MONTICELLO, Ark. — The trophy stays right where it belongs after Head Coach Brad Smiley's Muleriders traveled into Drew County and handled their bitter rivals, the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils, with a final score of 54-22. Southern Arkansas advances and concludes the regular season with a 9-2 record once again as the group finished where the Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll had voted them, as the outright third-place team in the league.
There was absolutely no love lost in the 99th Battle of the Timberlands as the Muleriders scored nearly as early as you could have, and no, not by starting the contest on offense. On the first play from scrimmage, UAM's quarterback Demilon Brown searches for a receiver while maneuvering through his backfield, but could not find one before Dawson Scott found him first and acquired a strip sack to begin the festivities. With the pigskin rolling on the ground, fellow defensive end Hunter Hewitt recovered the ball and took it to the crib for a scoop n' score to open up the age-long rivalry.
Wasting no time trying to get the ball back, Jay Todd Baker came out for kickoff, but caught the Boll Weevils off guard with an high onside kick recovered by the Blue and Gold down the Muleriders sideline. A few plays later and some ground work from the five-time GAC Offensive Player of the Week Judd Barton, SAU had scored again on a one-yard rush by the Alexandria, Louisiana native, scoring one of his three touchdowns on the ground for the day.
After having stopped Monticello for the actual first time of the game, SAU took the ball right down field where the group had finished it off with a touchdown run for one yard by Kadyn Roach.
The Boll Weevils had stalled out the Mulerider offense towards the end of their next drive, but not without Daniel Gauna making one of his two field goals for the day. To end the first quarter, the Muleriders were up 24-0 and seemed as if they were on pace to break the same scoring record that they had tied the week previous.
UAM was not allowing that though as they looked to close the gap the gap in the second quarter of play with a touchdown run from Brown and a field goal made by their kicker Dylan Duhon. A Gauna field goal capped off the first half and heading in to halftime was the Muleriders up 27-9.
Both offense tried to find its groove in the early stages of the second half and the Boll Weevils seemed to have found it first with a another touchdown run by Brown making the score 27-16.
The momentum for UAM was short-lived however as Kadyn Roach took the ball 70 yards to the house to reclaim all of the momentum by the Muleriders.
Following that, Barton had acquired his second rushing touchdown on the goal line and Kendall Williams had received for one from Barton for 37 yards. Brown had recorded his third rushing touchdown of the outing, but not without Barton accounting for his own on a 39-yard scamper to the end zone bringing the score to 54-22, the final in the 99th Battle of the Timberlands.
While his passing yards did not look out of this world, Barton was 18-22 (81.8%) for 159 and a touchdown. The junior also carried the ball ten time for 94 yards and three scores.
Kadyn Roach had rushed for a career-high 174 yards on 16 carries and acquired a pair of touchdowns.
Becoming the newest leader in career sacks for the Southern Arkansas Mulerider Football program was Dawson Scott. The senior from Mexia, Texas had taken the quarterback down twice on Saturday that resulted in his 26th sack in his career and him becoming the program's all-time sack leader.
With the beating delivered to its arch-rival, Southern Arkansas keeps the traveling trophy in the Auburn Smith Field House and will safeguard it for the 100th Battle of the Timberlands in Magnolia, Arkansas in Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field.
