When it comes to NCAA Division II football, few programs have enjoyed more success than Arkansas Tech University and Pittsburg State University.
Two of the top 12 NCAA Division II programs in all-time wins will stage their first-ever postseason meeting when the Wonder Boys (8-3) and the Gorillas (7-4) collide in the 2017 Agent Barry Live United Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Arkansas High School in Texarkana.
Kickoff is set for noon. Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will provide live coverage.
Raymond Monica, head football coach at Arkansas Tech, views the game as an opportunity to test his Wonder Boys against a representative from perhaps the premier NCAA Division II football conference — the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
“It’s a good match-up to see where we are relative to the MIAA,” said Monica. “I truly believe that. It’s a measuring stick to see where we stack up in the region. A lot of people have told me that (Pittsburg State) was probably playing the best ball in the MIAA at the end of the year, so I take it that we are playing against a playoff-caliber opponent.”
Success is familiar to both programs. Pittsburg State ranks No. 1 in NCAA Division II history with 704 all-time wins, while Arkansas Tech is No. 12 on that list with 562 all-time victories. The Gorillas have won 31 conference titles and four national championships. The Wonder Boys own 18 conference titles and have advanced to the national playoffs on five occasions.
The series between the two programs is tied 4-4-2. The Wonder Boys held the upper hand early on with a record of 4-0-2 against Pitt State from 1935-49. The Gorillas evened the score by defeating Tech in 1983, 1984, 1985 and in their most recent meeting in 1986. Arkansas Tech’s last win over Pitt State was a 25-13 victory in Russellville on Oct. 2, 1939.
The 2017 Gorillas won their final five games of the regular season, including a 20-10 victory over two-time defending NCAA Division II national champion Northwest Missouri State University. Pitt State’s win ended the Bearcats’ 38-game winning streak.
Senior running back Michael Rose leads a Gorilla offense that averages 222.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks among the top 20 ground attacks in the country at the D2 level. Rose has rushed for 1,003 of those yards.
“Pittsburg State is playing option football out of the shotgun,” said Monica. “(Rose) is a good back, and if defenders take the wrong things on option responsibility he can get right down the sideline.”
Monica is particularly impressed by the way the Gorillas’ defense has played down the stretch.
“When you look at the last five games, they’ve given up seven, 13, 10, 10 and 10 points,” said Monica. “That’s not many points. They are very stout on defense. You can watch all the tape you want to, but when you get out there, play the game and see how your match-ups are…it’s a whole different thing.”
The Wonder Boys are playing in a bowl game for the second time in the last three years. Tech has secured its third consecutive winning season, marking the first time the Wonder Boys have posted such a streak since 2004-06.
Among the statistical strengths of the 2017 Arkansas Tech football team are scoring offense (40.6 points per game, 12th in NCAA Division II), rushing offense (225.4 yards per game, 18th nationally), punt returns (20.57 yards per attempt, third nationally) and turnover margin (+15, fourth nationally).
Monica summarizes the Wonder Boys’ success more succinctly. In fact, he can boil it down to one word: chemistry.
“I hear people talk about bowl practices,” said Monica. “For me, it was about still being around these players, working with them on the field, coaching them and getting ready for a bowl game, which is going to be a great experience for them. It’s not about getting in so many practices. It’s about being around them and to give them an opportunity to play one more game.”
Photographed: Arkansas Tech head football coach Raymond Monica posed for a photo with his Wonder Boys senior players on the occasion of their final home game on Nov. 11. They are: (back row, left-to-right) Stephen Watson, Myron Pruitt, Jerry Ewing, Byron Pruitt, Clayton Watson, Seth Culp, Eric McPherson, Royce Finley, Andrew Craig, Eric Perez, Ty Reasnor; (front row, left-to-right) Brady Barbay, Jarrett Clayton, Toriaun Samuels, Mike Sherwood, Braden Stringer, Tevin McKenzie, J.V. Davis, Joshua Qualls and Carson Ayers.
