Tech vs. ECU Game Notes

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Sporting a national ranking for the first time in nearly six years, the No. 23/24 Arkansas Tech football team travels to Ada, Oklahoma for a Great American Conference matchup with East Central Saturday afternoon.

The Wonder Boys (5-1, 5-1 GAC) will face off against the Tigers (4-2, 4-2 GAC) at 2 p.m. at Norris Field, a week after the two teams went opposite directions after sitting in a five-way tie atop the conference standings five weeks into the season.

Tech turned back a nationally ranked Ouachita Baptist side in a 30-12 homecoming victory to remain tied for the league lead. ECU suffered a tough 38-31 loss on the road at Southwestern Oklahoma on the same day, which dropped them into what is now a four-way tie for third place. This contest is the fourth straight for the Wonder Boys against a team that is currently 5-1 or 4-2 in conference play.

"They're doing a great job on offense," coach Raymond Monica said of the Tigers. "That offense has been able to run the football, as well as throw it, and they're scoring a lot of points. Anytime you're scoring over 40 a game, you're doing a good job. I'm impressed with the quarterback and receiving corps, and you can't help but see what the offensive line is capable of."

The Tigers lead the conference and are 19th in the country with 40.3 points per game, and average 472.3 yards. Their passing offense puts up 311.2 yards per game and leads the league with a 164.2 pass efficiency rating, while scoring on 27 of 30 red zone attempts puts ECU at the top as well.

Quarterback Rocky Moore is second in the GAC with 306.2 passing yards per game, and first with a 163.9 passer efficiency to go with 24 touchdowns over the first six games. David Moore leads the receiving corps with 26 grabs for 602 yards and 10 scores, and is one of three receivers averaging at least 20 yards per catch in the offense. Nathan Pickett has 14 catches for 313 yards and four touchdowns, while Dezmon Jackson has 203 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 catches. Jamal Hall and Tre'von Jackson have evenly split the rushing duties, combining to average 139.3 yards per game.

The Wonder Boys will counter with one of the top defenses in the GAC and the nation. They're allowing an average of 14.7 points and 284.5 yards to opponents. Both numbers are top in the league, and ninth and 16th across all of Division II, respectively. They've allowed 20 points just one time in six games, and are first in the conference allowing just 15.2 first downs and 27.9 percent of third down conversions to foes.

Senior Logan Genz, who is the all-time leading tackler in Tech history, continues to climb the conference leaderboard, now sitting 11th this season with 8.0 stops per game. Alonzo Joyner and Nick Akins are tied for 28th with 6.0 tackles, and Cua' Rose is 42nd with 5.3. Rose is also second in the league with four interceptions on the season, and is tied for seventh with teammate Trevon Gooden with eight passes defended.

"Defensively they're very good," Monica said. "Up front, they run around very well and make plays, and the other big thing is that they're plus-11 in turnover margin. They do a real good job of getting turnovers."

The ECU defense, while not overly impressive statistically, is opportunistic. Its total defense ranks sixth in the GAC with 394.8 yards per game, and its pass defense eighth at 248.2. Despite that, the Tigers are allowing just 24.5 points per game. A big part of that is the 14 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries they have pounced on this year, while the offense has only given the ball away 10 times. The defense also posts a 68.2-percent red zone percentage, allowing scores on just 15 of 22 attempts.

Jameel Whitney is fourth in the conference, averaging 9.8 tackles per game, while Spencer Bond adds 6.0. Karmah Yates has 20 tackles on the season, with 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while Blake Summers and Whitney each have a pair of interceptions.

The Tech offense will counter with one of the top rushing attacks in the country, which is averaging 289.8 yards per game, which is seventh in the country, after last week's 374-yard performance against Ouachita. The Wonder Boys are tied for third in the conference, scoring 36.2 points per outing, and is third in total offense as well, putting up 447.7 yards per game, while also picking up 23.7 first downs.

The bulk of the offense last week came from freshman Bryan Allen, who turned in the second-best rushing performance in Tech history against OBU, running for 279 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. That helped boost him to 115.2 yards per game, which is top in the league. Brayden Stringer adds 71.8 yards per game, which is seventh in the GAC, and quarterback Arsenio Favor chips in 54.3 rushing yards and has scored 11 times on the ground. Favor adds 156.8 yards through the air, with Jermaine Murdock collecting 24 passes for 278 yards on the season.

"We're going to do what we do offensively," Monica said. "But it will be a tough, physical, defensive game."

The Tigers own a 10-7 advantage all-time in the series, which dates back to the 1920s, although they haven't beaten Tech in Ada since 1993. The Wonder Boys suffered a tough 15-0 loss last season in a defensive battle that was locked in a scoreless tie into the second half. Genz tallied 14 tackles in that game, while Marlin Simmons added five tackles, a sack and an interception.

The contest will be broadcast live on 102.9 FM (KCJC) in Russellville, with live video, audio and statistics available at www.arkansastech.com.