MAGNOLIA, Ark. - There's a storm warning in Week 5 for second-year head coach Brad Smiley's Southern Arkansas Muleriders. Fresh off the program's largest margin of victory since 2014, the Muleriders cross state lines again and are set to meet Southern Nazarene in Bethany. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. 

LAST WEEK
The family showed up and the Muleriders showed out. Behind a dominant rushing attack and a suffocating effort defending the run, Southern Arkansas raced to its largest margin of victory since 2014 in a 49-3 Great American Conference win on Saturday night inside a near-capacity Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field.

The Muleriders (3-1, 3-1 GAC) tallied up 395 yards rushing on 59 attempts and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. Junior running back Jariq Scales led the rushing attack with 151 yards on 14 carries, scored three times and averaged nearly 11 yards per carry. In just seven attempts, junior quarterback OB Jones totaled 97 yards at 13.9 yards per carry with two touchdowns. Three other Mulerider rushers recorded 40+ yards on the ground with juniors Kadyn Roach and Cordrick Dunn each finding the endzone. SAU's ground game output was the most by a Mulerider team since a 441-yard rushing performance vs Henderson State on November 5, 2005.

Defensively, Southern Arkansas was just as impressive against the run. The Muleriders allowed just 33 yards rushing at 1.4 yards per rush on two dozen Tech ground attempts. SAU caused 51 yards lost on the ground as the Muleriders recorded 9.0 tackles for loss which included 6.0 sacks. Juniors Dawson Scott and Elvin Calhoun each recorded two sacks and a quarterback pressure. Senior Jacob Berry recorded 11 tackles to lead the defense, while junior Melvin Smith Jr. recorded six tackles and added to his league-leading pass breakup total with three knockdowns. Additionally, Southern Arkansas forced three fumbles and recovered an additional muffed punt.

The 46-point margin of victory is the largest for the Muleriders since October 18, 2014; a 62-7 homecoming win over Southern Nazarene. It's the largest margin of victory against a Natural State foe since a 48-0 shutout of Arkansas-Monticello on November 2, 2002. The three points surrendered to the Wonder Boys are the fewest since a season-opening home shutout of Arkansas Tech to begin the 2018 season.

WEEK 5 MATCHUP
>>> A Week 5 matchup between a pair of confident 3-1 teams is on the menu in Bethany, Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon. 
>>> Southern Arkansas and Southern Nazarene meet for the 11th time and for the sixth time in the Sooner State. The Muleriders hold a 9-1 advantage in the series, but SNU won a 49-44 shootout in Magnolia last season.
>>> SAU is 21-10 in the state of Oklahoma in its 11 seasons of GAC play with a 1-2 record under second-year head coach Brad Smiley. Overall, the Muleriders own a record of 40-21-3 all-time in the Sooner State with its first trip coming on October 18, 1946. Magnolia A&M defeated Eastern Oklahoma State 27-0.
>>> Saturday's matchup will mark the third time in the last four seasons that the two squads will meet in Oklahoma. 
>>> SAU's 49 points surrendered to the Crimson Storm last season were the most ever allowed by the Muleriders in the ten previous matchups. SNU's previous high-scoring mark against the Muleriders was 20 points in both 2015 and 2016. 
>>> In the ten previous meetings, Southern Arkansas is averaging 42.4 ppg against the Crimson Storm. 
>>> The Muleriders are eyeing their first 4-1 start to a season since 2019. SNU is off to one of its best starts in its young Division II Era. 

NOTABLES: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
>>> Through four weeks of play, Southern Arkansas has relied heavily on the action in the trenches as the Muleriders own a top ten rushing offense nationally (252.5) and a top 35 rushing defense (91.2 ypg).
>>> Ranked 14th nationally in total offense (457.5), the Muleriders have employed a balanced attack averaging 205.0 yards through the air to complement the aforementioned rushing figures. 
>>> Entering Week 5 of the 2022 season, SAU ranked 138th nationally in total defense allowing over 434 yards per game. Twelve months later and the Muleriders carry a top 60 defensive unit into Week 5 averaging just over 300 yards per game to rank third in the GAC.
>>> SAU has held three of its four opponents to under 90 yards rushing after only doing so once last season.
>>> As an offense, the Muleriders have produced one less rushing first down (57) than rushing and passing first downs combined (58) allowed by its defense.
>>> Three Muleriders have recorded 140 yards on the ground with OB Jones (351) and Jariq Scales (346) leading the way. 
>>> Fourteen different Muleriders have caught a pass this season.
>>> Jacob Berry and Gavin Roe lead with 25.0 tackles each. Dawson Scott and Zay Woods follow with 21.0. Scott is tops with 7.0 TFL and 4.5 sacks.

