Tech vs. NWOSU Notes - "Saved By The Bell" Edition

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - With four weeks remaining in the Great American Conference regular season, the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys football team finds itself right in the mix in the race to the Great American Conference championship. The Wonder Boys (5-2, 5-2) will seek to improve their position on Saturday, squaring off against the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (3-4, 3-4) in a homecoming matchup at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field. 

A 2 p.m. kickoff is scheduled, with the Party at the Plaza tailgate celebration slated to begin at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on KCJC-FM (102.3) in Russellville, with live audio, video, and statistics available at www.arkansastechsports.com.

Tech is one of three teams - Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas are the others - tied at 5-2 in league play, one game behind overall leader Southeastern Oklahoma. The Savage Storm lost ground last week with their 21-20 loss to Henderson State, while the three 5-2 teams were all winners. 

The Savage Storm have a tough road ahead, facing Southern Arkansas, Harding, and the Wonder Boys over the next three weeks with just the Harding game coming in Durant. 

Ouachita will play two games at home against Oklahoma Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello before a neutral-site matchup with SAU, closing with the Battle of the Ravine; while the Muleriders move on from Saturday's matchup with Southeastern Oklahoma to close their schedule with a game at Henderson State, the neutral-site matchup with Ouachita, and the season finale at home against UAM.

The Wonder Boys' schedule seems to be a favorable one as Tech will play three of its final four games at home. Next week, Tech makes its final road trip of the regular season to face a 1-6 East Central squad before closing the schedule with a pair of home games against Southeastern Oklahoma and Harding. However, the schedule will become far more of an uphill battle if the Wonder Boys are unable to pick up the win over Northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday.

The Rangers are 2-1 on the road this season. After being narrowly edged by Ouachita in week one, the Rangers downed Henderson State in Arkadelphia before rolling past East Central in week six. The Rangers' offense seemed to be riding high before running into a stifling Harding defense last week, as the Bisons shut out the Rangers 34-0 in Alva. 

Despite the shutout, the Rangers average nearly 30 points (28.9 to be exact) and rush for nearly 200 yards per game (199.7), while putting one of the GAC's stingiest pass defenses on the field. That defensive effort has been led by Devin Peyton, who averages 10.2 tackles per game - the only player in the GAC to average double figures in tackles - while Dakota Driskill has tallied a respectable 9.3 stops per contest.

Offensively, it has been quarterback Isaiah Weed who has been the bellweather for the Rangers. Weed has passed for 1362 yards and 11 scores, while rushing for 350 yards and seven more. Running back Anthony Cota has racked up 499 yards and six scores on the ground to compliment the dual threat of Weed. 

The Wonder Boys' rushing tandem of Bryan Allen and Braden Stringer has combined to rush for 901 yards and 10 scores on the season, while quarterback Ty Reasnor has added five rushing touchdowns of his own, going along with his 12 passing touchdowns and 1,427 passing yards. 

Defensively, KJ Reid and Cua' Rose have provided quote the one-two punch for the Wonder Boys. Reid leads Tech with 59 tackles, four fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles, while Rose has 50 stops and four interceptions. 

With inclement weather in the forecast through a portion of the afternoon, fans can stay tuned to Tech athletics' social media pages for updates regarding gameplay.