Harding Game Notes

•    The 13th-ranked Harding football team will play its third home game of the season Saturday when the Bisons host 22nd-ranked Ouachita Baptist. Kickoff at First Security Stadium is at 6 p.m.

•    Harding will play the game with a new scoreboard. The new scoreboard and video board will be dedicated Saturday at 5 p.m. Team members and family of the 1959 Harding football team, the first after a 28-year hiatus, have purchased the new scoreboard to honor their coach, the late Carl Allison, and current Harding Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Clifton L. Ganus, Jr.

•    The Bisons will be playing their fourth game as a nationally-ranked team this season. Harding entered the AFCA poll on Sept. 15 at No. 20 and is currently ranked No. 13, its highest ranking since being No. 12 in the Nov. 12, 2012 poll. The Bisons are also ranked No. 18 in the D2Football.com Poll.

•    Harding's offense enters the game as the NCAA Division II leader in Rushing Offense (410.2). The Bisons' offense is also ranked in the top five in Division II in Scoring Offense (4th, 51.2), and 3rd Down Conversion Pct. (4th, 54.4).

•    Harding's defense ranks in the NCAA Division II top five in Total Defense (4th, 214.6), Rushing Defense (3rd, 55.4), Scoring Defense (3rd, 8.2), Turnover Margin (3rd, 2.40), and First Downs Defense (3rd, 65).

•    Harding leads the GAC in Scoring Offense (51.2), Scoring Defense (8.2), Total Defense (214.6), Rushing Offense (410.2), Rushing Defense (55.4), Pass Defense (159.2), Opponent 1st Downs (13.0), 3rd Down Conversions (54.4), Time of Possession (35:01), Turnover Margin (+12), Red Zone Defense (60.0).

•    Harding's defense has allowed opponents only five trips to the Red Zone in five games, the fewest among GAC teams. This week's opponent, Ouachita Baptist, is second with 14 trips allowed.

•    A victory Saturday would extend Harding's school-record winning streak to 10 games. The Bisons' current nine-game winning streak is the fourth-longest in NCAA Division II (Northwest Missouri State - 21, Colorado Mines - 10, Ferris St. - 10).

•    A victory Saturday would match the longest road winning streak in program history. Harding has won six straight road games, tied for the 10th-longest active streak in NCAA Division II. The record of seven was set  from 1971-73.

•    Harding and Arkansas-Monticello are meeting for the 56th time with the Bisons holding a 30-21-4 lead. The Bisons have won the last two meetings, both in Arkadelphia. The teams are playing in Searcy for only the second time in the last six years.

•    Saturday's game will be the 618th game in program history. Harding enters the game with a record of 302-297-18. The Bisons earned their 300th victory at Southern Nazarene on Sept. 27.

•    Harding head coach Ronnie Huckeba is in his eighth season as head coach of the Bisons and has a record of 45-33.

•    Harding senior running back Romo Westbrook is fourth in career rushing yards with 2,437. He needs 47 yards to pass Chris Pierson (1996-97) for third place.

•    Westbrook scored his 24th career touchdown vs. Arkansas-Monticello and is fourth in on Harding's career touchdowns list. He needs two more touchdowns to tie Gerald Payne (1999-2000) for third.

•    Harding senior kicker John Gay made seven extra points at Arkansas-Monticello and has 202 career points. With nine more points, Gay would pass Alan Dixon (1970-73) for third in career points at Harding.

•    Through five games, Harding has 31 plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or more (21 rushing, 10 passing). Harding's opponents have eight plays of 20 yards or more (2 rushing, 6 passing).

Last Week's Game
•    Romo Westbrook rushed for 150 yards and Keenan Kellett scored three rushing touchdowns to lead Harding to a 55-15 victory over Arkansas-Monticello. The Bison defense recovered six fumbles and held its third straight opponent scoreless in the second half.

Winning Tradition
•    Harding has won 23 games in the last two-plus seasons. Harding won 18 games over the last two seasons, breaking the previous record of 17 wins in 1972-73.

•    Harding needs one more win this season to break the school record for wins in three seasons. The Bisons from 1971-73 won 23 games.

•    Harding has played in the postseason in each of the last two years, a first for the Bison program. In 2012, Harding reached the NCAA II Super Region 3 Playoffs, meeting Northwest Missouri State, and last season the Bisons won the inaugural Live United Texarkana Bowl 44-3 over Texas A&M-Commerce.

Head Coach Ronnie Huckeba
Harding is in its eighth season under head coach Ronnie Huckeba. Now in his 29th season as a coach at Harding, Huckeba has a 45-33 overall record as head coach.

First Quarter Success
Harding led Arkansas-Monticello 14-0 after the first quarter last Saturday, and has outscored its opponents 208-43 in the first quarter over the last 16 games and 72-6 in the first quarter this season. Over the last four-plus seasons, Harding has scored 479 first-quarter points to only 157 by its opponents.

Harding has outscored its opponents 56-0 this season in the third quarter.

