MAGNOLIA, Ark. - The second half of the 2022 regular season begins on Saturday in the Arkansas River Valley for first-year head coach Brad Smiley's Muleriders. Southern Arkansas (2-4, 2-4 GAC) prepares for an in-state test against Arkansas Tech (3-3, 3-3 GAC) at 2 p.m. from inside Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. Since 2011, the Muleriders are 7-3 against the Wonder Boys and have won three consecutive games, but are just 1-3 against Tech in Russellville in that time span. 

WEEK 7 MATCHUP
>>>Southern Arkansas enters the back half of its schedule eager to find the win column and suffering consecutive losses: at home to East Central and on the road at Southeastern Oklahoma, following an upset win at home over #24 Henderson State.
>>>The Muleriders are currently a game back of a four-way tie for fifth place in the GAC. Of those teams at 3-3 and knotted in fifth is Arkansas Tech which has won its past two contests .
>>>The Muleriders and Wonder Boys meet for the 85th time in a series that dates back to 1916. Tech holds the series lead in games played in Russellville having won 28 of the previous 41 such contests. SAU's 2019 win was the first for the Muleriders at Tech since the '07 season.
>>>There will be plenty of talented rushers on display on Saturday from inside Thone Stadium. Four of the GAC's top 15 rushers will take the field. SAU's Jariq Scales (10th) and OB Jones (12th) and ATU's Devontae Dean (9th) and Deon Simmons (14th) will all be in action. The foursome has combined for 1,646 yards on 274 carries with 14 touchdowns.
>>>Tasked with slowing those playmakers down will two of the league's top three tackles in the Muleriders' Jacob Berry (9.3) and the Wonder Boys' Tyrus Fort (9.0). The duo has combined for 101 stops this season.

OF NOTE: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
>>>Offensively, the Muleriders are averaging 30 ppg and the unit's 439.7 yards per game ranks 25th nationally and fifth in the GAC.
>>>That yards per game output is highlighted by a rushing attack that produces over 220 yards per game on the ground. Five players have recorded over 120 yards rushing. 
>>>Offensive successes have been possible through the Muleriders' efforts to stay on the yard on third down. SAU's 47.7% conversion rate on third down ranks second in the GAC and 21st nationally. The team's 138 first downs rank 19th in DII.
>>>Redshirt sophomore Jariq Scales' 79 ypg on the ground, six rushing touchdowns and 21 receptions all lead the team, while his 213 receiving yards ranks second.
>>>Junior quarterback OB Jones follows with 60.5 rushing yards per game and his efficiency rating of 148.9 is the second-best among GAC QBs and ranks 27th in DII. He has completed 75 of his 121 passes for 978 yards and ten touchdowns.
>>>Junior Dekendrick Bender has recorded 17 grabs for a team-high 295 yards. He is 311 yards away from 1,000 receiving for his career.
>>>SAU owns a scoring defense of 30 ppg and a total defense of 456.0.
>>>Junior Jacob Berry leads the SAU defense with 56 total tackles (23S, 33A) and redshirt junior Del Kristoffer Wade follows with 36 (20S, 16A). Seven other Muleriders have registered at least 21 stops.
>>>Grad Prince Udenze paces the front seven with 5.5 tackles for loss and redshirt freshman Hunter Hewitt, sophomore D'Verryon Foster and redshirt sophomore Tre'Von Letts all follow with three. SAU has recorded 32 TFL this season. Hewitt and sophomore Damon LeGrande each have recorded 2.0 sacks.
>>> Southern Arkansas' punt coverage unit has been consistently impressive this season. The Muleriders rank 5th nationally in punt return defense at -0.17 yards per return. Opponents has mustered just a single return yard in 25 SAU punts. 

