GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 2-4 (2-4 GAC)		SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS 2-4 (2-4 GAC)
Saturday, October 17 | 6 p.m. Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF)

KICKING OFF
The Arkansas Tech football team is back at home for a second-straight week and is looking to get back in the win column. The Wonder Boys enter the game 2-4 overall and have dropped their last four games. SAU enters 2-4 as well and are coming off a loss their last time out on the road at Southwestern Oklahoma.
 
THE SERIES      
This will be the 89th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas in a series that dates back to 1916. Playing almost annually as conference opponents in the AIC and GSC, Tech and SAU also became charter members of the GAC in 2011. In that time span, SAU leads the series 11-3. Dating back to when both schools made the jump to NCAA DII in 1995, SAU holds a 17-11 lead.
 
Overall, Tech leads the series 46-38-4 and 25-14-3 in games played in Russellville.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
LAST GAME
The Wonder Boys nearly pulled off a comeback for the ages against East Central as they fought back from an 18-point deficit at halftime to take a 56-55 lead with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, ECU was able to get into field goal range and kick the go-ahead field goal with 10 seconds left. Tech still had a chance at a win and had a 54-yard field goal try as time expired, but it missed left.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Through six games, the Wonder Boys are averaging 28.3 points per game and 394.0 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks fifth in the GAC, while their total offense is fifth through week three. Through the air, Tech is averaging 223.7 ypg and ranks fifth in the GAC. On the ground, the Wonder Boys average 170.3 ypg and ranks ninth.
 
Carter Hensley, Dominic Feliciano, Quentin Murphy and Lathan Boone have all taken snaps at QB for the Wonder Boys, but Hensley has been the starter and has thrown all but seven of Tech's passes. He has thrown for 1,318 yards on 98-of-146 passing with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
 
On the ground, the Wonder Boys have had 14 different ball carriers. Tracy Daniels currently leads the team in yards and carries with 353 yards on 62 attempts. Daniels is also leads the team in rushing scores with six. Renaldrick Myles and Dominic Feliciano are next with two rushing TDs. Myles West, Kollin Robinson, Jamarcus Sandidge, Quinten Murphy and Hensley each have one rushing touchdown.
 
In terms of receiving, Tech has 14 players with at least one reception. JD Decausmaker currently leads the team in yards and receptions with 391 yards on 27 catches. He leads the team in receiving TDs with two. Isiah Kendall, Omyry Hickson, Jamarcus Sandidge, Scout Brazeal and John Townsend are next in receiving touchdowns with one apiece.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively the Wonder Boys are allowing 449.8 yards of total offense and 34.3 points per game through six weeks of the season. Their total defense ranks eighth in the GAC, while their scoring defense is ninth.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys had 16 players record at least 10 tackles and 10 with 15 or more.
 
Linebacker Kolbey Ballowe leads the team in tackles with 40 (16 assisted, 24 solo). Brandon Wheeler, Bennett Roberts and Julien Lopez are tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 2.5. Wheeler also leads the team in sacks with 2.0.
 
As a team, the Wonder Boys' defense has forced four turnovers with all four being interceptions. Sean Berry, Julien Lopez, Jackson Jennings and Anton Pierce had the picks.
 
COACH THOMPSON
Roy Thompson enters his second season as head football coach at Arkansas Tech after spending the previous nine at GAC-rival Ouachita Baptist as the Tigers' defensive coordinator.
 
In his first year at Tech, Thompson led the Wonder Boys to their first winning season since 2017, going 7-4 in the regular season. That breakout year also saw the Wonder Boys make postseason play for the first time since 2017 as they received an invitation to play in the Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot against West Texas A&M.
 
Shortly after being named as the new head coach at Arkansas Tech, Thompson was lauded by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as the 2024 Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year for his efforts that season while at Great American Conference rival, Ouachita Baptist.
 
On the coaching staff a total of 12 years at Ouachita, Thompson spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons as the co-Defensive Coordinator before taking over the reins fully starting with the 2018 season. 
 
Over that seven-year stretch (2020 was not played due to COVID-19), Ouachita has had three seasons in which its points allowed per game were under 20.0, ranking it in the top-10 nationally in DII. The other three seasons, the highest points allowed in a season was 20.7 points per game. Over that same stretch, Thompson's defensive unit allowed under 320.0 yards per game four times, ranking in the top-35 nationally.
 
Thompson's time at Ouachita also yielded a ton of championship hardware as well as NCAA postseason experience. Out of the eight seasons played with Thompson on staff, Ouachita won the GAC championship five times and reached the NCAA playoffs each of those seasons as well, with the most recent being in 2024. Of those five conference titles, three saw the Tigers go unbeaten in the regular season.
 

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KNOW YO FOE
LAST GAME     
SAU is coming off a 28-18 loss on the road at Southwestern Oklahoma last week. The Muleriders led that game 10-7 going into the fourth quarter, but were unable to stop a furious 21-0 surge by the Bulldogs midway through in the fourth quarter as SWOSU took a lead and put the game away during a five-minute stretch of play.
 
THE COACH     
The Muleriders are coached by Brad Smiley, who is in his fifth year overall as the head coach. In his time at SAU, Smiley is 34-17.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE          
Offensively through six games, the Muleriders have the 11th-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 20.5 ppg and the 11th-ranked total offense with an average of 319.2 yards per game. Through the air, the Muleriders have passed for an average of 134.8 ypg to rank 10th in the GAC. On the ground, SAU is averaging 184.3 ypg to rank sixth.
 
The leading rusher thus far is Arkez Gomez with 389 yards gained on 52 carries. Gomez is also leading the team in rushing touchdowns with five. Behind Gomez in yards and carries is Torey Lambert, who has 250 yards on 51 carries.
 
In the passing game, the Muleriders have split time between Adam Parker and Drew Davis. Parker started the first four games of the season and threw for 407 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions on 44-of-80 passing. Davis has played in five total games and started the last two games. Overall, he has thrown for 336 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions on 39-of-69 passing.
 
The Muleriders have five receivers with at least 10 catches and four of those have at least 100 yards receiving. The leading receiver is Kolby Thomas with 148 yards on 12 receptions. Thomas also leads the team in receiving TDs with two.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE          
Defensively, the Muleriders rank sixth in scoring defense at 31.0 ppg while their total defense ranks seventh in the GAC allowing 415.0 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, SAU ranks fifth in the GAC at 166.0 average ypg allowed. On the ground, the Muleriders allow an average of 248.3 ypg and rank 10th in the GAC.
 
Individually, SAU has 13 players record 10 or more tackles and nine with 20 or more stops. They are led Peyton Sellers with 67.0. Walteze Champ leads the team in tackles for lost yardage at 5.0 and sacks with 4.0.
 
The Muleriders' defense has forced six turnovers through six games with five interceptions and one fumble recovery. Carter Wells and David Johnson lead the team in interceptions with two apiece, while James Ladner has the team's fumble recovery.