Football 11/15/2018 10:08:00 AM by Scott Goode (11/15/18)

No. 21 Harding Football at No. 2 Ferris State - GAME NOTES

#21 Harding Bisons (9-2) vs. #2 Ferris St. Bulldogs (11-0)
Nov. 17, 2018 • 1 p.m. • Big Rapids, Mich. • Top Taggart Field

Game Story
Harding, the top scoring team in the Great American Conference, will take on Ferris State, the top scoring team in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Saturday at Top Taggart Field in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 playoffs. Harding averages 36.5 points per game overall and 45.8 points per game on the road. Ferris State averages 40.8 points, good for 12th in Division II.

Harding is in the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the fifth time since 2012 and for the third consecutive season. The Bisons have a 5-4 playoff record, reaching the Super Region 3 finals in 2016 and the national semifinals in 2017.

Harding is ranked No. 21 in the AFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Ferris State is No. 2.

Harding scored a touchdown in each of the quarters and defeated Arkansas Tech 28-0 on Saturday in Searcy. The Bisons recorded their second shutout of the season. Harding rushed for 360 yards, had 20 rushing first downs, went 7 of 11 on third down and held the ball for 40 minutes, 11 seconds.

Ferris State had 604 yards of total offense in a 47-6 victory over William Jewell in its final regular season game. The Bulldogs rushed for 348 yards and passed for 256 yards and held William Jewell to 148 total yards, including -11 rushing.

Up Next
The winner of the No. 7 Harding and No. 2 Ferris State game plays the winner of No. 3 Grand Valley State and No. 6 Northwest Missouri State next Saturday.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons is in his second season as head coach at Harding. He has a 20-6 overall record and led Harding to the national semifinals in 2017. He is in his 13th season at Harding and had been Harding's defensive coordinator for the previous seven seasons before becoming head coach in 2017. Simmons was a three-time All-American defensive end and linebacker at Harding from 1992-94.

Tony Annese, a 1983 graduate of Alma College, is in his seventh season at Ferris State and has a 70-14 record.

Series History
Harding won the only previous meeting between the teams 16-14 last season at Ferris State in the finals of the Super Region 3 playoff bracket.

Home/Road Records
Harding is 5-0 on the road this season and won 10 consecutive regular season road games. Harding has scored more than 40 points in its five road games this season. Harding is 13-2 on the road under head coach Paul Simmons.

Last Meeting
Harding senior kicker Tristan Parsley kicked the game-winning 20-yard field goal with no time left to give the Bisons a 16-14 victory over Ferris State on Dec. 2, 2017, to win the Super Region 3 championship in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Ferris State took a 14-13 lead on a 10-yard TD run with 5:04 left in the game. Harding then went 62 yards on 16 plays on the game-winning drive.

Cole Chancey rushed for 86 yards and Harding's lone TD, and the Bisons won the game without completing a pass.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Harding has outscored its opponents 111-7 in the first quarter of its first 10 games. Only Oklahoma Baptist has scored against Harding in the first quarter.

Harding leads D2 in rushing yards (3,831) and in rushing TD (47). Harding is 13th in yards per rush (5.76).

Harding leads D2 with an average of 36:08 time of possession. The Bisons have held at least a six-minute advantage in every game this season. HU and Minnesota Duluth are the only teams averaging more than 35 minutes of possession per game.

RB Cole Chancey has 2,197 career rushing yards and needs 60 yards to pass Kale Gelles (2,256, 2008-11) for seventh on Harding's career rushing list. Chancey has 28 rushing TD, tied for third with Romo Westbrook (28, 2011-14) and six behind second-place Alan "Snake" Dixon (34, 1970-73).

Harding's opponents have been penalized 24 times for 99 yards more than the Bisons.

Harding vs. Ferris State
Sam Blankenship had 5 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack and 1 INT ... Cole Chancey rushed for 86 yards on 26 carries with 1 TD ... Dylan Hendricks had 3 tackles ... Frank Herbert had 5 tackles ... Jacory Nichols had 2 tackles and 1 PBU ... Shedrick Robinson had 3 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack ... Dra Smith had 3 tackles ... T.J. Winslow had 4 tackles and 1.0 sack ... Christian Witt had 4 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FR.

A Quick Look at Ferris State
Ferris State has won 10 or more games for each of the last five seasons ... Ferris State is allowing less than 1 yard per punt return, second in D2 ... FSU averages 16.54 yards per reception, sixth in D2 in a category that Harding leads at 23.84 yards per catch.

QB Jayru Campbell leads D2 with 24.6 points responsible for per game ... he is second nationally in passing efficiency (177.7), yards per completion (17.58) ... he led the GLIAC in both passing TD (22) and rushing TD (19).

Team Leaders
HARDING
Rushing - Cole Chancey: 166 rushes, 860 yards (3rd GAC), 13 TD (2nd GAC); Tristan Tucker: 72 rushes, 673 yards (8th GAC), 6 TD; Preston Paden: 129 rushes, 472 yards, 12 TD (3rd GAC)
Passing - Preston Paden: 25-47, 596 yards, 5 TD
Receiving - Taylor Bissell: 8 receptions, 272 yards, 1 TD
Defense - Sam Blankenship: 68 tackles; T.J. Winslow: 10.0 TFL, 9.5 sacks (1st GAC); V'Onte Williams: 4 INT (5th GAC)
Punting - Cameron Scott: 34 punts, 41.4 avg.
Kicking - Cameron Scott: 7 for 13 FG, 52 for 53 PAT

FERRIS ST.
Rushing - Jayru Campbell: 212 rushes, 1,162 yards (2nd GLIAC), 19 TD (1st GLIAC); Marvin Campbell: 99 rushes, 580 yards (9th GLIAC), 5 TD
Passing - Jayru Campbell: 142-237, 2,368 yards (3rd GLIAC), 22 TD (1st GLIAC)
Receiving - Sy Barnett: 31 receptions, 718 yards (5th GLIAC), 8 TD (4th GLIAC); Dion Earls: 31 receptions, 329 yards, 4 TD; Keyondre Craig: 29 receptions, 499 yards, 4 TD
Defense - Austin Edwards: 56 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks; Deleon Stephenson: 6 INT (1st GLIAC)
Punting - Jackson Dieterle: 20 punts, 39.4 avg.
Kicking - Jackson Dieterle: 4 for 11 FG, 53 for 53 PAT

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Players Mentioned

#80 Tristan Parsley: K/P; 5' 9"; Senior

#42 Sam Blankenship: LB; 6' 3"; Senior

#34 Cole Chancey: RB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#43 Dylan Hendricks: LB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#21 Frank Herbert: DB; 5' 11"; Senior

#7 Jacory Nichols: DB; 5' 6"; Junior

#11 Preston Paden: QB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#26 Taylor Bissell: RB; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#9 Shedrick Robinson: LB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#18 Cameron Scott: K/P; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#80 Tristan Parsley
: 5' 9"; Senior
: K/P

#42 Sam Blankenship
: 6' 3"; Senior
: LB

#34 Cole Chancey
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: RB

#43 Dylan Hendricks
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: LB

#21 Frank Herbert
: 5' 11"; Senior
: DB

#7 Jacory Nichols
: 5' 6"; Junior
: DB

#11 Preston Paden
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: QB

#26 Taylor Bissell
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: RB

#9 Shedrick Robinson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: LB

#18 Cameron Scott
: 6' 1"; Junior
: K/P