MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders return to the gridiron as Head Coach Brad Smiley begins his fourth season at the helm. The Blue and Gold kick off their season on Thursday night, September 4th, at 6:00 PM against the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist inside Wilkins Stadium in Magnolia, Arkansas.
 
Series History
Thursday's game will be the 10^th meeting between the squads since Oklahoma Baptist joined the Great American Conference (GAC) in 2015. The Muleriders currently hold an 8-1 record all-time against the Bison and will look to extend their current three-game winning streak. The only loss for SAU came in 2021 as the Bison won 44-40 in Magnolia. The first meeting between the squads came on October 10th, 2015, a 38-20 victory for the Muleriders. The last meeting came on October 10th, 2024, a 65-10 win for the Muleriders.
 
A Look at SAU
The Muleriders finished last season with a 9-2 record, falling only to Ouachita Baptist and Harding during their 2024 campaign. After losing to Harding on October 26th, the Blue and Gold ripped off a three-game win streak in which they outscored their opponents 180-36, including a 78-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
With the loss of 22 seniors from last year's team, the Muleriders reloaded with a strong transfer and freshman class that will look to keep the winning ways going as they head into the dawn of the new season. One of the most notable losses from last year's squad was Judd Barton. The quarterback led the Muleriders to have one of the top offenses in the nation last season, finishing sixth in all of Division II with 472.5 yards per game and 43.2 points per game. Barton also went on to be named the GAC Offensive Player of the Week five times during the season and eventually was named the GAC Offensive Player of the Year. 
 
Despite all the losses on both sides of the ball, the defensive side of the ball returns nine starters while the offense returns three. The offense will look to pick up right where they left off last season as they ended the year ranked sixth overall in offensive yards per game (472.5) and points per game (43.2). The defense will also look to continue its greedy ways as it finished the 2024 campaign ranked 26th in the nation in yards per game allowed (282.9) and 37th in points per game (19.3).
 
A Look at OBU
The Bison are coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign in which they finished with a record of 2-9 with wins over East Central and Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Bison offense was led by returner EJ Moore at running back, as he accounted for 547 yards of rushing and five touchdowns to lead the group. Kenny Rosenthal led the team in passing as he threw for 787 yards and eight touchdowns. Darius Melton led the team in receiving yards with 484 yards.
 
Defensively, Brayden Johnson and Jylun Spence led the way for OBU with 71 total tackles each. The Bison do return their fourth-best tackler from last year's squad as Austin Vincent makes his return. Vincent finished 2024 with 53 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
 
Broadcast Information
The game will be broadcast live on HudlTV and on KVMZ 99.1 with Dan Gregory and Ryan Phillips calling all the action. Click here for the Southern Arkansas University team site to watch all the action.
 
To buy tickets for the game against Oklahoma Baptist, click here.
 
The Muleriders will be on the road next week to take on Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, at SNU Football Stadium on Saturday, September 13th at 2:00 PM.
 
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