Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys Allow 448 Yards of Offense
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Luke Halpin completed 31 of 49 passes for 296 yards, John Simpson caught eight passes for 124 yards, while Wesley McKinney had 12 tackles, including two for loss, but the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (1-1, 1-1 Great American Conference) were unable to overcome a four-touchdown effort by SWOSU’s Dustin Stenta, dropping a 28-17 decision to Southwestern Oklahoma (2-0, 2-0 GAC) on Saturday evening at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.
After stopping the Bulldogs on the opening series of the game, the Wonder Boys broke through on their first possession, using a 10-play, 65-yard drive capped with a one-yard Justin Owens touchdown run to give the Wonder Boys an early 7-0 lead.
However, the Bulldogs responded immediately, as Stenta connected with Brad Smithey on a 57-yard touchdown strike to cap a four-play, 57-yard drive, knotting the game at 7-7.
After forcing a Wonder Boys turnover on the first play of the second quarter, Stenta connected with M.J. Porter on a 40-yard touchdown strike to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead just ten seconds into the quarter.
The Wonder Boys once again responded, as Trevor Pinkston connected on a 36-yard field goal on the next possession to pull Arkansas Tech to within four (14-10). However, once again SWOSU struck paydirt with a big play, as Stenta found Ryan Corbin on the receiving end of a 50-yard touchdown pass to pull ahead 21-10 with 1:28 to play in the half.
Starting the ensuing drive on the 29 yard line, the Wonder Boys moved the ball down field, with Owens getting his second score of the night on a one-yard run, pulling Tech to within 21-17 with just 18 seconds to play in the first half.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Bulldogs marched downfield on their first possession of the fourth quarter, using a nine-play, 79-yard drive capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass from Stenta to Robinson to take a 28-17 lead.
It was a lead that the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys would not be able to dent down the stretch.
Despite allowing 448 yards of total offense, a combined 182 of those yards came on the four touchdown passes from Stenta, The Wonder Boys defense was able to hold SWOSU to 3 of 11 on third downs, while the Tech offense converted eight of 16.
Both teams were stung by penalties, as SWOSU was penalized 10 times for 118 yards while Tech was penalized 11 times for 87 yards.
Ketrich Harmon was Tech’s leading rusher, picking up 34 yards on five carries. Shai Kobayashi added nine tackles, while Darion Shine added a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups.
Tech returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 21, when the Wonder Boys square off against Southern Nazarene in a Great American Conference contest. Kickoff from Bethany, Okla. is set for 6 p.m.
Courtesy Arkansas Tech University Department of Athletics
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