Week 10 Game Notes

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Back in the friendly confines of Russellville for its only back-to-back stretch of home games of the season, the Arkansas Tech football team welcomes Southwestern Oklahoma to Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field for a Great American Conference contest Saturday.

The Wonder Boys (7-2, 7-2 GAC) are on a two-game winning streak and undefeated at home this season, and are looking to keep pace with Henderson State, which leads the GAC with a one-game cushion. Tech can lock up no worse than a tie for second place in the final conference standings with a victory over the Bulldogs (6-3, 6-3 GAC) in Saturday's 2 p.m. kickoff.

"It's always good to play in your home stadium," coach Raymond Monica said. "We practice there every single day. We know the environment and we're more accustomed to the routine. We're always excited about playing in front of the home crowd."

SWOSU is on a four-game winning streak — the second-longest in the conference — and holds wins over each of its fellow 6-3 teams in Harding, East Central and Ouachita Baptist. The Bulldogs have one of the top defensive units in the league, allowing just 21.3 points and 342.4 yards per outing, and have allowed just 11.3 points and 234.7 yards over their last three games.

The defense is led by Conner Bays, who is second in the conference with 10.0 tackles per game, and has also posted 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and nine total passes defended. Kapena Olsen adds 5.8 stops and two interceptions, while Austin Loomis puts up 5.7 tackles to go with four for loss, a sack and two forced fumbles. Trevon Hartfield is fifth on the team with 4.6 tackles and sixth in the nation with 16 passes defended. Collier Ward and Clinton Horn each have 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on the season.

Going up against the sturdy defense will be one of the top offenses in all of Division II, as the Wonder Boys are top-30 in the country with 38.4 points and 468.3 yards per game. A bulk of that work is done on the ground, as Tech is eighth in the nation averaging 296.2 yards rushing per game and have topped 370 yards on the ground on four occasions.

That rushing attack is as varied as it is potent, with freshman Bryan Allen, sophomore Brayden Stringer and freshman Kristian Thompson all in the top 12 in the GAC in rushing yards per game. Allen is 21st in the country with 116.1 yards per outing, while Stringer adds 76.9 and Thompson 51.3. They combine to score 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, a number that is matched by senior quarterback Arsenio Favor, who adds 42.7 yards on the ground.

Favor also puts up 171.4 passing yards per game, and has led a resurgence of the air game over the past two games, where he's gone 23-of-34 for 342 yards and six touchdowns, which has backed defenses off to create even more room for the rushing attack. Senior Jermaine Murdock leads the Wonder Boys with 33 catches and 380 yards, while classmate Michael Fine has hauled in 15 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Michael Perry has 29 grabs for 177 yards, and sophomore Chris Eastburn is also in double digits for catches with 10 for 158 yards and two scores. Junior Jabyes Cross has taken two of his nine catches for scores, and sophomore J.V. Davis stepped up last week against Northwestern Oklahoma with two catches going for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

"I think anytime you're able to run the football, it lets you set up some play actions and some different things," Monica said. "And, I'm really proud of our offensive line and how they've played, especially with all the injuries that we've had during the course of the year. It seems like something happens to somebody and someone else just steps up. A lot of people have a lot of experience on our offensive line this year."

The SWOSU offense features a balanced attack that goes for 399.3 yards and 34.0 points per game, which is third in the league. Over their four-game winning streak, the offense has been even more sturdy, going for an average of 43.5 points and 457.5 yards over that stretch.

Quarterback Marc Evans throws for 271.3 yards per game and has 18 touchdowns through the air so far this season. His favorite target is D.J. Jones, who has hauled in 35 catches for 611 yards and six scores, making him one of the top receivers in the GAC. JR Omigie, Karltrell Hende and Derrick Styles all have at least 18 catches, 235 yards and multiple scores as well, while three other receivers have at least 10 grabs. Hende is also the team's leading rusher with 604 yards and eight touchdowns, with Kenneth Martey adding 396 yards and six more scores.

Tech will counter with a defense that doesn't allow much to opposing offenses. The Wonder Boys are top-two in the GAC allowing 319.7 yards, 18.4 points and 32.8 percent of third-down conversions.

Senior Logan Genz leads the team and is sixth in the conference with 9.1 tackles per game, adding five for loss and a pair of sacks. Freshman Cua' Rose puts up 6.6 stops and also has five for loss and two sacks, and is 15th in the country with five interceptions. Junior Nick Akins is fifth in the league with 9.5 tackles for loss to go with 5.8 tackles per game, and 2.5 sacks, while senior Brandyn Bolling has posted 4.0 tackles for loss and another 2.5 sacks. Junior Demetris Ford leads the team with 3.0 sacks and six quarterback hurries, while juniors Trevon Gooden and Quincy Peyton are both top-10 in the GAC with 11 and nine passes defended, respectively.

"Southwestern, when you look at them, is a very similar football team to us," Monica said. "They do a good job offensively and defensively. This will be a very evenly matched game and a good football game.

"They scored 58 points against Ouachita Baptist, so they're very capable of scoring a lot of points and I've been very impressed with the way they've been able to play defense as well. And they have one of the top punt returners in the country."

The all-time series with the Bulldogs is one of the closest the Wonder Boys have with a GAC opponent, with Tech leading 6-5 over their 11 meetings. SWOSU has taken the last two meetings in close contests.

The contest will be broadcast live on 102.3 FM (KCJC) in Russellville, with live video, audio and statistics available at www.arkansastechsports.com.

-FIGHTON-