The Mules couldn't find their footing on offense early in the season-opener Friday night and found themselves trailing.
That changed in the span of 76 seconds.
Chris Barker pounced on a pair of fumbles to set up short touchdown runs by Brett Barousse, spurring Poplar Bluff to a 34-14 win over Riverview Gardens at Mules Stadium.
"Disappointing," Mules coach Mark Barousse said. "Got a lot of things to fix."
Poplar Bluff scored 28 unanswered points, getting a pair of touchdown runs by Isaiah Johnson, but missed chances to strike early after taking over inside the Rams' 35-yard line.
Quarterback Logan Bell was sacked four times and was under pressure all night from a blitzing Rams defense that also held the Mules to 2 yards per carry.
"They were playing a lot faster than us up front," Poplar Bluff senior lineman Preston Burroughs said. "They were a lot more athletic and they were bringing blitzes every play."
The Mules took advantage just once.
Three snaps after the Rams broke the scoreless tie, Bell threw a quick pass to Tyson Cox who squeezed between his blockers, Barousse and Cameron Jones, and beat the safety downfield for a 64-yard touchdown. Victor Rivera's point-after kick hit the left upright as the Mules trailed 8-6 with 2:40 left in the first quarter.
Barker stopped the Rams' next drive with a third-down sack but Poplar Bluff was forced to punt when Bell was sacked. On the next play, the Rams running back lost a handle on the ball and linebacker Tanner Dunivan kept the play alive before Barker recovered the fumble at the Rams 7-yard line.
On third down, Barousse scored on a 10-yard run for the lead and Cox caught a 2-point pass from Bell for a 14-8 advantage.
Barker recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when Wyatt Lazalier's hit separated the ball from the carrier. This time the Mules took over 13 yards shy of the end zone and needed four plays to score. Barousse ran in from the 1 through the left side of the line and Rivera converted his first career extra-point for a 21-8 lead with 7:13 left in the half.
"The turnovers killed us," Rams coach Rolando Merriweather said.
So did penalties.
The Rams, who were flagged for 123 penalty yards, extended Poplar Bluff's scoring drive late in the first half by roughing the passer three times. One came on a third-and-13 while another was on fourth down.
Johnson put the Mules up 28-8 with 46 seconds left in the half on a 9-yard run.
"We just need to get better, that's all we need to do," said Makarius Bell, who had seven tackles. "Stay on each other and we can get everything done."
RaShawn McCain led with eight tackles and recovered a fumble to go with 63 yards rushing on 10 carries and two catches for 18 yards. Johnson ran 12 times for 25 yards while Myanza McCain caught two passes for 6 yards as Bell completed 5 of 13 passes for 88 yards.
"It was ugly on offense," Coach Barousse said. "I guess that's the only way I can explain it."
Poplar Bluff's 183 total yards were due in part because the defense set up short drives.
Jones recovered a fumble by the Rams at the 26 to set up Poplar Bluff's first drive, but the Mules couldn't pick up a yard for a first down on three attempts. The defense forced a three-and-punt and Poplar Bluff took over at the Rams 32-yard line but the drive stalled at the 10 when Bell was sacked.
Bell defended his line, which featured four new starters.
"I might have been on the ground a lot but I think altogether they played decent," he said. "We still need to improve."
Coach Barousse said the Rams' defensive front was "big and physical" and made things tough for his team.
"We didn't keep our eyes up for the most part, but other than that, we played pretty sound in our gaps," senior lineman Andrew Dugas said.
The Mules got sacks from Kendric Gordon and Laramie Goodluck.
Of the Rams' 261 total yards, 215 came on just seven plays.
Riverview Gardens quarterback Lawrence Johnson threw for 29 yards and later ran for 23 more to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Payne Gales that gave the Rams the lead.
Johnson led his team in rushing (136 yards) and passing (49) while catching a 32-yard pass. His 63-yard scramble set up a fourth-quarter score only because he was tripped up from behind by Lazalier 5 yards short of the end zone.
"I was pleased with the way we played defensively," Coach Barousse said. "We let them break contain once or twice early, it cost us, but they've got a good athlete. You don't run your lane, it makes you look bad."