MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The (RV) Muleriders are back in action inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field for their final battle against the state of Oklahoma. Southern Arkansas welcomes in Northwestern Oklahoma State for an afternoon contest in which the Blue and Gold looks to secure its 12^th-consecutive victory against the Sooner State with the Rangers of NWOSU entering Columbia County.
 
Also, for the afternoon, Mulerider Athletics will be celebrating Military Appreciation & Heroes Day in honor of those who served and continue to serve this great country. The department will be celebrating all current and former military and first responders. In attendance for event will be the nonprofit organization Heroes Behind the Line, which was established in order to help first responders with their mental well-being. The first 500 fans to enter the gates will also be awarded with a camo drink koozie and all military and first responders with the correct identification will receive free admission. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.
 
Week 10 Matchup
>>> The Muleriders and Rangers, a rare SAU versus a group from Oklahoma matchup that transcends the Great American Conference. Southern Arkansas has the upper hand against NWOSU with just two losses all-time against the unit from Alva, Oklahoma (1978, 2017).
>>> Its the final week of cross-state play in the GAC as the Blue and Gold looks to end the 2024 home season with its twelfth-consecutive triumph over a Sooner State opponent, while the Rangers seek their first victory against a Natural State foe for the first time since October 8, 2022 when the team defeated Arkansas-Monticello 26-23 on the road.
>>> Postseason play nears, and many eyes are on Super Region Three and how the final rankings will shape out in the coming weeks. The Muleriders currently sit at 10th in the Super Region ranking, and require groups ahead of them to fall if there is a shot at the NCAA DII Playoffs, but SAU's first task is to worry about the its own tasks ahead of them.
>>> Southern Arkansas seeks its first back-to-back eight-win seasons since the 2018-2019 campaigns that saw the Muleriders in a bowl game back-to-back seasons.
 
Last Week | W, 48-14 at SWOSU
>>> SAU got its bounce back as the unit traveled to Weatherford, Oklahoma for their final showdown in the Sooner State this season.
>>> The Muleriders cruised to a much-needed victory as they handled business from kickoff to the final kneel with a 48-14 win against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs.
>>> That victory saw the Muleriders claim a bit of vengeance against the Bulldogs from two seasons ago when SWOSU defeated the Blue and Gold while in Weatherford 20-24.
>>> The is triumph also paved the way to junior quarterback Judd Barton reclaiming the lead in the league for the most GAC Offensive Players of the Week honors, now at four this season. Not only is Barton leading offensive players in the Great American Conference, but the Alexandria, Louisiana native is also the leader for all GAC players.
>>> The Mulerider is just 100 yards away from becoming the single-season leader for passing under Brad Smiley at SAU.
 
Notables: Southern Arkansas
>>> Mulerider Football are set to finish home play at Wilkins Stadium for 2024 and look forward to honoring 25 members of the squad who will concluding their careers at Southern Arkansas University for Senior Day 2024.
>>> The Mulerider offense has been humming the last six weeks as the unit is the tenth best group in total scoring nationally (38.1) as well as 17th in the land for their average of 434.1 offensive yards per game, second in the GAC for both.
>>> With each passing week, the defense looks to improve on something new each contest. The squad has allowed just two games with 30+ points all season and just one outing without a turnover as the Mulerider defense ranks 24th nationally for turnovers gained with 17 (3rd GAC) and the team as a whole is eighth nationally for its turnover margin (1.22 | 1st GAC).
>>> One of the main disruptors on the defensive side of the ball has been senior Dawson Scott. The Mexia, Texas native recently just tied newly inducted SAU Sports Hall of Famer Cedric Thornton's personal single-season record for total sacks in a campaign with 8.5.
 
Notables: Northwestern Oklahoma State
>>> Similar to their Western Oklahoma rival, the Rangers have an impressive turnover margin at 0.67, ranking them at 24th in the country and third in the Great American Conference.
>>> The unit is 24th in the country and 3rd in the league for turnovers gained as well with NWOSU having acquired 17 turnovers this season, much like the Muleriders.
>>> The Rangers have not lost many turnovers this season as the group has turned the ball over just 11 times in 2024 and ranks third in the league in that category.
>>> NWOSU continues to seek production from their offense and defense as the Rangers rank 12th in the league for scoring offense (13.2) and 11th in the GAC for scoring defense (35.8).
>>> While the Rangers are 10th in the conference for passing yards allowed per game, they also house the league's fourth-most passes intercepted with ten this season.
 
Southern Arkansas: By The Numbers
734 - the number of days since Southern Arkansas has fallen to a school from the Sooner State. The number keeps rising with every week as Mulerider Football has yet to lose to an Oklahoma program since November 5, 2022 to Southern Nazarene at Wilkins Stadium.
.635 - the percentage of completion by the Muleriders, primarily Judd Barton. The team's completion percentage is the Great American Conference's best this season. In all of Division II, the Muleriders' completion percentage ranks 26th in the country as Tiffin leads the nation with a .697 completion percentage.
6 - the number of turnovers lost by the Mulerider offense. The group ranks sixth in the nation for turnovers lost with just six getting away from the offense. Southern Arkansas of course leads the lead in turnovers lost as well as being the super region three's leader for the fewest turnovers lost.
4 - the number of offensive player of the weeks earned by junior quarterback Judd Barton. The Alexandria, Louisiana is the lone Mulerider to have ever claimed the honor three times in a campaign, and of course now the only Mulerider ever with four in a campaign. That is for all player of the week awards.