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KICKING OFF
With their five scheduled home games all complete for the 2022 season, the Arkansas Tech football team will now attempt to turn into road warriors over the final two weeks with road games at Northwestern Oklahoma and at Harding remaining on the slate.
Thus far, the Wonder Boys have one win on the road, a dominant 34-13 victory over Oklahoma Baptist back on October 8.
Not only will the Wonder Boys be looking to add to their road win total for the year, but they will also be playing to improve upon their win total from a year ago and continue the upward trajectory of the program.
Since taking over at his alma mater in 2019, head coach Kyle Shipp has been steadily improving the program in all aspects. That first year, Shipp and the Wonder Boys went 3-8. After having the 2020 wiped out due to COVID, the Wonder Boys came back in 2021 and won four games to finish 4-7.
With four wins in hand and two games left to play, the Wonder Boys still have the possibility of posting a winning record, their first since 2017.
TECH TIDBITS
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Wonder Boys are averaging 28.1 points per game and 398.1 yards of total offense per game. Their ppg average ranks 10th in the GAC, while their total offense is currently ninth.
Redshirt senior Jack Grissom has become the Wonder Boys starting QB and has made the last five starts. Appearing in seven games total, Grissom has thrown for 1,141 yards on 97-of-149 passing and has four touchdowns.
On the ground, the leading rusher so far has been Devontae Dean. Dean has 727 yards rushing on 107 carries and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry. As a team, the Wonder Boys have 21 rushing touchdowns. Deon Simmons and Jordan Edington lead the team in that category with five apeice.
In terms of receiving, Tech is led by Joyrion Chase with 35 receptions for 439 yards and three 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 453.8 yards of total offense per game by their opponents and 33.9 points per game. The total defense ranks ninth in the GAC, while the scoring defense is eighth.
In terms of takeaways, the Wonder Boys have forced 11 turnovers with six interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
Individually, Matthew Minnix, Tyrus Fort and Christian Cole have over 40 tackles each. Fort has 64 stops to lead the team, while Minnix and Cole have 57 and 49, 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 is now the all-time leader in field goals made as pushed past Piotr Styczen (1993-96) on the all-time list following a three FG game against Southwestern Oklahoma. Earlier this year, Zizumbo tied a single-game record for longest field goal as he buried a 52-yard try against Southeastern Oklahoma.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
LAST GAME
The Northwestern Oklahoma Rangers have lost their last three games and most-recently suffered a 28-7 setback against Harding on the road. In the game, the Bisons scored a touchdown in each quarter and ran for 351 yards. The Rangers' offense was held in check by Harding as NWOSU gained just 286 yards of total offense.
THE COACH
The Rangers are coached by Matt Walter, who is in his eighth year as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma. In his time as head coach, Walter has amassed a 23-52 overall record. His most wins in a season came in 2017 when he guided the Rangers to a 5-6 record.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Rangers feature a pro-style offensive attack. Through 10 games this year, NWOSU has the 12th-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 16.9 ppg and the 12th-ranked total offense with an average of 323.6 ypg. Through the air, the Rangers are averaging 194.0 ypg to rank eighth in the GAC. On the ground, NWOSU is averaging 129.6 ypg to rank 11th in the GAC.
The leading rusher thus far has been quarterback Tanner Clarkson with 325 yards gained. Darian Gill is second in rushing yards with 301 and leads the team with three rushing TDs.
In the passing game, the Rangers have used three different quarterbacks. Their initial starter Tanner Clarkson started the first six games, and threw for 1,141 yards and seven touchdowns before getting injured. Dakota Michaels started the next two games and has totaled 398 yards and three touchdowns. In their most-recent game, NWOSU started wide receiver Ethan Everson under center. In his start, he threw for 198 yards on 22-of-43 passing.
The leading receiver for NWOSU is Torrence Stevens with 555 yards on 51 receptions. He is tied for the team lead in TD receptions with four with Travis Romar.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Rangers base out of the 4-3 scheme and currently rank 12th in scoring defense, allowing 38.3 ppg. Their total defense ranks seventh in the GAC allowing 436.6 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, NWOSU ranks first in the GAC with 165.6 ypg. On the ground, the Rangers allow an average of 271.0 ypg and rank 12th in the GAC.
Individually, Northwestern Oklahoma has two players with 40 or more and are led in stops by Alejandro Aaron with 65. Chima Ozz leads the team in tackles for loss with 9.0. The Rangers defense has forced nine turnovers with three INTs and six fumble recoveries. The interceptions are split among three different players.
THE SERIES
This will be the 18th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Northwestern Oklahoma in a series that dates back to 1956. After that initial meeting in Russellville, the two NAIA schools didn't play until 1987, and then played eight-straight years until Tech moved to the NCAA. In 2012, NWOSU joined Tech in the GAC and became conference opponents. In that time span, Tech leads the series 7-1 Overall, Tech leads the series 13-4.
