Harding Football Game Notes
Southern Arkansas Game Notes
Great American Conference Notes

•    The 15th-ranked Harding football team will play its second home game of the season Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Bisons take on Southern Arkansas at First Security Stadium.

•    The Bisons will be playing their second game as a nationally-ranked team this season. Harding entered the AFCA poll on Sept. 15 at No. 20 and is currently ranked No. 15, its highest ranking since being No. 12 in the Nov. 12, 2012 poll. The Bisons are also ranked No. 19 in the D2Football.com Poll.

•    Harding's offense leads the GAC in Rushing Offense (365.7), Rushing TD (16), Yards per Rush (5.7), and Pass Efficiency (171.1). 

•    Harding's defense leads the GAC in Scoring Defense (4.3), Total Defense (127.3), Rushing Defense (16.0), Pass Defense (111.3), Pass Defense Efficiency (62.9), Opponent 1st Downs (9.0), Opponent 3rd Down Conversions (27.5), Turnover Margin (+8).

•    Harding is the least penalized team in the GAC, at just 42.3 yards per game. The Bisons also have the least penalized opponents in the GAC. Harding foes have received only 10 penalties for 70 yards (23.3 yards per game).

•    Harding leads the GAC in time of possession, averaging 36:16 per game. The Bisons' time of possession advantage in the first three games has been 11:46, 6:42, and 19:10.

•    Harding is looking to extend a seven-game overall winning streak. It is the fourth-longest active winning streak in NCAA Division II. A victory would tie the longest winning streak in program history, eight games by the 1972 and 1973 teams (10/28/72-9/29/73).

•    Harding is 8-2 in its last 10 home games since 2012. In those games, the Bisons have averaged 47.4 points per game and allowed 21.4 points per game.
 
•    Harding and Southern Arkansas are meeting for the 51st time with the Muleriders holding a slight 25-24-1 lead. The Bisons have won the last eight meetings overall and three straight in Searcy, where the teams have no played since 2010.

•    Harding and Southern Arkansas are meeting for the 26th time in Searcy with the Muleriders holding a 14-10-1 lead. The 14 victories for Southern Arkansas are the second-most by any opponent against Harding in Searcy (Central Arkansas, 15).

•    Saturday's game will be the 616th game in program history. Harding enters the game with a record of 300-297-18. 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 43-33.

•    Harding kicker John Gay made eight extra points last week and is the Bisons' career leader with 124 extra points. He currently ranks ninth in extra points made among active Division II kickers.

•    Senior running back Romo Westbrook ranks fifth in career rushing yards at Harding with 2,153 yards. He needs 104 yards to pass former teammate Kale Gelles (2,256, 2008-11) for fourth place.

Last Week's Game in One Paragraph
•    Harding rolled up 511 total yards and limited Southern Nazarene to only 42 in a 58-0 road win. It was the 300th victory in program history as Harding rushed for eight touchdowns and allowed Southern Nazarene only two first downs and none after the first quarter.

Winning Tradition
•    Harding has won 21 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 three more wins 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 43-33 overall record as head coach. Under Coach Huck, the Bisons are 24-13 at home and 34-25 in conference games.

First Quarter Success
Harding led Southern Nazarene 23-0 after the first quarter last Saturday, and has outscored its opponents 180-37 in the first quarter over the last 14 games and 44-0 in the first quarter this season. Over the last four-plus seasons, Harding has scored 451 first-quarter points to only 151 by its opponents.

AFCA Poll
Harding moved up one spot from No. 16 to No. 15 during its bye week. It is Harding's highest ranking since Nov. 12, 2012 when the team was No. 12.

The Series vs. Southern Arkansas - Highlights
1969 - Charles Jones rushed for 194 yards on 31 carries in a 20-14 Harding victory.
2003 - Linebacker Tim Polk set a school record with 20 tackles, including nine solos.
2006 - Robert Towns tied a school record with three  of the Bisons' five interceptions in HU's 17-6 victory.
2008 - Harding forced a school-record six fumbles ... Ryan Ferrell kicked four field goals and Zac Ross returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown in HU's 39-33 victory ... current Harding defensive backs coach Luke Tribble had a career-high 15 tackles.
2009 - Josh Jones had three interceptions in HU's 26-16 victory in Magnolia.
2011 - Harding set a school record with 515 rushing yards on 61 carries and scored seven rushing touchdowns ... Harding's 63 points scored are the most ever in a road game for Harding ... Eddy Carmona dropped four punts inside the SAU 20-yard line.
2012 - Ty Powell set a school record with two blocked kicks (a punt and a field goal) in HU's 23-20 victory at the Boomtown Classic in El Dorado, Ark.
2013 - Harding defeated Southern Arkansas 28-14 in Magnolia in a game broadcast nationally on CBS College Sports Network.

