University of Arkansas at Monticello Athletics

MONTICELLO, Ark. - The University of Arkansas at Monticello football team returned home to Willis "Convoy" Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium on Saturday evening for a Great American Conference matchup with Arkansas Tech University. After falling behind 17-0 early in the second quarter, the Weevils stormed back to claim a 30-27 victory over the Wonder Boys for their first win of the 2026 season.

Arkansas-Monticello produced a season-high 457 yards of total offense, including 218 yards on the ground and 239 through the air. The Weevils picked up 24 first downs and finished a perfect 6-for-6 on trips to the red zone. UAM also played turnover-free football while forcing two Arkansas Tech interceptions.

Quarterback Drew Forkner completed 21-of-31 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. DT McCoy led the receiving corps with five catches for 98 yards, including a 44-yard reception. RJ Hairston added three catches for 30 yards, while Braylon Henry hauled in three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Keith Wells Jr. recorded UAM's other receiving touchdown.  

Dave Alston turned in another impressive performance on the ground, rushing 20 times for 126 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Henry added 59 yards on nine attempts, while Forkner contributed 40 yards on five carries. Altogether, the Weevils averaged 5.9 yards per rushing attempt.

Defensively, Lonnie Leverette and Jalil Matthews led Arkansas-Monticello with seven tackles apiece. The Weevil secondary came away with two crucial interceptions, as Jayden Parker picked off a pass in the third quarter before Nino Betances intercepted another in the fourth and returned it 38 yards to the Arkansas Tech 7-yard line. Keith Wells Jr. recorded UAM's lone sack, dropping the quarterback for a 10-yard loss late in the fourth quarter.  

Charles Stinson was perfect on the night, converting all three PAT attempts and all three of his field-goal opportunities from 25, 21, and 38 yards. His 38-yarder ultimately provided the winning points.

Post Game
First-year Boll Weevil Head Coach Gary Goff had this to say after the game:


How it Happened

First Quarter

• 11:17 - ATU | Arkansas Tech opened the scoring with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
• 04:56 - ATU | The Wonder Boys extended their advantage to 14-0 on a 15-yard rushing touchdown.

Second Quarter

• 14:56 - ATU | Arkansas Tech connected on a 34-yard field goal, pushing its lead to 17-0.
• 09:54 - UAM | The Weevils answered with their first scoring drive of the night, marching 71 yards on nine plays. Forkner connected with McCoy for a 44-yard gain to move UAM deep into Arkansas Tech territory before finding Keith Wells Jr. for a 3-yard touchdown. Stinson's PAT cut the deficit to 17-7.
• 01:50 - UAM | Arkansas-Monticello put together another lengthy drive, moving 68 yards on 11 plays and taking 6:20 off the clock. Forkner connected with Alston for 23 yards and Isaiah Roberts for another 18 during the possession before Stinson converted a 25-yard field goal, pulling UAM within seven at 17-10.
• 00:06 - ATU | Arkansas Tech closed the half with a 23-yard field goal to take a 20-10 advantage into the break.

Third Quarter

• 08:21 - UAM | After the UAM defense stopped Arkansas Tech on fourth down near midfield, the Weevils drove 50 yards on eight plays. Forkner converted a third down with a 9-yard rush before Alston broke loose for 23 yards to the ATU 2-yard line. Three plays later, Alston powered across the goal line from one yard out to cut the Wonder Boy lead to 20-17.

Fourth Quarter

• 14:54 - UAM | UAM carried the momentum into the fourth quarter. Forkner connected with McCoy for gains of 11 and 26 yards before finding Alston for another 14 to reach the Arkansas Tech 20. On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Forkner found Henry for a 20-yard touchdown, giving the Weevils their first lead of the night at 24-20.
• 12:07 - UAM | Nino Betances intercepted Arkansas Tech on its ensuing possession and returned the ball 38 yards to the ATU 7. The Weevils turned the takeaway into points with Stinson's 21-yard field goal, extending the UAM advantage to 27-20.
• 03:34 - UAM | Starting from its own 10-yard line, Arkansas-Monticello put together a crucial 10-play, 74-yard drive that drained more than five minutes from the clock. Henry ripped off consecutive runs of 20 and 26 yards during the possession before Stinson drilled a 38-yard field goal to give the Weevils a 30-20 lead.
• 02:15 - ATU | Arkansas Tech scored on a 66-yard passing touchdown to cut the UAM lead to 30-27.

Up Next
Weevils football travels to Southern Nazarene University at SNU Football Stadium. The game is set for Saturday, October 3, at 2:00 p.m.

You can find links to the official live streams, live stats, tickets, and more as tabs on the 2026 Weevil Football schedule page at uamsports.com.

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Keep up with the Boll Weevils on Social Media! See more content from the UAM football team across the program's different platforms, including X, Instagram, and Facebook. There will also be more media posted on the Athletics Department's pages.

All UAM Athletics social media pages can be found at uamsports.com on the Social Media Directory.

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