Muleriders outlast Oklahoma Baptist in high-scoring shootout 55-45

SHAWNEE, Okla. - A combined one hundred points and 1,165 total yards of offense was the result on Saturday afternoon in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and when the smoke had settled Southern Arkansas survived a shootout with Oklahoma Baptist behind career-best performances from a pair of redshirt juniors in wide receiver Jared Lancaster and running back SirCharles Perkins as the Muleriders topped the Bison, 55-45 in Great American Conference action.

The Muleriders (5-0, 5-0 GAC) are unbeaten through their first five games of the season for the first time under tenth-year head coach Bill Keopple, who on Saturday took the sideline for the 100th time as the head coach at Southern Arkansas.

Lancaster's big day receiving saw the Bossier City, Louisiana, native record career-bests in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns as he hauled in nine passes for 156 yards and three scores. Perkins topped the century mark in rushing for the first time in his career as he totaled 125 yards on the ground behind a career-high 16 carries that saw three result in touchdowns. Additionally, the Pittsburg, Texas, native returned a pair of kickoffs for 22 yards to finish with 147 all-purpose yards in the win.

Perkins wasn't the only SAU back to find some running room on Saturday as senior Lorenzo Alexander rushed 24 times for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Alexander and Perkins become the first Mulerider running backs to eclipse the 100yard rushing mark in the same game since Deandre Jenkins (129 yards) and Deion Williams (108 yards) both topped 100 yards on the ground on October 18, 2014, against Southern Nazarene.

Southern Arkansas' 224 yards rushing are the most for the team this season and the most since rushing for 266 yards last season at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State.

SAU jumped out to a 14-0 lead through the 12:37 mark of the second quarter as Perkins opened scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run which was the lone points of the first 15 minutes of play, while Alexander hit paydirt from two-yards out early on in quarter two. The Muleriders' first two scoring drives totaled 152 yards in 22 plays and took 10:51.

At the 6:04 mark of the first half, Perkins scored again, this time from 10 yards out which answered an OBU scoring drive and gave the Muleriders a 21-7 lead.

Ten unanswered points from the Bison closed out the opening two quarters as SAU carried a slim 21-17 lead into the halftime break.

The action certainly picked up in the second half as OBU's Preston Haire found Josh Pettijohn on a 30-yard pass and catch to give the Bison their first of two second half leads.

SAU answered quickly as redshirt senior Barrett Renner directed the offense in covering 84 yards in four plays in a drive that ended with the southpaw finding Lancaster from 17-yards out as the Muleriders regained the lead, 27-24.

With 8:13 remaining in the third quarter, Haire scampered from 11 yards out to push the Bison back out front at 31-27; their final lead of the afternoon.

The Muleriders would keep rolling offensively as Alexander's second touchdown run gave SAU a lead that they would not relinquish, while Perkins' third and final touchdown, which came seven seconds into the fourth quarter, put Southern Arkansas ahead 41-31.

The lead would grow to 17 as Renner hooked up with Lancaster again; this time from 25 yards out to give the Muleriders a 48-31 lead.

Two more Bison touchdowns sandwiched the second 25-yard scoring strike from Renner to Lancaster as SAU prevailed on the road.

A six-minute and 38 second stretch during the third quarter proved pivotal in the win for Southern Arkansas.

Following Haire's touchdown run that gave Oklahoma Baptist a 31-27 lead, the Muleriders, behind tough running from Alexander and a 39-yard completion from Renner to Lancaster highlighted a nine-play, 78-yard drive that took 4:08. It resulted in SAU taking a 34-31 lead behind an eight-yard rush by Alexander, who carried six times for 29 yards on the drive, which included a seven-yard carry on third and four from the SAU28.

It appeared that the Bison would march down the field and trade points once more, before true freshman Brock Floyd ended the seven-play drive by picking off Haire in the endzone; Floyd's second interception of the day.

SAU would score on its next drive as a result of the aforementioned third and final score by Perkins.