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2019 Football Gameday at Oklahoma Baptist

Football by Scott Goode (10/10/19)

No. 22 Harding vs. Oklahoma Baptist - GAME NOTES

#22 Harding Bisons (4-1, 4-1) vs. Oklahoma Baptist (3-2, 3-2)
Oct. 12, 2019 • 1 p.m. • Shawnee, Okla. • Crain Family Stadium

Game Story
Harding carries Division II's No. 1-ranked scoring and total defense against Oklahoma Baptist's GAC-leading scoring and total offense. Oklahoma Baptist's offense has scored 22 TD this season. Harding's defense has allowed two TD.

Harding, winner of four straight, is part of a three-way tie for second place in the GAC, one game back of leader Ouachita Baptist. Oklahoma Baptist is tied with Arkansas-Monticello for fifth at 3-2.

Harding is ranked No. 22 in the AFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Oklahoma Baptist is not ranked. 

Harding was picked second in the Great American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The coaches selected Oklahoma Baptist ninth in the 12-team conference.

Up Next
Harding returns to First Security Stadium for Homecoming 2019. The Bisons will host Southwestern Oklahoma. Harding leads the series 9-5, including 7-2 in Searcy.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons is in his third season as head coach at Harding. He has a 24-8 overall record and led Harding to the NCAA II Playoffs both seasons, including a spot in the national semifinals in 2017. He is in his 14th season at Harding and had been Harding's defensive coordinator for the previous seven seasons. Simmons was a three-time All-American defensive end and linebacker at Harding from 1992-94.

Chris Jensen is in his seventh season at Oklahoma Baptist and has a 26-45 record. He graduated from Oklahoma in 1992.

Series History
Harding and Oklahoma Baptist are meeting for the fifth time with the Bisons leading the series 4-0. Harding won 20-19 in Shawnee in 2015 and 45-14 in 2017. Harding has averaged 39.8 points to Oklahoma Baptist's 11.8.
    
Harding Series Records
Team
Points - 56, 2018
Rushing - 457, 2018
Passing - 51, 2018
Total - 508, 2018
Individual
Rushing - 119, Tristan Tucker, 2018
Passing - 51, Preston Paden, 2018
Receiving - 51, Taylor Bissell, 2018
Tackles - 10, Sam Blankenship, 2017

Home/Road Records
Harding is 1-1 on the road this season, 14-4 on the road under Simmons and 20-5 on the road in the last three-plus seasons. The Bisons have won 11 of their last 12 GAC road games. OKBU is 7-17 at home since 2015.

Last Meeting
Harding had three players rush for 100 yards or more for only the second time in program history and defeated Oklahoma Baptist 56-7 last season at a rain-soaked First Security Stadium.

Both teams scored on their opening drives. Oklahoma Baptist never scored again. Harding tacked on seven unanswered TDs, six of them on the ground and another on a 51-yard TD pass from Paden to Taylor Bissell midway through the second quarter.

Harding rushed for a season-high 457 yards and seven TD. Slot back Tristan Tuckercarried six times for 119 yards and a 48-yard TD run.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Through five games, Harding's defense has allowed only two touchdowns and has scored three on interception returns. The Bisons are the only team in Division II with no passing TD allowed and with fewer than five total TD allowed.

Harding ranks fifth in Division II in net punting at 41.60 yards per punt. Opponents have only four return yards on 15 punts.

Harding leads Division II in total defense at 196.8 yards per game. The Bisons have held their last 16 opponents to fewer than 300 total yards.

The Bisons had a streak of 31 consecutive games winning the TOP battle snapped vs. Southern Nazarene. The Crimson Storm had the ball 8 seconds longer than the Bisons.

Junior fullback Cole Chancey has 2,750 career rushing yards, good for fourth at HU. He needs 74 yards to pass Jim Howard (1964-67) for third.

Harding has scored 330 rushing touchdowns in the last six-plus seasons and allowed 63. The Bisons have rushed for 27,904 yards and allowed 6,633 yards in that time.

Harding has outscored its opponents 271-82 in the first quarter of games over the last two-plus seasons, including 38-6 in 2019.

Harding has converted 12 fourth downs in 2019, the second-most in Division II, and is one of five teams that have not allowed a fourth down conversion.

A Quick Look at Oklahoma Baptist
Oklahoma Baptist did not have football from 1940-2012 but resumed football in 2013 and have a 26-45 record since.

Oklahoma Baptist has scored 21 or more points in 12 straight games. The last time the team scored fewer than 21 points was in a 56-7 loss to Harding last season.

Team Leaders
HARDING
Rushing - Cole Chancey: 101 rushes, 452 yards (3rd GAC/29th D2), 2 TD; Tristan Tucker: 39 rushes, 405 yards (4th GAC/40th D2), 6 TD (2nd GAC/20th D2)
Passing - Preston Paden: 5-12, 140 yards, 2 TD
Receiving - Michael Cendrick: 2 receptions, 26 yards
Defense - Dylan Hendricks: 27 tackles; Dylan Hampton/Dylan Hendricks: 1.5 sacks; Hendricks: 3.5 TFL; Cory Batie, V'Onte Williams: 2 INT (t-1st GAC)

OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
Rushing - Preston Haire: 34 rushes, 386 yards (5th GAC), 4 TD; Tyler Stuever: 51 rushes, 157 yards, 6 TD (2nd GAC)
Passing - Preston Haire: 124-199, 1,373 yards (1st GAC/13th D2), 14 TD (1st GAC/6th D2)
Receiving - Joshua Cornell: 42 receptions (2nd GAC/4th D2), 551 yards (1st GAC/5th D2), 6 TD (1st GAC/11th D2)
Defense - Josh Arnold: 54 tackles (1st GAC/17th D2), 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks (2nd GAC)
 
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Players Mentioned

Cory Batie

#12 Cory Batie

DB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Sam Blankenship

#42 Sam Blankenship

LB
6' 3"
Senior
Michael Cendrick

#84 Michael Cendrick

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Cole Chancey

#34 Cole Chancey

RB
5' 10"
Sophomore
Dylan Hampton

#93 Dylan Hampton

DL
6' 4"
Junior
Dylan Hendricks

#43 Dylan Hendricks

LB
6' 2"
Sophomore
Preston Paden

#11 Preston Paden

QB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Taylor Bissell

#26 Taylor Bissell

RB
5' 8"
Sophomore
Tristan Tucker

#19 Tristan Tucker

RB
5' 9"
Sophomore
V

#5 V'Onte Williams

DB
6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Cory Batie

#12 Cory Batie

5' 11"
Sophomore
DB
Sam Blankenship

#42 Sam Blankenship

6' 3"
Senior
LB
Michael Cendrick

#84 Michael Cendrick

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
WR
Cole Chancey

#34 Cole Chancey

5' 10"
Sophomore
RB
Dylan Hampton

#93 Dylan Hampton

6' 4"
Junior
DL
Dylan Hendricks

#43 Dylan Hendricks

6' 2"
Sophomore
LB
Preston Paden

#11 Preston Paden

5' 11"
Sophomore
QB
Taylor Bissell

#26 Taylor Bissell

5' 8"
Sophomore
RB
Tristan Tucker

#19 Tristan Tucker

5' 9"
Sophomore
RB
V

#5 V'Onte Williams

6' 1"
Junior
DB
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Phone: 501-279-4760