WEEK 5 GAME NOTES (PDF)

MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello football team is set to host the undefeated Southern Arkansas Muleriders this Saturday, September 29 in the inaugural Battle of the Timberlands.

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium. The winner of the game will house a newly-created traveling trophy to add to the pageantry of the longest and most storied rivalry for both teams. Saturday’s game will be the 88^th all-time meeting between the two squads. SAU is ahead in the series standings 51-35-1.

The game can be heard on the UAM Sports Network at KHBM-FM 93.7 and online at uamsports.com. There will be live statistics available through the following link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=8222. Live streaming video will also be available courtesy of the UAM Sports Network through the following link: http://uamsports.com/sports/2010/10/18/listenlive.aspx?id=7.

UAM Head Coach Hud Jackson visited with uamsports.com on Thursday to discuss Saturday’s game against Southern Arkansas. The entire interview can be viewed at the following link: http://youtu.be/XGfxDd6Yi3c. The video will also be available at uamsports.com.

WEEK 5 STORYLINES

BATTLE OF THE TIMBERLANDS
The oldest and most storied rivalry for the UAM football team takes on a new name on Saturday as the UAM vs. Southern Arkansas University game has been titled the “Battle of the Timberlands” with the winner taking home a newly-created traveling trophy. The rivalry began in UAM’s third season of football, the 1913 campaign. SAU closed out that season with a 26-0 win over UAM in Magnolia. UAM and SAU have always been conference rivals. The rivalry heated up in the days of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, transitioned into the NCAA Division II with the Gulf South Conference, and now continues with the Great American Conference.

COACH TO CURE MD
UAM and SAU coaches will be supporting the Coach To Cure MD program this Saturday by wearing Coach to Cure MD logo patches on the sidelines. College football coaches nationwide will be wearing patches this weekend, and fans are asked to support to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either donating online at www.coachtocuremd.org or by texting the word “CURE” to 90999. A $5 charge will be added to your next phone bill for those donating via text message. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood and primarly affects boys across all races and cultures.

THE UAM-SAU SERIES
Saturday’s game against Southern Arkansas marks the 88th all-time meeting between UAM and Southern Arkansas on the football gridiron in a series that began in the 1913 season. SAU holds the all-time series advantage at 51-35-1. Since the turn of the century, the Muleriders have won nine of the 12 meetings, including last year’s 53-28 result in Magnolia. In games played at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium, SAU holds a 26-17 record. Last season, SAU recorded a 53-28 victory over UAM in Magnolia. Prior to the 2011 season, the two squads met at El Dorado’s Wildcat Stadium during the 2009 and 2010 season for the Boomtown Classic, renewing an old tradition of playing each other at a neutral site. UAM won both meetings with a 17-6 decision in 2009 and a 28-23 victory in 2010. The two squads had met in El Dorado four times before, twice in the 1930s and twice in the 1940s. The first meeting, in 1933, resulted in a scoreless tie followed by a 7-6 win for SAU in the following year. More than a decade later, SAU posted a 21-0 win in 1946 and followed that with a 33-6 win the next season.

THE OPPONENT: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Southern Arkansas is off to a 3-0 start to the 2012 season, including a 2-0 record in GAC games. The Muleriders held on to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma State 35-34 this past Saturday in Magnolia a week after recording a 31-24 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State on the road. SAU opened the season on September 8 with a 56-0 win over Texas College on the road. In this past Saturday’s win over SWOSU, the Muleriders found the end zone with 5:10 remaining in regulation on a nine-yard pass from Tyler Sykora to Carlos Brown and followed with a successful point after attempt for what ended up being the game-winning score. SAU outscored SWOSU 21-13 in the second half. SAU was outgained in the win, totaling 364 yards of offense, while allowing SWOSU to post 436 yards. Sykora ended the game 24-of-36 through the air for 281 yards and five touchdown passes. He had three receivers with at least 50 yards, led by Rafael Thomas’ six catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns. The Muleriders rank 16th in all of NCAA Division II with an average of 40.6 points per game, while also ranking in the top 50 in passing offense (251.00 - 46th), pass defense (104.61 - 28th), scoring defense (19.33 - 33rd), punt returns (13.75 - 40th), kickoff returns (22.33 - 43rd) and sacks allowed (1.00 - 32nd). Individually, Rafael Thomas ranks 14th in the nation with an average of 106.3 receiving yards per game and is tied for fifth in scoring at an average of 12 points per game. Linebacker Mark Spaight is tied for 16th in total tackles with an average of 11 per game.

THE COACHES
UAM is led by second-year head coach Hud Jackson, who is 6-9 overall at UAM. Prior to becoming UAM’s head coach for the 2011 season, Jackson has spent six seasons as associate head coach at Central Arkansas after a 13-year high-school coaching career throughout the state of Louisiana. SAU is led by Bill Keopple in his fourth year patrolling the Blue and Gold sidelines. Keopple is 10-23 overall. Prior to SAU, Keopple was the head coach at Arkansas High School in Texarkana. Keopple has 30 years of coaching experience, including 18 years as an assistant coach at the collegiate level with stops at Tulsa, Boise State, Arkansas and Central Arkansas.

LAST TIME OUT: EAST CENTRAL 31, UAM 17
UAM came back to within three points at the end of the third quarter, but the East Central Tigers reeled off 11 unanswered points throughout the remainder of regulation to record a 31-17 win over the Boll Weevils this past Saturday at Norris Field. After forcing ECU to punt with 12:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, UAM had a chance to take a lead for the first time of the game, but a Damon Wicker pass intercepted on the first play of the drive set up the Tigers offense with a first down at the UAM 20-yard line. The Tigers went up 26-17 three players later on a 10-yard touchdown rush by Titus Mobley and a missed extra-point attempt. With 7:06 remaining in the game, UAM had another chance to trim the deficit, but were forced to start the drive from its own four-yard line. After only eight yards gained on the first three downs, a high snap forced UAM punter Reagan Wise to kick the ball out the back end zone to give ECU two points on a safety. The Tigers added their final score on the ensuing drive with 34-yard field goal from Brian Gonzalez with 3:12 remaining on the clock. After gaining two first downs on the next drive, UAM turned the ball back over to ECU on downs. The Tigers rushed three times to run out the clock to seal the victory.

COACH’S PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Senior receiver Malik Matthews, sophomore receiver Skyler Scott, sophomore safety Anthony Hughes and sophomore kicker/punter Reagan Wise have been named the UAM players of the game by the coaching staff for their efforts in the 31-17 loss to ECU last Saturday. Matthews caught five passes for 162 yards, including three catches for more than 30 yards. Scott had five catches for 34 yards with two touchdowns. Hughes had 13 tackles and one interception returned for 66 yards at the end of the first half and Wise averaged 37.3 yards per punt and nailed a 31-yard field goal.

UP NEXT
The Boll Weevils will travel to nationally-ranked No. 17 Henderson State next Saturday, October 6. Henderson State enters this Saturday’s game against Southwestern Oklahoma State with a 4-0 overall record and a 2-0 record in GAC games.  Next Saturday’s kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia.