MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Junior defensive back Melvin Smith Jr. matched the NCAA record with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the third quarter, fellow backend defender redshirt sophomore Zay Woods picked off a pair of passes and the Muleriders rode a first-half shutout and 304 return yards to a 31-point Great American Conference victory over Southwestern Oklahoma on an overcast Saturday afternoon inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field. The 41-10 win improves (RV) Southern Arkansas to 7-2 on the season.
 
Smith picked off a Dexter Brown pass along the southeast side of the endzone and zipped down the opposing sideline with just under three minutes remaining before the final quarter of action to give Southern Arkansas a 24-3 lead. The effort is an NCAA-best and is the first such return by a Mulerider, besting the previous long interception return of 95 yards by Russ Phillips against Midwestern State in 1994.
 
That was one of three explosive interception returns for Southern Arkansas in the win as Woods intercepted two other SWOSU passers to set a program record for interception return yards in a single game with 124. Woods picked off a Bulldog pass in the endzone after immense pressure from rush end Dawson Scott and returned it 72 yards just past the midway point of the second quarter. His second interception came with just under 11 minutes remaining and was returned 52 yards into the SAU redzone to set up an OB Jones-to-Cole Williams 13-yard touchdown pass on the very next play which pushed the Mulerider lead to three possessions. Woods' interception return total topped the previous record of 103 yards by Eric Woods against Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2000. Woods' four interceptions this season are the most by a Mulerider since 2018.
 
With the success had by the Mulerider secondary, the front seven was just as busy. Sophomore Brenton Hamilton enjoyed a career day as he finished with four tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry to highlight a dominant effort in the defensive trench. SAU totaled 10.0 tackles for loss, including five sacks. Taurean Crawford registered a quarterback hurry, forced a fumble and recorded a sack. Scott picked up a sack to run his season total to a team-leading six. Sophomore Carter Renfro and freshman Jaylon Hall-Wright recovered the fumbles, while three linebackers Trevon Stacker, Gavin Roe and Jacob Berry all recorded five stops. Hosea Singleton led SAU in tackles for the second week in a row as he delivered seven. In all, SAU defended eight passes in addition to four hurries and held its fifth opponent this season to under 300 yards of total offense.
 
SAU used rushing touchdowns from Jones (1 yard; 9:26 - 1st) and junior running back Kadyn Roach (10 yards; 1:06 - 2nd) and received a 40-yard make (12:51 - 2nd) from the reliable leg of redshirt freshman place kicker Hayden Nitz to carry a 17-0 advantage into the halftime locker room.
 
In the second half, Nitz answered SWOSU's lone touchdown with a make from 26 yards out to push SAU out front 27-10. Following Williams' receiving score, Jones added the final touchdown tally with a one-yard plunge following Hamilton's strip sack and Hall-Wright's recovery deep in SWOSU territory.
 
Jones scored twice on the ground with his second trip to paydirt placing him atop SAU's single season rushing touchdowns by a quarterback list. Jones' 14 rushing scores top the previous single-season best of 13 by Tim Barrington in 2000. Additionally, Jones' first rush of the afternoon, a fourth-down carry for five yards that placed SAU at the SWOSU1 on their first drive of the game, moved him in front of Barrington for the single-season rushing record by a quarterback which now stands at 846 yards and counting.
 
He finished an efficient 13-of-17 passing for 96 yards and the fourth-quarter strike to Williams and added 37 yards on eight carries. Roach, who is averaging a team-best 6.5 yards per carry among backs with at least 35 attempts, rushed nine times for a team-high 75 yards and his fifth rushing touchdown of the season. Junior Jariq Scales rushed 16 times for 64 yards and hauled in four passes for 15 as his 79 total yards make him just the fourth player in program history with 3,700+ all-purpose yardage.
 
Junior Cole Williams hauled in five passes for 34 yards and earned his first trip to the endzone this season. He leads the team with 27 catches and is one of two players north of 245 yards receiving this campaign.
 
Southern Arkansas' five forced turnovers are the most by a Mulerider team since turning East Central over six times on November 7, 2015. Smith Jr. has run his passes defended total to 16 through nine games which is the most by a Mulerider since former All-American and Canadian Football League All-Star Don Unamba's 20 (3 INT, 17 PBU) over 11 games in 2012.
 
Of note, junior Mekhi Davis picked off a SWOSU pass in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter and returned it 98 yards, but the play was eventually negated by a delayed pass interference call.
 
The Muleriders prepare for their longest trip of the season as Week 10 sends Southern Arkansas to Alva, Oklahoma for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Muleriders and the Rangers meet for the 13th time with SAU holding a 10-2 lead in the series and having won the previous four matchups. SAU aims for its eighth victory of the season which would mark the 19th campaign in program history with at least eight wins. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.