Another college football season is set to begin for the Wonder Boys and for just the second time in the last seven years, the opening game of the season will take place at home. Since the 2018 season, the Wonder Boys have opened up at home only once, doing do in 2021 against Southeastern Oklahoma. Last year, the Wonder Boys began their season on the road against their opponent this year, Oklahoma Baptist.
Opening up at home, the Wonder Boys will be looking to get their season off to a quick start. Since 2019, the Wonder Boys have stumbled in the first month of the season and are 2-15 in games played in August or September. If a slow start can be avoided, the Wonder Boys would be in position to turn in a winning record as in that same time frame, they have 15 wins from October-on.
LAST SEASON
For the second-straight season the Wonder Boys finished a game back of a winning record at 5-6, but getting to that five-win mark was no small feat in 2023. After starting slow and dropping their first four games of the season, the Wonder Boys won five of their final seven games. While their final record was 5-6, the Wonder Boys' fortunes could have been flipped as four of their six defeats were by a single possession and by a combined 19 points.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Wonder Boys averaged 19.3 points per game and 291.1 yards of total offense per game in 2023. Their ppg average ranked eighth in the GAC, while their total offense was ninth. Through the air, Tech averaged 203.2 ypg to rank fifth. On the ground, the Wonder Boys averaged 86.9 ypg to rank 10th.
Taye Gatewood was the starting QB last year as a senior for the Wonder Boys. Gatewood would throw for 2,015 yards on 190-of-290 attempts with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. With the loss of Gatewood, the Wonder Boys will have a new starting QB this season. Vying for the nod throughout camp has been between newcomers Ethan Everson and Ethan Forrester as well as returners Hunter Loyd and Cedric Simmons. Loyd and Simmons saw limited action last year while Everson is a transfer from Northwestern Oklahoma State and Forrester a transfer from Fort Hays State.
On the ground, the Wonder Boys return their leading rusher, Deuce Wise, who had 444 yards rushing on 100 carries with one touchdown last season. Short-yardage bruiser and H-back, Jordan Edington, is also back after leading the team in rushing touchdowns with six. Heading into his senior season, Edington has 18 career rushing touchdowns.
In terms of receiving, Tech had five players with at least 200 yards receiving last season and have three of those back, including leading receiver Caleb Tanis. Tanis would haul in 48 catches for 533 yards to lead the team in both categories. He also led the squad in touchdown receptions with six. Jordan Jackson and Joyrion Chase are the other two big returners in the receiving corp. Jackson had 275 yards on 24 catches with one touchdown last year while Chase had 215 yards on 19 receptions with two touchdowns,
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively last season, the Wonder Boys allowed an average of 372.4 yards of total offense per game by their opponents and 25.9 points per game. The total defense ranked eighth in the GAC, while their scoring defense was seventh.
Individually, the Wonder Boys had five players end the year with 50 or more stops and all five of those defenders are back in 2024. The leading overall tackler was Ben Stegall with 66. Vershaud Richardson led the team in tackles for lost yardage with 16.0 and in sacks with 10.5. In the backend of their defense, the Wonder Boys return their top-two ball hawks in Kylan Crite and B. Stegall. Those two tied for the team lead in INTs with two apiece.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The kicking game will have some familiarity to it this year after the Wonder Boys spent the 2023 season without the services of their All-American placekicker, Jesus Zizumbo as the all-time leader in field goals made exhausted his eligibilty at the end of the 2022 season. Zizumbo's replacement last season was Austin Hosier. Hosier was 8-of-13 in field goals and 24-of-27 in extra points last season. Hosier is slated to be in the mix once again as Tech's placekicker, but does have competition from junior college transfer Christopher Baldazo. Last season at Kilgore JC, Baldazo led NJCAA Division I in points scored as a kicker with 94 thanks to 15 field goals and 49 extra points made.
