MAGNOLIA, Ark. - A pair of .500 teams eyeing that pivotal midseason momentum are set for action on Saturday afternoon from Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field. Southern Arkansas and East Central meet for the 23rd time on the gridiron since 1953 and while the stakes aren't increasingly high, a win by either would set that team up nicely entering the middle portion of an always-competitive Great American Conference schedule. Kickoff in the Muleriders' 107th Homecoming celebration is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. with SAU King and Queen Coronation beginning at 2 p.m. Live coverage links for all of the afternoon's action are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

WEEK 5 MATCHUP
>>> The Muleriders moved back to .500 on the season following its first home win over a ranked opponent since a 30-point decision against Southeastern Oklahoma on October 21, 2017.
>>> It is Homecoming Week at Southern Arkansas University and the Muleriders are looking to move back into the win column in such games after having its 12-game HoCo win streak snapped last season.
>>> With the Week 4 win over Henderson State, Southern Arkansas moves to 36-11 inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field since 2011. Against league opposition from the Sooner State, SAU is 24-3 at home against such foes in that same span. The Muleriders won 23 consecutive games against Oklahoma opponents from 2012 to 2021.
>>> The Muleriders welcome East Central back to Magnolia for the first time since the 2018 season. SAU has won its last four at home against the Tigers, but ECU handled SAU in the most previous meeting.  
>>> At nearly the halfway point of the season, both squads enter at .500 and still in the hunt for postseason play. Saturday's meeting features two of the four teams in the GAC that are 2-2. For Southern Arkansas, three teams at .500 or better remain on the schedule.

OF NOTE: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
>>> The Muleriders enter the fifth week of the season averaging 31.8 ppg and stand at +3 in scoring margin. The scoring offense is inside the top 40 nationally, while the total offense ranks 31st in DII.
>>> The ground attack ranks 21st in DII in yards per game at 218.8. Junior OB Jones and sophomore Jariq Scales are one of three duos ranked in the top 12 in the GAC in rushing yards this season. Jones leads with 283 yards rushing on 41 attempts at 63.8 ypg, while Scales' 68.5 ypg on the ground has come on 61 carries. 
>>> Jones' seven passing TDs are tied for the fourth-most in the GAC and the team's overall completion percentage of 61.3% ranks 32nd nationally. 
>>> The Muleriders have allowed only four sacks this season. 
>>> Thirteen Muleriders have recorded 10+ stops led by junior Jacob Berry's 33. Redshirt junior Del Kristoffer Wade has recorded 25 tackles. Grad Prince Udenze and redshirt freshman Hunter Hewitt lead with three tackles for loss. Hewitt's two sacks pace a defense that has registered six through four games. 
>>> Southern Arkansas' special teams units have been solid this fall particularly its punt return unit. The Muleriders rank 8th nationally in punt return defense at -0.2 yards per return. It's kickoff return defense of 17.14 yards per return ranks 42nd nationally and is fifth in the GAC.

OF NOTE: EAST CENTRAL
>>> ECU has forced ten turnovers this season which ranks second in the GAC and 12th in DII. It's turnover margin of 1.50 ranks 12th nationally as well. The Tigers have picked off two passes and recovered eight fumbles which are the third most nationally. 
>>> The Tigers are surrendering just 157.8 ypg through the air which stands as a top 30 mark nationally and own a third down defense that ranks just outside the top 30 in DII with a opponent success rate of just 29.5%. Additionally, ECU owns a league-best 53.8% redzone defense which rates 8th nationally. The unit's scoring defense of 22 ppg ranks third in the GAC and the 333.0 ypg allowed is the second-fewest.
>>> Offensively, the Tigers will bring the ninth-best scoring offense in the GAC at 25 ppg to Magnolia. 
>>> Nemier Herod's 6.43 yards per carry is a top 30 mark nationally.
>>> Kenny Hrncir's 202.5 ypg passing ypg ranks sixth in the GAC.
>>> La'Quan Wells's 64.5 receiving yards per game is sixth in GAC.
>>> Alexis Lopez's 1.3 FG makes per game ranks second in the GAC.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS
>>> In the 2019 edition, Southern Arkansas needed ten fourth-quarter points to move past the Tigers 24-23 to improve to 7-1 on the season. Hayden Mallory connected with Micah Small on a 67-yard strike to pull SAU to within two points of the ECU lead and Austin Wilkerson nailed a 35-yard FG attempt with under six minutes to play to give SAU the win.
>>> In the 2012 meeting, SAU battled the Tigers and the weather as an hour and 45 minute delay led to the third and fourth quarters being played straight through with no halftime. It was SAU that came away with a 19-0 shutout victory of the Tigers who threw four interceptions; two to future All-American and current CFL standout Don Unamba. SAU snapped the Tigers home win streak of 10 games which dated back to their 2010 season.
>>> The Muleriders led 20-0 twenty minutes into the 2014 matchup, but 19 ECU points in the second quarter brought the host to within seven points of the lead at 26-19 heading into the intermission. The second half saw three tied scores and three lead changes as the Tigers prevailed 47-40 despite SAU running 92 plays and holding the football for over 40 minutes.
>>> SAU opened up their 1997 campaign in Ada and the 37-9 victory would be the first victory in a season that would see the Muleriders claim a share of the Gulf South Conference regular season title.
>>> The Muleriders and Tigers played six straight years from 1953 to 1958. SAU won four of the six meetings, while all six of the contests were decided by two touchdowns or less including consecutive one-possession wins by the Muleriders in 1956 and 1957.

SAU BY THE NUMBERS
1 - Grad placekicker Austin Wilkerson enters Week 5 as the NCAA Division II active career leader in field goals with 40. He is one successful attempt shy of breaking Jason Williams' career mark. Additionally, Wilkerson is just the fourth kicker in GAC history with 40 or more field goals, while his 250 total points are just outside the league's top ten and rank seventh among kickers. Wilkerson is also chasing the program's all-time scoring record of 266 set by his predecessor Brad Grems from 2014-17.  The Dallas, Texas native could break the league's kicker FG efficiency rating of 80.6%.
11 - Eleven different players have caught a pass this season for SAU. Seven of those 11 have found the endzone and two, sophomores Cole Williams and Jariq Scales, have hauled in ten-plus passes led by Scales' 14 catches. 
12 - The Muleriders rank 12th nationally in third-down conversion rate at 50% which is second in the conference to Harding. SAU is one of 28 teams in DII to convert 25+ third downs so far this season. The Muleriders have extended drives on third downs 27 times this fall. With that success, Southern Arkansas ranks 17th in the country in first downs with 93 which sits third in the GAC behind Arkansas-Monticello and Southeastern Oklahoma.
21.27 - The number of all-purpose plays or "touches" per game by redshirt sophomore running back Jariq Scales in his 15-game career. The Osceola, Arkansas native is fourth on the DII active career list and eighth regardless of NCAA division. He has rushed 298 times and caught 21 passes for 319 touches in his career. Among the players in the top ten of the category, Scales has played in the fewest games. 

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 >>> The Mulerider passing attack was as solid as it had been all season. 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.