Southern Arkansas started its fourth day of fall football practice this morning and will work out again from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Head coach Bill Keopple welcomed 122 athletes to the campus last weekend.
“We have had a great start to fall practice,” said Keopple. “Everyone was on time and ready to get started. It’s taking some time to adjust to the heat considering we’ve had the hottest week of the year, but it was good to see the team back on the field doing work.”
The Muleriders have been tagged to finish third in the Great American Conference this season, according to the recently released preseason coaches football poll. SAU received one first-place vote and is coming off an 8-4 campaign that included the program’s second postseason bowl appearance
A year ago, SAU was picked to finish third, while tagged first in 2017. Other preseason rankings for the Muleriders over the year included fifth in 2016, sixth in 2015, fifth in 2014; second in 2013, tied for sixth in 2012 and seventh in 2009.
The Ouachita Baptist Tigers, who the Muleriders will play in the Murphy USA Classic on Nov. 2 in El Dorado, picked up eight of the available first-place votes and are the favorites to win the conference. Harding, the Muleriders’ Sept. 21 home opponent, took second in the poll and received three first-place votes.