Coach Gwaine Mathews and the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils football team will look to build on the success of last Saturday’s record-breaking victory against Harding University as they attempt to pick up their second consecutive win this coming Saturday at Missouri-Rolla.

   Saturday’s game proved to be a coming-out party for the UAM offense, as the Boll Weevils exploded for a UAM and Gulf South Conference-record 812 yards of total offense, and freshman quarterback Scott Buisson earned Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors after passing for 484 yards and racking up a UAM record 570 yards of total offense.

   Still, Mathews knows that neither excess yards nor points will carry over from the Harding game to this weekend’s contest, and the Boll Weevils will need to once again be at their very best on both sides of the ball in order to come away with a victory.

   This week’s matchup will be just the second-ever meeting between the two schools. The last time the two schools met, UMR was known as Missouri School of Mines, and coach Stewart Ferguson patrolled the sidelines for the famous “Wandering Weevils” of Arkansas A&M College.

   That last game saw the famous Wandering Weevils drop a 28-13 decision to the Miners on a trip where the Weevils practiced at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., and at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

   Much has changed for both football programs in the last 68 years, and while the late Stewart Ferguson gladly settled for laughs and an educational experience out of his trips, Mathews is motivated to win this week’s game.

   Mathews was obviously not disappointed in what he saw from his team this past week. “We really didn’t care what the score was against Harding this last week,” said Mathews. “We just wanted to play our best for a full 60 minutes. I thought our kids did a very good job of that and answered the challenge.”

   That attitude is something Mathews is confident will carry over into this week’s game. The two teams enter the game with identical 1-3 records, with UMR’s lone win coming over Division III Wisconsin-Stout two weeks ago. Since then, the Miners have suffered an unlucky break – literally – as starting quarterback Brad Guidry suffered a broken leg late in the first half of its overtime loss to Butler. At the time of Guidry’s injury, the Miners led Butler 21-7, but the lead evaporated in the second half as Butler scored 14 unanswered points to tie the game at the end of regulation.

   The UMR offense is averaging a relatively modest 331.8 yards per game, a statistic that Mathews feels is misleading. “I’ve got a lot of respect for what they do on offense,” said Mathews. “They’ve played a tough schedule without a doubt. They do a lot of complicated things that can give people a lot of trouble. We will have to adjust on the fly this week, because with their quarterback getting hurt, you don’t know what they’ll do.”

   The Boll Weevils enter this week’s game leading the Gulf South Conference and ranking eighth nationally in total offense, averaging 485.5 yards per game. One area of improvement that will be absolutely crucial to the Boll Weevils’ success for the remainder of the season is in the area of turnovers. Despite averaging nearly 500 yards per contest, the Boll Weevils are averaging just over 22 points per game.

   “We have to lead the universe in turnovers,” said Mathews. “That’s definitely an area where we have to get a lot better.”

   The Weevils have been led offensively by the trio of Buisson, junior wideout Tim Harris, and senior tailback John L. Williams. Buisson leads the GSC in total offense, Harris leads the GSC in receiving yards per game, and Williams leads the GSC in rushing average. UAM’s big-play capability was evident this past week as Harris had two touchdown receptions of over 70 yards; but the Weevils’ other long scoring play came on a wide receiver reverse by redshirt freshman Jywin Ceasar.

   The Weevils have distributed the workload to several players on offense this year, as running backs Delvin Shipp and Johnny Polite have also seen significant playing time, and Ceasar was joined by Clarence Denmark and Michael Green this past week as preferred targets for Buisson, as all three had over 30 receiving yards in the Harding game.

   Defensively, the Weevils will look to a pair of talented linebackers in junior Larry White and senior Wes Ables to continue to be run stoppers. White is tied for the GSC lead in tackles with 38 while Ables ranks third with 34. In the secondary, Lavar Wyatt is tied for the GSC lead and ranks fifth nationally in passes defended (pass breakups and interceptions).

   “We know we’re going to play a very tough team on the road,” said Mathews. “They are certainly capable of putting up some points and we know we have to be at our best.”

   Kickoff from Allgood-Bailey Stadium in Rolla, Missouri is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on KHBM-FM 93.7 in Monticello, and simulcast online at www.uamsports.com.