MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders return to action this weekend in Searcy, Arkansas as they travel to take on the No. 2 ranked Harding Bisons in a late evening showdown in central Arkansas.
 
Broadcast Information
The game will be broadcast on the Harding Sports Network. Radio listeners can tune into all the action on KMVZ 99.1 as Dan Gregory and Ryan Phillips bring you all the action.
 
SAU Preview
SAU bounced back last week with a win over Southern Nazarene to open their home slate of games for the season. Despite a two-hour lightening delay, the Muleriders were able to overcome adversity and get in the win column for the first time this season.
 
Despite not getting the start in the game, Drew Davis finished as the games leading passer going 7-for-8 for 54-yards and a long pass of 24-yards. Davis also rushed the ball six times for 31 yards and a touchdown. All three of the Muleriders touchdowns came through the ground game as Katrevion Thomas and Arkez Gomez also recorded rushing touchdowns in the contest. Torey Lambert finished as the leading rusher with 19 carries for 96 yards as the ground game appears to be an early emphasis for SAU.
 
Kendrick Juniel followed up his 14-tackle performance in week one with a career-high 16 tackles against the Crimson Storm. Juniel was a wrecking ball for the Muleriders flying all around the field as he also totaled 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two pass breakups, one of which led to an interception for the defense. Juniel currently ranks fist in Division II in total tackles with 30 through just two games. The turnover for the defense also marked the second consecutive game that they have recorded an interception.
 
The veteran offensive line for SAU continues to be a strong point as they have already rushed for 508 total yards this season. Saturday's contest against Harding will prove to be a battle in the trenches as both teams rush the ball at a high rate.
 
HU Preview
The Bisons come into the contest undefeated and as the second ranked team in the nation by both the AFCA Coaches Poll and the DIIFootball.com poll. Harding is outscoring opponents 113-14 after a huge 76-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in week one.
 
Andrew Miller had a standout game against Southwestern Oklahoma State totaling 178 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. In total the Bisons rushed for 314 yards and three touchdowns against SWOSU as their ground and pound offense proved to be too much to handle. The Bisons special teams also made their name known in the contest as Jeff Regan took a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown giving the Bisons all the momentum. Harding ranks first in Division II in rushing yards per game with a mark of 461 YPG.
 
Jordan Mays totaled seven tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks as well as a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in the contest. The defense held the Bulldogs to just 56 yards rushing and 198 passing. The Harding defense ranks first in Division II in total defense allowing just 114 yards per game. The Bisons also rank first in Division II in rushing defense allowing just 12.5 yards per game.
 
Series Notes

• The teams will meet for the 62nd time in the series on Saturday
• Harding leads the all-time series 33-27-1
• The Muleriders are 14-14-1 in Searcy all-time
• SAU averages 18.08 points per game against Harding and have scored 1,103 points
• The largest margin of victory for SAU came on 11/5/1983, a 31-0 win for SAU
• The smallest margin of victory for SAU came on 11/6/1982, a 7-6 win for the Muleriders
• The last win for SAU in the series came on 9/9/2018 in Searcy, Arkansas by a final score of 28-23