MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Nearly a century between the Muleriders and the Boll Weevils… nearly a hundred years of hatred both ways taking place in Monticello, Arkansas on Saturday at 2:00 PM. (RV) Southern Arkansas travels east for the annual battle with its bitter foes from Monticello with the traveling trophy and of course pride on the line. The Muleriders seek after win number nine and of course another triumph over the guys from Drew County.
99th Battle of the Timberlands
>>> Nearly a century's worth of resentment and animosity towards the other. No matter the records, no matter the conference standings, the disdain these two programs express for one another is already well understood.
>>> The oldest ongoing rivalry between DII programs in the state of Arkansas is to take place in Drew County on Saturday at 2:00 PM for the Muleriders and Boll Weevils 99th meeting.
>>> Last season, the Blue and Gold kept the contest's traveling trophy within the confines of the Auburn Smith Field House as
Southern Arkansas dismantled the Weevils with a final score of 60-17.
>>> Since becoming members of the Great American Conference, the Muleriders have had the upper hand in the majority of the last ten meetings.
>>> In those last ten "battles", SAU has won eight while the Boll Weevils have managed just two victories. However, UAM's most recent triumph came in 2021 as the Boll Weevils defeated the Muleriders 77-37 for the unit's first win at Wilkins Stadium since 2004.
Last Week | W, 78-0 vs NWOSU
>>> History was met and history was crushed in the Muleriders' last ride in Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field.
>>> Southern Arkansas dominated in nearly every way imaginable against the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers as the Blue and Gold advanced to 8-2 with the 78-0 win.
>>> The 78 points scored by the Muleriders tied the most points scored in a game in the GAC era, while their 11 touchdowns also tied the conference's in a game (HSU 9/13).
>>> Barton passed for 247 yards after completing 15-for-19. The junior threw for two touchdowns, rushed for two, and received one from senior tight end
Matthew Whitten.
>>> The Mulerider offense tacked on a total of 790 yards, a new program record in the modern era, with 403 yards rushing and 387 in the air.
>>> SAU's defense kept more than just the endzone secure, but its entire side of the field was hardly even breathed upon as the unit allowed just 53 total yards with 55 rushing and -2 passing. The shutout was the first shutout by the Muleriders since the season opener in 2018 when SAU took care of Arkansas Tech 38-0.
Notables: Southern Arkansas
>>> The Muleriders nearly have no end to their notables after last weekend as the group either set new records or tied them in their 78-0 bashing for Senior Day 2024.
>>> Winning his fifth Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Week was Barton... but at this point nobody is surprised. The junior completed 15-for-19 for 247 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a pair and receiving one from tight end
Matthew Whitten. The Alexandria, Louisiana native was not needed in the second half up until the calling of the victory formation at the end of the contest.
>>> The 78 points scored by the Muleriders gave the group's points per game a four-point boost as they now average 42.1 ppg and rank seventh in the country for the statistic. They also now have the outright second-best offense in the GAC behind Harding's 51.8 ppg.
>>> The Muleriders' defense dropped their points surrendered per game to 19.0 after the program's second shutout against a DII school since becoming a member of the GAC.
Notables: Arkansas-Monticello
>>> One thing is on the Boll Weevils mind, and that is revenge against their most hated rival after last season's result.
>>> UAM's offense is currently ranked seventh in the league for its scoring offense as the squad averages 18.3 points per game while also averaging 310.9 offensive yards per contest (7th GAC).
>>> The Boll Weevils' defense has averaged 31.5 points allowed per outing (8th GAC) and has been allowing 375.9 yards on average for each contest.
>>> Arkansas-Monticello comes off its sixth loss of 2024 after falling to the red-hot Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene, now winning two in a row after starting 0-8.
>>> The green and black are fifth nationally for their fumbles lost, which is just two the whole campaign (1st GAC).
>>> They have also shown to be dangerous when coming after the punt as they have blocks two thus far (1st GAC | 15th nationally).
By the Numbers
2,191 - the number of passing yards that junior field general
Judd Barton has accounted for this season. The native of the Pelican State is now Head Coach
Brad Smiley's top passer since his arrival to Magnolia in 2022. His second to surpass 2,000 (
OB Jones - 2,044).
469.7 - the average of yards earned per game by the Mulerider offense called by OC Kyle Washington. Southern Arkansas' offense ranks just second in the league for total offense behind the Bisons by just 30 yards. On a national scale, the Blue and Gold have the eighth-best offense in DII by yards.
27 - the number of sacks accounted for by the Southern Arkansas defensive front and secondary combined. The Muleriders ranked 25th nationally in sacks per game and tied for 10th in the country for total sacks. In both categories, SAU leads the Great American Conference.
8.5 - the number of sacks by senior defensive end
Dawson Scott. The Mexia, Texas native is tenth nationally for total sacks and leads the league sacks by 1.5. The senior seeks after just 1.5 more takedowns of the opposing quarterback to become a member of a highly-coveted club of Muleriders with 10.0 sacks in a single season.
