkerson. He ranks second in the conference with 6.8 points per game via kick and that average places him seventh in scoring among all players.

Southwestern Oklahoma averages 22.2 points per game behind an offense that ranks seventh in the league in total offense at 330.8 yards per game. Broken down, 215.2 yards come through the air, while the rushing attack averages 115.5 yards per game. The aerial attack ranks fourth in the GAC. In terms of protection, the SWOSU offensive line has allowed just two sacks this season which is the fifth-best per game average in the country. Bulldog quarterback Tyler Marr's 208.0 yards passing per game ranks third in the GAC and his pass efficiency rating of 123.6 is currently fifth. He is responsible for 231.0 yards per game for SWOSU and his 17.33 yards per completion ranks third nationally. His top target so far this campaign has been Jared Rayburn. Rayburn has hauled in ten passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Tristian Houston leads the team with 132 yards on 30 carries and three scores. Three other Bulldog running backs have recorded at least 70 yards on the ground, while a total of six have carried at least ten times.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSES
Defensively, Mulerider opponents are averaging 21.8 points per game which gives SAU the sixth-best scoring defense in the league and a +3 scoring margin. In terms of total defense, Southern Arkansas ranks second in the GAC at 286.8 yards per game which stands due to a rushing (160.2 | 4th) and passing (126.5 | 3rd) defense that both rank in the top four in the GAC. The Mulerider pass defense ranks sixth in the country in yards allowed through the air per game. Additionally, SAU has allowed the third-fewest opponent first downs at 15.5 per game.

Individually, six players have recorded twenty or more tackles. Redshirt junior Antonio Washington and sophomore Brock Floyd lead the team with 22 total tackles. Washington leads the Great American Conference in tackles for loss with 7.5 totaling 30 yards which ranks 18th nationally in Division II. He has also recorded two sacks, two pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. Four players have picked off passes for SAU this season with junior La'Vonte White returning his 37 yards. White also leads the team in passes defended with three.

For the Bulldogs, the league's ninth-best scoring defense (27.0 ppg) and tenth-best scoring defense (407.8 ypg) will get off of the bus in Magnolia. Southwestern Oklahoma's rushing defense allows 215.8 yards per game; 11th in the GAC. Through the air, SWOSU surrenders 192.0 yards per game and is one of five teams with at least five interceptions so far this season. The Bulldogs own the fourth-lowest pass defense efficiency in the GAC at 109.6, but have surrendered the most first downs of any defensive unit in the league at 103. However, the Bulldogs have a knack for forcing turnovers as its +5 turnover margin ranks second in the GAC. Bulldog defensive back Braden Sweet's 9.2 tackles per game rank third in the GAC. Sweet has totaled 37 total tackles in four games. Linebacker CJ Jennings ranks third among league defenders with five tackles for loss and is the league leader in fumbles forced with two. Through the air, defensive back Jalen Carr has defended five passes and ranks tied for second in interceptions with two.