Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Russellville set to host old rivals
Southern Arkansas might appear to be trending in a completely different direction than Arkansas Tech, but on the field, there may be more to the Muleriders than what some believe.
Wonder Boys Coach Kyle Shipp certainly believes the latter to be a bit more closer to the truth than the former.
“I know their record is 2-4, but they’re a better team than that,” he said of SAU. “They’ve got plenty of skill on both sides of the ball, they’re big and they’re physical.
They don’ t play or look anything like a 2-4 team. … They’re much better than that.”
Arkansas Tech will see just how good the Muleriders are when the two hook up at 2 p.m. today inside Thone Stadium in Russellville.
A victory would be the third in a row for Arkansas Tech (3-3, 3-3 Great American Conference), which has seemingly turned a corner since losing 35-14 to the University of Arkansas at Monticello on Sept. 24.
On that same day, SAU ( 2- 4, 2- 4) upset then No. 24-ranked Henderson State 28-24 after quarterback O.B. Jones delivered what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown pass to Blake May with less than 10 minutes left. But the Muleriders have come up on the wrong side of outcomes since then.
SAU followed up that win with back-to-back losses to East Central (Okla.) and Southeastern Oklahoma State and are staring at a threegame skid if it’s unable to ruin the Wonder Boys’ homecoming. Even so, Brad Smiley’s team has some things going for them that could breed optimism going in.
The Muleriders have beaten the Wonder Boys three consecutive times, including a 35-14 victory during their last trip to Russellville in 2019. That may or may not serve as a psychological boost for SAU, which has gone 7-3 against Arkansas Tech since 2011. But if that doesn’t help, the way the Muleriders finished off their last game might.
SAU generated 206 yards over its final three drives last week against Southeastern Oklahoma State, all of which ended in touchdowns. The drawback was the Muleriders still came up short in a 3532 loss after allowing sinking into a 25-point, fourth-quarter pit. Nonetheless, the Muleriders’ comeback left an impression.
“We never quit, and as a head coach, that’s really encouraging, especially for such a young team,” Smiley said.
“Our kids are playing hard and are still getting after it. Obviously, we didn’t do the things we needed to do last week to win, we’ve still some things we need to clean up and be better at.”
Shipp knows what SAU does well, starting with the play of Jones. The junior has completed 62% (75 of 121) of his passes and thrown for 10 touchdowns. He’s also run for 363 yards, which coexists well with the 474 yards and 6 touchdowns that leading rusher Jariq Scales has provided.
The Muleriders have five players that have run for more than 100 yards each.
“I think offensively, they’re really good,” Shipp explained. “They’ve got multiple running backs that are very good, and the quarterback, athletically is very gifted. He can run well, he can throw well, and their o-line has some good size, does a good job with the schemes they run.”
Defensively, SAU is sixth in the GAC in points allowed (30.8), which is where things get even more intriguing. The Wonder Boys average 29.8 points behind their own emerging running game led by Devontae Dean and Deon Simmons, a duo who’s combined for 809 yards and 7 touchdowns. Also, senior Jack Grissom has taken a big step since taking over the starting quarterback position two weeks ago.
“Kyle has got them going,” Smiley said of Arkansas Tech. “They’ll load up with two backs and get down hill on you. I thought [Taye] Gatewood did a good job while he was in there, especially with him giving them production running the football. I think Grissom is a little bit different kind of quarterback, but he’s done a good job as well.
“And then of course defensively, I think [defensive coordinator] Josh Lawson has those guys flying around. They give you a lot of different looks, try to disguise a lot of things, and they really get to the ball to create takeaways.”
Smiley said, “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’ll be a great atmosphere, and I think we’ll travel well, as far as our fans and families. It should be a good time, and there will be a lot of yellow in the stands for sure.”