AFCA Poll
Harding moved up one spot from No. 14 to No. 13 following its victory at Arkansas-Monticello. It is Harding's highest ranking since Nov. 12, 2012 when the team was No. 12.

The Series vs. Ouachita Baptist - Highlights
1928 - Harding and Ouachita Baptist opened the series in Arkadelphia with a 0-0 tie.
1960 - Thirty-two years after the first meeting, the teams played again. The score was 0-0 again.
1971 - Alan Dixon rushed for 229 yards on 33 carries, Harding's fourth-most rushing yards in a game. Dixon's 90-yard run in the game is the longest in program history.
1977 - Kevin Webb set a school record with an 87-yard punt return in a 29-15 victory.
1987 - Greg Cox completed a school-record long 92-yard pass to Mike Alexander in Harding's 17-10 victory.
1989 - Brent Goodwin made a 52-yard field goal in Harding's 24-21 victory.
1996 - Current Harding assistant coach Dr. Clay Beason became the first Bison quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a game, a 50-21 Harding victory.
1998 - Aaron Evans rushed for 203 yards and had 263 all-purpose yards in an 18-16 Harding victory.
1999 - Drew Colon tied a then school record with 11 reception in Harding's 41-7 victory.
2001 - Rashaad Cooper tied a school record with four pass breakups.
2002 - Robert Lolohea tied a school record with four touchdowns in HU's 42-30 victory.
2008 - David Knighton passed for 473 yards in a 37-30 loss in Searcy. Defensive back Sevohn Greer had 19 tackles in the game.
2013 - Donatella Luckett scored on a 76-yard touchdown reception to give the Bisons a 36-33 victory in Arkadelphia.

Extra Note: Harding's two longest plays from scrimmage in program history have both come against Ouachita Baptist, a 92-yard pass from Greg Cox to Mike Alexander in 1987 and a 90-yard run by Alan Dixon in 1971.

Harding's individual best games against Ouachita Baptist: RUSHING - Alan Dixon (33 rushes, 229 yards in 1971); PASSING - David Knighton (37-of-52, 473 yards, 3TD in 2008); RECEIVING - Kurt Adams (6 receptions, 142 yards in 2008); TACKLES - Sevohn Greer (19 tackles in 2008).

Harding vs. OUACHITA BAPTIST – Last Meeting
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Harding junior wide receiver caught a slant pass from junior quarterback Keenan Kellett and went 74 yards for a touchdown to give the Bisons a 36-33 victory over Ouachita Baptist on Saturday in Great American Conference play at A.U. Williams Field.

The victory was Harding's fifth straight, and the Bisons improved to 5-1 overall and in conference play. Ouachita Baptist (5-1, 5-1) lost for the first time this season and for the second straight year in Arkadelphia. The Tigers scored only two touchdowns on seven trips inside the Bisons' 20-yard line.

Ouachita Baptist took a 33-30 lead with only 1:56 remaining in the game on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Tiger quarterback Benson Jordan to Ryan Perkins.

Harding took over on the Ouachita Baptist 24-yard line and gained two yards on first down. On the next play Kellett hit Luckett for only the third completed pass of the game for the Bisons. After a bad snap on the extra point attempt, placekicker John Gay's point after missed left and gave the Tigers the ball back trailing by only three.

Ouachita Baptist took over at the Harding 27 with 1:06 left. The Tigers picked up one first down on a pass interference penalty, but on first down at the 37, Jordan overthrew his intended receiver and Harding's Ashton Williams made the Bisons third interception of the game to seal the victory.

Current Bisons vs. Ouachita Baptist
RUSHING
NAME    G    ATT.    YARDS    TD
Kellett    2    22    38    0
Kelly    1    1    15    0
Luckett    3    1    5    0
Oller    3    8    113    2
Scott    3    11    143    2
Simmons    1    1    0    0
Westbrook    3    27    163    2

PASSING
NAME    G    A-C    YARDS    I-TD
Kellett    2    4-11    124    1-1

RECEIVING
NAME    G    REC    YARDS    TD
Luckett    3    3    119    2
Oller    3    2    41    0
Scott    3    1    9    0

DEFENSE
NAME    G    T    TFL    SCK    INT
Biglow    1    1    0.0    0.0    0
Bracken    3    7    2.0    1.0    0
Britt    3    5    1.0    0.0    0
Buckner    2    7    0.0    0.0    0
Cantrell    2    5    2.0    2.0    0
Garrett    1    1    0.0    0.0    0
Jackson    1    3    0.5    0.0    0
Lane    1    6    0.0    0.0    0
McKeown    1    1    0.0    0.0    0
Morgan    1    2    0.0    0.0    0
Roberson    3    4    0.5    0.0    0
Sarkissian    2    2    0.0    0.0    0
Skidmore    1    13    1.0    0.0    0
Stevenson    2    7    0.0    0.0    1

Offensive Notes
•    Harding has two of the top eight rushers in the GAC. Romo Westbrook is 2nd with 99.6 yards per game, and Alapeti Magalei is 9th with 67.2 per game.

