Tech/NWOSU Game Notes
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Tech football team will make its final — and longest — roadtrip of the regular season this week, heading to Alva, Oklahoma to face Northwestern Oklahoma in a Great American Conference matchup Saturday afternoon.
The Wonder Boys (6-2, 6-2 GAC) remain locked in a tie for second place in the conference with Harding, with both teams sitting a game back of Henderson State, while the Rangers (3-5, 3-5 GAC) have already matched their win total from last season.
"First thing is, it's a roadtrip," coach Raymond Monica said. "Right now, we're 2-2 on the road this season, but this should be a good trip for the guys. Getting everyone together for a couple days is always good, and we're going to try to lock up a winning record on the road this season."
The Tech offense got back to its usual self last week, scoring 57 points in a victory over Southeastern Oklahoma and running for 388 yards as a team. That was the third game this season that the Wonder Boys rushed for at least 374 yards, and their average of 286.8 per game is second in the GAC and eighth across all of Division II. Freshmen Bryan Allen and Kristian Thompson each collected more than 100 yards on the ground against the Savage Storm, upping Allen's season average to 110.8 yards per game, which leads the conference and is 35th in the country. In addition, Brayden Stringer's 67.1 yards per game is eighth in the league, and Thompson's 53.5 is 16th.
Quarterback Arsenio Favor was 12-for-18 for 179 yards and two touchdowns passing, in addition to his 22 yards and another score on the ground. The senior has 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, and at least one in seven of his team's eight games. Jermaine Murdock pulled in four catches for 66 yards against Southeastern, and continues to lead the team with 32 grabs and 376 yards receiving, while Michael Fine's 13 catches for 171 yards leads a group of five Wonder Boys who have at least 120 receiving yards on the season.
Countering that Tech offense will be the most opportunistic defense in Division II, as Northwestern has managed 28 takeaways in its eight games so far. That has helped out a unit that allows 434.5 yards per game to win two of its last three games, earning a 31-16 win over Southeastern and a 49-20 victory over Southern Nazarene. Devin Peyton leads the GAC in tackles, and his 10.9 per game is also 16th in the country. Chris Ladd adds 7.4 per game and two interceptions, while Joby Saint Fleur puts up 6.3 tackles, including 12.5 total tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Jordan Nooris leads the team with seven interceptions and 15 passes defended.
"On defense the last three games, not counting a couple interceptions for touchdowns, they're holding opponents to 21 points," Monica said. "They have 28 turnovers on the season, which is a lot of extra chances for that offense."
The Tech defense has plenty of good performances in its own right, including forcing three turnovers out of Southeastern last week and giving up just 344 yards of offense. The Wonder Boys have the top defense in the GAC, allowing just 308.8 yards per game, and the second-ranked scoring defense, giving up 18.1 points to the opposition, while giving opponents just 31.7 percent of third down tries.
Senior Logan Genz, who notched 18 tackles last week and is averaging 12.0 stops over his last five games, leads the Wonder Boys with 75 total tackles on the season, including 5.0 for loss and a pair of sacks. Freshman Cua' Rose has posted 50 tackles, 4.0 for a loss and two sacks, and is second in the conference and 10th in the nation with five interceptions, with 12 total passes defended. Sophomore Alonzo Joyner adds 52 tackles, an interception and three breakups, while senior linebacker Nick Akins leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss out of his 45 total stops.
The Tech defense will look to hold down a Northwestern offense that has shown positives and negatives. The Rangers have posted more than 450 yards of offense in half of their eight games, but have also been held to fewer than 300 in three contests. That pattern stays the same in scoring, with NWOSU not scoring in the 20s once this season despite five games in the 30s and three in the teens. Still the hosts will deploy the nation's eight-most potent passing offense, averaging 319.6 yards per game to lead the GAC.
That attack is led by quarterback Reid Miller, who has put up 2,395 yards passing with 25 touchdowns while completing 61.2 percent of his passes. Ten different Rangers have at least 11 catches on the season, 10 have at least 100 yards and nine different pass catchers have hauled in a touchdown. Justin Schanbacher leads the team with 35 catches and 402 yards, while Arte' Miura Jr. adds a team-high seven receiving touchdowns on 33 total catches and 389 yards.
"They're averaging 39 points the last three games, and they're leading the conference in passing," Monica said. "Their quarterback can get hot at any time. They're very capable of putting points on the board.
"The flip side to that is they give the ball away a lot, so the key for us is getting their offense to make mistakes and for us to hold onto the football."
Tech leads the all-time series against the Rangers 7-4, including the last three by an average of 23 points. The Wonder Boys earned a 33-14 victory to start the 2014 season, giving up an early score before running off 24 straight first-half points to take control. Jabyes Cross returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown for Tech's first score, and Murdock hauled in a 98-yard score to end the scoring.
The contest will be broadcast live on 102.9 FM (KCJC) in Russellville, with live video, audio and statistics available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
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