GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 2-0 (2-0 GAC)		OUACHITA BAPTIST TIGERS 1-1 (1-1 GAC)
Saturday, September 19 | 7 p.m. Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF) | OUA NOTES (PDF)

KICKING OFF
A second-straight edge-of-your-seat ending to start the 2026 season saw the Arkansas Tech football team's defense make a final stand in the endzone to give the Wonder Boys a hard-fought victory. The win moves the Wonder Boys to 2-0 for a third-straight year.
 
THE SERIES      
This will be the 90th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Ouachita in a series that dates to 1924. This will also be the 42nd game played between the two in Russellville. Overall, Tech holds a 45-37-7 advantage in the all-time series and has a 21-16-4 lead in games played in Russellville. Since transitioning to NCAA Division II, the Wonder Boys and Tigers have met 24 times previously and, in that time, the series is tied 12-12.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
LAST GAME
The first road game of the year for the Wonder Boys proved to be a tougher test than anticipated, but ultimately Tech came away with a 34-29 win at Northwestern Oklahoma. The Wonder Boys would have their best offensive showing of the young season with nearly 500 yards of total offense. Over 300 of those yards came on the ground as Tech ran for 333 yards on 51 carries.
 
After trailing by a point at the end of the first quarter, the Wonder Boys would score 13 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 20-8 lead into halftime. Tech and NWOSU would trade touchdowns in the second half to keep it a close game.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Through two games, the Wonder Boys are averaging 30.0 points per game and 394.5 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks fourth in the GAC, while their total offense is also fourth through week two. Through the air, Tech is averaging 165.5 ypg and ranks seventh in the GAC. On the ground, the Wonder Boys average 229.0 ypg and ranks fifth.
 
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 the only one to throw a pass. He has thrown for 331 yards on 27-of-33 passing with two touchdowns and an interception.
 
On the ground, the Wonder Boys have had nine different ball carriers. Tracy Daniels currently leads the team in yards and carries with 142 yards on 26 attempts. Daniels also leads the team in rushing scores with two. Renaldrick Myles, Dominic Feliciano, Quentin Murphy and Hensley each have one rushing touchdown.
 
In terms of receiving, Tech has 11 players with at least one reception. JD Decausmaker currently leads the team in yards and receptions with 75 yards on five catches. Isiah Kendall and Jamarcus Sandidge are tied for the team-lead in receiving touchdowns with one apiece.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively the Wonder Boys are allowing 416.0 yards of total offense and 24.5 points per game through two weeks of the season. Their total defense ranks ninth in the GAC, while their scoring defense is fifth.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys had 30 players record at least one tackle and four with 10 or more.
 
Linebacker Kolbey Ballowe leads the team in tackles with 15 (eight assisted, seven solo). Brandon Wheeler leads the team in tackles for loss with 2.5 and also leads the team in sacks with 2.0.
 
As a team, the Wonder Boys' defense has forced three turnovers with all three being interceptions. Sean Berry, Julien Lopez 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 Bison go unbeaten in the regular season.
 

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KNOW YO FOE
LAST GAME     
Ouachita Baptist is coming off a 23-17 win on the road last week at Southeastern Oklahoma. In what was the Ouachita's first win of the season, the Tigers got out to a quick 16-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and nearly took a shutout into halftime, but a field goal by Southeastern with four seconds left made it 16-3 at the break.
 
The Tigers scored a touchdown early in the third quarter, but were held scoreless the rest of the way out. Ouachita then had to fend off Southeastern's comeback effort that saw the Savage Storm score 14 points in the fourth quarter.
 
THE COACH     
The Tigers are coached by Todd Knight, who is in his 28th year as the head coach at his alma mater, Ouachita Baptist. He is also in his 34th season overall as a head coach, spending the first six years of his career at Delta State. Overall, Knight has a career record of 198-140-2 and is 170-108 at Ouachita.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE          
Offensively through two games, the Tigers have the ninth-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 20.0 ppg and the 11th-ranked total offense with an average of 279.5 yards per game. Through the air, the Tigers have passed for an average of 120.5 ypg to rank ninth in the GAC. On the ground, Ouachita is averaging 159.0 ypg to rank eighth.
 
The leading rusher thus far is quarterback Tre Nichols with 141 yards gained on 26 carries. Jaylen Boardley is next with 82 yards on 21 carries followed by Chris Henley Jr. with 48 yards on 11 carries. Boardley and Henley Jr. have a rushing touchdown each while the team leader in the category is backup quarterback Ty Burleson with two.
 
In the passing game, the Tigers have exclusively gone with Nichols. He has all of the team's passing attempts and is 17-of-36 for 241 yards and one touchdown. He has yet to throw an interception in two games under center for the Tigers.
 
The leading receiver for Ouachita is JJ Pipkin with 59 yards on two receptions. Carter McElheny has the most receptions on the team with six. AJ Jayroe has the Tigers' lone receiving touchdown.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE          
Defensively, the Tigers rank fourth in scoring defense at 22.0 ppg while their total defense ranks eighth in the GAC allowing 414.5 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, Ouachita ranks 11th in the GAC at 253.5 average ypg allowed. On the ground, the Tigers allow an average of 161.0 ypg and rank fifth in the GAC.
 
Individually, Ouachita has had 11 players record five or more tackles and three with double-digit stops. They are led Kris Robinson with 19.0. A total of 10 players have accounted for at least 0.5 tackles for lost yardage and are led in that category by Justin Crutchmer and Kahlil Smith at 2.0. Smith also leads the team in sacks with 2.0.
 
The Tigers' defense has forced two turnovers through two games with an interception and a fumble recovery. Smith has the interception for the Tigers while Cortavion McMillan has the fumble recovery.