While the kicking game appears to be in good feet, the biggest question mark for the Wonder Boys on special teams is in the punt game as Tech is without the services of All-American punter Aaron Winn due to graduation. Last season Winn led NCAA Division II in punt average as he averaged 45.0 yards per punt. Tabbed to take over those duties for Winn is returner Logan Tymeson. Last season, Tymeson saw some action as a punter in his true freshman campaign. He would have six punts and averaged 32.7 yards per punt.
COACH SHIPP
Kyle Shipp enters his sixth season as head football coach at Arkansas Tech and is in his fifth season of competition after the 2020 season was not played due to COVID-19. After a 3-8 season in his first year on the sidelines of his alma mater in 2019, Shipp would improve his team's win output each of the next two seasons with four wins in 2021 and five wins in 2022. This past season, Shipp matched that win total of five. He enters the 2024 season with 17 wins.
LAST SEASON
The Oklahoma Baptist Bison finished 6-5 this past season as they bounced back from a 1-10 campaign in 2022. Spearheading that turnaround effort was tremendous success at home. In 2023, the Bison won four of their five games at home. They would also pick up road wins at East Central and Southwestern Oklahoma to reach the six-win mark.
THE COACH
The Bison are coached by Chris Jensen, who is in his 12th year as the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist after being tasked with revitalizing the previously-defunct program in 2013. The first two seasons under Jensen saw the Bison compete as members of the NAIA before transitioning to NCAA Division II and the Great American Conference in 2015. Overall, Jensen is 45-66 as head coach. His best season at the NCAA level came in 2021 as he led the Bison to an 8-4 record and a postseason win in the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Bison feature a spread offensive attack. Last year, OKB had the seventh-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 21.9 ppg and the eighth-ranked total offense with an average of 310.7 ypg. Through the air, the Bison averaged 226.3 ypg to rank third in the GAC. On the ground, OKB averaged 84.5 ypg to rank 11th in the GAC.
Their leading rusher a year ago was EJ Moore with 391 yards gained. In six games as a freshman, he averaged 65.2 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry. He also tied for the team lead with two rushing scores.
In the passing game, the Bison had two quarterbacks make starts with Aidan Thompson getting the start in nine of the 11 games played. Kenny Rosenthal made the other two starts and was 30-of-65 passing with 395 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions in those starts. Thompson would throw for 1,767 yards on 165-of-296 passing with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Thompson and Rosenthal are listed as either/or starters for the Bison on their preliminary two-deep for the season-opener vs. Tech.
Slated to be on the other end of whichever quarterback's passes, the Bison return a lot of experience at the wide receiver position with their three top pass catchers all back in 2024. Last year, the Bison had a pair of receivers with over 500 yards. Michael Marshall had a slim lead in terms of yards with 561 while Nick Harris was next with 545 yards. Harris also paced the team in TD receptions with seven while Marshall was third with three. Charles Whitebear was second in TDs with four and third in yards with 279.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Bison base out of the 3-4 scheme and ended the 2023 season ranked eighth in scoring defense at 28.1 ppg. Their total defense ranked sixth in the GAC at 351.0 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, OKB ranked first in the GAC with 146.3 ypg. On the ground, the Bison allowed an average of 204.7 ypg to rank ninth in the GAC.
Individually, Oklahoma Baptist had four players end the year with 50 or more stops and were led by Scooter Baker with 121. Brett Karhu led the team in tackles for lost yardage with 18.5 and in sacks with 11.5. Baker returns this season while Karhu has transferred to the University of Memphis. In the backend of their defense, the Bison return their top-two ball hawks in Brandon Spencer and Tainique Taylor. Spencer led the team with four INTs while Taylor led with 15 passes defended.
THE SERIES
This will be the 12th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Oklahoma Baptist in a series that dates back to 1927, but the series did not begin in earnest until 2015 when Oklahoma Baptist restarted their football program and joined the Great American Conference. Overall, Tech holds a 6-4-1 advantage and are 5-3 since the two became conference foes.
