KICKING OFF
Fresh off an impressive 44-21 win at home against Northwestern Oklahoma, the Arkansas Tech football team is on the road in search of a second-straight victory this weekend. This road trip takes the Wonder Boys to Weatherford, Oklahoma where they will take on Southwestern Oklahoma.
Even though the calendar has flipped to October where the kickoff times generally shift to the early afternoon, this Saturday's game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff time as SWOSU will be celebrating Homecoming.
In recent history, this particular matchup has been as closely-contested as you get with the last three games being decided by a total of three points. That's right, each of the last three games between Tech and SWOSU have been one-point margins with Tech emerging victorious in each.
The first of these most-recent razor-thin games came in 2019 in Weatherford when Tech beat SWOSU 36-35. In that game Tech overcame a 15-point second half deficit with the go-ahead points coming on a 28-yard field goal by Jesus Zizumbo with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter.
The next two games were also decided by the record-setting right leg of Zizumbo as he kicked the game-winning field goal with just eight seconds left in the 2021 game and with time expiring in 2022.
TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively after five games, the Wonder Boys are averaging 24.6 points per game and 330.6 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks seventh in the GAC, while their total offense ranks seventh.
Taye Gatewood has assumed the starting quarterback role for the Wonders Boys with starts in each of the last four games. Thus far, he has thrown for 1,066 yards on 87-of-129 passing with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
On the ground, the Wonder Boys have had 12 different ball carriers through five games. Deuce Wise has had the most carries by a running back with 48 and the most yards with 203. From the QB position, Gatewood is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with Jordan Edington at two. Corbin Humphrey accounts for the other rushing score.
In terms of receiving, Tech has had pass completions to 14 different targets. Caleb Tanis leads the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns with 26 catches, 351 yards and four TDs. Matthew Rivera is the next-leading receiver with 249 yards receiving on 20 receptions. He is also tied for second on the team in receiving TDs with Joyrion Chase at two.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively through five games, the Wonder Boys are allowing an average of 460.8 yards of total offense per game by their opponents and 31.6 points per game. The total defense ranks 11th in the GAC, while their scoring defense is ninth.
Individually, Tech has four players that have registered 25 or more tackles. The leading tackler thus far is Jyrin Steward and his 37 stops. Vershaud Richardson lead the team in tackles for loss with 8.0 and sacks with 5.0. Richardson also leads the team in forced fumbles with two.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The new-look kicking game for the Wonder Boys has Austin Hosier handling the placekicking duties. He is 15-of-16 in extra point attempts and 4-of-4 in field goal attempts.
In the punting game, Tech has used a pair of punters but are expected to rely on veteran returner Aaron Winn when healthy. He is currently averaging 46.3 yards per punt and has a long of 63 yards.
In the return game, the Wonder Boys are second in the GAC in kickoff returns and are averaging 29.3 yards per return. They already have three returns of at least 50 yards this season, all done by different players with Mason Ross, Hunter Wilkinson and Ryan Wilkerson having the big returns.
ABOUT SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
LAST GAME
The Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs come into Saturday's game at 0-5 overall and are coming off their second game against a top-10 opponent as they played No. 10-ranked Harding on the road. SWOSU would struggle mightily on both sided of the ball against the Bison. They were shutout with just 79 yards of total offense while allowing 64 points and 587 yards of total offense.
THE COACH
The Bulldogs are coached by Ruzell McCoy, who is in his first year as the interim head coach at Southwestern Oklahoma. A 2009 alum of SWOSU, McCoy has been on staff at his alma mater since 2019 serving as defensive line coach and defensive coordinator before taking over on an interim basis earlier this summer.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Bulldogs feature a multiple offensive attack. Through five games this year, SWOSU has the 12th-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 11.0 ppg and the 12th-ranked total offense with an average of 170.8 ypg. Through the air, the Bulldogs are averaging 94.2 ypg to rank 11th in the GAC. On the ground, SWOSU is averaging 76.6 ypg to rank 12th in the GAC.
The leading rusher thus far has been Ethan Hyche with 290 yards gained. He also has four of the team's five rushing touchdowns.
In the passing game, the Bulldogs have split time between Scott Pfeiffer and Calvin Cloud. Cloud has played in all five games and thrown for 187 yards on 16-of-45 passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
The leading receiver for SWOSU is Taylor Tosches with 183 yards on 10 receptions. Toches also has the one receiving touchdown on the team.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Bulldogs base out of the 4-2-5 scheme and currently rank 11th in scoring defense, allowing 45.0 ppg. Their total defense ranks 10th in the GAC allowing 460.2 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, SWOSU ranks 10th in the GAC with 221.6 ypg. On the ground, the Bulldogs allow an average of 238.6 ypg and rank 10th in the GAC.
Individually, Southwestern Oklahoma has four players with 25 or more stops. Logan Monroe leads the team in tackles with 48. He is also tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with Richard Silva at 5.0. RJ Powell leads the team in sacks with 3.5. Three different players have accounted for the team's three interceptions. The same is true for their three fumble recoveries.
THE SERIES
This will be the 19th 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, Tech leads the series by a small margin, 6-5. Overall, Tech also holds a slight lead in the series, 10-8.
