www.arkansastechsports.com. “I think every game you must have patience and teach as the game goes along,” said Monica, who guided Kutztown University (Pa.) to 45 wins and two NCAA Division II Playoffs appearances as its head football coach from 2006-2012. “We have a lot of people back on offense, but we are extremely young on defense. We only have eight defensive players on our two-deep who have lined up in the green and gold for a game. There will be a great upside to that as the year goes along because we’ll get better and better.” Monica was introduced as the 16th head football coach in Arkansas Tech history on Dec. 18, 2012. He succeeds Steve Mullins, who won a school-record 96 games as the Wonder Boys’ head coach from 1997-2012. Mullins resigned as head football coach on Nov. 15, 2012, and remained with the university as director of athletics. In the months since taking the reins of the Arkansas Tech football program, Monica has retained Dean Norsworthy as offensive coordinator as well as Kyle Shipp as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. He hired Georgeio Milam as offensive line coach and brought in a new full-time defensive coaching staff — defensive coordinator Scott Symons, linebackers coach Raleigh Jackson and defensive line coach Kurt Corbin. The Wonder Boys signed 35 high school student-athletes to join the program in February, and Monica believes that many of them will have a chance to contribute immediately. “I am very pleased with the recruits we brought in,” said Monica. “I felt like we needed to bring some guys in to fill some needs at different positions. We have a lot of freshmen who are going to play, and also a couple of transfers.” One of the transfers expected to play a major role for Arkansas Tech is senior quarterback Luke Halpin. A product of Mesquite, Texas, Halpin appeared in eight games at West Texas A&M University in 2012 and completed 86 percent of his passes in a back-up role. Halpin is taking a path similar to that of former Wonder Boy quarterback Tanner Marsh, who also transferred from West Texas A&M to Arkansas Tech for his senior season. Marsh became just the second Arkansas Tech quarterback to pass for 4,000 or more yards in a season in 2012 and is now playing quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Northwestern Oklahoma State was 4-7 overall in 2012. The Rangers ended the season on a four-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins over GAC members Southern Nazarene University and the University of Arkansas at Monticello in the final two weeks of the season. NWOSU returns just four starters on offense. Quarterback Kyle Jech exhausted his eligibility in 2012 after starting for four years and establishing new career school records for completions, passing yards and touchdown passes. Seven starters return on defense for Northwestern Oklahoma State, which ranked last in the GAC in scoring defense (42.1 points allowed per game) in 2012. Arkansas Tech defeated NWOSU 41-20 in Russellville on Sept. 29, 2012. The Wonder Boys have an all-time record of 6-4 against the Rangers in a series that dates back to 1956. Arkansas Tech’s most recent road win over NWOSU was a 10-7 victory on Sept. 26, 1992.]]>
