Â
KICKING OFF
One final home game is left on the Wonder Boys' 2022 schedule as they are set to play host to Southwestern Oklahoma this Saturday afternoon starting at 2 p.m.
About 35 minutes prior to kick-off, the Wonder Boys will be honoring the 21Â seniors on this year's team with a special Senior Day ceremony taking place on the field.
Not only will the Wonder Boys be looking to send their seniors out from Thone Stadium on a high note, they will also be looking to match their win total from a year ago and position themselves for improvement in that category with two games remaining on the schedule.
The Wonder Boys' opponent, Southwestern Oklahoma, is a markedly improved team from a year ago as the Bulldogs went 0-11. Under first-year head coach Josh Kirkland, the Bulldogs have improved in all facets, but enter the game at Tech 1-3 in road games this season
TECH TIDBITS
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Wonder Boys are averaging 28.9 points per game and 385.5 yards of total offense per game. Their ppg average ranks ninth in the GAC, while their total offense is currently 10th.
Redshirt senior Jack Grissom has become the Wonder Boys starting QB and has made the last four starts. Appearing in six games total, Grissom has thrown for 889 yards on 75-of-116 passing.
On the ground, the leading rusher so far has been Devontae Dean. Dean has 645 yards rushing on 89 carries and is averaging 7.2 yards per carry. As a team, the Wonder Boys have 20 rushing touchdowns. Deon Simmons and Jordan Edington lead the team in that category with five apiece.
In terms of receiving, Tech is led by Joyrion Chase with 26 receptions for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Six other receivers have caught touchdown passes this season with Mason Ross, Matthew Rivera, Travis Tobey, Adam Cousins, Edington and Keon Simmons accounting for the other scores.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Wonder Boys have allowed an average of 467.9 yards of total offense per game by their opponents and 35.5 points per game. The total defense ranks 10th in the GAC, while the scoring defense is eighth.
In terms of takeaways, the Wonder Boys have forced 10 turnovers with five interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
Individually, Matthew Minnix, Tyrus Fort and Christian Cole have over 40 tackles each. Fort has 55 stops to lead the team, while Minnix and Cole have 49 and 45, respectively. Victor Hill is the team-leader in tackles for lost yardage (8.0) and sacks (5.5). Jordan Furtch is responsible for three of the team's five INTs.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior kicker Jesus Zizumbo has 37 made field goals in his career and is two away from tying the record held by Piotr Styczen (1993-96). Earlier this year, Zizumbo tied a single-game record for longest field goal as he buried a 52-yard try against Southeastern Oklahoma.
ABOUT SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
LAST GAME
The Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs come into Saturday's game at 3-5 overall and have dropped their last three games. In their most-recent game, the Bulldogs lost to East Central on the road, 42-28. After being tied at 14-all midway through the second quarter, SWOSU surrendered 28-straight points to ECU as the Tigers pulled away.
THE COACH
The Bulldogs are coached by Josh Kirkland, who is in his first year as the head coach at Southwestern Oklahoma. Kirkland arrived in Weatherford following a two-year stint as head coach at New Mexico Highlands. Despite being there for two years, his first year of full competition was in 2021 as the 2020 season was suspended due to COVID-19. Prior to that, Kirkland spent three years as the assistant head coach at the University of the Incarnate Word.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Bulldogs feature a spread offensive attack. Through eight games this year, SWOSU has the fifth-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 31.3 ppg and the seventh-ranked total offense with an average of 411.1 ypg. Through the air, the Bulldogs are averaging 253.8 ypg to rank second in the GAC. On the ground, SWOSU is averaging 139.0 ypg to rank 10th in the GAC.
The leading rusher thus far has been Gerald Palmer with 437 yards gained. He is also one of four Bulldogs to be tied for the team-lead in rushing TDs with three.
In the passing game, the Bulldogs are led by Tylan Morton. Thus far, Morton has thrown for 2,030 yards and 18 touchdowns. His passing yards and touchdowns are second in the GAC.
The leading receiver for SWOSU is Deshon Moreaux with 562 yards and five touchdowns on 37 receptions. Isreal Watson is not far off that pace with 528 yards and five touchdowns on 55 receptions.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Bulldogs base out of the 4-3 scheme and currently rank 10th in scoring defense, allowing 39.5 ppg. Their total defense ranks 11th in the GAC allowing 473.1 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, SWOSU ranks ninth in the GAC with 215.9 ypg. On the ground, the Bulldogs allow an average of 257.3 ypg and rank 10th in the GAC.
Individually, Southwestern Oklahoma has five players with 40 or more stops. Keldric Martin leads the team in tackles with 69. Christian Toeleiu leads the team in tackles for loss with 7.5 and Rece Wilhelm leads the team in sacks with 4.5. Ashton Hamby and Derrius Franklin are tied for the team-lead in interceptions with two.
THE SERIES
This will be the 18th 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, the series is tied 5-5. Overall, Tech holds a slight lead in the series, 9-8
