MAGNOLIA, Ark. - There's bitter and then there's the age-old rivalry between Natural State foes Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello. Fans of both sides need not worry about any pleasantries being exchanged inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field on Saturday afternoon in Columbia County as the Muleriders and Weevils meet for the 98th time in the state's oldest gridiron rivalry with bragging rights and hardware on the line. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. 500 fans will receive a special Mulerider Athletics camo coozie and all military veterans and active military personnel will receive free admission with proof of military ID. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

LAST WEEK
It happened early, it happened often and after ten-minute quarters in the second half, it finished quickly for (RV) Southern Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in Alva, Oklahoma as the Muleriders exploded for 35 first-half points en route to a 42-14 win over Northwestern Oklahoma in Great American Conference Week 10 action. The victory gives SAU the program's 19th season of at least eight wins and its first since 2019. Offensively, the Muleriders scored touchdowns on five of their six first-half drives with four drives north of 70 yards as SAU churned out 409 total yards on 43 plays in the first thirty minutes of action. Defensively, it was an equally impressive opening half hour of play as the Muleriders surrendered just 67 yards on 27 plays with six first downs. SAU forced three punts and a turnover on downs and received a Melvin Smith Jr. interception on NWOSU's fourth drive of the game. Smith, a junior defensive back, also broke up a pass, his 15th of the season, to run his season passes defended mark to 18. Fellow defensive secondary member redshirt sophomore Zay Woods led the defense with eight tackles, all solo stops, while junior Dawson Scott and sophomore Brenton Hamilton each recorded sacks and redshirt junior Tre'von Letts registered two tackles for loss. If junior running back Jariq Scales was the question, there was no answer to be had in the northwest region of the Sooner State. Scales weighed heavily on the Rangers in the first half as he carried 15 times for 83 yards and three rushing touchdowns, while hauling in three passes for 96 yards. He finished with 192 all-purpose yards on 23 touches and he pushed his total offense this season to 1,106 yards through ten games. NWOSU scored twice in the twenty-minute second half. On those touchdown drives, the Rangers combined for 137 yards on 18 plays covering 9:47. On all other possessions, NWOSU combined for 122 yards on 34 plays in 11:27. Southern Arkansas converted all four of its fourth down attempts and nearly eclipsed 500 yards of total offense for the fourth time this season, while holding an opponent under 291 yards for the sixth time this campaign. SAU's 280 yards passing, courtesy of a pair of 100-yard throwers, was its second-most in a game this season.

SOUTH ARKANSAS SHOWDOWN
>>>There won't be any need for Southern Arkansas or Arkansas-Monticello to share its complete disdain for one another in the days, hours and even moments leading up to Saturday's 2 p.m. kickoff. It is very much so understood. 
>>>For the 98th time in a series that dates back to 1913, the Muleriders and the Weevils contest on the gridiron with bragging rights on the line. 
>>> SAU and UAM clash in the oldest rivalry between DII schools in the state of Arkansas. The rivalry is tied for the seventh-longest active rivalry in DII Football.  It is the longest-standing rivalry for both schools which at one point had played every season for 63-consecutive years: 1957 to 2019. It is the second-longest rivalry in the GAC behind SOSU and ECU (105).
>>>SAU aims for its 60th win against its bitter south Arkansas foe as it leads the all-time series 59-37-1. The Muleriders hold a 27-18-1 record against UAM in Magnolia and are 9-2 in GAC affairs. 
>>>In 2012, the 88th meeting between the two schools, the rivalry was officially marked as the "Battle of the Timberlands" with the winner claiming a unique traveling trophy adorned with a golden football and designed pines as a backdrop.
>>>Last season's 27 total points between the two teams, in a matchup won by the Muleriders, was the lowest combined final score since 23 total points in a 17-6 UAM win in the first edition of the Murphy USA Classic in 2009.
>>>A win on Saturday would give SAU a perfect record at home; it's first 5-0 finish in Magnolia since 2017 and the fifth unbeaten home slate of its GAC membership. 
>>>Additionally, a victory over the Weevils would serve as SAU's ninth victory and the program's ninth campaign with nine or more wins. SAU last reached nine wins in 2016 with a 56-43 win over UAM in the regular season finale.

NOTABLES: (RV) SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
>>>The Muleriders are averaging 36.0 ppg entering Week 11 behind an offense that ranks fourth nationally in rushing (266.6), 12th in first downs offense (233), 13th in total offense (454.4) and carries the 15th highest third-down conversion rate (47.6%) in DII. 
>>>That production has been highlighted by a trio of rushers that have helped carry the load. Senior quarterback OB Jones leads with 868 yards and 14 touchdowns, junior running back Jariq Scales follows with 841 yards and 11 touchdowns. Junior running back Kadyn Roach has totaled 514 yards with six touchdowns. It's the first time in SAU's NCAA Era that three players have surpassed 500 yards rushing in the same season. 
>>>Jones has thrown for nearly 1,600 yards and a dozen touchdowns. Fifteen different players have caught a pass this season with three players having 20 or more catches. Cole Williams leads with 27 receptions, while Matthew Whitten's 322 yards and three touchdowns pace the wide receiver room. Scales is second on the team with 23 catches.
>>>Three Muleriders have recorded 50.0 or more tackles. Jacob Berry's 54.0 through nine games pace the unit. Zay Woods follows with 52.0 and Gavin Roe has recorded 51.0. 
>>>SAU has totaled 64.0 tackles for loss totaling 289 yards with 25.0 sacks for 185 yards. Dawson Scott leads with 10.5 TFL and 7.0 sacks. Hunter Hewitt follows with 7.5 TFL and is one of five Muleriders with 2.5 or more sacks.
>>>Melvin Smith Jr. is in the midst of a stellar campaign. His 15 pass breakups are a part of a team-leading 18 passes defended at 1.8 per game which ranks 5th nationally. His 15 PBU are the most by a Mulerider since 2012.

