It is rare in today’s college football for a quarterback to appear in more than 30 games for the same program.
East Central University has that in Sergio Kennedy, and that stability is paying dividends for the Tigers in 2026.
Arkansas Tech University (2-3) will host East Central (4-1) for a 4 p.m. Great American Conference contest at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium in Russellville on Saturday, Oct. 10. Tickets are available at www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets.
It will be Homecoming Saturday at Arkansas Tech, which will crown its 2026 Homecoming queen and king during a 3:30 p.m. ceremony inside the stadium.
Once kickoff arrives, the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys will face the challenge of slowing down one of the GAC’s best offenses. East Central averages 448.2 yards of total offense per game, which ranks third in the conference and tied for 16th in all of NCAA Division II.
Kennedy is the focal point of that attack. The junior from Mansfield, Texas, leads the GAC and ranks 12th in NCAA Division II in total offense (305 yards per game).
Over a span of 31 career games for the Tigers, Kennedy has amassed 6,058 yards of total offense and accounted for 52 touchdowns. He was 23-of-34 passing for 370 yards and two touchdowns in East Central’s 37-21 win over Arkansas Tech in 2025.
“He’s never panicked,” said Roy Thompson, ATU head football coach, when asked about Kennedy. “He’s seen everything you can throw at him. When you blitz him, you don’t blitz him, you drop people (into coverage), you don’t drop people…none of it really matters. He just makes the right decision with the ball, and he’s good enough that even when everything breaks down, he can still make something positive happen for their offense.”
The Arkansas Tech duo of quarterback Carter Hensley and wide receiver J.D. DeCausmaker is rivaling Kennedy for productivity. Hensley is second in the GAC in passing (235.4 yards per game), while DeCausmaker is fifth in the league in both receptions (4.8) and receiving yards (67.6 per game).
Hensley passed for a career-high 313 yards at the University of Arkansas-Monticello on Sept. 26 and backed it up with a 283-yard passing performance against Southeastern Oklahoma State University last Saturday. DeCausmaker established new career highs for receptions (8) and receiving yards (95) in the Southeastern Oklahoma State game.
“J.D. was on the squad last year, and he went through some of that freshman growth,” said Thompson. “He came on really well about this time last year, and since that time he’s gotten bigger, stronger and faster. Every one of our coaches expected J.D. to have the season he’s having so far. Carter was also here last year, and now he has the opportunity to be the guy. He’s doing a really good job of helping the team move the ball through the air.”
Live coverage of the ATU-ECU game will be available beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on KCJC 102.3 FM, www.rivervalleyradio.com/river-country and www.arkansastechsports.com.
Talk to you on the radio.
Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball.
