MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Week 3 sends Southern Arkansas to Searcy as an in-state affair with one of the Division II Football's top teams in #7/7 Harding awaits Brad Smiley's Muleriders on Saturday night from inside First Security Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
The Muleriders (1-1, 1-1 GAC) are coming off of a tough road defeat at Southwestern Oklahoma in a contest dictated by heavy winds and cold, rainy temperatures. SAU was outscored 10-0 in the final quarter as the Bulldogs prevented what would have been the seventh time a first-year Mulerider head coach started a campaign 2-0. Harding (2-0, 2-0 GAC) which is nestled in tightly in the nation's top ten enters the third week of the season unbeaten for the first time since 2016 after beating East Central (29-12) and Southeastern Oklahoma (38-13) to open the year.
 
Dating back to the first matchup between the two schools on October 16, 1925, Harding holds a slight edge in the all-time series 29-27-1. In what is highly-regarded as one of the top wins in program history, the Muleriders upset the #7 Bisons 28-23 on the road in 2018. That was SAU's last trip to central Arkansas and it stands as the highest-ranked opponent that the Muleriders have knocked off in the program's Division II Era and was the program's first win in Searcy since 2003. That victory came after a 2017 home win against Harding which saw the Muleriders win by 11 points; the largest SAU decision in the series since a 14-point win in 1995. Harding enters having won the past two meetings and did so handily with victories of 31-0 and 37-6. Prior to the aforementioned 2017 win, Harding had won 11 straight and since 1990 the Bisons hold a 17-6 record. In Searcy, the all-time record favors SAU at 14-12-1.
 
SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS
The Muleriders will carry the nation's third-best rushing attack into Saturday's primetime tilt. Southern Arkansas is averaging 332.0 yards per game on the ground behind sophomore Jariq Scales' 107 ypg. Scales has scored four (5^th DII) of the team's seven rushing touchdowns this spring. Southern Arkansas is averaging 5.9 yards per carry in 113 rushing attempts through eight quarters this season.
 
Junior quarterback OB Jones has accounted for all four passing touchdowns for Southern Arkansas this season. He has completed 19 passes for 329 yards with a long of 72. His 17.32 yards per completion leads the GAC and is 11^th best in DII. Nine different players have caught a pass with sophomore Cole Williams and junior Dekendrick Bender each hauling in five. Bender leads all pass catchers with 107 yards receiving, while grad Micah Small follows at 102 ypg at a team-high 25.5 average per reception. Small has caught two touchdowns with Bender and Williams accounting for the other scores.
 
SAU enters Week 3 averaging 41 ppg which stands as the second-highest scoring offense in the GAC and currently the 16^th-highest mark in the country. It's 513.5 yards per game on offense is the fourth-best output nationally through two games, while the unit's 58 first downs trail only Benedict's 61 for the nation's lead.
 
Grad placekicker Austin Wilkerson connected on short field goal attempts of 25 and 29 yards last week and is now just one make away from matching the program record of 40 set by SAU Sports Hall of Famer Jason Williams (1998-2000). The Dallas, Texas native is 26 points back of becoming the program's all-time scoring leader.
 
Junior linebacker Jacob Berry leads the resistance with 13 total tackles and junior defensive back Del Kristoffer Wade follows with 11 stops. SAU has recorded 14 tackles for loss totaling 54 yards with four sacks. SAU is allowing 158 yards per game on the ground and 252.0 per game through air. The Muleriders are holding opponents to an average of 27.0 ppg.
 
SCOUTING THE BISONS
 
Harding enters the matchup having won 11 straight regular season games and twelve of their past 13. The Bisons' offense is averaging 33.5 ppg which is the sixth-highest output in the GAC and is churning out 390.5 yards per game with a huge chunk, as always, coming on the ground as Harding's triple option attack is producing 303.5 yards per game which has aided a 50% conversion rate on third down so far this season. HU is also one of 16 teams in the country to not allow a sack this season.
 
Defensively, Harding has allowed just 82 yards on the ground through eight quarters of play and the team's total yards allowed per game of 221.5 is the 16^th-fewest nationally. The Bisons' defense has surrendered just 25 points across the first two weeks of play.
 
Slotbacks Jhalen Spicer and Zach Smith help carry the load the for the Bisons offensively. Spicer has totaled 130 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and Smith follows with 124. Despite not relying on the pass, Harding can and will air it out when needed. Quarterback Cole Keylon three for three touchdowns in the opener vs. ECU. Wide Receiver Kage Citty has three catches for 132 yards and two scores.
 
Harding has registered 15 tackles for loss led by Nathaniel Wallace's 2.5 for 18 yards with 2.0 registering as sacks. Clark Griffin leads with nine tackles, while Orlando Henley and Cade Pugh follow with eight each. The Bisons have also knocked down seven passes and blocked three kicks.