OF NOTE: ARKANSAS TECH
>>>The Wonder Boys average just under 30 ppg, while the unit's 381.8 yards per game ranks 10th in the GAC. 
>>>Similar to Southern Arkansas, ATU's offensive successes lies on the production of its ground game which ranks 21st nationally at 212.5 yards per game.
>>>Devontae Dean's 7.10 yards per rush ranks 12th in the GAC.
>>>Dean leads the team in rushing at 490 yards on 69 carries. Deon Simmons follows with 319 yards on 55 attempts and a team-high four touchdowns on the ground.
>>>Taye Gatewood and Jack Grissom have split time under center. Gatewood has completed 45 of his 87 passes for 536 yards and five touchdowns. Grissom is 36-for-55 for 451 yards and a score. 
>>>Three players have recorded 13 or more catches led by Joyrion Chase's 22 for a team-leading 300 yards and two touchdowns.
>>>Defensively, Tech is allowing 33.3 ppg and surrendering 439.7 yards per game. 
>>>Victor Hill has spent much of the first six weeks of the season in the opponent's backfield as he ranks 9th in DII in sack average at 1.10 and 26th in tackles for loss per game at 1.6. His 5.5 sacks are a league best and his 8.0 TFL ranks second in the GAC.
>>>Tyrus Fort's 5.8 solo tackles per game rank 18th nationally and are second in the GAC, while his 9.0 tackles per game average ranks third in the GAC.
>>>As a defense, Tech has forced nine turnovers this season. 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS
>>>The 2017 game featured two teams receiving attention in the AFCA national poll. The Muleriders entered the season opener as preseason favorites in the GAC and ranked No. 22 nationally, while the Wonder Boys were receiving votes to start the season. After a scoreless first quarter, the teams were knotted at 14 at the intermission, but Tech scored the final 14 points including an 11-play, 73-yard drive that was capped with 2:54 to play.
>>>The 2019 game marked the first win in the series by the road team since the 2007 season, a span of 11 meetings, when the Muleriders topped ATU in a shootout 56-49. That 2007 game saw a combined 1,114 yards of total offense, 58 first downs in 176 plays and an average yards per play of 6.3. Neither team led by more than seven points throughout the contest which concluded with Tony McDonald scoring from eight yards out to cap an 8-play, 70-yard drive with 1:14 remaining and the Muleriders stopping the Wonder Boys at the SAU3 with no time left.
>>>In 1999, Southern Arkansas and Arkansas Tech played in one of the more high-stakes affairs the series has ever seen. Both teams entered that November 13 tilt 7-1 in Gulf South Conference play with the conference crown on the line. With just under 11 minutes to play, SAU led 17-7, but at the 3:43 mark the Wonder Boys scored to tie the game and eventually went on to win 20-17 in overtime. 
>>>Three historic teams are celebrating championship anniversaries this season. The 1952 Muleriders won the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference title with a 10-1 mark, the 1972 Muleriders captured that year's AIC crown with an 8-2 record and the '97 Muleriders won a share of the Gulf South Conference title at 9-2. All three championship teams dismissed Arkansas Tech in the regular season. Elmer Smith's '52 squad defeated Tech 13-7 in Russellville in the first road win for the Muleriders in the series since 1932. Rip Powell's 'Riders tossed away Tech 21-3 in Russellville during the 1972 season. In 1997, Steve Roberts' bunch used a dominant defense and a powerful rushing attack to dismiss the Wonder Boys 42-7 in Magnolia on their way to a 5-1 start to the historic campaign.

SAU BY THE NUMBERS
1 - The conference rank of junior linebacker Jacob Berry's 9.3 tackles per game. The total ranks 23rd nationally. The first-year Mulerider has recorded 23 solo stops and assisted on 33 more tackles for 56.0 through six games. He has registered two tackles for loss and a sack to go along with a pair of quarterback hurries.
8 - The number of points needed by grad placekicker Austin Wilkerson to become the program's all-time career leader in points scored. Through 40 career games played, Wilkerson has scored 259 points which is currently the third-most all-time and the second-most by a Mulerider kicker. His points breakdown includes 133 successful extra points and 126 points on a career record 42 field goals. Forty-one more points and he becomes only the second player in league history to eclipse 300 for his career.
15 - The national ranking of the Southern Arkansas rushing offense entering Week 7. SAU's 223.5 rushing yards per game ranks fifth in the Great American Conference. The current rushing output, if it remains north of 200 ypg, would mark the highest ground game output by a Mulerider team since 2005 when that year's squad churned out 296.4 yards per game. It would be just the fourth season since that near 300 ypg average that SAU has eclipsed the mark and first since 2014.
51 - The number of rushing yards needed by redshirt sophomore running back Jariq Scales to reach 2,000 rushing yards for his career.  He would become just the fourth running back since 2000 to reach the career mark in rushing and it would place him just outside the program's top 10 career list. Scales has carried 95 times this season for 474 yards and six touchdowns. The Osceola native is averaging just under five yards per carry.

SCHEDULE QUICK HITS
WEEK 1 >>> Southern Arkansas opened a new era under Smiley by setting a single-game program record for points scored in a season opener...Muleriders improved to 8-3 in season openers as a GAC member...SAU has won four straight season openers and is unbeaten in its last ten home openers...WEEK 2 >>> The Muleriders slipped up on the road in Weatherford. Winds gusting upwards to 35 mph and drizzling rain made it a difficult night in the southwest corner of the Sooner State in what was the first road test of the season...WEEK 3 >>> SAU went toe-to-toe with the nationally-ranked Bisons for a half. Harding used a ten-play, 75-yard scoring drive on its first possession of the third quarter and the lead would expand from there. Grad placekicker Austin Wilkerson's 36-yard field goal on SAU's final offensive drive of the first half tied him for the most FGs in program history with 40...WEEK 4 >>> SAU tossed for 308 yards and three touchdowns, had two more drives end with interceptions inside the ten and connected with ten different receivers as redshirt sophomore Jariq Scales led with career-highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (84). The Muleriders won on third down converting eight of its 13 opportunities, while holding the #24-ranked Reddies to just 3-for-10 on third downs. A muffed punt that extended the go-ahead drive for SAU and a stiff defensive stand on an HSU fourth down late served as the difference...WEEK 5 >>> Scales totaled 195 all-purpose yards on 26 touches, junior linebacker Jacob Berry recorded 15 total tackles and grad placekicker Austin Wilkerson became the program's all-time leader in field goals made, but East Central utilized several big plays and took advantage of a handful of Mulerider turnovers to earn its first win in Magnolia since 1996...WEEK 6 >>> SAU trailed by just a touchdown at the half, but fell behind 28-7 entering the fourth quarter of play in Durant. All but out, the Muleriders engineered a late rally that included three scoring drives under the final three minutes of play, but came up just short to the Savage Storm...