GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 2-1 (2-1 GAC)		ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO BOLL WEEVILS 0-3 (0-3 GAC)
Saturday, September 26 | 6 p.m. Willis "Convoy" Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium | Monticello, Ark. LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF)

KICKING OFF
The Arkansas Tech football team is looking to bounce back from their first setback of the season last week as they lost to Ouachita Baptist, 34-17 at home. This week, the Wonder Boys will be on the road at Arkansas-Monticello where they are also looking to pick up their first win in Monticello since 2015. In that time, Tech is 0-4 on the road at UAM.
 
THE SERIES      
This will be the 82nd meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Arkansas-Monticello in a series that dates back to 1928. Overall, Tech holds a 46-32-3 advantage in the all-time series. In games played in Monticello, the series is tied 18-18-1. Since transitioning to NCAA Division II, the Wonder Boys and Boll Weevils have met 26 times previously and in that time, Tech leads 15-11-0.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
LAST GAME
The Wonder Boys were held down in their most-recent game against Ouachita Baptist, losing to the Tigers, 34-17. Ouachita controlled much of the action, possessing the ball for almost 40 minutes thanks, in part, to a rushing attack that averaged 6.0 yards per carry. That helped the Tigers out-gain Tech overall, 447-318.
 
The Wonder Boys did find some success in the passing game with a season-high 251 yards.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Through three games, the Wonder Boys are averaging 25.7 points per game and 369.0 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks fifth in the GAC, while their total offense is sixth through week two. Through the air, Tech is averaging 194.0 ypg and ranks sixth in the GAC. On the ground, the Wonder Boys average 175.0 ypg and ranks seventh.
 
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 one of Tech's passes. He has thrown for 581 yards on 51-of-73 passing with three 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 155 yards on 29 attempts. Daniels also leads the team in rushing scores with two. Renaldrick Myles, Dominic Feliciano, Quinten Murphy and Hensley each have one rushing touchdown.
 
In terms of receiving, Tech has 13 players with at least one reception. JD Decausmaker currently leads the team in yards and receptions with 149 yards on 11 catches. Isiah Kendall, Jamarcus Sandidge, Scout Brazeal and John Townsend are tied for the team-lead in receiving touchdowns with one apiece.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively the Wonder Boys are allowing 426.3 yards of total offense and 27.7 points per game through three weeks of the season. Their total defense ranks eighth in the GAC, while their scoring defense is sixth.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys had 20 players record at least five tackles and seven with 10 or more.
 
Linebacker Kolbey Ballowe leads the team in tackles with 22 (11 assisted, 11 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     
UAM is coming off a 35-24 loss on the road at Henderson State this past Saturday. After UAM scored the game's first touchdown, Henderson scored 21-straight points to take the lead. The Boll Weevils would get within four points of the lead twice, but Henderson scored a touchdown each time in response to maintain an 11-point lead and eventual margin of victory.
 
THE COACH     
The Boll Weevils are coached by Gary Goff, who is in his first year as the head coach at UAM. He is also in his 14th season overall as a head coach, spending time at Tiffin, Valdosta State and McNeese State. Overall, Goff has a career record of 70-79 and is 0-3 at UAM.
 
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE          
Offensively through three games, the Boll Weevils have the seventh-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 24.3 ppg and the seventh-ranked total offense with an average of 355.7 yards per game. Through the air, the Boll Weevils have passed for an average of 215.0 ypg to rank fourth in the GAC. On the ground, UAM is averaging 140.7 ypg to rank ninth.
 
The leading rusher thus far is Dave Alston with 277 yards gained on 48 carries. Braylon Henry leads the team in rushing TDs with four. Alston and DT McCoy account for the other two rushing scores with one apiece.
 
In the passing game, the Boll Weevils have exclusively gone with Drew Forkner. He has all of the team's passing attempts and is 55-of-87 for 645 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
 
The leading receiver for UAM is Michael Lott with 205 yards on 14 receptions. Lott also leads the team in receiving TDs with two. Isaiah Roberts and Aiden Whitmore have the remaining two receiving scores with one apiece.
 
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE          
Defensively, the Boll Weevils rank eighth in scoring defense at 32.7 ppg while their total defense ranks ninth in the GAC allowing 455.0 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, UAM ranks 12th in the GAC at 259.0 average ypg allowed. On the ground, the Boll Weevils allow an average of 196.0 ypg and rank seventh in the GAC.
 
Individually, UAM has 17 players record five or more tackles and seven with double-digit stops. They are led Johnny Richardson with 20.0. A total of four players have accounted for at least 0.5 tackles for lost yardage and are led in that category by Keyon Clark at 4.0. Clark also leads the team in sacks with 2.0.
 
The Boll Weevils' defense has forced one turnover through three games with a fumble recovery. Cayden Dominey has that fumble recovery.