MAGNOLIA, Ark. - It is the most wonderful time of the year. Bowl Season is here and for Southern Arkansas the stakes are high. The Muleriders, under second-year head coach Brad Smiley, are set for the program's tenth postseason appearance all-time as a rematch of the 2018 Live United Bowl as (RV) Missouri Western (8-3, 7-3 MIAA) awaits Southern Arkansas (9-2, 9-2 GAC) on Saturday in Texarkana. Kickoff in the 10th Anniversary Game of the Farmer's Bank & Trust Live United Bowl is set for high noon from Razorback Stadium. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

LIVE UNITED BOWL TURNS 10
>>> The Farmer's Bank & Trust Live United Bowl celebrates its 10th Anniversary Game on Saturday with a rematch of the 2018 contest.
>>> The game made its inaugural postseason appearance in 2013 and stands as the oldest of only four (Heritage Bowl, America's Crossroads Bowl, Florida Beach Bowl) NCAA Division II sanctioned bowl games. Profits from the game benefit the United Way of Texarkana.
>>> Saturday's tilt features two teams that are both receiving votes in the AFCA DII Top 25 Coaches Poll entering postseason play and marks the seventh matchup in the game's history featuring schools from the Great American Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Teams from the Lone Star Conference have appeared in the game twice.
>>> The MIAA has enjoyed successful showings in the southwest corner of the Natural Stating posting a 6-1 record against GAC foes. 
>>> SAU makes its third appearance in the Live United Bowl having previously played in the game two counties over in 2016 and 2018.
>>> Missouri Western also appears in Texarkana for the third time after winning consecutive contests in 2018 and 2019. 

YEAR TWO UNDER REVIEW
>>> SAU has seen a four-win improvement in year two under head coach Brad Smiley and have matched its combined wins from 2021 and 2022 as a result of the program's ninth season with 9+ more victories. 
>>> SAU earned its second-straight win over a ranked Henderson State squad. SAU beat the #18 Reddies 35-34 on the latter's homecoming.
>>> The Muleriders claimed the Battle of the Timberlands trophy for the second-straight season with a dominant 60-17 outcome over arch rival Arkansas-Monticello in the regular season finale to record an unbeaten home slate for the fifth time as a GAC member and for the first time since 2017.

POSTSEASON PARTY
>>> Southern Arkansas makes its tenth postseason appearance in the program's 105-year history. Saturday's matchup marks the seventh postseason berth in the program's NCAA Era (1995-96). 
>>> Second-year head coach Brad Smiley becomes the sixth different Mulerider HC to lead the program into a postseason contest. 
>>> A victory over Missouri Western would give the Muleriders the program's first postseason win since triumphing over the Mexican All-Stars in the 1990 Aztec Bowl. It would be the first postseason victory for SAU on US soil since a 29-point result over Eastern Oklahoma A&M in the 1948 Papoose Bowl.
>>> A win on Saturday would also snap a six-game losing streak in the postseason. In five of those games, including the previous four, the outcome has been decided by a single possession.

LIVE UNITED BOWL REMATCH
>>> Southern Arkansas trailed 20-0 at the half of the 2018 game; the first meeting all-time between the two programs. 
>>> Senior QB Barrett Renner threw for 328 yards as part of SAU postseason records for passing yards (341) attempts (48) and completions (31).
>>> Jared Lancaster caught ten passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.
>>> SAU scored with 1:48 to play which cut the Muleriders' late deficit to five as part of a 25-10 second-half effort.
>>> Texarkana native and former Liberty-Eylau standout DeMarcus Pegue led SAU in tackles with nine which included 1.5 tackles for loss. 
>>> The Muleriders out gained MWSU by 114 yards, but the Griffons used three key FGs including one from 58 yards out.

NOTABLES: (RV) SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
>>> Through 11 games, SAU has been powered by a top-notch rushing attack led by All-GAC first team selection and all-purpose heavyweight Jariq Scales who ranks 20th nationally in rushing yards (1,017) and rushing yards per game (92.5). 
>>> Senior quarterback OB Jones has enjoyed a highly successful senior campaign and a second-straight highly-mobile season. Jones has tossed for over 1,700 yards this season and is tied eighth nationally in rushing touchdowns (16).
>>> The Texan finds himself 36 rushing yards shy of becoming the first quarterback in program history to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a single season.
>>> Jones and Scales are the first teammates in program history to each have 14 or more rushing touchdowns. Jones is two ground scores back of setting a new single-season program record.
>>> Six Muleriders have recorded 15 or more receptions this season and nine have found the endzone through the air. Matthew Whitten leads with 368 yards and three touchdowns and Cole Williams leads with 30 catches with Whitten and Scales each with 25.
>>> Four Muleriders, Jacob Berry, Zay Woods, Gavin Roe and Dawson Scott, registered 50 or more tackles in the regular season. Berry and Woods each recorded 57.0 stops with Woods accounting for 37 solo tackles. 
>>> Scott has been one of several dominant pieces inside the Muleriders' defensive trench. He has produced a team-leading 13.0 TFL, 8.0 sacks and seven QBH. Five other Muleriders have 2.0 or more sacks and 13 own 2.0 or more tackles for loss. SAU has produced 26.0 sacks (189) as a team with 71.0 TFL (300).
>>> Melvin Smith Jr. has been the definition of lock down. Smith Jr., a first-team All-GAC selection ranked second in DII in pass breakups (17) at the conclusion of the regular season. His 20 passes defended ranked fourth which is tied for the single-season record. SAU has recorded 55 passes defended which are the most for the unit since recording 57 in 2017.
>>> Redshirt placekicker Hayden Nitz has been a reliable leg in his first year of collegiate action. Nitz has punched through eight of his dozen FGA including five from 40+ with a long of 49, while also connecting on 51 of 54 PATs. 
>>> Redshirt freshman Jay Todd Baker has recorded 18 touchbacks in 61 kickoff attempts with just one kick out of bounds. Junior punter Andrew Schreiner averages three punts per game and 38.4 yards per punt. He has settled nine inside the 20 with four at 50+ yards including a long of 57.

