GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 0-2 (0-2 GAC)	OUACHITA TIGERS 2-0 (2-0 GAC)
Saturday, September 18 | 6 p.m. Cliff Harris Stadium | Arkadelphia, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF) | OUA NOTES

KICKING OFF 
A significant road test awaits the Arkansas Tech football team this coming Saturday as they look to do something a Great American Conference team has not been able to do since October 7, 2017 - and that's defeat Ouachita. 

Entering the Saturday evening tilt at Cliff Harris Stadium, Ouachita enters with an eye-popping 29-game conference winning streak. Unbeaten in regular season action since that aforementioned October 2017 date, the Tigers have been established as one of the top football programs in all of NCAA Division II over the last decade.

A perennial powerhouse, the Tigers are off to an unblemished 2-0 start and are a consensus Top 10-ranked team. In their season-opener, the Tigers were pushed to their limits by program on the rise, Oklahoma Baptist. Trailing by seven points early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers scored 14-straight points over the final 8:09 of the game to edge out the Bison. 

Ouachita's second of the year was no where near as dramatic as the Tigers took to the road for the first time in 2021 and dominated Southern Nazarene, 41-3.

TECH TIDBITS
OFFENSE 

» The Wonder Boys rank 11th in the GAC in total offense with an average of 263.5 ypg. Just over half of that total production has come on the ground as the Wonder Boys average 161.5 ypg rushing to rank sixth in the GAC. 

» Graduate transfer QB Jack Lindsey has been the Wonder Boys starter under center for their first two games. He has totaled 206 yards through the air and tossed a pair of TDs. Linsey has also added 75 yards rushing and is averaging 133.0 yards of total offense.

» Senior tailback Caleb Batie is the team's leading rusher with 107 net yards. Jordan Edington and Brandon Hunter have accounted for the two rushing scores.

» Redshirt freshman transfer Adam Cousins has the most receiving yards with 45. He also had one of the two team TD receptions, going for a 36-yard score.

DEFENSE 

» The Wonder Boys rank seventh in the GAC in scoring defense with an average of 25.5 ppg allowed. They also rank 11th in total defense allowing an average of 474.5 ypg.

» As as team, the Wonder Boys have come away with four turnovers with two INTs and two fumble recoveries. Jordan Furtch and Victor Hill account for the two picks while Tyrus Fort has both fumble recoveries.

SPECIAL TEAMS 

» Senior kicker Jesus Zizumbo is a perfect 3-of-3 on extra-point attempts and is 1-of-2 in field goal tries.

HEAD COACH KYLE SHIPP 

» Returning to his alma mater as its 17th head coach. 

» Previously spent time at Tech as a student-athlete, student coach, graduate assistant and wide receivers coach

» Currently 3-9 record as head coach at Tech.

ABOUT OUACHITA 
LAST GAME 

The Ouachita Tigers extended their Great American Conference winning streak to an impressive 29 games with a dominant 41-3 win on the road at Southern Nazarene. In that game, Ouachita got off to a slow start offensively, but found their footing in the second half, out-scoring SNU 28-0. A stellar defensive effort by the Tigers was also on display as they limited the Crimson Storm to just 35 total yards of offense and three points. They also allowed just five first downs and held SNU to 1-of-13 conversion on third down. 

THE COACH 

The Tigers are coached by the longest-tenured head coach in the GAC in Todd Knight as Knight enters into his 23rd season as head coach at Ouachita and his 29th overall. At Ouachita, Knight has amassed a 123- 96 record and since the formation of the GAC in 2011, Knight's Tigers have been a dominant force in the league sporting an impressive 74-18 record in league play. Having led the Tigers to four NCAA DII Playoff appearances, Knight is also a five-time GAC Coach of the Year as well as a three-time AFCA Region Three Coach of the Year. 

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE 

Offensively, the Tigers feature a multiple offensive attack. Through their first two games of year, Ouachita has the second-highest scoring average of 39.5 ppg and sports the seventh-best total offense with an average of 387.5 ypg. A vast majority of their offensive production has come on the ground as the Tigers currently have a rushing attack that averages 303.0 ypg and is tied for the GAC lead in rushing TDs with eight. 

The leading rusher thus far has been TJ Cole with 258 yards gained. He has also scored twice. Finding paydirt six times already, Kendel Givens is second on the team in rushing with 188 net yards. 

Under center, the Tigers have sophomore Grant Allen. Through two games, Allen has attempted only 24 passes and has thrown for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE 

Defensively, the Tigers base out of the 4-3 scheme and currently rank third in scoring defense allowing just 17.0 ppg. Their total defense is the top unit in the GAC as they are currently only allowing 258.0 ypg of total offense by their opponents. The Tigers also have one of the stingiest conversion defenses ranking second in opponent thrid down conversion percentage (23.1% - 6-of-24). 

Collectively, the Tigers have forced three turnovers with a pair of interceptions and one fumble recovery. 

Individually, the Tigers have a pair of tacklers with double-digit stops and are led by Terrell Gibson with 11. Gibson is also tied for the team-lead in tackles for loss with 2.0. Dawson Miller is next in tackles with 10. 

THE SERIES 

This will be the 85th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Ouachita in a series that dates back to 1924. This will also be the 40th game played between the two in Arkadelphia. Overall, Tech holds a 44-37-7 advantage in the all-time series and has a 21-16-2 lead in games played in Arkadelphia. Since transitioning to NCAA Division II, the Wonder Boys and Tigers have met 19 times previously and in that time, Tech leads 11-8-0.