SHAWNEE – The start of a new season comes this Thursday, Sept. 4 when Oklahoma Baptist heads to Southern Arkansas for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field.
This is the first time that the Bison and Muleriders will have met in a season opener.
Coverage of the game can be found on KGFF 100.9 FM, KTOK 1000 AM and OBUBison.com. Todd Miller will provide play-by-play commentary while Dave Myrick will assist with color and sideline. Be sure to follow OBU Football and
Instagram and
X for updates on the contest as well. Below you'll find notes on both teams.
Top Priorities
The first priority of this past offseason for the Bison coaching staff was quarterback. To understand, over the last three seasons (2022-24) there were four signal-callers in each campaign that totaled double-digit passing attempts. Plus, in two of the last three years, Bison quarterbacks totaled more interceptions than touchdowns. Enter transfers
Chad Mascoe II and
TJ McMahon.
The two guys mentioned above have been dueling it out in preseason camp. Mascoe II is a well-built, 6-foot-1, 225-pounder from D1 Campbell University. In 10 career games with the Camels, he passed for 1,914 yards with 15 touchdowns and just six interceptions. McMahon, who checks in at 6-foot, 195 pounds had previous stops at Marshall and Rice. In fact, during the 2022 campaign at Rice, McMahon ranked seventh in C-USA in yards (2,102) and tied for seventh in TD passes (18) and ninth in completions (160).
Top Priorities (Cont.)
Along the defensive line, the Bison currently have 22 players listed at that position. And for good reason. That group will look to improve the team's pass-rushing ability which generated 13 sacks a season ago. For comparison, during the 2023 campaign, OBU had 31, the second-highest total since the program began D2 competition in 2015. That mark of 31 two seasons ago was also third-best in the Great American Conference.
Among the key leaders that the Bison will rely upon are
Jahden Brown,
Bryce Starlin and
Triston De La Rosa. During the 2024 campaign, Brown led the team with 4.0 sacks while De La Rosa and Starlin registered 1.5 and 1.0, respectively. Furthermore, keep an eye on
Aditya Singh who has drawn great reviews in preseason camp.
Depth at Running Back
Entering the season, the Bison have one of their best running back groups ever. Returnees
EJ Moore,
Caden Peevey and
Malachi Tuesno totaled 928 yards last year, with Moore registering a team-high 585. That trio collectively averaged a more-than-good 3.8 yards-per-carry. Throw in graduate transfer
Deuce Wise, who left Arkansas Tech with 988 yards over two seasons of competition, and it appears the green and gold have solid options to turn to. Additionally, Moore is quietly building a stellar career on Bison Hill. The Leander, Texas native has accumulated 1,247 rushing yards. That total is fifth-best in OBU history and is not far off from program great Preston Haire's fourth-place mark of 1,524.
Legitimate Leg Power
Here's something for you: During the Aug. 22 scrimmage at Crain Family Stadium,
Carter Lowry and
Patrick Maxwell each connected on 47-yard field goals (with room to spare). For Lowry and Maxwell, those two led kicking duties last year. Maxwell made seven-of-11 field-goal attempts while Lowry was a perfect 12-for-12 in extra points. Plus, newcomer
Parker Stephens, who was on the Northeastern State University men's soccer team in 2023, also had the leg to hit a 47-yarder. It stands to reason that one of these kickers could topple OBU's 101-year old record in longest make. In 1924, Prentiss Mooney made a 51-yarder against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Along the Offensive Line
There are several positives for this group heading into the first week of action. OBU returns center
Yonas Daniel, left guard
Andrew Sawyer and left tackle
Kye Cavin. That group has gained substantial playing time in recent years, playing in a combined 84 games since 2022. For Sawyer, a senior from Elmore City, Okla., he was an All-GAC honoree in 2024. Joining this trio of starters are
Andrew Sukmungsa and newcomer
Isaiah Vera. Both described as athletic from offensive line coach
Greg Gothard, Sukmungsa played in three games last year while Vera, who will line up at right tackle, transferred in from New Mexico Highlands.
Defending the Skies
At multiple points this preseason camp, several Bison defensive backs have flashed their abilities.
Chase Whitebear, a physical 6-foot-3, 190-pound corner from Haslet, Texas, has one starting job pinned down. He collected an interception with four pass break-ups last season. At the other corner spot is
Bryson Cornelious while newcomer
Jojo Wash and sophomore
Daniel Aiyeola will lead the two-deep chart at the safety positions. Fans also want to be on the lookout for these guys:
Johnathan Hart,
Loren Johnson,
Robert Waters Jr., and
Kadyn McDonald. Each had big moments over the past two weeks. Of note, and a positive, the average height of this group is 6-foot-1.
Coach's Thoughts
HC
Chris Jensen: "I think Coach Brad Smiley and his staff do a great job and they deserve the third-place standing in the preseason coaches' rankings. They play great defense and have an explosive offense. Though they've lost a number of players from last year, they will still be a significant test for us. I know our team is excited for the challenge."
OC
Daniel Eaton: "Dionte Dean is the best defensive coordinator in the GAC in my opinion. They are the most consistent defense with their details. They won't beat themselves; we must have incredible discipline against them.
DC
Tyler Roberts: "They have a great play-caller (Kyle Washington) that puts defenses in a bind with formations and concepts. SAU gets the ball to their playmakers in space. They return a really good tackle that I have a lot of respect for too."
About Southern Arkansas
After an impressive 9-2 campaign last season, the Muleriders had 17 players earn All-GAC honors. Included in that group was quarterback Judd Barton, who is no longer at SAU. He won the GAC Offensive Player of the Year award. Barton was a proven dual threat; he was 13th in the nation in rushing touchdowns (13) while simultaneously being 11th in the nation in completion percentage (66.2%). Additionally, he was second in the conference in both passing yards with 2,350 and passing touchdowns with 16.
Also of note on the offensive front, running backs Jariq Scales and Kadyn Roach, who combined for over 1,500 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, are no longer on the SAU squad.
Cornerback Melvin Smith Jr., was another big loss for the Muleriders. He was 11th in the country last year in interceptions per game (0.5) and was also just one of 14 players to record a kickoff return for touchdown. At the end of his season, he was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl.
Lastly, Dawson Scott was a nightmare for opposing offensive lines. He was fourth in the nation in sacks per game (0.95) and second in the GAC in tackles-for-loss per game (1.3). Scott also forced 0.27 fumbles per contest, a top 16 NCAA mark.
After retooling this offseason, Head Coach Brad Smiley and his team were picked third in the GAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. That marks the second consecutive season that SAU has gained a top-three nod, and the eighth time since 2016 that the Muleriders have been voted inside the top five.
Among the top returners for SAU, wide receiver
Kendall Williams had the second-most catches last year at 29. He also pulled in three touchdowns. At quarterback, Adam Parker, who is battling newcomer Hezekiah Harris for the top spot, playing a little in 2024. In 10 games, Parker attempted 23 passes, threw three touchdowns, no interceptions and completed almost 70 percent of his throws.
Defensively, the Muleriders return Hunter Hewitt. In 11 games last year, he was second on the team with 10.0 TFLs. He finished with 54 total tackles as well as two quarterback hurries and one forced fumble and fumble recovery. Senior cornerback Zay Jones also returns for the Muleriders defense. During the 2024 campaign, he notched a team-high nine pass break-ups with one interception and a fumble recovery.
Along special teams, Jay Todd Baker, who will handle both punt and kickoff duties this season for SAU, is back. Last season, over 83 kickoffs sent 23 through the end zone. He also averaged 56.5 yards per kick.
