WONDER BOYS SURVIVE 28-POINT SECOND HALF BY
ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO TO POST ROAD GSC VICTORY

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Football returned to action following a 16-day layoff here Saturday night and held off a 28-point second-half rally by Arkansas-Monticello to earn a 38-35 win over the Boll Weevils in Gulf South Conference action at Convoy-Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium.

Tech, who improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the GSC with the win, earned the victory thanks to a 20-yard field goal by senior All-American punter Michael Podobnik (Frankfort, Ill.) with 1:55 remaining in the game. It was the second consecutive game that Podobnik hit a game-winning field goal as he hit a 25-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining in Tech’s 26-24 win over West Alabama in its last game.

“It was a great snap, great hold and the ball went through the up-rights,” Podobnik said following the game.

Podobnik’s field goal was needed as the Boll Weevils turned a 29-7 halftime deficit into a 35-all tie midway through the fourth quarter thanks to four UAM touchdowns. The Boll Weevils had a chance to send the game into overtime as Derek Jambon’s 33-yard field goal missed wide right as time expired.

“I have seen what UAM has done to everyone else, so to be able to hold them to seven points in the first half was remarkable job to me,” Tech Head Football Coach Steve Mullins said. “Our defensive coaches did a great job tonight.”

 In the first half, Tech’s defense held the high-powered Boll Weevils offense to seven points and 222 yards of offense in the first half. For the game, UAM finished with 566 yards of total offense one game after collecting 703 yards in its 51-48 win last Saturday over Henderson State.

“UAM is a very good team, so we’re ecstatic to get the win tonight,” Mullins added.

Podobnik’s game-winning field goal completed an eight-play, 60-yard drive by the Wonder Boys after UAM (3-2 overall, 1-1 GSC) had tied the game on a 2-yard touchdown run by Johnny Polite. During the game-winning drive, Tech failed to convert on three opportunities from the three-yard line before the field goal.

“I’m disappointed that we couldn’t get the ball in the end zone from the three-yard line, that is something we need to improve upon,” the 12th-year Tech coach said.

Mullins, who was a four-year letterwinner, three-time All AIC selection, two-time NAIA All-American at UAM and a 2002 inductee into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, improved to 6-2 against his alma mater and Tech earned its third straight win in the series.

While UAM gained 556 yards, Tech finished the game with a season-high 446 yards of total offense. Tech gained 162 yards rushing and Barthel finished the night 21-for-34 passing for 284 yards and had three touchdowns and one interception.

“I thought that UAM’s defense picked up their intensity in the second half and seemed to feed off its offense,” Mullins said. “We wanted to run the ball more in the second half to prevent Buission from being on the field.”

The Wonder Boys opened the game’s scoring by taking the game’s opening possession and driving 70 yards in four plays and scoring on a 49-yard pass from senior quarterback Cole Barthel (Decatur, Ala.) to senior receiver Tracey Stiger (Russellville, Ark.). The touchdown by Stiger was his first of the season and 24th of his Tech career. In addition, he extended his pass catching streak to 22 straight games.

UAM, though, came right back and tied the game on a 42-yard run by quarterback Scott Buisson to complete a four-play, 80-yard drive. Buisson, who became the first player in collegiate football history to collect 400 yards passing and 200 yard rushing in last week’s win over Henderson State, finished the night with 258 yards passing and 154 yards rushing.

Following Buisson’s score, Tech came right back and drove 41 yards in seven plays to take a 13-7 lead on a 23-yard pass from Barthel to senior receiver Landon Turner (Destrehan, La.) and added a two-point conversion on a 2-yard run by Stiger to give the Wonder Boys a 15-7 lead with 8:09 left in the first quarter. Tech moved in front 22-7 in the second quarter as Barthel scored on a 1-yard run for his fourth rushing touchdown of the season. Barthel’s score came nine plays after junior defensive back DeAuntra Rideau (Del City, Okla.) picked off a Buisson pass. The Wonder Boys closed the first half by completing a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run by Stiger to push out to a 29-7 lead. Stiger finished the night with 181 all-purpose yards as he gained 38 yards rushing on five carries, caught five passes for 92 yards and returned three kickoffs for 51 yards.

In addition to Stiger’s pass catching, Turner caught six passes for 71 yards, while senior receiver Justin Ray (Benton, Ark.) caught three passes for 61 yards. Junior running back Tim Childress (Batesville, Ark.) led Tech’s ground attack with 50 yards rushing, while senior Shawn O’Connor (San Antonio, Texas) added 39 yards on nine carries.  

UAM pushed within 29-14 on its opening possession of the second half thanks to an 11-yard pass from Buisson to Tim Harris, before Tech came right back and drove 60 yards in seven plays and completed the scoring on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Barthel to Stiger, but the point-after attempt failed.

The Boll Weevils followed Tech’s score by driving 64 yards in eight plays to pull within 35-21 on an 11-yard pass from Buisson to Harris and then closed the gap to 35-28 following an 18-yard pass from Buisson to Clarence Denmark to open the fourth quarter. UAM tied the game at 35 on a 2-yard run by Johnny Polite with 4:29 remaining in the game.

In addition to Buisson’s 154 yards rushing, Polite gained 117 yards rushing on 24 carries and caught five passes for 60. Harris added five catches for 68 yards and Clarence Denmark caught four passes for 66 yards.

The Wonder Boys return to action next Saturday, Oct. 4, when they welcome No. 3 ranked North Alabama (5-0 overall, 3-0 GSC) to Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field for a 6 p.m. game. The game will be part of Family Day activities on the Tech campus.

         Arkansas-Monticello Box Score

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