SAU pounds ATU, 55-21, in regular season finale

SAU's 727 yards came on 424 passing and 303 rushing, while the Wonder Boys finished with 344, getting 275 through the air and only 69 on the ground.  ATU was held to negative three yards rushing in the first half.

SAU continued to re-write the school record books in blowing past the Wonder Boys (5-6, 3-5 GAC), with five team and four individual marks set during the game.

Southern Arkansas' eight touchdowns in the game give them a total of 53 on the year, breaking the record of 51 in 2002, helping it average 37.3 points per game for a new season mark in passing the 33.8, also in 2002.  The 727 yards of offense broke the record of 702 against Henderson State in 2000, and pushed the team to a total of 4,856 on the season and past the 2005 team's 4,677, and the Muleriders' 29 pass completions in the contest gives them 225 for the season, moving past last year's 202.

Junior Mark Johnson's (Longview, Texas) first quarter touchdown run gave him 28 for his career and past Torrence Jones' 27 (2001-2004), while freshman receiver Chris Terry's (Lindale, Texas) four touchdown receptions gave him the new single-game mark in that category and past the old record of three shared by four players.

Junior quarterback Tyler Sykora (Hot Springs Village) tossed all four scoring throws to Terry and added another, tying his own single-game record of five he's achieved three times before.  Sykora's 41 plays in the game also gave him the new season record of 385, breaking the 367 by Damian Melancon in 2004, and he snapped his own season record of a .605 completion percentage last year by throwing at a .621 clip this year.

It was virtually over in the first quarter after SAU's four touchdowns, and it started on the opening possession with Terry hauling in a 31-yard scoring pass from Sykora at 12:37, with sophomore Jacob Carpenter (Winona, Miss.) hitting the first of six PAT's.

ATU was forced to punt from its own 38 on its first possession, but the punt went in the back end of Tech's cover men and junior free safety Cardarious Patterson (Carthage, Texas) recovered it and rumbled in from 32 yards out for a 14-0 lead at 11:22.

Southern Arkansas then went 99 yards in 14 plays with Terry catching a 19-yard touchdown strike from Sykora at 4:59, before Johnson rushed in from three yards out for a score with 14 ticks left to close out the first quarter and a 28-0 lead.

The Wonder Boys finally got on the board at 6:55 in the second quarter, with Jonathan Keener catching a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Marsh, but Trevor Pinkston's kick failed, leaving it 28-6.

The Muleriders took only three plays to get back in the end zone, with Sykora finding Terry for a 36-yard score at 5:56, 35-6.

Freshman receiver Nate Pickett (Tatum, Texas) closed out the first half in catching an 11-yard touchdown from Sykora at 2:11 and a 42-6 game at the break.

ATU opened the second half scoring with a 24-yard scoring pass from Marsh to James Jackson at 4:52, with Tyler Moon then connecting with Keener on a conversion pass and a 42-14 contest.

Sykora's fifth touchdown pass and Terry's fourth scoring reception ended the third quarter, coming on a 55-yard scoring throw and catch at 3:54, 48-14.

Tech ended its scoring at 4:54 in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Marsh to Darrell Freeman, and SAU finished it on a 45-yard touchdown run from freshman reserve quarterback Jacob McClain (Teague, Texas) at 2:01.

Sykora finished 29 of 39 passing for 424 yards, the second most behind his school record 520 yards, with Terry catching five passes for 144 yards.  Junior tight end Brooks White (Van Buren) and junior receiver Jack Brown (West Mesquite, Texas) had six receptions each, White totaling 93 yards and Brown 86.

Johnson finished with 93 yards rushing on 18 carries, while McClain had 72 on six.

For the Wonder Boys, Marsh completed 25 of 44 passes for 275 yards, with Cassius Washington catching six for 66 yards.

Ketrich Harmon had 45 yards rushing on nine totes.

Senior cornerback Don Unamba (Hurst, Texas), junior linebackers Mark Spaight (North Little Rock) and Alex Mills (Arlington, Texas) led Southern Arkansas with seven tackles apiece.

Logan Genz had a game-high 12 tackles for ATU.

The Muleriders end the year with their first winning season since 2005, and their 8-2 finish is the most wins since the 2003 team went 9-3, and provides them with the best record percentage-wise since the 1999 squad also finished 8-2.