MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Country… they rode. Behind 600+ yards of total offense, Southern Arkansas bucked Northwestern Oklahoma State 62-31 in
Brad Smiley's Mulerider head coaching debut on Saturday night from inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field. Multiple pregame lightning delays, which pushed kickoff back 45 minutes, did not dampen the mood or quiet the buzz surrounding the season opener under the new leadership.
The Muleriders' (1-0, 1-0 GAC) scoring output stands as a single-game program record for points scored in a season opener and it marks the most points in any game since November 15, 2014 when SAU beat Arkansas-Monticello 66-42 in the regular season finale. SAU moves to 8-3 in season openers since joining the Great American Conference in 2011 and has won four straight overall and six straight at home against Oklahoma opponents. In home openers, the Muleriders are unbeaten in their last ten such contests in Magnolia.
A slightly sluggish start didn't dictate the overall efforts for Southern Arkansas on Saturday. Three of the Muleriders' first four drives of the evening ended via three-and-out and totaled just three yards, however it was the second offensive series for SAU that served as a prequel for what was to come in the second half.
After forcing a NWOSU punt at the 5:21 mark of the opening quarter, Southern Arkansas engineered a 10-play, 92-yard jaunt across 3:37 and finished with a 22-yard connection from junior
OB Jones to graduate
Micah Small; the first of a career-high four scoring tosses from Jones and the first of two TD grabs by Small who has hauled in six touchdowns in his last four games.
The Mulerider defense responded early forcing a trio of punts and a turnover on downs in the Rangers' first four drives of the game. In a two-minute span midway through the second quarter, NWOSU gained its only lead of the contest at 9-7 following a blocked punt for a safety and a 39-yard rush from signal caller Tanner Clarkson on the ensuing drive.
Following the Rangers' first touchdown, SAU answered with touchdown drives in four of their next five drives and seven of their final nine to close out the contest. The reigning GAC Freshman of the Year
Jariq Scales scored from 18 yards out to regain the lead for the Muleriders and Jones found Small again, this time in stride on a big 72-yard pass down the middle of the field to wrap up first half scoring with the Muleriders out front 21-9 at the intermission.
Southern Arkansas needed 81 seconds after the break to pad the advantage as Jones hooked up with a wide-open
Cole Williams from 35 yards out for a 28-9 lead. On the ensuing kickoff,
Austin Wilkerson's onside kick was recovered by Williams and set up a quick three-play, 53-yard scoring drive that was stamped by a 27-yard carry from Scales who seated a defender on his way to the endzone.
After a NWOSU touchdown followed the 21-unaswered by Southern Arkansas, it was a goal line interception that kept the Muleriders from adding to its lead late in the third quarter. The turnover wouldn't hurt SAU as a sack by sophomore
Damon LeGrande on third and five from the Ranger seven forced a punt and a drive start by the Muleriders that again resulted in six points as Jones tossed a fade ball to junior
Dekendrick Bender who mossed his defender for a highlight grab on just the fourth play of the drive.
A big pass-scoring play from the opposition allowed the Rangers to hang around, but the Muleriders immediately responded with 26 yards on the ground from Magnolia native
Kadyn Roach on the next drive with the final 16 hitting pay dirt in the northeast corner of the endzone to increase the SAU lead to 25 early on in the fourth quarter.
The Southern Arkansas defense forced its second turnover on downs on the next NWOSU drive and it led to consecutive touchdown-scoring drives with the first coming on a 49-yard scamper from sophomore
Jonathan Lewis down the home sideline and the second via a two-yard plunge from sophomore
Blake May that pushed the Muleriders north of 60 points. The final scoring drive followed Williams again pouncing on a live ball on a well-executed sky kick after Lewis' long scoring run.
Jones finished 10-of-16 for 216 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed seven times for 86 yards as four players finished with at least 70 yards on the ground. Scales totaled 89 yards rushing with two scores on 14 carries. Lewis and Roach both finished with 70+ rushing yards. Williams caught a team-high four passes for 49 yards and a score. Small's 96 yards came on three catches with two touchdowns. Bender snagged a pair of passes and four other Muleriders got in on the pass-catching act.
Seven of SAU's nine scoring drives took less than 2:40 and five found six in under two minutes. The SAU defense forced six punts, three three-and-outs, and a pair of turnover on downs, while holding the Rangers to a 4-for-13 success rate on third down.
Sophomores
Gavin Roe and
Rayvon Ingram collected seven stops each,
Melvin Smith Jr. and
Dawson Scott followed with five apiece and eight other Muleriders logged at least three tackles in the win. SAU recorded eight tackles for loss totaling 40 yards with half of those logged as sacks at 24 yards loss. Graduate
Garrett Roberts and LeGrande led with a sack each.
Week 2 sends Southern Arkansas out west to Weatherford, Oklahoma for a 6 p.m. kickoff with Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday, September 10. The Muleriders are 9-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, have won six straight in the series and are 3-1 on the road. Live coverage links are available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