SAU BY THE NUMBERS
266.8- Southern Arkansas' rushing yards per game through ten games which ranks fourth nationally and third in the GAC. A performance backed by the ground game on Saturday would ensure the Muleriders post consecutive regular seasons with 200 or more rushing yards per game for the first time since 2004 and 2005. It would be the first time SAU posted back-to-back seasons with a 250+ yards per game rushing average since 2000 and 2001. 
122- The number of passing yards needed by the Muleriders to become just the second team in the program's NCAA history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 2,500 yards. SAU enters Week 11 with 2,668 yards on the ground and with 1,878 yards through the air. The first team to reach both marks in the same season was Brad Smiley's 2022 Muleriders with 2,833R and 2,506P.
48- The number of passes defended by the Muleriders this season. It is the most by an SAU defense since 2018 when that year's squad defended 49. SAU has nearly doubled its output from last season when it picked off six passes and broke up twenty. This season, the Muleriders have intercepted ten passes and knocked away 38: the most PBU's in a single season since 2017.
25- The total number of sacks recorded by the Mulerider defense this season. The total is currently tied for the sixth most in a single season in program history. Only one team, the 1997 Gulf South Conference champion Muleriders, have ever reached the 30.0 mark. SAU's sack total has accumulated 185 lost yards for opposing offenses. Six Muleriders have recorded at least two sacks this fall.

NOTABLES: ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO
>>>The Weevils opened 2023 with consecutive victories over Northwestern Oklahoma and Southwestern Oklahoma, but have lost eight-straight games since.
>>>UAM is averaging just over 24 ppg, while opponents are scoring just under 35 ppg. The Weevils have been held to 14 points or fewer in their last games, while opponents are averaging 33.7 points in that same span.
>>>Arkansas-Monticello has eclipsed 370 yards of total offense in a game just once since winning back-to-back games and combining for 989 total yards to open the season: Week 4 vs. Ouachita.
>>>Five rushers have crossed over 135 yards on the ground this fall. Gary Ferman leads the backfield with 246 yards. Arlie Lee's six rushing touchdowns have come behind 60 yards on 34 carries.
>>>Lee is one of six players to attempt a pass this fall. Buddy Taylor has thrown for 1,029 yards and four touchdowns. Caden Middleton saw a good portion of the action in Week 10 completing 14-of-27 for 157 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. 
>>>Isaiah Cross and Nick Howard each have 37 catches with Cross leading with 497 yards. Howard leads with four TD receptions, while Lee is 28-390-2.
>>>Damarous White (55.0) and Alfernee Hankins (51.0) have each topped the 50.0 tackle mark this season. Hankins leads with 13.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
>>>Gregg Hooks has recorded 13 passes defended with a dozen PBUs.
>>>UAM leads the GAC and ranks third nationally in fumble recoveries with 12 and is led by Keith Wells Jr.'s three recoveries with Hooks following with two.

SERIES' MEMORABLE MOMENTS
TURN AWAY 'RIDER FANS Looking to cap the '21 season on high note, it was the Weevils that rode back east with a statement win after scoring 59 unanswered points in a 73-37 victory; the highest-scoring meeting between the teams WEEVILS WALK IT OFF  The 2018 matchup saw UAM claim the BotT Trophy for the first time since the two teams began playing for the hardware in 2012. The Weevils ended SAU's NCAA postseason chances as UAM upset the Muleriders 20-17 on a 34-yard field goal from the leg of Josh Marini at the horn WHOLE LOTTA POINTS SAU and UAM combined to score 108 points, the most in the series at the time, that November Saturday in 2014 with the Muleriders winning 66-42. The contest saw SAU quarterback Si Blackshire toss four touchdown passes and rush for two more as the Muleriders scored 21+ in both the second and fourth quarters MULERIDERS CAPTURE THE CROWN In the 1951 and 1952 seasons, SAU topped UAM in the season finale each year to claim the AIC title SWEET VENGEANCE On Thanksgiving Day in 1950, over 5,000 spectators gathered in Drew County in an affair that resulted in SAU reclaiming their "stolen" mascot mule Optimaggie, taking home the Weevils' goat M-Aggie and notching a mark in the win column with a 24-17 victory. Noted by Dr. Kathryn Brown, that Turkey Day contest was "the hardest hitting game I've ever seen." Writing in the faculty bulletin, Dean Graham exulted, "Sweet Vengeance—Our Cup Runneth Over."