Game Notes: No. 5 Harding Host No. 20 Central Missouri in NCAA Playoffs

No. 5 Harding Bisons (11-0) vs. No. 20 Central Missouri Mules (9-2)
Nov. 19, 2016 • 1 p.m. • Searcy, Ark. • First Security Stadium

Game Story
Harding will host an NCAA Division II Playoff game for the first time Saturday. Harding, the No. 3 seed in Super Region 3, will host Central Missouri, the No. 6 seed and the third-place team in the MIAA. Kickoff at First Security Stadium will be at 1 p.m.

Harding and Central Missouri will meet for the first time in 48 seasons. The Bisons and Mules played in Searcy in 1967 with Harding winning 27-13 and in Warrensburg in 1968 with Central Missouri winning 35-0.

Harding claimed its first outright football conference championship in program history. The Bisons tied for conference championships in 1972, 1976 and 1989, all in the NAIA Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference.

Harding leads NCAA Division II in rushing offense with 388.5 yards per game. The Bisons have rushed for more than 400 yards five times.

Harding's defense leads Division II in total defense (227.8), rushing defense (69.7) and scoring defense (11.2) and ranks third in passing efficiency defense (92.78). The Bisons have limited five opponents to fewer than 200 total yards.

Harding's offense has 23 touchdown drives this season of five plays or more and 50 yards or more. Harding's opponents have three.

In the latest AFCA poll, Harding remained at No. 5. It is the sixth straight poll that has the Bisons in the AFCA Top 10. Harding is ranked ninth in the D2football.com poll, sixth on MasseyRatings.com and 13th on HeroSports.com. Central Missouri's rankings: 20th (AFCA), 12th (D2), 10th (Massey) and 32nd (Hero).

Harding is 11-0 for the first time and is one of only five teams in Division II with 10 wins (Northwest Mo. St., Sioux Falls, Grand Valley St., and LIU Post).

Up Next
The winner of the No. 3 Harding-No. 6 Central Missouri will play the winner of No. 2 Sioux Falls and No. 7 Asuza Pacific. The higher-seeded team will host.

The Coaches
Harding's Ronnie Huckeba is in his 10th season as head coach and 31st on the Bison staff. He has a 67-39 career record, including 45-11 in GAC games. Huckeba has announded that 2016 will be his final season. Defensive coordinator Paul Simmons will be the head coach beginning in 2017.

Jim Svoboda is in his seventh season at Central Missouri and is 55-24.

Home/Road Records
Saturday's game against Central Missouri is Harding's seventh home games. It will be the first time Harding has played seven home games in a season. The Bisons are 37-15 at home under coach Ronnie Huckeba and 21-4 in their last 25 home games. Harding has outscored five opponents 244-92 at home this season. Central Missouri is 4-0 on the road this season.

Previous Meetings
Jim Howard rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown, and Charles Jones scored three rushing touchdowns in Harding's 27-13 victory in Searcy in 1967. The Bisons limited the Mules to only 51 passing yards in the game.

Central Missouri had two interception returns for touchdowns and limited Harding to 81 rushing yards in a 35-0 victory in 1968 in Warrensburg. Harding had six different players attempt a pass in the game, and Central Missouri had seven interceptions.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Harding has a school-record 54 rushing TD, 11 more than any other team in Division II. Harding also leads Division II with a school-record 4,273 rushing yards.

Harding has 47 rushes of 20 yards or longer this season and has allowed only three. Zach Shelley leads Harding with 11 rushes of 20 yards or more, and Grant Kimberlin has seven.

Harding has outscored its opponents 184-44 in the second quarter, 101-21 in the fourth quarter, and 121-49 off turnovers.

Park Parish is one of only six Bisons with more than 2,000 career rushing yards (2,199). He needs 57 yards to pass Kale Gelles (2,256, 2008-11) for fifth. He has a school-record 41 rushing TD.

Park Parish (17) and Michael Latu (13) have combined for 30 rushing touchdowns for the second straight season. Parish had 19 and Latu 11 in 2015.

Corey Bassett has averaged 32.1 yards per kickoff return. The current Harding record is 28.2 by Aaron Evans in 1996. His career average of 26.0 is highest among any Bison with 30 or more returns.

Zach Shelley is HU's career leader with 9.77 yards per rush, and Andrew Dather is the career leader with 27.23 yards per reception.

A Quick Look at Central Missouri
Central Missouri led the MIAA and ranked ninth in Division II with 309.4 passing yards per game. The Mules also had their conference's fewest penalties and averaged only 48 penalty yards per game.

Junior wide receiver Jaylen Zachery is one of only eight players in Division II with two kickoff returns for touchdowns this season.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Corey Bassett: DB; 5' 8"; Senior

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

#9 Michael Latu: RB; 5' 10"; Senior

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

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

#5 Grant Kimberlin: RB; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#12 Corey Bassett
: 5' 8"; Senior
: DB

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

#9 Michael Latu
: 5' 10"; Senior
: RB

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

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

#5 Grant Kimberlin
: 5' 8"; Junior
: RB