It was totally new experience Saturday as Incarnate Word went on the road for its second game in school history and its first away from Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio. They were playing on natural turf, it rained earlier in the day, something new and different, and they saw team speed like never before.
Arkansas Tech of the Gulf South Conference early on got three early touchdowns on plays of 34 or more yards on the way to a 34-3 halftime lead and ultimately to the 40-10 victory. ATU is now 2-0 while the Cardinals are even at 1-1.
A week earlier the Wonder Boys won 44-32 at Northeastern Oklahoma so it was no secret that they can records lots of points. That opening week win was impressive enough that ATU received votes in the weekly American Football Coaches Association. Over its nearly 100-year history Arkansas Tech has become the 10th winningest program in NCAA Division II history.
The first half was all about quick strike football. Arkansas Tech had the ball almost eight more minutes than UIW but the telling numbers were in yards gained. The Wonder Boys rolled up 383 yards on 44 tries while Incarnate Word managed but 113 on 25 plays.
The speed factor found ATU recording touchdowns twice on drives of less than two minutes each to go with an 88-yard kickoff return for a tally. Cumulative, counting the three extra points, that was 21 points posted in just 3:22. On the other hand, the Cardinals had seven possessions with only one taking more than two minutes off the game clock.
Six different times in the first two periods the Cardinals forced ATU into third down plays only to give up first downs on plays of 15 or more yards.
That action produced a 34-3 Wonder Boy lead giving the Cardinals a huge hill to climb. The three Incarnate Word points came on a 43-yard field goal off the toe of Thomas Rebold closing the gap, at the time, to 7-3. That was with 9:25 on the scoreboard.
On the first possession of the second half the Cardinals managed to take 2:33 off the clock before Specia threw his first interception of the year. The Wonder Boys then seemed determined to run the ball and take time off the clock. But when the UIW defense stiffened it took another 11-yard pass to get on the board again making it 40-3.
Incarnate Word came right back with their first serious drive of the game. The Cardinals went 77 yards in 5:32 with 10 plays. The end was a 14-yard inside screen to wide receiver Todd Walker. Saul Meza tacked on the PAT and it was 40-10.
That score was it for the night meaning UIW outscored the Wonder Boys 7-6 in the final two quarters.
But it still came down to speed. ATU's Cody Burns carried the football 17 times on the night picking up 162 yards, an average of 9.5 each try, and one score. Landon Turner topped the Arkansas squad with three catches for 66 yards. Then there was that 88-yard kickoff return for a score by Frantz Simeon.
On the Cardinals ledger Specia was 10-23-1 and the lone UIW score. Special also was the top gainer on the ground with 12 yards on four tries. Derrick Walls caught three passes for 53 yards. Walker caught only two passes but one went for 73 yards and the other for the 14-yard score.
As a team ATU rolled up 533 total yards to go with 190 on kick returns. Those total yards included 207 rushing and 326 by the pass. Incarnate Word countered with 225 total yards including 199 through the air.
Incarnate Word now takes a week off to adjust before hosting Midwestern State at Benson Stadium on September 19.
