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RUSSELLVILLE,
Ark. – A field goal with under a minute left in the
game was the deciding factor in West Alabama’s 26-24
setback to Arkansas Tech on Thursday night in
Russellville, Ark. ATU’s Michael Podobnik connected on
a 25-yard field to lift the Wonder Boys past the Tigers
in the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams.
UWA (1-2), 0-1)
trailed 16-10 at the halftime break, opened the second
half with a four-play, 58 yard scoring drive in just
1:29 to take a brief 17-16 lead with 13:25 left in the
third period. Tiger signal caller Deon Williams
connected with Terry Levy from 19 yards out for the
go-ahead touchdown. Williams finished with three
touchdowns and 201 yards through the air along with 60
yards rushing. ATU moved the ball deep into Tiger
territory looking to regain the lead, but the Wonder
Boys lost their first of two turnovers in the final
half. Garry Pack, who led all Tigers defensively with
11 tackles on the night, recovered the loose football.
The Wonder Boys
(2-1, 1-0) regained the lead on their next possession,
driving 46 yards in five plays to take a 23-17 lead with
4:25 to play in the period. The ATU momentum was halted
on UWA’s next possession as Williams and sophomore Terry
Allen combined for a 66-yard pass and catch touchdown to
give the Tigers the lead back.
UWA’s defense stood
tall against ATU midway through the final period with a
blocked field goal by Curtis Dawkins to preserve the
one-point advantage. The Tiger offense could not muster
up a sustained drive in the final stages. The ATU
game-winning drive drained 4:17 off the clock, as the
Wonder Boys finished the 13-play drive with the
game-winning field goal.
The Tigers had
flashbacks from last Saturday’s game against Harding,
turning the ball over on its first two possessions of
the Thursday night tilt. Saturday, turnovers doomed UWA
against HU with six turnovers in the 10-point setback.
Just like the Bisons, ATU took advantage of the Red and
White miscues, scoring on its second possession of the
game, which started at the UWA two yard line.
Quarterback Cole Barthel’s two-yard rush opened the
scoring for the Green and Gold. ATU extended the lead
on UWA’s second cough up with a 32 yard field goal with
8:09 left to play in the opening period.
UWA put its first
points of the game on the scoreboard off the foot of
senior place kicker Mitch Warfield. The Bay Minette,
Ala.-native drilled a 20-yard field goal with less than
two minutes left in the first quarter. After the Wonder
Boys stretched their lead out to 16-3, the Tigers
responded with a touchdown at the 4:24 mark of the
second quarter. Freshman Gerald Worsham, who returned
the ATU kick off down to its 24 yard line, was on the
receiving end of a seven-yard touchdown pass from
Williams.
UWA returns home next Thursday to
host Southern Arkansas at Tiger Stadium. The UWA-SAU
tilt will be the GSC Game of the Week and televised by
CSS. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. on the UWA campus. |
