ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — For the second week in a row, the Arkansas Tech football team faced off with a nationally-ranked opponent, getting another tremendous defensive effort as the Wonder Boys (3-5, 3-4 Great American Conference) held No. 18 Ouachita Baptist (7-0, 7-0 GAC) to its lowest score of the season, falling 14-9 Saturday afternoon at Cliff Harris Stadium.

The Tigers, who averaged 38.3 points per game coming into the contest, were only able to muster 14 against a Wonder Boys defense that has allowed just 18.1 against Division II opponents.

Thanks in large part to that defense, Tech pushed Ouachita to the brink, closing out a seven-play, 64-yard drive when Dennis Robertson found Jermaine Merdock with a 25-yard scoring strike with 4:36 left in the game to make it 14-9.

As the Tigers looked to run the clock out after that touchdown, the Wonder Boys defense played perhaps its best plays of the game. On OBU's ensuing drive, Marlin Simmons stuffed Steven Kehner on third-and-1 to force a punt, and with the defense looking to get the offense one more chance with less than two minutes left, Logan Genz stopped Brandon Marks on third down and Justin Martin stopped him on fourth-and-inches.

The Tech defense, led by another stout performance from Genz (10 tackles and a first-half interception), forced three turnovers, including a pair of fumbles in the second half. Simmons posted seven stops on the day, including three for a loss.

"I'm proud of them," Wonder Boys coach Raymond Monica said. "I thought in the second half, the defense played well. And we moved the ball pretty well too and were able to get in the end zone."
The offense surpassed 300 total yards for the fourth time this season, led by the Robertson-to-Merdock connection, which combined for six receptions for 103 yards and the touchdown. Robertson put up his second-biggest passing day of the season, completing 16-of-34 for 234 yards. John Simpson added 63 yards receiving on three grabs.

Kicker Randy Velazquez nailed a 47-yard field goal — the longest of his career — in the closing seconds of the first half to get the Wonder Boys on the board.

"We're knocking on the door," Monica said. "Like I told the guys, If you keep knocking and knocking, you're going to wind up getting inside and getting that win. We have to keep knocking and we'll get it done."