WONDER BOYS SCORE SEASON-HIGH 59 POINTS IN POSTING IMPRESSIVE FAMILY DAY WIN OVER ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Football opened the home portion of its Gulf South Conference schedule here Saturday evening by posting an impressive 59-14 victory over Arkansas-Monticello in front of a Family Day crowd of 6,725 fans inside Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.

“Our administration here at Tech has turned our home games into an event and a lot of thanks goes out to Dr. (Gary) Biller and Susie Nicholson for planning all the events surrounding Family Day and also our Plaza parties at all our home games,” Tech Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Steve Mullins said following the game. “We love playing at home and it felt good to finally return home and play a game.”

The 59 points scored were the most scored by the Wonder Boys since tallying 56 points in last season’s finale against Harding. In addition, the 59 points were the most scored by a team in the GSC so far this season and the most points allowed in a game by UAM since Valdosta State scored 63 points in a 63-28 win during the 2007 season.

Tech’s win was spearheaded by the play of senior quarterback Nick Graziano (Moraga, Calif.). Graziano, who is a transfer from the University of Nevada, had his best night as a Wonder Boy against the Boll Weevils as he passed for a single-game school record 403 yards. The previous single-game record was 387 set by former Wonder Boy Todd Cooley against North Alabama in 1996. On the night, Graziano threw five touchdown passes and was 33-for-49 through the air and gained 21 yards rushing on seven carries. Graziano, who entered the game second in the GSC and 12th nationally in total offense (306.0 yards per game), gained 424 yards of offense in Saturday’s win.

“Nick did a wonderful job tonight,” Mullins said. “I thought the offensive line did a good job of protecting him and the receivers made some nice catches.”

On the night, 12 different Wonder Boys caught passes, including seven players catching at least two balls.

Tech, who was coming off a 16-day layoff since suffering a 35-30 loss at West Alabama on Sept. 10, showed little signs of rust in the early going as the Wonder Boys took its opening possession of the game and marched 71 yards in six plays and completed the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Graziano to senior receiver Rolaundo Wright (Sulphur Springs, Texas) just about three minutes into the contest.  On the drive, Graziano was 5-for-6, including opening the drive with a 24-yard pass to junior receiver Whisly Laurent (Brooklyn, NY).

After a second consecutive 3-and-out by the Boll Weevils offense, Tech drove 80 yards in nine plays and pushed its lead to 14-0 following a 46-yard touchdown pass from Graziano to senior receiver Frantz Simeon (Belle Glade, Fla.). The 46-yard touchdown reception by Simeon is Tech’s longest passing touchdown of the season.

Following another 3-and-out by UAM’s offense, the Wonder Boys drove 73 yards in six plays and completed the drive with an 11-yard pass from Graziano to Simeon to push out to a 21-0 lead.

In the first quarter, Tech’s offense gained 213 of its 519 yards on the game, while UAM gained 28 yards on 15 plays. Tech ran 27 plays in the first quarter.

“I thought our defense did a great job, especially early on in the game. We came after Scott (Buisson) and made him earn his yards,” Mullins said. “He is a very good quarterback, but I thought our defense did a good job containing him most of the night.”

The Boll Weevils finally found the end zone a little over two minutes into the second quarter as Scott Buisson, the 2008 GSC Offensive Player of the Year, scored on a 31-yard run to drop Tech’s lead to 21-7.

Tech, though, came right back and answered UAM’s score with another score of it own as it drove 38 yards in six plays and extended its lead to 28-7 thanks to a 3-yard touchdown pass from Graziano to sophomore fullback Jake Denzer (Elkins, Ark.). The touchdown was the first of Denzer’s career with 9:03 left in the quarter. The drive was set up by a 58-yard kickoff return from Simeon, who finished the night with 307 all-purpose yards as he caught 10 passes for 165 yards, returned two punt for 61 yards and two kickoffs for 81 yards.

“Frantz really put on a good show tonight,” the 13th-year Tech coach said. “He made some impressive plays, both on special teams and with some his pass catches.”

Tech went into the locker room with a lot of momentum as junior defensive end Derandus Frye (New Orleans, La.) blocked a 43-yard field goal by UAM’s Joe Lamoureax with one second left on the first-half clock.

 The Wonder Boys opened the third quarter by driving 67 yards in seven plays and pushing its lead to 35-7 thanks to a 4-yard pass from Graziano to senior receiver Landon Turner (Destrehan, La.). Turner, who finished the game with eight catches for 77 yards, has now caught a pass in 17 consecutive games and moved into 13th on Tech’s career passing receiving yardage list with 1,198 yards. 

Tech’s lead grew to 42-7 late in the third quarter as Graziano scored on a 25-yard run on a 3-and-19 play. The scoring run came two plays after Graziano was sacked by UAM’s Ronnard Toney for a 9-yard loss, snapping Tech’s streak of not allowing a sack at 389 plays dating to the fourth quarter of its second to last game of the 2008 season. Tech hadn’t allowed a sack all season entering Saturday’s game and was tied for first in all NCAA Division II football at not allowing a sack.

“I thought Graziano’s most impressive play of the night was his touchdown run,” Mullins added.

Mullins said it is disappointing to see the no-sack streak come to an end, but this now takes some pressure off his team’s offensive line.

“Our line has done a good job this season in protecting the quarterback, despite allowing a sack tonight,” Mullins said.

Tech added to its scoring total early in the fourth quarter as six plays after Simeon returned a Derek Jambon punt 58 yards, the Wonder Boys pushed its lead to 49-7 thanks to a 1-yard scoring run by junior running back Cody Burns (Pine Bluff, Ark.) with 11:18 remaining in the game. 

UAM, though, answered right back as they drove 81 yards in three plays, including completing the drive with a 44-yard touchdown run by Buisson to drop the Wonder Boys lead to 49-14.

Following UAM’s score, Tech drove 50 yards in eight plays and pushed in front 52-14 thanks to a 27-yard field goal by senior kicker Travis Cockerham (Bryant, Ark.) The field goal was Cockerham’s fifth of the season, which are the most field goals in a season by a Wonder Boy since Cockerham connected on five during the 2006 season.

 Tech completed the game’s scoring on UAM’s next possession as junior defensive back Tario Dansby (Ashdown, Ark.) thwarted a Boll Weevil score by picking off a Buisson pass on the fringe of the goal line and returning it 100 yards for a touchdown to give Tech a 59-14 lead. The 100-yard interception return was the second longest in school history, only Carl Weatherton’s school-record 103-yard interception return against Hendrix College in 1948 is longer. In addition, it is the second time in Dansby’s career he has returned an interception for 95 yards or more as he returned one 98 yards for a touchdown against North Alabama during the 2007 season.

          On the night, Tech’s offense gained 519 yards on 82 plays, including passing for 446 yards and rushing for a season-low 73 yards on 29 attempts. Meanwhile, UAM’s offense finished the game with 474 yards, including gaining 223 yards in the second quarter.

          Buisson finished the night with 106 yards rushing on 12 carries and was 15-for-35 passing for 264 yards and had two interceptions in the loss. Jywin Ceasar caught five passes for 99 yards, while Joseph Lockwood caught three passes for 88 yards.

          With the win, Tech improves to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the GSC, while UAM falls to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the league standings.

          The Wonder Boys return to action next Saturday, Oct. 3, when they travel to Florence, Ala., for a match-up against third-ranked North Alabama. UNA improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the GSC thanks to its 38-0 win on Saturday at Harding. Kick-off for Saturday’s game is slated for 6 p.m. at Braly Municipal Stadium.

          Arkansas-Monticello Box Score

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