The Arkansas Tech University football program was due for a good bounce and a good celebration. The Wonder Boys had both on Saturday.
When Jesus Zizumbo’s 44-yard field goal on the final play of the game glanced off the right upright and fell over the crossbar to give ATU a 22-21 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State University, it provided him, the other 19 senior Wonder Boys, their teammates, their coaches and everyone else in green and gold who persisted through the rain and the wind with a memory they won’t soon forget.
“Jesus is such a great kid,” said Kyle Shipp, ATU head football coach. “He deserves that moment. Everybody did, but Jesus deserves it as much as anyone because he is really a hard-working kid and he cares so much about our football team. It was a fun day for everybody and a great way for our seniors to go out in their final home game.”
It also provided the Wonder Boys (4-5) with renewed hope for a winning season. Arkansas Tech will play its final two games of the 2022 season on the road, beginning with a Great American Conference contest at Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Kickoff at Ranger Field in Alva, Okla., is scheduled for 4 p.m. Live coverage on KCJC 102.3 FM, the KCJC Radio app and www.arkansastechsports.com will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Northwestern Oklahoma State (1-8) has lost three consecutive games and is 0-4 at home this year. The Rangers’ strength is their defensive line. Brian Holiday, a first team All-GAC selection in 2021, is tied for the league lead in fumbles forced (4) and fumbles recovered (3) this season. Chima Ozz is tied for the GAC lead in tackles for a loss (9.0).
“The theme of the week has been a sense of urgency,” said Shipp. “We don’t want to get caught asleep looking at someone’s record or off the high from last week’s win. It’s about having a sense of urgency, getting ourselves back on track offensively in the red zone, keeping up the momentum from last week defensively and continuing to play good football on special teams. We can’t take anything lightly or take a team for granted. (NWOSU) definitely has the ability to beat us. We need to get going quickly in this game.”
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.
