University of Arkansas-Monticello vs. Southern Arkansas
University
When: November 2, 2002//Where: Magnolia, Arkansas @ Wilkins
Stadium// Time: 2:00 p.m.
The Series (SAU 43-28-1)
Saturday’s game will be the 73rd meeting between the University of Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas University with the Muleriders holding a 43-28-1 series advantage. SAU’s biggest margin of victory was 91-0 in 1925 while UAM’s biggest win was 51-13 in 1978. The ‘Riders won 11 in a row from 1967 until 1978 for their longest series win streak while the Boll Weevils twice won five in a row, from 1962 until 1967 and from 1992 until 1997. SAU has won the last five, counting the UAM forfeit to the ‘Riders in 1999. UAM’s last win over SAU was in 1996.
SAU’s second-year head coach Steve Quinn (Ouachita Baptist, 1986) has an 11-7-0 record with the ’Riders following an emotion-draining four-overtime win over Ouachita Baptist last week. UAM’s first-year head coach, Gregg Ricono (Tarkio, 1986), is off to a 2-5-0 start with the Weevils.
SAU (6-2-0//5-1-0) UAM (2-5-0//2-4-0)
@ Midwestern State 26-35 @ Southeast Missouri 41-42 (OT)
@ Texas A&M-Commerce 27-24 @ West Alabama 27-23
West Georgia 42-21 North Alabama 30-14
@ Valdosta State 28-31 Central Arkansas 21-42
@ North Alabama 43-33 @ Valdosta State 17-45
Central Arkansas 38-21 Ouachita Baptist 21-23
Delta State 30-10 @ Harding 27-40
@ Ouachita Baptist 50-47 (4 OT)
Media Coverage
KVMA
107.9 FM in Magnolia with Dan Gregory in his 21st year
with SAU athletics on play-by-play, Jay Adcox as color commentator and Lane
Jean on the sideline; KHBM 93.7 in Monticello with Paul Smith as play-by-play
announcer and Brandon Lillard the color commentator.
Don
Hansen’s Football Gazette ranks Valdosta State third, Southern Arkansas 13th, and Harding 22nd. D-2 Football.com has Valdosta second-ranked, Southern Arkansas 22nd and Harding 23rd. The American
Football Coaches Association has Valdosta second and Harding 19th,
the only two GSC schools represented. Dopke D-2 has Valdosta
ranked second, Southern Arkansas 14th and Harding 20th.
#2 Valdosta State 43 - West Alabama 31; Southern Arkansas 50 - Ouachita Baptist 47 (4 OT); #18 Harding 40 - Arkansas-Monticello 27; Arkansas Tech 14 - West Georgia 12; Delta State 44 - Henderson State 14; North Alabama 47 - # 23 Central Arkansas 33.
#2 Valdosta State @ North Alabama, 1:30 pm; Delta State @ Harding, 2 pm;
West Alabama @ Arkansas Tech, 2 pm; Ouachita Baptist @ Henderson State (HC), 3
pm; Central Arkansas @ West Georgia, 6 pm; Arkansas-Monticello @ Southern
Arkansas, 2 pm
NCAA South Region Rankings
1. Valdosta State (8-0), 2. Carson-Newman (8-0), 3. Catawba (6-1), 4.
Fayetteville State (7-1), 5. Tuskegee
(7-1), 6. Virginia State (6-2), 7.
Southern Arkansas
(6-2), 8. Harding (7-1), 9. Fort Valley
State (6-3), 10. Tusculum (6-2)
Conference Overall
Valdosta State 6-0-0 8-0-0
Harding University 5-1-0
7-1-0
Southern Arkansas 5-1-0 6-2-0
Central Arkansas 3-3-0
5-3-0
Ouachita Baptist 3-3-0
3-4-0
Henderson State 3-3-0
3-5-0
West Alabama
2-4-0 4-4-0
Arkansas Tech
2-4-0 3-5-0
North Alabama 2-4-0 3-5-0
Arkansas-Monticello 2-4-0
2-5-0
Delta State
2-4-0 2-6-0
West Georgia
1-5-0 3-5-0
SAU: In eight games, RB Torrence Jones has rushed 74 times for 456 yards and 11 touchdowns. RB Rodney Hill has 67 carries for 398 yards and five touchdowns and QB Ted Williams has 95 totes for 359 yards and four touchdowns. Williams has completed 58 of 124 passes for eight touchdowns and has thrown three interceptions. QB Damian Melancon has thrown for 405 yards on 25 completions in 41 attempts for five touchdowns and had one picked off. WR Nik Lewis has caught 47 passes for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns. Hill has returned 15 kickoffs for a 21.1 average and RB Donald Butler 10 for 319 yards, a 31.9 average. Lewis has 12 punt returns for 168 yards for a 14-yard average. SS Brian Davis has four interceptions and Davis has 72 tackles, LB Keenan Washington 64 and CB Charles Rollins 56.
