UWA-Arkansas Tech Preview

By Nicholas Finch, UWA Sports Information Student Assistant

The University of West Alabama will host Arkansas Tech (ATU) Wonder Boys at Tiger Stadium in the Gulf South Conference season opener.
ATU comes in to Tiger Stadium with the second-best quarterback in terms of total offense in the GSC. Nick Graziano, a transfer from the University of Nevada, has averaged 308 yard per contest during the 2-0 start for the Wonder Boys. He has been a passing machine by throwing for 558 yards with 37 completions on 58 attempts with five touchdowns. ATU also has the conference second best rushing attack led by Cody Burns who has rushed for 174 yards on 22 attempts.
Tiger fans should expect to see the Wonder Boys stay true to the offense formula they have been using. Graziano will be a big factor on offense as he will look to connect with his big target Landon Turner, who leads the team with 11 catches and an average of 99 yards per game.
The Wonder Boy defense is led by a trio of players. Strong Safety Tario Dansby is the team co-leader with tackles with 13 and also has one interception. Linebacker Matt Kitchens and Defensive Back RonDerrick Jackson also have 13 tackles for the defense.
UWA is looking to break a 10 game losing streak in the series against ATU. The Tigers came close to breaking that streak last year, but came up just short with a 26-24 fourth quarter setback. That game marked the only road loss as a starter for UWA quarterback Deon Williams in a Tiger uniform as he suffered a season ending ACL injury.
Williams is ranked number one in the GSC in total offense averaging 311 yards per contest. He has completed 34 0f 50 pass attempts for a total of 604 yards with seven touchdowns. The Tigers boast the fourth ranked rushing offense in the GSC. Dameon Baylor leads the team with 92 yards on 27 rushing attempts. Not far behind Baylor is Roosevelt Ross who boasts 91 yards on 18 carries.
Tiger fans should expect to see a very balanced attack from the Tigers to start the game. If the Tigers fall behind, Williams will be able to find one of his three favorite targets, wide receivers Gerald Worsham and Micheal Townsend and tight end Jason Hawkins.
Worsham and Townsend are tied for the team lead in receptions with seven each. Worsham has accumulated more receiving yards with 154, but Townsend is right on his heels with 139 yards. Both receivers have scored a touchdown a piece. Hawkins leads the team in receiving touchdowns with two. He also leads the team with 24.8 yards per catch has caught five passes for 124 yards.
The UWA linebackers are the heart of the Tiger defense. Tariq Ali, Vonzell Jackson, and DeAntuan Matthews have combined for a total of 49 tackles. Ali leads the group with 18 tackles. The leader in the Tigers secondary group is strong safety J.D. Douglas who has been a defensive force with 16 tackles.
Viewers of this game should expect a close contest throughout the game as these are evenly matched. Neither team holds a clear statistical advantage over the other. This game will come down to the team that makes the least mistakes during the game.
The last time UWA beat Arkansas Tech was September 7, 1996 which saw the Tigers claim a 38-34 victory in Livingston. ATU leads the series 11-4.
One last important statistic to mention, UWA quarterback Deon Williams is undefeated in Tiger Stadium.Kick off is scheduled for 7:00.