GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 2-6 (2-6 GAC)	SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA BULLDOGS 0-8 (0-8 GAC)
Saturday, October 30 | 5:30 p.m. Flex-Chem Field | Weatherford, Okla. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF) | SWOSU NOTES

KICKING OFF

With three more games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Arkansas Tech football team is focused on putting past heartbreak behind them and closing out the 2021 season on a high note.

Following their final road trip of this season upcoming this Saturday at Southwestern Oklahoma, the Wonder Boys will play their final two games of the season at home against Northwestern Oklahoma in Week 10 and then Harding in the regular season finale in Week 11.

Before the final two games at home, the Wonder Boys are hoping to return from Weatherford with some momentum as they are set to take on the winless Bulldogs.

Saturday's game will be a break from the norm of October football in the GAC as the kickoff time is set for 5:30 p.m. as SWOSU will be celebrating Homecoming on campus.

A week ago, it was the Wonder Boys who were celebrating Homecoming on campus, and the celebration nearly turned up a few notches as Tech pushed No. 20-nationally ranked Henderson State to overtime. Tech narrowly fell to the Reddies in the extra period after HSU responded to Tech's field goal with a touchdown. The three-point heartbreaking defeat was the third one-possession loss for the Wonder Boys this season.

TECH TIDBITS

OFFENSE

» The Wonder Boys rank eighth in the GAC in total offense with an average of 353.0 ypg. On the ground the Wonder Boys average 156.1 ypg rushing to rank fifth in the GAC. Through the air, Tech ranks eighth in the GAC and averages 196.9 ypg.

» QB Jack Lindsey has been the Wonder Boys starter under center for all eight games. He has totaled 1,482 yards through the air and tossed 12 TDs. Lindsey has also added 191 yards rushing and two scores on the ground. Overall, Lindsey is averaging 209.8 yards of total offense.

» Senior tailback Caleb Batie is the team's leading rusher with 457 net yards. Batie has four rushing TDs. Freshman tight end Jordan Edington is also tied with Batie in rushing TDs with four. The second-leading rusher is Ron Thompson with 338 yards on 68 carries.

» Redshirt freshman Joyrion Chase has the most receiving yards with 399 on 2328 receptions. He also leads the team with three TD receptions.

DEFENSE

» The Wonder Boys rank eighth in the GAC in scoring defense with an average of 33.4 ppg allowed. They also rank 10th in total defense allowing an average of 427.3 ypg. On the ground, Tech's opponents average 198.4 ypg rushing to rank 11th in the GAC. Through the air, Tech's defense ranks ninth in the GAC averaging 228.9 ypg.

» As as team, the Wonder Boys have come away with nine turnovers with four INTs and five fumble recoveries. Four different players account for the four picks while Tyrus Fort has two of the five fumble recoveries.

SPECIAL TEAMS

» Senior kicker Jesus Zizumbo is a perfect 27-of-27 on extra-point attempts and is 7-of-10 in field goal tries. Zizumbo is currently sixth all-time at Tech in made field goals with 25. He is one away from pulling into a tie for fifth all-time.

ABOUT SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
LAST GAME

The Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs come into Saturday's game still in search of their first victory of the season. In their most-recent game, the Bulldogs lost at home in a shootout with East Central, 44-34.

THE COACH

The Bulldogs are coached by Chet Pobolosh, who is in his fourth year as the head coach at Southwestern Oklahoma. In each of his first two seasons at SWOSU, Pobolish's Bulldogs went 3-8. Pobolish came to SWOSU after spending the 2017 season as the offensive coordinator at Missouri Western. Overall, Pobolish's coaching career dates back over 20 years as he started in coaching at his alma mater Emporia State in 1999 following a four-year playing career.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE

Offensively, the Bulldogs feature a spread and multiple offensive attack. Through eight games this year, SWOSU has the ninth-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 22.1 ppg and the 10th-ranked total offense with an average of 346.5 ypg. Through the air, the Bulldogs are averaging 259.5 ypg to rank fourth in the GAC. On the ground, SWOSU is averaging 87.0 ypg to rank 12th in the GAC.

The leading rusher thus far has been Nate Davis with 309 yards gained. He is also tied for the team-lead in rushing TDs with two. Kenny Graham is second in rushing yards with 169 and also has two rushing TDs.

In the passing game, the Bulldogs are led by Tanner Griffin. Thus far, Griffin has thrown for 1,667 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The leading receiver for SWOSU is Torin Justice with 505 yards on 31 receptions. He also leads the team in TD receptions with six.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE

Defensively, the Bulldogs base out of the 3-4 scheme and currently rank seventh in scoring defense, allowing 32.9 ppg. Their total defense ranks sixth in the GAC allowing 385.6 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, SWOSU ranks fifth in the GAC with 190.9 ypg. On the ground, the Bulldogs allow an average of 194.8 ypg and rank ninth in the GAC.

Individually, Southwestern Oklahoma has one player with 40 or more stops in Orlando Brown with 61. He is also second on the team in TFLs with 7.0 and has a 54-yard fumble recovery. As a team, the Bulldogs have forced eight turnovers with five INTs and three fumble recoveries. Xavier Mathis and Derrius Franklin have been the top ball hawks with two INTs each.

THE SERIES

This will be the 17th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma in a series that dates back to 1968. After that initial meeting in Fort Smith, the two didn't play until 1988, and then played each other six of the next seven years. In 2011, Tech and SWOSU became charter members of the GAC. In that time span, SWOSU leads the series 5-4. Overall, the series is tied between Tech and SWOSU