ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Tigers' football team (7-2) will travel to El Dorado, Ark., Saturday to face the Southern Arkansas Muleriders (6-3) in the Murphy USA Classic.
 
The Tigers moved into control of first place in the Great American Conference last Saturday after defeating Arkansas-Monticello by a final score of 55-21. Southern Arkansas moved out of a first place tie after losing to Henderson by a final score of 36-30.
 
"If you focus on [winning the conference], you're probably not going to do well," Ouachita head coach Todd Knight said. "So, what we're going to try to focus on is just this ballgame. [Winning the conference], doesn't even matter if we don't get this done. So, all we're trying to do is focus on the details, our effort, finishing practice and trying to be the best we can do this team."
 
Ouachita's performance against UAM last week was a dominating one. The Tigers ran for 398 yards and forced three turnovers on defense. Redshirt-senior quarterback Austin Warford was named GAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Warford threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Warford has thrown for 1713 yards and nine touchdowns this season and leads the team in rushing yards with 631.
 
Ouachita junior Drew Harris has run for 15 touchdowns and caught three touchdowns this season. Harris' 18 total touchdowns places him at fourth in all of NCAA Division II.
 
Southern Arkansas entered this season with high expectations, but their 6-3 record has not quite lived up to their preseason GAC-champions predictions. The Mulerider's loss to Henderson last week came after the Reddies rallied from an early nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit. The Muleriders' Michael Nunnery ran for 120 yards while Barrett Renner threw for 192.
 
"They're one of the best teams in the conference," Knight said of his opponents.
 
Last season, Ouachita defeated SAU by a final score of 40-37 after four overtimes. Kicker Cole Antley kicked four field goals in that game, while running back Kris Oliver ran for 143 yards and a touchdown.
 
Saturday's game will be played at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado, Ark. Tailgating will begin at 11 a.m., and kick-off will be at 2 p.m.