Harding Football Game Notes
Southwestern Oklahoma Game Notes
Great American Conference Weekly Notes
Pregame interview with Head Coach Ronnie Huckeba
Kickoff at First Security Stadium is at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on HardingSports.com. The game is also available on KVHU-95.3 FM with Billy Morgan and Jerry Mote on the call.
The Bisons enter the game 2-5 overall after falling 49-41 to Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla., on Saturday. Harding had 622 yards of total offense, two of the 10 longest pass plays in program history, and returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown in the game.
Harding is 1-1 in Great American Conference play and one of only four teams in the nine-team conference with fewer than two GAC losses.
Southwestern Oklahoma State enters the game 4-3 overall and 2-3 in GAC play. The Bulldogs have lost their last two games and are coming off a 48-38 home loss to Ouachita Baptist last Saturday. SWOSU is 3-0 this season in road games.
Harding leads NCAA Division II in rushing at 370.57 yards per game, 53.1 more than second-place Nebraska-Kearney (317.50). Harding is one of only two teams that average more than 6.0 yards per carry (Midwestern State – 7.03, Harding – 6.12).
GAME NOTES
* Harding and Southwestern Oklahoma State are meeting for the seventh time with the series tied 3-3. It is also tied 2-2 in games played in Searcy. SWOSU won the last meeting 31-22 in Searcy in 1999, Harding's final game as a member of the Lone Star Conference.
* Harding is 40-20 (.667) in home games since 2000.
* Harding has scored 20 red-zone touchdowns this season, all 20 on the ground.
* Harding's rushing average of 370.6 yards per game is currently the best in program history. The current record is 324.1 yards in 1972.
* Harding's quarterbacks have scored 18 of the teams' 25 rushing touchdowns this season. Junior Chaz Rogers leads the GAC with 10 rushing touchdowns and is one of only six Harding players ever to score 10 or more rushing touchdowns in a season.
* Harding senior Jeremy Holt eclipsed the 1,000 receiving yard barrier with 75 receiving yards last week and now is one of only two Bisons with over 1,000 career rushing yards and 1,000 career receiving yards. Holt has 1,427 rushing yards and 1,063 receiving yards. Joe David Smith (1973-76) had 1,877 rushing yards and 1,201 receiving yards.
* Senior running back Kale Gelles leads the GAC in rushing yards with 104.3 per game. He also has 1,877 career rushing yards, which is tied for fifth on Harding's career rushing list. He needs 81 yards vs. SWOSU to pass Glenn Segars (1982, 84-87) for fourth.
* Harding senior left guard Garrett Taylor leads the Bisons with 245 knockout blocks and had a season-high 51 KOs last week against Northeastern State. Taylor's 95% film grade from the coaches was the highest for a Bison offensive lineman this season.
* Harding enters the game as the GAC's leader in total defense (294.1), rushing defense (104.1), and passing defense (190.0). The Bisons are also tops in the GAC in sacks (18) and opponent first downs allowed (15.1).
* Harding's leading tackler is junior Aaron Gillaspie with 49. He is sixth in the GAC with 7.0 tackles per game.
