Muleriders capitalize on Ouachita turnovers for 15-7 victory

S outhern Arkansas took advantage of turnovers and costly penalties by Ouachita Baptist, defeating the Tigers, 15-7, in a Gulf South Conference matchup at Wilkins Stadium in Magnolia.

Ouachita (4-3, 3-3), which had been hurt recently by injuries, committed four turnovers in a must-win GSC game to stay in contention for the NCAA Division II playoff picture. Southern Arkansas (2-5, 2-4) won their second home game of the season, while also beating West Alabama in a five over-time thriller, 38-30.

Southern Arkansas opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Civita to Travaurus Brown with 7:35 left in the first quarter to open the game with a 7-0 lead.

Muleriders kicker Noe’ Cuevas added to the lead with a 40-yard field goal with 4:16 left in the second quarter.

Ouachita scored for the only time in the first half on a 19-yard run by freshman running back Kendall Council with 2:19 left to bring the score to 10-7 at the end of the first half.

At halftime, Ouachita led in total yards, 153-146, but still trailed by three points. It was an opposite offensive output for both squads, as Ouachita recorded 100 yards rushing, while Southern Arkansas recorded 101 yards via the pass. KJ Johnson led the ground game for Ouachita with 60 yards, as senior quarterback Eli Cranor was 5-for-10 for 53 yards. Southern Arkansas quarterback Austin Civita completed 7-of-12 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown.

Both teams battled back and forth for a scoreless third quarter, as the defenses took center stage to eliminate sustained drives for both teams.

A holding call in the end zone on the Ouachita offensive line gave Southern Arkansas a safety, giving the Muleriders a 12-7 lead with 10:22 remaining in the fourth.

The final score of the game came with 4:00 remaining, as kicker Noe’ Cuevas kicked a 39-yard field goal to give Southern Arkansas a 15-7 lead.

Southern Arkansas led in total yards, 202-199, holding the Tigers to a season-low in yardage.  Johnson again was held under 100 yards for a second-straight game, rushing 19 times for 67 yards. Council added seven carries for 50 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run.

Cranor finished the game 7-for-25 passing for 75 yards with two interceptions. Sophomores Denszell Brown (14) and Tyler George (11) both recorded a career-high in total tackles to lead the Tiger defense.

Southern Arkansas’ Austin Civita completed 14-for-25 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Carlos Brown led the ground game for the Muleriders with 30 yards.