Football 8/29/2019 10:47:00 AM by Scott Goode (8/29/19)

#18 Harding Football at #5 Ouachita Baptist - GAME NOTES

#18 Harding Bisons (0-0, 0-0) vs. #5 Ouachita Baptist Tigers (0-0, 0-0)
Sept. 5, 2019 • 7 p.m. • Arkadelphia, Ark. • Cliff Harris Stadium

Harding Football opens its 69th season of intercollegiate competition Thursday at 7 p.m. against Ouachita Baptist at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The Bisons and Tigers will open the season against each other for the first time ever and will play in September for only the third time in 61 meetings (also in 1967 and 2010). The game will stream live on ESPN.com and on the ESPN App as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase.

Harding (11.3) and Ouachita Baptist (11.5) were the top two scoring defenses last season in Division II.

Harding is ranked No. 18 in the AFCA Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. It is the fourth time Harding has been ranked in the preseason poll. The Bisons were No. 21 in the 2015 preseason poll, No. 15 in 2017 and No. 7 last season. Ouachita Baptist is ranked No. 5 in the AFCA poll.

Harding returns 11 starters, seven on offense and four on defense, from last season's team that finished 9-3 overall and 9-2 in the GAC. Junior fullback Cole Chancey returns after rushing for 961 yards and 14 TD last season. Defensively, the top returning tackler is senior linebacker Chris Wein (51 in 2018), and senior V'Onte Williams led the team with four interceptions last season.

Harding is 43-22-3 (.654) in its previous 68 season openers. The Bisons have won 14 of their last 17 and eight of their last 10 openers. Harding last lost its season opener to Henderson State 28-20 in 2017 in Searcy.

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

Harding named its five captains Tuesday. The 2019 captains are LB Chris Wein, DL Ben Trotter, OL Mills Bryant, OL Braden Hood, and DB Jacory Nichols.

Up Next
Harding will open its five-game home schedule with in-state rival Arkansas-Monticello. Harding leads the series 30-24 and has won eight straight matchups, including the last four in Searcy.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons begins his third season as head coach at Harding. He has a 20-7 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.

Todd Knight is in his 21st season at Ouachita Baptist and has a 112-95 record record. He is in his 27th season as a head coach with a 140-127-2 record. Knight is a 1986 graduate of Ouachita Baptist.

Series History
Harding and Ouachita Baptist are meeting for the 61st time with the Bisons leading 32-24-4. The teams have split the last 18 matchups 9-9 since 2001, with neither team winning more than two straight. Harding won 10 straight from 1991-2000.

Home/Road Records
Harding was 5-1 on the road last season, 13-3 on the road under Simmons and 19-4 on the road in the last three seasons. The Bisons have won 10 consecutive GAC road games dating to a 35-24 loss at Southern Arkansas on Sept. 9, 2017. Ouachita Baptist is 24-6 in its last 30 home games, dating to 2014.

Last Meeting
Ouachita Baptist freshman running back Shun'cee Thomas scored on a 19-yard run with 9:22 left in the game to give the Tigers a 7-3 victory over Harding last season in Searcy. Harding drove inside the Ouachita 10 on its last possession but did not score.

Harding held Ouachita to only nine first downs and 176 total yards. The Bisons rushed for 277 yards and had possession for 40 minutes, 21 seconds. Cole Chancey carried 22 times for 92 yards, and Preston Paden had 64 yards on 15 carries.

Jon Johnson and Dameyun McDonald both led Ouachita with 12 tackles. Chris Wein led Harding with seven.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Harding ranked second in NCAA Division II in rushing last season at 341.1 yards per game. The Bisons have finished in the top three nationally in each of the last six seasons and led Division II in rushing in 2016 at 362.8 yards per game.

Senior LS Jon Cain and DL Dylan Hampton will be playing their 41st games as Bisons. DB Jacory Nichols and WR Bobby Green lead the team with 25 career starts.

Harding led Division II last season in scoring defense with 11.3 points allowed. It was the second time in the last three seasons Harding finished in the top five. Also fifth in 2016 with 15.2 points allowed.

Harding led Division II last season in time of possession at 36 minutes, 2 seconds per game. The Bisons have won the TOP battle in 27 consecutive games and 39 times in its last 41 games. Six times during that stretch, the Bisons have had 40+ minutes.

Junior fullback Cole Chancey has 2,298 career rushing yards, good for seventh at HU. He needs 149 yards to pass Park Parish (2,446, 2013-16) for sixth. Chancey needs one rushing TD to become only the third Bison with 30 career rushing TD, joining Parish (45, 2013-16) and Alan Dixon (34, 1970-73).

Harding has scored 320 rushing touchdowns in the last six seasons and allowed 61. The Bisons have rushed for 26,382 yards and allowed 6,237 yards in that time.

Harding has outscored its opponents 233-76 in the first quarter of games over the last two seasons.

A Quick Look at Ouachita Baptist
Ouachita Baptist was 12-1 last season and won the GAC with an 11-0 conference record. The Tigers have had 11 straight winning seasons, last finishing with a losing record in 2007 (4-6).

Ouachita ranked second in Division II last season with only seven turnovers lost. The Tigers lost five fumbles and threw two interceptions.

Returning Team Leaders
HARDING (2018 stats)
Rushing - Cole Chancey: 191 rushes, 961 yards (2nd) GAC), 14 TD (2nd GAC)
Passing - Preston Paden: 26-51, 614 yards, 5 TD
Receiving - Taylor Bissell: 9 receptions, 290 yards, 1 TD
Tackles - Chris Wein (LB): 51 tackles, 3.0 TFL; Ben Trotter (DL): 2.0 sacks; V'Onte Williams (DB): 4 INT

OUACHITA BAPTIST (2018 stats)
Rushing - Shun'cee Thomas: 105 rushes, 820 yards, 7 TD
Passing - Brayden Brazeal: 118-192, 1,411 yards, 10 TD
Receiving - Allie Freeman: 54 receptions, 560 yards, 3 TD
Tackles - Dameyun McDonald: 75 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks

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Players Mentioned

#58 Mills Bryant: OL; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#48 Jon Cain: LS; 6' 1"; Junior

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

#14 Bobby Green: WR; 6' 2"; Junior

#93 Dylan Hampton: DL; 6' 4"; Junior

#51 Braden Hood: OL; 6' 0"; Junior

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

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

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

#89 Ben Trotter: DL; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#58 Mills Bryant
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: OL

#48 Jon Cain
: 6' 1"; Junior
: LS

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

#14 Bobby Green
: 6' 2"; Junior
: WR

#93 Dylan Hampton
: 6' 4"; Junior
: DL

#51 Braden Hood
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OL

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

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

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

#89 Ben Trotter
: 6' 6"; Junior
: DL