•    Harding starting quarterback Keenan Kellett is second in the GAC in pass efficiency (164.8). He is completing 54.1 percent and has four passing touchdowns in 20 completions.

•    Donatella Luckett is 4th in the GAC with 62.6 receiving yards per game. He also leads the conference with a 26.1-yards-per-catch average.

•    Senior Romo Westbrook ranks 23rd among active players in NCAA Division II with 2,437 career rushing yards. He is 10th with 6.3 yards per carry and 30th with 24 rushing touchdowns.

•    With his 150-yard effort at Arkansas-Monticello, Westbrook has nine career 100-yard rushing games. He is tied with Chris Pierson (1996-97) and Jim Howard (1964-67) for third-most 100-yard games. Kale Gelles (2008-11) is second with 10 100-yard games.

•    Westbrook needs 47 rushing yards to move into third in career rushing yards at Harding.

•    Harding rushed for 454 yards against Arkansas-Monticello and have now rushed for over 300 yards 25 times in the last 37 games since 2011. The Bisons have rushed for over 400 yards 13 times since 2011.

•    Harding currently leads NCAA II in rushing offense with 410.2 rushing yards per game. Harding ranked No. 3 in NCAA II in rushing offense last season with 359.7 yards per game. The Bisons rushed for over 300 yards eight times, over 400 yards four times, and over 500 yards once (505 vs. Southern Nazarene).

•    Harding has finished in the top five in rushing offense in each of the last four seasons.

    HARDING'S NCAA RUSHING OFFENSE RANKINGS (SINCE 2009)
    2013 - No. 3 (359.70)
    2012 - No. 4 (320.55)
    2011 - No. 1 (360.91)
    2010 - No. 5 (272.20)
    2009 - No. 124 (94.55) - HU's last season in the spread offense

•    Harding has scored 51.2 points per game in its first five games and rank No. 4 in NCAA II. Harding ranked No. 7 in NCAA II last season in scoring offense with 43.5 points per game. It broke the previous school record of 35.5 points per game in 2011. The Bisons averaged 55.4 points per game in their five home games.

•    Harding has reached the Red Zone 30 times in five games and have scored 24 touchdowns and one field goal. All 24 touchdowns have been rushing. Harding's opponents have only reached the Red Zone five times and scored only three touchdowns. The Bisons have outscored their opponents 170-19 in the Red Zone.

•    Harding wide receiver Donatella Luckett scored on a 64-yard touchdown reception vs. Southern Arkansas. Luckett now has 19 career touchdowns, all of them of 18 yards or more and averaging 50.4 yards per touchdown.

•    Luckett has 2,824 all-purpose yards in his career to rank ninth all-time at Harding. He needs 183 yards to become only the ninth Bison with 3,000 career all-purpose yards.

•    Senior Mike Thompson, a 1st Team All-GAC offensive lineman last season, anchors the Bison line. Thompson has started 27 consecutive games, including all 11 last season at left guard.

•    Center David Lee has played 272 plays this season, the most by any Harding offensive linemen and 76 percent of the Bisons' total snaps. He has been on the field for 27 of Harding's 35 offensive touchdowns.

•    Senior Keenan Kellett is Harding's starting quarterback. He will make his 15th career start, and the Bisons have a 13-1 record in his previous 14 starts. Kellett has 17 career rushing touchdowns and 13 touchdown passes.

Defensive Notes
•    Senior defensive end Jeremy Bracken leads the Bisons and ranks 13th in the GAC with 5.5 tackles for loss.

•    Sophomore safety Aric Stock leads Harding and is tied for third in the GAC with three interceptions.

•    Senior defensive lineman Romas Roberson leads Harding and the GAC with three forced fumbles  and is tied for the GAC lead with two fumble recoveries.

•    Harding enters the Arkansas-Monticello game ranked in the top 10 in NCAA Divsion II in the following defensive categories:
    - Rushing Defense - 3rd (55.4)
    - Scoring Defense - 3rd (8.2)
    - First Down Defense - 3rd (65)
    - Turnover Margin - 3rd (2.40)
    - Total Defense - 4th (214.6)

•    Arkansas-Monticello rushed for 97 yards against Harding. The Bisons have held 10 of their last 11 opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards.

•    Harding has held its last seven opponents to fewer than 20 points.

•    Harding has either won or tied the turnover battle in each of the first five games.

Special Teams Notes
•    Senior John Gay returns as Harding's kicker. Gay has made 21-of-27 field goal attempts in his career. including 7-of-8 from 40 yards or further. He is Harding's career record holder with 139 extra points. He needs 42 points will become Harding's career scoring leader.

•    Harding kicker John Gay ranks eighth in the GAC and fourth among kickers in scoring with 7.6 points per game. Gay has made all 35 of his extra points, the most without a miss in the GAC.

•    Harding kickoff returner Donatella Luckett has 904 career kickoff return yards to rank ninth in program history.

•    Sophomore linebacker Benjamin Shields and junior defensive back Frank Herbert are Harding's top two special teams tacklers. Both have seven tackles on kickoff returns.