UAM: TB Corwin Elliott has rushed for 796 yards on 193 carries and six touchdowns. QB Fred Leonard has completed 145 passes in 265 attempts for 2,093 yards and 16 touchdowns with five intercepted. WR Marvin Brown has caught 43 passes for 707 yards and five touchdowns and WR Shamar Brown has 29 receptions for 571 yards and eight touchdowns. WR Tyrone Bennett has returned 22 punts for 122 yards and CB Travis Gray has 21 kickoff returns for 429 yards, a 20.4 average. CB Daniel Henderson has five interceptions. LB Larry Washington has 50 tackles, FS Jermaine Lee 47 and LB Daniel Morris 41.
Of Interest
SAU established four records and tied another in their 50-47 four-overtime win over OBU last week. The new records include four touchdown passes by red-shirt freshman quarterback Damian Melancon. The old school record was three shared by Stanley May (1966), Russ Bechtelheimer (1973 and ’75), Jerry Copeland (twice in 1984), Cody Vanderford (1984) Cory Scarborough (1993) and Scott Fusselman (1994). He also had 399 yards of total offense (109 yards rushing and 290 yards passing) to better the old school record of 330 (John Launius) for a single game set in 1989.
Wide receiver Nik Lewis, a junior, caught eight passes for 172 yards at OBU to give him 864 yards this season that bettered the old record of 838 yards (Val Morris) set in 1993. His three touchdown receptions at OBU gives him 10 this season, which betters the old record of eight (Kenneth Brown) set in 1984. His three scoring catches tied a record set in 1973 (Larry Reeder) for one game.
Coach Quinn
“After being released from the Cardiac Intensive Care unit,” joked the coach after SAU’s four-overtime 50-47 win over Ouachita Baptist, he returned to a more serious mood. “The game against Ouachita was a real check for our football team and in the end, we responded. I felt our playmakers on both sides of the football came up with big plays in critical situations. Damian Melancon came in at quarterback for Ted Williams when we determined Ted’s injured ankle was slowing him down. He (Melancon) made some mistakes at times that I felt kept them (OBU) in the game, but he definitely made a lot of big plays and responded to the call. (WR) Nik Lewis continued to prove himself as one of the best in the conference. We didn’t execute as consistently as he had hoped for, but still scored enough to win. We put our defense in some tough situations and gave them (OBU) a short field in the second half. Our defense responded well most of the time. (CB) Carl Bucknor had a great interception in the end zone during one of the overtime periods that was a big play. Our special teams were not as sharp as they should have been, and it put us in some situations we would have preferred not to be in. I was disappointed in our fourth quarter play, but was extremely proud of the way we handled the overtime periods. Our players never got rattled and continued to execute.”
“This week’s game against Monticello is going to be another big test. They have some playmakers on offense and are putting up some big numbers throwing the ball (QB Fred Leonard). They also have the GSC’s leading rusher (TB Corwin Elliott). This will be another test for our defense. Defensively, they (UAM) play very physical and really run to the football. We will have to work hard to maintain blocks. They play extremely hard and believe in what they are doing. We are going to have to continue to improve as a football team and go to work every day this week.”
Magnolia, Arkansas Location Monticello, Arkansas
Gulf South Conference Gulf South
NCAA Division II Affiliation NCAA Division II
Dr. David Rankin President/Chancellor Dr. Fred Taylor
Jay Adcox Athletics
Director Alvy Early
Steve Quinn Head Coach Gregg
Ricono
Houston Taylor Sports Information Chris
Pluto
Muleriders Nickname Boll Weevils
Royal Blue & Old
Gold Colors Kelly Green & White
3,100 Enrollment 2,250
1909 (SAU in 1976) Established 1909
(UAM in 1976)
Wilkins (6,000 Stadium Convoy Leslie Cotton Boll
(870) 235-4117 Pressbox Phone (870) 460-1068/1568