Muleriders working to end games as winners

Southern Arkansas University’s football team is coming off a 7-4 season that would have been 10-1 had three games — losses to Arkansas Tech, Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State — ended before the fourth quarter began.

Don’t think the Muleriders don’t remember.

“The past few years, it comes down to one quarter,” senior All-GAC quarterback Barrett Renner said.

“We’ve just got to finish,” senior wide receiver Karonce Higgins said.

DaVondrick Lison, a preseason Division2.com All-America lineman on defense, delved a bit deeper into the Muleriders’ disappointing finishes.

“Usually, the past couple years, we just looked at the bigger picture,” Lison said. “We’ve got to take it one game at a time. Everybody just needs to do their job. Don’t try to do anybody’s else’s.”

The Muleriders aren’t getting the notoriety they received last season when they were the preseason favorites, but their conference foes know what they’ve got.

“SAU’s got a very good quarterback,” Arkansas Tech Coach Raymond Monica said of Renner. “And no question, they’ve got the defensive player of the year.”

That would be Lison, who makes life challenging for Renner at every practice, swatting away passes like an NBA center does shots at the rim.

“He’s tall, fast, quick and strong,” Renner said. “It’s exciting to watch.”

Renner, entering his fourth year as SAU’s starting quarterback, completed 264 of 396 passes for 3,201 yards and 35 touchdowns last season, giving him 9,905 yards and 95 touchdowns for his career.

Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers sits atop the heap for Arkansas collegians with 13,678 passing yards and 124 touchdowns.

Renner, 6-3, 210 pounds, from Rowlett, Texas, needs 3,774 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to surpass Rodgers, who set the record from 2011-2014.

“I’ve been told about it,” said Renner, who has passed for 3,333, 3,371 and 3,201 yards in consecutive seasons. “Records are cool and all that.”

But it’s not a point of emphasis for Renner, a fifth-year senior, who won’t have 6-5, 239-pound tight end Tanner Hudson, who is in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after catching 43 passes for 624 yards and 6 TDs

Higgins (54-623 receiving, 9 TDs), the team’s top returning wideout in terms of catches, yards and touchdowns, is a deep threat.

“He’s one of the fastest guys in the conference,” Renner said of Higgins (6-1, 179), who has also competed for the Muleriders track and field team. “He can really move.”

SAU also must replace last year’s leading rusher, Michael Nunnery (173-937 rushing, 12 TDs), and wideout Jonathan Weisheit (36-404 receiving, 2).

“We’re missing a few guys from last year,” Renner said, “but we’re just as good.” And not just offensively. Lison anchors a line that returns five experienced

players, including brothers Anthony and Antonio Washington.

Seven starters officially return on defense, but two 2016 starters — defensive back Stacy Lawrence and linebacker Malik Preston — are healthy after having their seasons end after two weeks in 2017.

“That was a big hurdle,” Coach Bill Keopple said of losing Lawrence and Preston.

Lison anchors a line that played a big role in a defense that ranked second in the GAC by yielding 346.5 total yards per game and second in rushing defense (140.9).

“We’re excited about that,” Keopple said.

Lison said he is eager to

put last season behind him, when he finished with 7.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss and 9 quarterback hurries.

“To m e, that’s wasn’t good,” Lison said. “Right now, I don’t have a number. I just want to do better than last year.”

Lison, a 6-2, 213-pound redshirt senior from McGehee, said he tries to make practice miserable for the Muleriders offense, Renner in particular.

“I try to give him hell,” Lison said. “Ain’t nobody like him in the conference. He’s good at what he does.”

One of Renner’s strengths is his ability to keep plays alive when under pressure. He was sacked a conference-low six times in 11 games.

“I make the throws I need to make,” said Renner, who describes himself as “an Aaron Rodgers-type” because of his ability to elude the pass rush.

The Muleriders like what Renner does for their offense, especially Higgins, who along with a slew of new playmakers are eager to make an impact.

“It’s going to look very explosive,” Higgins said of the offense.

From start to finish? That is the question that has to be answered.

Keopple