Football Opens 2014 Season at SAU

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GAME NOTES

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern football opens the 2014 season on Saturday Sept. 6 when it heads to Magnolia, Ark., to take on Southern Arkansas at 6 p.m.
 
The Savage Storm come into the contest picked eighth in the Great American Conference preseason poll, but have a renewed energy under the guidance of new head coach Bo Atterberry.
 
SE will be looking for its second-straight victory in the series after pulling off a high-scoring 56-50 win over the Muleriders a season ago in Durant.
 
In that contest the Storm put up its best total yardage mark of the season with 522 yards of offense.
 
The bulk of that came on Devlon Wortham's spectacular debut in which he ran for 220 yards and three scores in the season opener.
 
Wortham would go on to turn in the team's first 1,000-yard rushing season in four years and the SE offense would break total offense records that were set during the 2004 season which ended in an NCAA playoff berth.
 
The offense returns its top rusher and top receivers from last season but will make a switch at quarterback where Trinity Valley CC transfer Ryan Polite will take over for Nick Sioson who will make the move to tight end.
 
Polite shattered school and conference record in passing last season at TVCC and was ranked at or near the top of the juco standings in completions, yardage and touchdowns.
 
The defense will also see a change as new defensive coordinator Charles Burks has installed a 3-4 defense which will present multiple looks and will see a plethora of new starters.
 
Chad Tucker is the team's top returning tackler with 63 stops a season ago and he will return in the strong safety spot while the Raheem Wilson who led the team in picks will be back at corner.
 
SAU returns six starters on offense, but will be replacing all-conference quarterback Tyler Sykora with his backup from a season ago in Si Blackshire who played in four games a season ago completing 11-of-18 pass attempts for 165 yards and two scores.
 
Defensively the Muleriders return just five starters, losing their top two tacklers, but returning Demario Thomas at rover who had 55 tackles last season as well as Quan Warren at corner who had 49 stops and four interceptions.
 
Southern Arkansas opens the season with heavy hearts in the wake of the tragic death of senior wide receiver Brandon Hobdy just two weeks before this season opener.
 
Southeastern opens the home portion of its schedule on Sept. 13 when it hosts Arkansas-Monticello at 6:00 p.m. at Paul Laird Field.