Harding's individual best games against Southern Arkansas: RUSHING - Charles Jones (31 rushes, 194 yards in 1969); PASSING - David Knighton (29-of-50, 384 yards, 5TD in 2008); RECEIVING - Mike Alexander (6 receptions, 177 yards in 1987); TACKLES - Tim Polk (20 tackles in 2003).

Harding vs. Southern Arkansas - Last Meeting
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Harding junior fullback Romo Westbrook rushed for 171 yards on 21 carries and an early touchdown to lead the Bisons to a 28-14 victory over Southern Arkansas in front of a national audience on Oct. 3, 2013, at Wilkins Stadium.

The victory, which aired live on CBS Sports Network, was the eighth straight for Harding over Southern Arkansas overall and the sixth straight in Magnolia. The Bisons have won three straight and improved to 3-1 overall and in the Great American Conference.
 
With the score tied at 14-14 at halftime, Harding took advantage of a Jordan Cantrell interception, marched 37 yards on five plays, and took the lead for good on Ahmad Scott's 15-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left in the third quarter. John Gay's extra point was wide left, and the Bisons led 20-14.

A 10-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter sealed the game for the Bisons. Quarterback Keenan Kellett punctuated the drive with a one-yard sneak for the touchdown. He then raced to the far pylon to add the two-point conversion.

CURRENT BISONS VS. SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
RUSHING
NAME    G    ATT.    YARDS    TD
Kellett    2    12    51    1
Kelly    1    3    16    0
Luckett    3    10    99    1
Magalei    1    4    18    0
Oller    2    5    27    0
Scott    3    9    124    1
Simmons    1    2    20    0
Westbrook    3    37    221    2

PASSING
NAME    G    A-C    YARDS    I-TD
Kellett    2    3-12    64    2-0

RECEIVING
NAME    G    REC    YARDS    TD
Luckett    3    2    66    1
Westbrook    3    1    15    0

DEFENSE
NAME    G    T    TFL    SCK    INT
Bassett    1    1    0    0    0
Bracken    3    1    0    0    0
Britt    2    2    0    0    0
Buckner    2    6    1.5    0    0
Cantrell    2    14    1.5    0.5    1
Lane    1    3    0    0    1
Roberson    2    4    0    0    0
Skidmore    1    6    0    0    0
Stevenson    2    4    0    0    1
Stock    1    1    0    0    0

Offensive Notes
•    Harding has two of the top 10 rushers in the GAC. Alapeti Magalei is 7th with 74.7 yards per game, and Romo Westbrook is 8th with 71.3 yards per game.

•    Harding starting quarterback Keenan Kellett is 2nd in the GAC with a quarterback rating of 189.4, second only to Henderson State backup Dallas Hardison, who has thrown only 14 passes.

•    Donatella Luckett is 3rd in the GAC with 73.3 receiving yards per game. He also leads the conference with a 22.0-yards-per-catch average.

•    Senior Romo Westbrook ranks 29th among active players in NCAA Division II with 2,153 career rushing yards. He is 11th with 6.1 yards per carry and 36th with 21 rushing touchdowns.

•    Westbrook rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries vs. Southwestern Oklahoma for his seventh career 100-yard game. Only five running backs in Harding history have more 100-yard games. Mike Vanlandingham is next with eight.

•    Westbrook needs 104 rushing yards to move into fourth in career rushing yards at Harding.

•    Harding rushed for 462 yards against Southern Nazarene and have now rushed for over 300 yards 23 times in the last 35 games since 2011. The Bisons have rushed for over 400 yards 11 times since 2011.

•    Harding currently ranks No. 2 in NCAA II in rushing offense with 365.7 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 48.3 points per game in its first three games and rank No. 7 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 its five home games.

•    Harding has reached the Red Zone 19 times in three games and have scored 13 touchdowns and one field goal.

•    Harding wide receiver Donatella Luckett scored on a 45-yard touchdown reception and an 18-yard reverse vs. Northwestern Oklahoma. Luckett now has 18 career touchdowns, all of them of 18 yards or more and averaging 49.6 yards per touchdown.

•    Luckett has 2,713 all-purpose yards in his career to rank 11th all-time at Harding. He needs 31 yards to pass Jack Barber (1972-74) for 10th and 45 yards to pass Ronnie Peacock (1968-71) for ninth.

•    Senior Mike Thompson, a 1st Team All-GAC offensive lineman last season, anchors the Bison line. Thompson has started 25 consecutive games, including all 11 last season at left guard.

•    Center David Lee has played 154 plays this season, the most by any Harding offensive linemen and 69 percent of the Bisons' total snaps. He has been on the field for 14 of Harding's 19 offensive touchdowns.

•    Senior Keenan Kellett is Harding's starting quarterback. He will make his 13th career start, and the Bisons have a 11-1 record in his previous 12 starts. Kellett has 14 career rushing touchdowns and 12 touchdown passes.

Defensive Notes
•    Senior defensive end Jeremy Bracken leads the Bisons and ranks 10th in the GAC with 4.0 tackles for loss.