MULERIDERS 
BY THE NUMBERS
71- >>> The first prototype of the Chevy Corvette was completed, the first Mr. Potato Head was sold and equestrian fans watched the Kentucky Derby on television for the first time. That was 71 years ago in 1952 and it was also the last time Southern Arkansas won ten games in a season. Elmer Smith's grid squad finished 10-1 and champions of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. The Muleriders entered postseason play with nine wins in 1997, 2003 and 2016, but were turned away from the double-digit mark each time.
15- >>> SAU's national ranking in two offensive categoires. The Muleriders' 268 first downs this season ranked 15th in DII and second in the GAC at the conclusion of the regular season. That chain-moving effort has been powered by a 47.8% success rate on third down which also ranks 15th nationally. On the ground, SAU has churned out 156 first downs, the most by a Mulerider rushing attack since accumulating 172 in 2005 and the second-most in the program's NCAA Era. 
9- >>> The number of All-GAC selections for the Muleriders which is the most for the program since 2019. Junior Jariq Scales (RB) earned his third all-league plaudit and was joined on the first team by first-time All-GAC recipients juniors Melvin Smith Jr. (CB) and Colton Grier (OL). Junior Matthew Whitten (TE) represented the SAU offense on the league's second team, while five Muleriders, junior Cole Williams (UTL), freshman Connor Hagerty (OL), junior Dawson Scott (DE), junior Elvin Calhoun (DT) and junior Hosea Singleton (SAF), were all honorable mention All-GAC.
8- >>> The number of opponents that the Muleriders have held under 150 yards rushing this season. Five failed to reach the century mark. An additional opponent was held under 195 yards on the ground, while a tenth opponent was stopped at 220. Southern Arkansas' overall rushing defense of 159.8 yards per game ranked fifth in the GAC at the end of the regular season; an improvement of 77 yards from last year's effort. Conversely, the Griffons average 202.2 rushing yards, the top ground attack in the MIAA and a top 25 mark in DII. 
2- >>> The number of teams in program history that have rushed for 2,500 yards and passed for 2,000 yards in the same season. The 2023 Muleriders became the second behind boasting 3,094 yards on the ground with 2,074 yards through the air through 11 regular season games. The first team to reach those respective marks? Last fall, Southern Arkansas tallied 2,833 rushing yards and 2,506 passing yards in year one under head coach Brad Smiley. 
1- >>> The number of players in program history to record three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Junior running back Jariq Scales crossed over the notable threshold in SAU's Battle of the Timberlands victory over Arkansas-Monticello and enters the LUB with 1,017 rushing yards. Over three seasons, Scales has accumulated 3,535 rushing yards; 308 yards back of a new all-time record. Additionally, Scales has 4,117 all-purpose yards which is currently third all-time.

NOTABLES: (RV) MISSOURI WESTERN
>>> The Griffons enter the 12th game of the season just a handful of plays away from being an unbeaten playoff contender. MWSU's lone slip ups included a one-possession home loss to eventual Central Region #4 Central Missouri in the season opener, a four-point road loss to perennial power Northwest Missouri and a 47-41 double overtime defeat to Missouri Southern in the season finale.
>>> Among the eight wins for first-year head coach Tyler Fenwick, who led Southeastern Oklahoma to LUB berths in 2021 and 2022, are top ten victories against #11/10 Emporia State and #2/3 Pittsburg State. ESU plays Southern Nazarene in the Heritage Bowl and Pittsburg State made the regional quarterfinals. 
>>> All-MIAA Freshman of the Year Seth Cromwell, who earned third team honors, powers an MIAA-leading and top 25 MWSU rushing attack with 716 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns behind an offensive line that saw four players earn All-MIAA recognition including first-teamer Keith Russell. 
>>> MWSU signal caller Armani Edden has thrown for over 2,100 yards behind the nation's 12th-best completion percentage of 66.5%.
>>> All-purpose standout Brandon Hall, a third-team MIAA selection, has rushed 547 yards and two touchdowns with 177 yards receiving and 117 kickoff return yards. Jonas Bennett is Edden's top target with 54 catches for 725 yards and five scores. Bennett joined Cromwell on the third team.
>>> The Griffons defense which ranked 26th nationally at the conclusion of the regular season in rushing defense has allowed an average of just 101.2 ground yards per game. That mark ranks third in the MIAA. Five opponents failed to record 100 rushing yards and three more didn't eclipse 120 yards on the ground.
>>> To say MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Dakari Streeter has been a handful this fall would be an understatement. Streeter, a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, has registered 12.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in ten games. His sack total is the second-most in the country entering postseason play. 
>>> TreVon Holmes paces the unit with 72.0 total tackles behind 44 solo stops. Eight Griffon defenders have recorded at least 32.0 tackles this season.
>>> The Griffons' effort on the back end has accumulated 13 interceptions led by Taylor Williams' four in addition to breaking up an additional twenty passes.
>>> Cody Watson earned first team honors. He averages 8.5 ppg via his leg and is 14-of-20 in FGA with a long of 47 and has made all but two of his 54 PATs. 
>>> Additionally, the Griffons' special teams units have been just that. MWSU has blocked ten kicks including seven place-kicking attempts this season. Their respective return units both ranked inside DII's top 40 entering the postseason.