NOTABLES: SOUTHERN NAZARENE
>>> The Crimson Storm enter Week 5 with the nation's second-best rushing attack (295.0) and 11th-highest total offense (470.5) through 16 quarters of action behind an efficient drive-continuing effort that sees SNU rank 23rd nationally in first downs (91) and 26th in third-down conversion (.465). Additionally, Southern Nazarene ranks 12th in DII in time of possession (33:22).
>>> Gage Porter orchestrates the rushing attack as he ranks third nationally in rushing (586) and rushing average (146.5), leads the country in total touchdowns (11), total points scored (66) and scoring (16.5), ranks 15th in total offense (299.2) and 19th in yards per carry (6.30).
>>> Despite ranking 134 in completions per game (9.50), Porter ranks 11th in DII in passing yards per completion (16.08).
>>> Jarrell Farr (13-180-2) and Asa Robertson (12-193) are Porter's top two targets. Farr is the team's third-leading rusher with 164 yards at 10.9 per carry.
>>> Defensively, SNU is one of five GAC teams allowing 30+ points per game. The Crimson Storm own the fourth-best total defense in the league at 307.3.
>>> Jake Wright leads the GAC in tackles for loss per game (2.13) and along with teammate Kenyatta Richardson, the pair accounts for 4.0 of SNU's 6.0 sacks.
>>> SNU has recorded 26.0 TFL, seven PBUs and three QBH.
>>> Carter Brock leads SNU in tackles with 6.5 per game (15th GAC).

MOST RECENT MATCHUP (11-5-22)
The first November Saturday in Mulerider Country delivered an instant classic as Southern Arkansas and Southern Nazarene, in the tenth meeting all-time between the two programs, combined for 24 points in the final eight minutes of action which was capped by SNU sensation Gage Porter's three-yard run with seven seconds left to give the Crimson Storm a 49-44 win over the Muleriders on Senior Day inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field. Porter's tear through the Great American Conference continued as he rushed 31 times for 149 yards and four touchdowns, while completing half of his ten pass attempts for 72 yards and a score. SAU relied on its trusty offensive weapons as junior quarterback OB Jones tossed for 281 yards on 10-of-16 passing with two touchdowns. He added 27 yards on the ground to become the fourth SAU quarterback since 2000 to eclipse 600 rushing yards in a single season. Jones' rushing total complemented the ground efforts of redshirt sophomore Jariq Scales' 175-yard, two-touchdown day and redshirt sophomore Kadyn Roach's 114-yard day with a score as the Muleriders tallied 331 yards on the ground. Much of Jones' success through the air went to sophomore Matthew Whitten who hauled in four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown which went for 89 yards and brought SAU to within 21-17 of the Crimson Storm's first-half lead at the 9:20 mark of the second quarter. The Jones to Whitten scoring strike stands as the third longest touchdown pass in program history and is the longest in SAU's 12-year GAC membership. Ten players caught a pass on Saturday. Sophomore Cole Williams grabbed two for 59 total yards with a 19-yard touchdown grab with 60 seconds left that briefly gave the Muleriders a 44-43 lead. SAU accumulated 643 yards of offense at 9.2 yards per play. The Muleriders were again balanced with 312 yards in the air and 331 yards on the ground. SAU held the football for a little more than 25 minutes and finished 7-of-15 on third downs with 23 first downs recorded. Three of the Muleriders' scoring drives were less than 60 seconds.

SERIES' MEMORABLE MOMENTS
A FUTURE HOFer DELIVERS In the first meeting between the two programs, the Muleriders held a 20-14 lead at the intermission. Quarterback Tyler Sykora then delivered four second-half touchdown passes as SAU scored 27 unanswered points over the final two quarters to win 47-14 NO PUNTS INTENDED The next year, in the Muleriders' first trip to Bethany, SAU put 66 points on the scoreboard highlighted by four more TD passes from Sykora and two rushing touchdowns from Mark Johnson. Ten players caught a pass that day and SAU did not punt. Southern Arkansas converted six of its nine third down attempts and cashed in for points on all eight trips to the redzone. Defensively, SAU held SNU to 244 yards of total offense FAMILY DAY SCARE SAU jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter in the 2018 matchup, but SNU cut it to 14-10 by halftime. SAU took a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter, but the Crimson Storm answered with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. SAU turned it over twice midway through the final quarter of action to leave the door open, but the defense forced two turnovers as well including a game-sealing INT by Stacy Lawrence to preserve the Family Day victory PORTER DELIVERS The Gage Porter Experience invaded Wilkins Stadium as the play-making signal caller scored with seven seconds remaining to cap a 149-yard, four-touchdown afternoon as SNU won for the first time ever over the Muleriders in a 49-44 shootout last fall.

SAU BY THE NUMBERS
10 - The national ranking of Southern Arkansas' defense in regards to team sacks per game. SAU is averaging 3.5 sacks per contest which ranks tied for first in the Great American Conference with Henderson State. The Muleriders have tallied 14.0 total from the grasp of 11 different defenders totaling 90 lost yards. SAU is coming off of a six-sack performance against Arkansas Tech. Additionally, the Muleriders have registered 33.0 tackles for loss totaling 153 lost yards.
7 - Lucky No. 7 and the Muleriders own multiple statistics ranked seventh nationally. But it isn't by luck. Southern Arkansas carries the nation's seventh-best rushing attack into the weekend averaging 252.5 yards on the ground led by quarterback OB Jones who's seven rushing touchdowns are the seventh-most nationally. That rushing production certainly aids the seventh-most first downs in DII at 102 which ranks second in the GAC. Junior defensive back Melvin Smith Jr.'s eight passes defended ranks seventh in the country and leads the GAC.
2 - The number of Muleriders that have a chance to reach 3,000-yard milestones on Saturday. With 136 rushing yards, junior Jariq Scales will become just the third running back in program history to reach 3K yards rushing in a career. His backfield mate quarterback OB Jones stares down 3K yards passing as he is 141 yards from becoming just the tenth passer in program history to reach the milestone. Scales is 171 rushing yards from second all-time, while Jones is 156 passing yards from ninth all-time.