GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 3-5 (3-5 GAC)		SOUTHERN NAZARENE CRIMSON STORM 2-5 (2-5 GAC)
Saturday, October 31 | 2 p.m. SNU Football Stadium | Bethany, Okla. LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF)

KICKING OFF
The Arkansas Tech football team is back on the road for a second-straight week and will be at Southern Nazarene this Saturday. The Wonder Boys enter the game 3-5 overall and 3-5 in the GAC while the Crimson Storm enter the game 2-5 overall and 2-5 in the GAC. Kick-off for the game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
THE SERIES      
This will be the 13th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene in a series that began in 2013 when SNU joined the Great American Conference. Overall, Tech holds a 10-2 advantage. The Wonder Boys started off winning the first six games in the series before the Crimson Storm won their first game of the series in 2019. In games played in Bethany, the Wonder Boys lead the series 5-1.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
LAST GAME
The Wonder Boys nearly pulled of an upset on the road at nationally-ranked Henderson State last week. After falling being 14-0 through the first quarter of play, the Wonder Boys took a 27-21 lead with 5:08 left in the third quarter. Henderson was able to score a touchdown on their next drive and were successful on the extra-point attempt to go up by one, 28-27.
 
The entire fourth quarter would go scoreless, but the Wonder Boys were lined up for a potential game-winning field goal from 29 yards out with seven seconds left, but the try was blocked by Henderson, allowing the Reddies to escape with the win.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Through eight games, the Wonder Boys are averaging 29.3 points per game and 394.1 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks fifth in the GAC, while their total offense is sixth through week eight. Through the air, Tech is averaging 204.1 ypg and ranks sixth in the GAC. On the ground, the Wonder Boys average 190.0 ypg and ranks sixth.
 
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 nine of Tech's passes. He has thrown for 1,590 yards on 126-of-189 passing with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
 
On the ground, the Wonder Boys have had 14 different ball carriers. Tracy Daniels currently leads the team in yards and carries with 551 yards on 89 attempts. Daniels also leads the team in rushing scores with eight. Renaldrick Myles, Dominic Feliciano and Hensley are next with two rushing TDs. Myles West, Kollin Robinson, Jamarcus Sandidge, and Quinten Murphy each have one rushing touchdown.
 
In terms of receiving, Tech has 17 players with at least one reception. JD Decausmaker currently leads the team in yards and receptions with 487 yards on 35 catches. He also leads the team in receiving TDs with three. Jamarcus Sandidge is next with two while Isiah Kendall, Omyry Hickson, Scout Brazeal and John Townsend are next in receiving touchdowns with one apiece.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively the Wonder Boys are allowing 441.5 yards of total offense and 32.6 points per game through eight weeks of the season. Their total defense ranks ninth in the GAC, while their scoring defense is seventh.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys had seven players record at least 20 tackles and three with 45 or more.
 
Linebacker Kolbey Ballowe leads the team in tackles with 60 (28 assisted, 32 solo). Julien Lopez leads the team in tackles for loss with 5.0. Brandon Wheeler leads the team in sacks with 2.0.
 
As a team, the Wonder Boys' defense has forced eight turnovers with seven being interceptions and one being a fumble recovery. Sean Berry and Julien Lopez are tied for the team-lead in interceptions with two. Jackson Jennings, Kylan Crite and Anton Pierce have the other three picks. Berry is also responsible for the lone fumble recovery.
 
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     
Southern Nazarene is coming off an emotional victory their last time out as they beat Northwestern Oklahoma at home, 60-37. The game was the first since the program tragically lost one of their players, Tyler Ulrich, after he sustained an injury in their game at Ouachita Baptist on October 10. The Crimson Storm did not play their most-recent scheduled game at Southwestern Oklahoma in response to the passing of Ulrich.
 
THE COACH     
The Crimson Storm are coached by Dustin Hada, who is in his seventh year as the head coach at SNU after taking over as head coach in 2020. Hada is no stranger to SNU, however, spending the previous four seasons as SNU's Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line coach. His record as head coach at SNU is 19-47.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE          
Offensively through eight games, the Crimson Storm have the seventh-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 25.7 ppg and the fifth-ranked total offense with an average of 397.3 yards per game. Through the air, the Crimson Storm have passed for an average of 82.3 ypg to rank 11th in the GAC. On the ground, SNU is averaging 315.0 ypg to rank second.
 
The leading rusher thus far is quarterback Maddox Olatunde with 832 yards gained on 111 carries. He also leads the team in touchdowns with 10. Kaden Manuel has the most yards gained by a tailback with 361 and in is second on the team in touchdowns with six.
 
In the passing game, the Crimson Storm have split time between Jaxon Worley and Olatunde. Both have played in all seven games thus far. Worley has thrown one more pass than Olatunde with 52. He has completed 26 of those for 299 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Olatunde is 25-for-51 for 277 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.
 
The Crimson Storm have had 12 different receivers with Karomo Collins and Jaylen Chelf being tied for the lead in receptions with eight. Both also have at least 100 yards receiving with Collins leading with 113. He is also tied for the team-lead in touchdowns with Cotton Tanner at one.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE          
Defensively, the Crimson Storm rank 10th in scoring defense at 39.1 ppg while their total defense ranks 10th in the GAC allowing 453.6 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, SNU ranks 11th in the GAC at 235.4 average ypg allowed. On the ground, the Crimson Storm allow an average of 218.1 ypg and rank eighth in the GAC.
 
Individually, HSU has seven players record 20 or more tackles and four with 35 or more stops. They are led Wyatt Brown and Matt Stuckey with 63.0. Brown is also tied for the team-lead in tackles for lost yardage at 4.0. Drake Kilman leads the team in sacks with 2.0.
 
The Crimson Storm's defense has forced seven turnovers through eight games with five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Five different players have accounted for the team's interceptions, while Noah Baxter leads the team in fumble recoveries with two.