Arkansas Tech overcame a 17-point deficit to win for a second consecutive week on Saturday, rallying to defeat the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs 45-37 in Great American Conference action at Fast Lane Field in Weatherford, Okla.
Arkansas Tech overcame a 17-point deficit to win for a second consecutive week on Saturday, rallying to defeat the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs 45-37 in Great American Conference action at Fast Lane Field in Weatherford, Okla.
Tech quarterback Tanner Marsh completed 25-of-37 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns. The play everyone will remember was a touchdown pass that he caught.
On third-and-1 from the SWOSU 5-yard line with 3:50 remaining in the game, Marsh handed off to Ketrich Harmon for an apparent run around left end. But Harmon flipped the football to wide receiver Jonathan Keener, who rolled to his right and found Marsh waiting all alone in the end zone.
The 5-yard touchdown pass from Keener to Marsh was complete and Arkansas Tech claimed a 42-37 lead following Trevor Pinkston’s extra point.
After Tech’s defense forced the Bulldogs to turn the football over on downs, Pinkston made a 39-yard field goal — his longest of the season — to give the Wonder Boys a 45-37 advantage with 1:33 left.
Southwestern Oklahoma State had one last chance. The Bulldogs drove all the way to the Tech 21-yard line before Dustin Stenta’s pass into the end zone was intercepted by Tech defensive back Courtney Rockwell with 10 seconds remaining.
Rockwell’s second career interception sealed the Wonder Boys’ second consecutive comeback win and their third win in a row overall. Tech also rallied from 17 points down to defeat Southeastern Oklahoma State 45-38 on Oct. 6.
The Wonder Boys (4-3 overall, 2-2 GAC) trailed 17-0 at Southwestern Oklahoma State after the first quarter. Following a 37-minute weather delay, Marsh threw second-quarter touchdown strikes of 24 yards to Dwight Brooks and 25 yards to John Simpson to pull Arkansas Tech within 17-14 at halftime.
A pair of Aaron Wilson touchdown runs during the third quarter allowed SWOSU to maintain the lead. Wilson scored on runs of 55 and 11 yards.
The Wonder Boys scored two third-quarter touchdowns of their own on pass plays of seven yards from Marsh to Brooks and 75 yards from Marsh to Cassius Washington, who turned a seemingly doomed screen pass into Arkansas Tech’s longest pass play of the season by reversing his field, picking up a key block from Marsh and racing down the middle of the field to the end zone.
Washington’s touchdown cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 31-28 with 5:03 left in the third quarter. Colton Rainey connected on his second field goal of the day — a 23-yard boot with 22 seconds remaining in the third period — to send SWOSU to the fourth quarter with a 34-28 lead.
Arkansas Tech grabbed its first lead of the day on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Harmon and Pinkston extra point with 12:11 to go in the fourth quarter. Tech held a 35-34 edge.
Rainey connected on another field goal — this time a 35-yarder into a 20-mile per hour wind with 6:52 to go — to put the Bulldogs back in the lead 37-35.
Marsh found Keener for pass plays of 27 and 24 yards to move Arkansas Tech into the red zone on the ensuing possession. After a 10-yard completion from Marsh to James Jackson, the Wonder Boys used the double-reverse pass from Keener to Marsh to take the lead for good.
Wilson carried 27 times for a GAC-record 290 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-5, 0-4).
Keener made nine receptions for 143 yards and Washington had three catches for 137 yards for Arkansas Tech.
Logan Genz recorded 11 tackles, an interception and a tackle for a loss for the Wonder Boys’ defense. In addition to Rockwell and Genz, Gaven Weber also had an interception for Tech.
Marsh’s 424 passing yards were the fifth-most in a single game in Arkansas Tech history. He joins Nick Graziano as the only Tech quarterbacks to ever pass for 400 or more yards in a game.
The Wonder Boys will host the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils for a 2 p.m. GAC game at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field in Russellville on Saturday, Oct. 20.
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