| Why not e-mail us? Resources |
Sports Information Director Coach Gwaine Mathews and the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils will be featured on regional television this Thursday night, as the Weevils square off against first-place Henderson State at Convoy Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium. The Weevils are coming off a tough 20-3 loss at the hands of Division I-AA Northwestern State, where UAM’s defense showed a stellar red-zone effort, stopping the Demons on five of nine opportunities. Still, Mathews was most pleased about the play of his defense in the last minute of the ballgame. “They had the ball, first and goal. They ran their plays, trying to score,” said Mathews, “and they came up short. It would have been easy for us to shut down and just let them score, but we didn’t give them an inch.” “That gave me a lot of satisfaction, and the energy from that stand carried over into Monday night’s practice,” said Mathews. “We got after it. They could probably hear the contact over in Arkadelphia.” However, Mathews is less than pleased with the performance of his team on offense. “No ifs, ands, or buts about it,” said Mathews. “Their performance this year has been under the bar. We’ve had no running game and we haven’t thrown the ball consistently.” “Whatever’s happening, there are no excuses,” said Mathews. “We’ve got to find a way to get 21 points a football game, and that’s the bottom line.” The Boll Weevils offense faces a tough challenge in Henderson State, as the Reddies rank fourth in the Gulf South Conference in scoring defense, allowing just 16 points per game. The Reddies have excelled stopping the run, ranking fourth in the league, allowing just 112.6 yards on the ground per game; however, Henderson State’s passing defense ranks ninth in the league as the Reddies have allowed 203.2 yards per game. Henderson State quarterback Garrett Manning ranks third in the league in rushing, averaging 73.0 yards per game, adding a different dimension to the Reddies’ offensive attack. “When they’ve got Manning in the game, they run the ball 75 percent of the time. Whenever a quarterback tucks the ball and runs, we’re going to try and pin our ears back on defense, and hit him.” “He’s not just an athlete, though. He can throw the deep ball. He can throw the screen ball. They have a good offensive line, but he’s probably the best player on the team. He’s one of the best players in the conference, to be honest with you.” Mathews was blunt when he described what has made Henderson State so successful this year. “They just beat everybody,” said Mathews. “They just find a way to win ballgames.” “Our team is going to have to step up and win against a team that is comparable in talent to us,” said Mathews, “and I think Henderson State is comparable to us. We were there with Southern Arkansas, and we lost there. We were there with Harding, and we lost there. We’ve gotta step up, score early, and win.” Kickoff from Convoy Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium is set for 7 p.m., with the game carried on the UAM Radio Network and televised on Cox Sports and Charter Sports Southeast. The Walk of Champions will begin two hours before kickoff.  Have a comment? Please e-mail us. ŠThe Voice 2006 Revised 09/13/2006 11:05:03 PM— http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/4_5/prefb.htm |
