GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 0-0 (0-0 GAC)	SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA SAVAGE STORM 0-0 (0-0 GAC)
Thursday, September 2 | 6 p.m. Russellville, Ark. | Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF) | SE NOTES

KICKING OFF 

Are you ready for some football?! The resounding answer to that question across the footprint of the Great American Conference is a resounding YES! For the first time in just over 650 days, regular season football is set to return to the GAC as the league and its 12 member institutions are prepared to emerge from the cancelation of the 2019 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For some programs in the GAC, the year without football brought the momentum of established powerhouse programs and ones on the rise, to a halt. While for other programs, the "team redshirt" year has allowed for a reset and a year of valuable development. 

The Arkansas Tech football team is in the latter of those categories after finishing 3-9 in 2019 under then first-year head coach Kyle Shipp. A former player, alum, former GA and assistant coach at Tech, Shipp and his staff are determined to guide Wonder Boys football to the top of the GAC.

Despite how the record shook out for the Wonder Boys in 2019, the team was competitive throughout the campaign and finished strong. 

After a 0-6 start to the year that included a pair of one-possesion defeats, the Wonder Boys rallied to win three-straight games down the stretch starting with a 21-14 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma at home on October 19. Tech then hit the road and came from behind with 10 fourth-quarter points to knock off Southwestern Oklahoma, 36-35. A week later, the Wonder Boys returned home and turned in their best overall game of the year and handled Southeastern Oklahoma, 38-20. The streak nearly pushed to four, but the Wonder Boys narrowly fell to East Central, 31-30. 

Now on the cusp of the 2021 campaign, the Wonder Boys are poised to take the next step forward in their program beginning with their season-opening contest at home against Southeastern Oklahoma.

ABOUT SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA
LAST SEASON 

Southeastern Oklahoma stumbled to a 1-10 record in 2019 under first-year head coach Tyler Fenwick. The lone win for the Savage Storm came in week two of the season as Southeastern beat Northwestern Oklahoma 24-15 on the road. The Savage Storm would go on to drop their final nine games of the season. Despite that skid, four of those games were one possession games decided by four points or less. 

THE COACH 

The Savage Storm are coached by Tyler Fenwick, who enters into his third season as head coach at Southeastern. Fenwick's first year at the helm came in 2019 where his team went 1-10. Fenwick's sophomore campaign leading Southeastern was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to arriving in Durant, Fenwick spent six seasons as head coach at Missouri S&T. While there, Fenwick registered a record of 37-29 which was capped off with a 10-win season his final year in 2018. 

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE 

Offensively, the Savage Storm feature a spread offensive attack. In 2019, the first year under head coach Tyler Fenwick, the Savage Storm posted the second-best passing offense in the GAC, averaging 252.5 yards per game. Overall though, the Savage Storm had the seventh-ranked total offense in the league (375.9 ypg) as they ranked last in rushing offense at 123.5 yards per game. The Savage Storm also ranked in the lower third of the GAC in scoring offense with an average of 20.0 points per game. 

In 2019, SE split time at quarterback between Rollin Kinsaul and Daulton Hatley. Both were just over 50% in completions and over 1,000 yards padding. Hatley racked up the most yards through the air with 1,651. He also tossed the most TDs for SE with 12. The passing attack was spread out evenly among a quartet of recievers with all four having at least 30 catches and 400 yards recieving. Braxton Kincade was the biggest threat in 2019 with 726 yards on 49 receptions, which also included a team-high six TDs. On the ground, the load was shared among three backs with Rashod Polk getting the lion's share with 111 carries. He would rush for over 600 yards and four TDs. 

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE 

Defensively, the Savage Storm base out of the 3-4 scheme and ranked around the middle of the GAC in 2019 in terms of total defense, allowing 376.7 yards per game. On the ground, the Savage Storm ranked fifth in the league giving up an average of 174.8 yards per game. Through the air, Southeastern had the 10th-ranked pass defense allowing 201.9 yards per game. Overall, that defensive unit came away with a league-low nine turnovers with three fumble recoveries and six interceptions. 

Individually, the Savage Storm had a pair of tacklers with at least 80 stops and were led by Conner Swope with 88. He also led the team in tackles for loss with 8.5. 

THE SERIES 

This will be the 21st meeting all-time between Tech and Southeastern in a series that dates back to 1957. Overall, the series is led by Tech 14-5-1. In games played in Russellville, that advantage is even greater with Tech leading 9-1-1