RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The positive momentum of the Arkansas Tech football team continued in front of a great Homecoming crowd at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the Wonder Boys emerged victorious in a defense battle with Southeastern Oklahoma State, 14-7.
The win gives the Wonder Boys their fifth win in the last six games and matches their win total from a season ago. It also keeps Tech in position to secure a winning season with one final game left on the schedule.
In picking up their fifth win of the season, the Wonder Boys were lifted by a spirited defensive effort the entire night. The tone and style of the game showed up in the very first drive of the game.
After winning the coin toss and deferring the option to the second half, the Wonder Boys' defense faced its first big test right away. On the ensuing kickoff, the Savage Storm returner initially muffed the return at the goal line, but recovered quickly and then ripped off a 57-yard return that set Southeastern up with football in Tech territory right away.
Working with a short field, the Savage Storm got the ball down inside the Tech 5-yardline and could get a first down without scoring. After failing to convert on third-and-short, the Savage Storm elected to go for it on fourth down, but a great pass breakup by
Kylan Crite in the endzone turned the ball over on downs.
Starting their initial drive deep in their own territory, the Wonder Boys eventually pulled out from the shadow of their goal line and worked the ball to the Southeastern side of the field before the drive stalled.
The two teams then traded punts before the Wonder Boys came away with the game's first takeaway. On 3
rd-and-6 from the SE 14-yardline, Tech's
CJ Palmer picked off SE's Weston Conaway at the SE 35-yardline and returned the ball 12 yards to the SE 23-yardline.
The Wonder Boys then closed out the first quarter with the ball as the ensuing possession leaked across to the second quarter. Not long into the new period, the Wonder Boys punched in the scoring opportunity as quarterback
Taye Gatewood rushed up the middle from three yards out.
On Southeastern's ensuing drive, the Wonder Boys' defense would once more be tested deep in their own territory and proved to be up to the task.
With Southeastern having 1
st-and-goal from the Tech 10-yardline, the Wonder Boys were later faced with a 4
th-and-2 from the 2-yardline. Once more, Southeastern elected to go for it, but
Trey White was there initially to stuff the lane and held the Savage Storm running back to a 1-yard gain, turning them over on downs from inside the Tech 5-yardline for the second time.
Barely out of their own endzone, the Wonder Boys would go 3-and-out, but weren't too far out in field position thanks to a 50-yard boot of a punt by
Aaron Winn. Southeastern this time would take advantage of the plus field position and ran the ball six-straight times before finding the endzone and knotting the score at 7-all.
Looking to go up heading into the locker room, the Wonder Boys got the ball back with 4:08 left in the second quarter. Tech was able to get the ball into Southeastern territory, but an interception with 51 seconds left stopped the drive in its tracks.
Now it was Southeastern that had designs of getting the go-ahead score before halftime. Nothing would come from that drive, however, as time expired on the first half, sending the game to the break tied at 7-all.
Coming out of the break, the Wonder Boys were first to get the ball and proceeded to put together a solid drive that got them into the redzone on nine plays where it was 1
st-and-10 from the SE 18-yardline. On the very next play, the Wonder Boys' quarterback
Taye Gatewood would get dinged up on a rush and left the game.
Pressed into action, backup quarterback
Hunter Loyd came in and on his first play and pass, connected with tight end
Dayton Keller for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give Tech a 14-7 lead.
In all, that drive went 11 plays and ate up 4:39 minutes of clock.
The defense continued to be stout on Southeastern's initial drive of the second half as the Wonder Boys forced a 3-and-out.
Back with the ball, the Wonder Boys began to manage the clock to their advantage and on 13 plays had the ball down to the Southeastern 23-yardline. The drive stalled there, however, setting up a field goal attempt from 41 yards. The kick attempt was no good and the score remained 14-7 in favor of Tech.
Southeastern's ensuing possession bridged the third and fourth quarters and once more ended on downs. This time, the Savage Storm were not knocking on the doorsteps of the Tech endzone, but were at the Tech 31-yardline. Facing 4
th-and-5 from the ATU 31, Crite came up with another big pass breakup to turn the ball over on downs.
The Wonder Boys, unfortunately, returned the favor soon thereafter as they were out of field goal range and faced a 4
th-and-6 from the SE 33-yardline. The Tech turnover on downs did not last long in the way of momentum for Southeastern, however, as the Wonder Boys picked off their second pass of the game, this time by
Nichalon Smith.
With the clock now at 7:43 showing in the fourth quarter, the Wonder Boys were hoping for a successful drive to put more of a cushion between them and the Savage Storm, but they would once more turn the ball over on downs as they went for it on fourth down after being out of field goal range.
Now with just 5:14 on the clock, the Wonder Boys' defense forced a monster 3-and-out, but did so on their ensuing possession to keep the Southeastern with a chance.
Possessing the ball with 2:52 to play, Southeastern was battling the score, the clock and the Wonder Boys' defense.
Having risen to the occasion time and time again in the game, the Wonder Boys came up with one final stand and forced the Savage Storm to play the long odds and punt the ball away with only 1:45 left on the game clock and two timeouts at their disposal.
Now it was time for the Wonder Boys' offense to put the game away.
After a one-yard run by
Deuce Wise and a six-yard reception by
Caleb Tanis made Southeastern burn both of their remaining timeouts, the Wonder Boys were left with 3
rd-and-3 from their own 25-yardline and 1:33 on the clock.
Converting third downs up to that point had not been very easy as Tech was 5-of-13, but they converted when they absolutely needed to thanks to a five-yard rush by Wise. With no chance to stop the clock by Southeastern, the Wonder Boys went into victory formation and kneeled down twice before the game officially came to an end.
The Wonder Boys will remain at home for the final game of the 2023 season and will have at tall task in front of them as they are set to play top-five nationally-ranked and unbeaten, Harding. Kick-off for the game is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium.
30 minutes prior to kickoff, there will be a Senior Day ceremony for the outgoing seniors on this year's team.
