WONDER BOYS CONCLUDE SPRING FOOTBALL DRILLS WITH
11TH-ANNUAL SENIOR BOWL

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Football concluded its slate of 15 spring practices here Tuesday evening with its 11th Annual Senior Bowl in Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.

Tuesday’s Senior Bowl, which was originally scheduled for four 10 minute quarters, was shortened to two 10 minute quarters due to injuries and the amount of players missing due to Tuesday night classes on the Tech campus.

The teams were the Senior Bowl were split up by the seniors, who drafted the players and the coaches for the game.

“Injuries and Tuesday night classes limited us in depth and forced us to reduce the Senior Bowl to just two quarters,” Wonder Boys Head Coach Steve Mullins said. “I thought the Green team played well and really moved the ball well on offense.”

The Green team, which was called the Green Dogs, used three touchdowns, including an 80-yard interception return by redshirt freshman linebacker Brandon Wright (Stuttgart, Ark.) late in the first quarter, to post the 20-0 win over the White team, which was called Boyum’s Boys.

          Unlike Saturday’s Green and Gold Game, when the Green team consisted mostly of the team’s No. 1 players, Tuesday’s Senior Bowl rosters were evenly distributed with No. 1 players. In Saturday’s Green and Gold Game, the Green team posted a 19-9 win over the Gold squad.

          The Green team got on the scoreboard first in Tuesday’s Senior Bowl thanks to a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Cody Burns (Pine Bluff, Ark.). Junior quarterback Cole Barthel (Decatur, Ala.) threw a pass to junior Tracey Stiger (Russellville, Ark.) for the 2-point conversion to give the Green team an 8-0 lead with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter.

          Following the Green team’s score, the White team drove 70 yards to the Green’s 20-yard line on its next possession, but junior quarterback Robert Sagerian (Ramona, Calif.) threw a pass that Wright picked off and returned 80 yards for a touchdown to give the Green team a 14-0 lead with just 41 seconds remaining in the quarter. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.

          “Brandon Wright made a tremendous play on defense and was able to take it in for a score,” Mullins said. “That was nice to see.”

          In the second quarter, Barthel gave the Green team a 20-0 lead with 6:48 remaining in the half on his 11-yard pass on fourth down to sophomore receiver Rolaundo Wright (Sulphur Springs, Texas). The drive was keyed by a 29-yard pass from Barthel to redshirt freshman receiver Justin Bennett (Pocahontas, Ark.) and a 39-yard run by sophomore running back C.J. Davis (Danville, Ark.). Bennett finished the game with two catches for 39 yards.

          “I thought Cole and Cody (Burns) really played well offensively,” Mullins said.

          The injuries and the players missing due to Tuesday night classes forced both teams to play players out of position.

          “We had too many players playing out of position on defense tonight due to injuries and classes,” the Tech coach added.

          Barthel finished the night 8-for-12 through the air for 72 yards and two touchdowns, while Burns carried the ball four times for 45 yards and Davis had three carries for 39 yards. The Green team finished with 151 yards of offense.

          Meanwhile, the White team finished the game with 59 yards of total offense as they carried the ball 13 times for 15 yards, as they lost 18 yards rushing thanks to sacks on Sagerian. Sagerian went 2-for-7 passing for 26 yards, while junior Justin Ray (Benton, Ark.) was 3-for-4 passing for 18 yards and he added nine yards rushing. Sophomore running back Tim Childress (Batesville, Ark.) gained 18 yards on three carries for the White team.

          The Wonder Boys will open its 95th season intercollegiate football on Thursday, Aug. 28, when they welcome Northeastern State for a 7 p.m. contest at Thone Stadium. It will mark the fifth time in the last seven seasons that the Wonder Boys have opened its season against the RiverHawks.

Scoring Summary

Green -        14      6 – 20                  

White -        0        0 – 0 

Att: 175.

1st Quarter

Green – Cody Burns 1-yard run (Cole Barthel pass to Tracey Stiger), 3:38

Green – Brandon Wright 80-yard interception return (Burns rush failed), 0:41

2nd Quarter

Green – Rolaundo Wright 11-yard pass from Barthel (Barthel pass failed), 6:48

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Green – Cody Burns 4-45; C.J. Davis 3-39; Cole Barthel 2-(-5); Tracey Stiger 1-4. White – Tim Childress 3-18; Justin Ray 3-9; Courtney Greer 3-(-1); Robert Sagerian 3-(-17); Tyler Morton 1-6.

Passing – Green – Cole Barthel 8-12-0-2-72. White – Justin Ray 3-4-0-0-18; Robert Sagerian 2-7-1-0-26.

Receiving – Green – Rolaundo Wright 3-23; Justin Bennett 2-39; Stiger 2-29; Jeremy Timmons 1-5. White – Tyler Morton 2-20; Justin Ray 1-10; Courtney Greer 1-5; Courtney Williams 1-10.

-- Tech Athletics --