Week 8 Game Notes

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech football team continues through one of the toughest part of its schedule this Saturday, as the Wonder Boys will do battle with an undefeated and nationally-ranked opponent for the second consecutive week.
 
The Wonder Boys (3-4, 3-3 Great American Conference) head south to the new Cliff Harris Stadium to face the 18^th-ranked Ouachita Baptist Tigers (6-0, 6-0 GAC) on Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
 
Ouachita is coming off its closest call of the season, a narrow 31-28 win over Harding in Searcy. The game literally came down to the wire, as OBU signal-caller Kiehl Frazier drove the Tigers down field to score as time expired, and tacked on a two-point conversion to tie the contest and send the game into overtime.
 
In overtime, the Tigers forced a turnover and moved the ball to the Harding 18-yard line, setting up a 33-yard field goal attempt by Matt Ehasz. The Tigers were called for what may have been the most fortunate penalty of the year – a false start, which negated Harding's blocking of Ehasz's attempt.
 
Given another chance from five yards back, Ehasz booted a 38-yard field goal to win the game on the road for the Tigers.
 
Meanwhile, Ouachita has posted a 3-0 record on its home field, and has done so in emphatic fashion. OBU's three home wins have come by a margin of 25 points.
 
The Wonder Boys enter Saturday's game on a two-game slide, having dropped a 24-3 decision to No. 6 Henderson State last weekend in Russellville.  
 
The remaining schedule provides no rest for the Wonder Boys, as Tech will play three of its final four games on the road. After Saturday's game at Ouachita, Arkansas Tech closes out the season with a pair of road dates at Southeastern Oklahoma and Harding.
 
This week, however, the Wonder Boys will put the third-rated defense in the GAC up against an offense that has racked up 434.7 yards per game.
 
Tech's defense has been led by Logan Genz. The junior from West Fork, Ark. is the GAC's leading tackler this season, having racked up 90 and averaging 12.9 per game. His partner in the Wonder Boys' linebacker corps, Wesley McKinney, ranks sixth with 60 tackles and 8.6 stops per contest.
 
The Wonder Boys have been applying a good deal of pressure up front as Justin Martin and Brandyn Bolling are among the league's leaders in sacks, while Genz, Martin, and McKinney all rank in the top-ten in tackles for loss.
 
The defensive balance extends to the secondary, as Shai Kobayashi and Trevon Gooden rank among the league's top defenders on passes.
 
The defensive unit combined to hold Henderson State to their lowest point total of the 2014 season, and held the Reddies to just 92 yards of total offense in the second half.
 
The game will be broadcast live on 100.9-FM (KWKK) in Russellville, and online at arkansastechsports.com. No video stream is available.