Football 9/17/2015 2:50:00 PM by Scott Goode (9/17/15)

No. 16 Harding Football Travels to Southern Arkansas for Saturday Showdown

Harding Bisons (2-0, 2-0) vs. Southern Arkansas Muleriders (2-0, 2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • Wilkins Stadium • 6 p.m.

Today's Game
•   Harding will play the second of its six road games Saturday. The Bisons will take on the Southern Arkansas Muleriders in Great American Conference action at Wilkins Stadium in Magnolia, Ark. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
•   Harding enters the game 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the GAC following a 42-0 victory over Southern Nazarene last Saturday in Searcy. Junior quarterback Park Parish rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Andrew Dather.
•   Harding and Southern Arkansas are two of the four undefeated teams in the GAC. Arkansas Tech and Ouachita are also undefeated.
•   Harding and Southern Arkansas are the top two teams in the GAC in yards per play. The Bisons average 7.1 yards per play, and Southern Arkansas averages 6.5. Harding is second in the conference in yards allowed per play (3.4), and Southern Arkansas is third (4.1).
•   Harding is ranked No. 16 in the American Football Coaches Association Preseason Poll and is ranked No. 17 in the D2Football.com Poll. The Bisons have been ranked in the last 14 AFCA polls. The last time Harding was ranked No. 16 was on Nov. 10, 2014.
•   The Southern Arkansas game is the third of 11 games in the 2015 season, all of which are Great American Conference games. The Bisons will play six road games and five home games during the regular season.
•   Harding is 29-7 in its four-plus seasons in the GAC and is 12-5 against teams from Arkansas. The Bisons have won six straight GAC games.
•   Harding has a 17-7 (.708) record as a nationally-ranked team and has won 13 of its last 16 games as a ranked team. The Bisons were 7-2 while nationally-ranked last season.
•   Saturday's game is the second of six regular season road games in 2015. The last time Harding had six regular season road games was 2008. The Bisons are 15-1 in their last 16 regular season road games.
•   Harding enters the game as the NCAA Division II leader in passing efficiency (252.26) and passing yards per completion (30.44).

2015 Bisons
•   Harding has won 29 games over the last three-plus seasons and have reached the postseason each of the last three years. Last season, Harding went 9-2 and played in the NCAA II Playoffs for the second time.
•   Harding has 89 players on the active roster, including 15 seniors. Six Bisons are in their fifth season in the program -- DB Trendall Stevenson, LB Chris Sarkissian, OL Cole Lockwood, OL Nathan Cash, OL Davis Hudson, and DL Matt McKeown. Harding has 25 juniors, 22 sophomores, and 24 redshirt freshmen.
•   Harding also starts the season with four true freshmen on the active roster -- DL Martez Modica, LB De'Andre McCarthy, K/P Cameron Scott, and DL Dylan Hampton.

Last Week
•   Harding moved to 2-0 for the third time in the last four seasons with a 42-0 victory over Southern Nazarene on Saturday at First Security Stadium. It was Harding's first shutout since a 58-0 blanking of Southern Nazarene in Bethany, Oklahoma, in 2014.
•   Junior quarterback Park Parish rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Parish also completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Dather, who had four receptions for 115 yards. It was Dather's second consecutive 100-yard receiving game (more about that on page 3).
•   Harding's defense had 10 tackles for loss, including two sacks, and junior defensive end Madison Firman scored the Bisons' first defensive touchdown with a 65-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter. The Bisons limited the Crimson Storm to only 68 rushing yards and 202 total yards. Senior Chris Sarkissian had his first career 10-tackle game, and redshirt freshman Tony Becton had his first career interception.

Next Week
•   Harding hosts Arkansas-Monticello on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. The Bisons hold a 26-24 series lead over the Weevils, but UAM has a 13-12 lead in games played in Searcy. Harding has won the last four meetings, including a 55-15 victory last season in Monticello.