•    Harding enters the Southern Arkansas game ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in Rushing Defense (16.0), Passing Efficiency Defense (62.90), and Total Defense (127.3).

•    This season, Harding's defense has allowed 7 rushing yards, 35 yards, and 6 yards in its first three games.

•    Harding's defense leads the GAC in Scoring Defense (4.3), Total Defense (127.3), Rushing Defense (16.0), Pass Defense (111.3), Pass Defense Efficiency (62.9), Opponent 1st Downs (9.0), Opponent 3rd Down Conversions (27.5), Turnover Margin (+8).

•    Harding has a streak of nine straight games holding its opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.

•    Harding finished the 2013 season ranked No. 2 in rushing defense, allowing only 69.3 yards per game. Only three times did opponents rush for more than 100 yards in a game. Harding held opponents to below 50 yards five times.

•    Harding has finished in the top 13 in rushing defense in three of the last four seasons.

    HARDING'S NCAA RUSHING DEFENSE RANKINGS (SINCE 2009)
    2013 - No. 2 (69.3)
    2012 - No. 10 (96.4)
    2011 - No. 48 (130.6)
    2010 - No. 13 (90.0)

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 124 extra points. He needs 57 points will become Harding's career scoring leader.

•    John Gay ranks second among kickers in the GAC with 7.7 points scored per game. He has made all 20 of his extra points this season, the most without a miss in the GAC.

•    Harding kickoff returner Donatella Luckett has 897 career kickoff return yards to rank ninth in program history.

Southwestern Oklahoma Leftovers
•    Harding moved above .500 as a program at 298-297-18. It is the first time Harding has had a winning record since the team was 2-1 in the 1924 season.
•    Harding extended its series lead to 6-4 over Southwestern Oklahoma, including 3-1 in GAC games.
•    Harding has won the last three games at home against Southwestern by a total of 150-41.
•    Harding is now 40-21-3 in season openers, has won 10 of its last 13, and eight straight at home.
•    Harding had a 226.0 passing efficiency, the seventh-best figure in program history. The Bisons completed 7-of-12 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Kellett's passing efficiency of 246.6 was a career best and the fifth-best ever by a Bison.
•    Keenan Kellett averaged 14.6 yards per pass attempt, completing 11 passes for 161 yards.
•    Harding limited Southwestern to only 7 rushing yards, tied for eighth-fewest by a Bison opponent and the second-best effort by Harding in a GAC game.
•    Harding's defense allowed only 197 total yards, its fourth-lowest figure in a GAC game.

Northwestern Oklahoma Leftovers
•    Romo Westbrook scored his 21st career rushing touchdown on Harding's first play from scrimmage.
•    Donatella Luckett scored his 17th and 18th career touchdowns, the first on a 45-yard screen pass and the second on an 18-yard reverse. It was the shortest touchdown of his career.
•    Luckett had 105 receiving yards on five receptions, his third career game with over 100 receiving yards.
•    Redshirt freshman Zach Shelley led Harding in rushing with 87 yards on four carries with touchdowns of  29 and 52 yards.
•    Dennis Buckner became Harding's first defensive player since Philip Mion against Ouachita Baptist last season with two interceptions in a game.
•    Buckner returned the second interception 36 yards for a touchdown. Darious Lane was the last Bison to return an interception for a touchdown, last season vs. East Central.
•    Kicker John Gay made a 41-yard field goal, his fourth straight from 40 yards or more.
•    Harding rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns to give HU 23 games of 300 rushing yards or more in its last 35 since 2011.
•    Harding made five interceptions, the most by Harding in a GAC game, third-most ever, and the first five-interception game since Oct. 10, 2009 against Ouachita Baptist.

Southern Nazarene Leftovers
•    Harding's 58-0 victory over Southern Nazarene was its largest-ever road shutout.
•    Harding's safety in the first quarter was its first since blocking a punt out of the end zone against Arkansas-Monticello in 2010.
•    Harding had eight rushing touchdowns, the most ever by the Bisons in a road game.
•    Harding had 28 rushing first downs, shattering the old school record of 24 at Northeastern State in 2011.
•    Harding limited Southern Nazarene to only two first downs, breaking the previous school record of three first downs by Lane in 1990.
•    Harding's 462 rushing yards were the second-most ever in a road game. (Southern Arkansas, 515, 2011).
•    Harding allowed only 6 rushing yards, third-fewest by a Bison team on the road and tied for seventh overall.
•    Harding allowed 42 total yards, its best defensive effort ever in a Great American Conference game and fourth overall.
•    Harding held Southern Nazarene to 0-for-10 on third downs. Lambuth in 2010 was the last Harding opponent that did not convert a third down (0-of-10).
•    Harding scored touchdowns on eight of its 12 possessions. Southern Nazarene's longest drive was 17 yards and only had five drives in positive yardage.