RUSSELVILLE, Ark. – The first step of the process in the ascension of the Arkansas Tech football program has been achieved by first-year head coach
Roy Thompson as the Wonder Boys have secured a winning season thanks to a 42-17 win against Southern Nazarene at home on Saturday afternoon.
The win was the sixth of the season for Tech and assures the Wonder Boys of a winning percentage of .500 for the first time since 2017. That year, the Wonder Boys went 8-3 in the regular season and made an appearance in that year's Agent Barry Live United Bowl in Texarkana.
This achievement has been several years in the making as the Wonder Boys finished 5-6 each of the last three seasons (2022, 2023 & 2024).
In the game against Southern Nazarene, the Wonder Boys racked up a season-high 542 yards of total offense and did so with a balanced attack. Tech would throw for 272 yards and ran for 270 net yards. Both of those were also season-highs in their respective categories.
A majority of that total offense and rushing yards came from true freshman running back
Bryson Roland. He would carry the ball 19 times for 207 yards with two touchdowns.
Carter Hensley got most of the work at quarterback and was 15-of-19 for 192 yards with one passing touchdown. That score was a 46-yard connection with
Carldell Sirmons.
Jack Dawson also got some time on the field for the first time in two games and threw for 80 yards on 6-of-7 passing. He also had a passing TD, a seven-yard hookup with
Scout Brazeal in the later stages of the fourth quarter.
The first 28 points of Tech's 42 in the game came in the first quarter. In that opening period, Tech had the big pass TD from Hensley to Sirmons, a 57-yard TD run by Roland, a 30-yard interception return for a TD by
Jyrin Steward and a 28-yard run by Roland.
The Wonder Boys would score their remaining two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarter respectively. The second quarter score was a 14-yard pass from Hensley to
Myles West, while the fourth quarter score was the aforementioned Brazeal catch.
All 17 of SNU's points came in the first quarter as they were shutout the rest of the game.
The Wonder Boys will now prepare to hit the road in search of win No. 7 against Oklahoma Baptist. Kick-off for the game in Shawnee is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 8.