Offensive Notes
•   Harding has outscored its opponents 14-0 in the first quarter this season and 134-30 over the last two seasons. Over the last six seasons, the Bisons hold a 541-181 advantage over opponents in the first period.
•   Harding has ranked in the top five in NCAA Division II in rushing in each of the last five seasons. The Bisons ranked second last season with 371.7 rushing yards per game. Harding is averaging 283.0 rushing yards per game and has scored seven rushing touchdowns.
•   Since moving to the flexbone in 2011, Harding has rushed for 16,103 yards or a little over 9.1 miles. The Bisons need to rush for 1,497 more yards to reach 10 miles.
•   Harding led NCAA Division II last season in passing efficiency (188.1). The Bisons scored a passing touchdown every 7.2 pass attempts (86 passes, 12 touchdowns). Through the first two games, Harding again leads NCAA II with a 252.26 passing efficiency, averaging 30.4 yards per pass.
•   In the last three seasons, Harding has 95 more rushing touchdowns than its opponents. The Bisons have rushed for 111 touchdowns and allowed only 16.
•   Harding had nine plays of 20 yards or longer against Southern Nazarene, including Zach Shelley's 77-yard run, the longest play from scrimmage this season. The Bisons had four passing plays (all to Andrew Dather) of 20 yards or three and three rushes. Harding also had a 65-yard fumble return by Madison Firman and a 30 kickoff return from Zach Shelley.

Defensive Notes
•   Harding's defense has finished in the top 10 in NCAA Division II in rushing defense in each of the last three seasons. The Bisons were third last season, allowing only 77.7 rushing yards per game. Harding has allowed opponents 190 rushing yards and only 2.5 yards per carry.
•   Harding has 21 tackles for loss in the first two games and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II with 10.5 tackles for loss per game.

Opponent/Series Notes
•   Harding has won the last nine games against Southern Arkansas and could take the series lead for the first time since the series began in 1925. The Bisons have won the last six meetings in Magnolia.
•   Southern Arkansas has opened the season with consecutive victories over Southwestern Oklahoma (28-24) and Northwestern Oklahoma (49-14).
•   The Muleriders lead the GAC and rank eighth in NCAA Division II with 559.0 total yards per game. Southern Arkansas had 523 yards against Southwestern Oklahoma and 595 against Northwestern Oklahoma.
•   Sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Weisheit leads the GAC and ranks fifth in NCAA Division II with 149.5 yards per game. He is third in the conference with 7.0 receptions per game.
•   Quarterback Barrett Renner leads the GAC with 376.5 yards of total offense per game.
•   Freshman defensive lineman Davondrick Lison leads the GAC with 2.5 sacks, and senior defensive back Chris Wilson leads the conference with 5.0 tackles for loss.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Tony Becton: DB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

#64 Nathan Cash: OL; 6' 1"; Senior

#18 Andrew Dather: WR; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#66 Davis Hudson: OL; 6' 2"; Senior

#59 Cole Lockwood: OL; 6' 2"; Senior

#90 Matt McKeown: DL; 6' 3"; Senior

#15 Park Parish: QB; 5' 10"; Junior

#8 Chris Sarkissian: LB; 5' 10"; Senior

#28 Zach Shelley: RB; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#1 Trendall Stevenson: DB; 5' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#23 Tony Becton
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman
: DB

#64 Nathan Cash
: 6' 1"; Senior
: OL

#18 Andrew Dather
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: WR

#66 Davis Hudson
: 6' 2"; Senior
: OL

#59 Cole Lockwood
: 6' 2"; Senior
: OL

#90 Matt McKeown
: 6' 3"; Senior
: DL

#15 Park Parish
: 5' 10"; Junior
: QB

#8 Chris Sarkissian
: 5' 10"; Senior
: LB

#28 Zach Shelley
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: RB

#1 Trendall Stevenson
: 5' 9"; Senior
: DB