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GAME NOTES | SAU | ATU | GAC Weekly FB Notebook

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Setting the Scene - Back on Track
The Southern Arkansas football team is looking to get back on track this week following a tough home loss to #16 Harding this past weekend. In order to get back to their winning ways, the Muleriders will need to go on the road and knock off Arkansas Tech, who enters the game unbeaten through the first three weeks of the season.
Since 2000, however, the Muleriders have not found much success along I-40 as SAU is 1-5 against Arkansas Tech in games played in Russellville. The lone win over that stretch was a 56-49 win in 2007.

This game will also feature a matchup of two of the top offensive teams in the Great American Conference as both are averaging over 35 points per game and over 450 yards of total offense as well.
 

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About Arkansas Tech
SCHEDULE
The Arkansas Tech football team enters play with a 3-0 overall record and a 3-0 record in the GAC. So far this season, the Wonder Boys have knocked off Southern Nazarene, Oklahoma Baptist, and Arkansas-Monticello. Their three wins thus far equals the win total for the Wonder Boys last season when they went 3-8 in 2014.

THE COACH
The Wonder Boys are coached by Raymond Monica, who enters into his third season with Arkansas Tech while entering into his 10th season overall as a head coach. In his time as the head man of the Wonder Boys, Monica has amassed an 11-14 record, including his 3-0 start to the 2015 season. Before coming to Tech, Monica was the head coach at DII Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pa. for seven seasons. In his time at Kutztown, Monica went 45-34 including going 28-8 over his final three years.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Wonder Boys are averaging a GAC-best 45.3 points per game and are also averaging 474.0 yards of total offense per game. Over 300 of those yards are coming on the ground as Tech ranks second in the GAC in rushing offense at 305.7 yards per game. The remainder of the total offense is being gained through the air as the Wonder Boys are averaging 168.3 yards per game.

Under center for the Wonder Boys is senior transfer Arsenio Favor. Starting all three games thus far, Favor has thrown for 499 yards and four touchdowns. Additionally, Favor has added 123 yards and six touchdowns as a rusher for the Wonder Boys. The leading ball-carrier for Tech has been Brayden Stringer as he has carried it 45 times for 260 yards and one score. Four other Wonder Boys including Favor have netted over 100 yards rushing and have scored at least once.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Wonder Boys are allowing a GAC-low 12.7 points per game while also holding their opponents to a GAC-low 215.0 yards of total offense per game. As part of the best statistical total defense so far, the Wonder Boys are allowing GAC-lows in passing (152.3 ypg) and rushing (62.7 ypg). As a defense, the Wonder Boys have racked up 14.0 tackles for lost yardage with 6.0 being sacks. Additionally, the Wonder Boys have forced six turnovers with four being interceptions and two coming as fumble recoveries.

The leading tackler for the Wonder Boys is Logan Genz. On the year, Genz has totaled 15 tackles with 2.5 coming for lost yardage while totaling 1.5 sacks. Genz also has one of Tech's two fumble recoveries.

THE SERIES
This will be the 78th meeting all-time between the Muleriders and Wonder Boys and will be the 43rd meeting since 1970. In the all-time series, Tech leads SAU 44-30-4, but since 1970, the Muleriders lead the series 24-18-1, including winning three of the last four meetings dating back to 2011.
 

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SAU News and Notes
"It's Our Time"
With the departure of several househould names within the Great American Conference ranks including the starting quarterbacks at Harding, Henderson State, and Ouachita, it appears that landscape that has been the top of the GAC over the last three-to-four years may be in for a shakeup in 2015. While the Muleriders are among those that will feature a new starting quarterback, head coach Bill Keopple feels that his 2015 team may be the most talented team in his tenure and feels that this year is when the Muleriders make their move to assert themselves as the class of the GAC; rallying his team on a single mantra since spring ball; "It's Our Time."

.500 or Better Three Years Running
Last season, the Muleriders finished the year 5-5 over their 10-game schedule to give them a .500 winning percentage. That marked the third-straight season in which the Muleriders have finished with a .500 winning percentage or better. In those three years, the Muleriders are 19-12 overall for a .613 winning percentage, which marks the best three-year stretch ar SAU since 2002-04.

Fountain of Youth
After losing over 25 seniors a year ago, the Muleriders appear to have found the ever-elusive fountain of youth heading into the 2015 season as an overwhelming majority of the roster will be underclassmen. This season, the Muleriders will field only 20 upperclassmen with 12 of those being seniors. While the Muleriders will be young in terms of experience, they figure to be a talented bunch all the same. Listed among the preseason two-deep, the Muleriders have 28 underclassmen that are projected to either be a starter or backup in 2015.

Relying on Renner
Coming into the 2015 season, the Muleriders knew they were going to have to replace a record-setting and All-GAC quarterback for the second time in as many years and they also knew the new signal-caller was going to be a redshirt freshman as SAU had only two redshirt freshmen QBs returning the roster. What maybe they didn't know was the kind of production they were going to get from the position, especially early in the season.

After three games and three starts from Barrett Renner, the Muleriders appear that will not have any drop off at the QB position. So far this season, Renner has completed 73-of-123 passes for 1,012 yards and 11 TDs with only one interception. That one INT came in his last pass attempt vs. Harding, so Renner opened his collegiate career with 122 pass attempts w/no INTs.

Running Wild Wonder Boys 
A week after facing the nearly running-exclusive offensive attack of Harding University, the Mulerider defense is tasked once more with dealing with a run-heavy offense as Arkansas Tech has rushed the ball an average of 62.7 times per game for an average of 305.7 yards per game while also finding the endzone 12 times on the ground. Their highs in all three stat categories came in the season-opener at Southern Nazarene as the Wonder Boys rushed for 469 yards and six touchdowns on 74 carries.

No One the Weis(heit)er
Sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Weisheit got his 2015 season off to a great start as he shined in multiple roles for the Muleriders. As a wide receiver, Weisheit has hauled in 20 receptions for 320 yards with a pair of touchdowns. His 320 total receiving yards tops the GAC and ranks 21st in NCAA DII. Additionally, his 106.7 receiving yards per game also leads the GAC and ranks 30 in DII.

Playing Nickel Back is Cool
Senior defensive back Chris Wilson has made the move to Nickel Back in the Muleriders' revamped defensive scheme and through the first three games of the year, Wilson appeared to take to the new position just fine. Wilson has racked up 15.0 total tackes with 4.5 going for lost yardage. Additionally, Wilson broke up five passes and had a quarterback hurry as well.

Destruptive Davondrick
Redshirt freshman Davondrick Lison is playing some sensational football for the Muleriders along their defensive front. The lanky yet quick 6-3 native of Arkansas City, Ark. is second on the team in tackles with 21 and is first in tackles for loss (5.5) and sacks (2.5). In the GAC ranks, Lison is tied for second in sacks and leads the league in tackles for lost yardage.

Reservations for Six
Through three games this season, Southern Arkansas has scored 17 touchdowns with nine different players accounting for those scores. QB Barrett Renner has been responsible for the most touchdowns with his 11 passing TDs but running back Michael Nunnery has scored the most TDs with his three rushing scores this season.