#20 Harding vs. #9 Henderson State -- GAME NOTES

No. 20 Harding Bisons (5-1, 5-1) vs. No. 9 Henderson St. (6-0, 6-0)
Oct. 16, 2021 • 2 p.m. • Arkadelphia, Ark. • Carpenter-Haygood Stadium

Game Story
In one of the marquee matchups in NCAA Division II this week, No. 20 Harding will travel to No. 9 Henderson State in a battle of two of the nation's top teams. Henderson State has not lost at home since 2018. The Bisons have won three straight against the Reddies in Arkadelphia.

Harding is coming off a 49-10 victory over Southern Nazarene Saturday in Searcy. The Bisons scored five rushing TD and Cole Chancey became Harding's career rushing leader. Henderson State rolled up 568 total yards in a 59-24 home victory over East Central.

Harding is 17-35 all-time against nationally ranked Division II teams, including its 38-21 victory over then-No. 8 Ouachita Baptist earlier this season. The last time Harding played a nationally ranked Henderson State team was in 2016, when the Bisons defeated the No. 5-ranked Reddies 35-3 in Arkadelphia.

Harding and Henderson State are ranked first and second in the GAC in four different statistical categories: interceptions, third-down conversions, time of possession and turnover margin.

Harding leads NCAA II with 350.7 rushing yards per game. The Bisons have three of the top 11 rushers in the GAC: Cole Chancey (561 yards), Omar Sinclair (475) and Preston Paden (335).

Senior fullback Cole Chancey is needs 439 rushing yards the rest of the season to become the first Harding player ever with three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Chancey is the NCAA Division II active leader in rushing yards (4,234) and rushing TD (53). He has scored a rushing TD in 12 straight GAC games.

Harding ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense at 12.7 points per game. The Bisons have held four opponents to 10 points or fewer. Henderson State is fourth nationally in scoring offense, posting 50 or more points in four of six games.

Harding leads Division II in time of possession and has won the TOP battle in 55 of its last 59 games dating to 2016.

Up Next
Harding returns home to play Arkansas-Monticello for Homecoming 2021. The Bisons have won their last nine games against the Boll Weevils, including five straight in Searcy. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons is in his fourth season as head coach at Harding. He has a 35-10 overall record and led Harding to the NCAA II Playoffs in each of his first three seasons, including a spot in the national semifinals in 2017. He is in his 15th 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.

Scott Maxfield (Louisiana Tech '84) is 114-57 in 17 seasons at Henderson St.

Series History
Harding and Henderson State are meeting for the 57th time with the Reddies leading the series 33-22-1. Harding has won the last two meetings and four of the last six. The Bisons have won the last three meetings in Arkadelphia after winning only five of their first 26 games at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

Home/Road Records
Harding is 2-1 on the road in 2021 and 19-6 on the road under Simmons. Henderson State is 3-0 at home and has won eight straight.

Last Meeting
Harding junior fullback Cole Chancey carried 38 times for 166 yards, and the Bison defense held Henderson State's vaunted passing attack to 139 yards in a 14-13 victory September 28, 2019, in a Great American Conference battle at First Security Stadium.

The victory by 22nd-ranked Harding snapped an eight-game streak in the series of the road team winning the game.

Harding took the opening drive of the second half 60 yards on 14 plays with Chancey scoring from a yard out with 6:28 left in the third quarter, giving the Bisons a 14-10 lead. The key play of the drive came on 4th-and-3 at the Harding 47. The Bisons lined up in punt formation but snapped the ball to up-man Shedrick Robinson, who powered through a tackle at the line of scrimmage and picked up 17 yards. The drive ate 8:33 off the clock.

Chancey was the first Harding player to carry the ball 38 times in a game since Mike Vanlandingham's school-record 40 carries against Henderson State in 1978.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Harding's defense has faced only 322 opponent plays through six games, an average of 53.7 plays per game. It is the fewest plays against in the GAC and second nationally behind only Texas A&M-Commerce's 315 plays among teams that have played six games.

Harding has had 77 more offensive snaps than defensive, most in the GAC. Tech is second with 31.

Harding slot backs Omar Sinclair (9.0 yards per carry) and Taylor Bissell (6.9) are first and second among GSC rushers in yards per carry.

Harding's defense has limited opponents to 80.7 rushing yards per game. The last time a Bison opponent rushed for more than 200 yards was Southeastern Okla. (203 yards) on Oct. 15, 2016, a span of 52 games.

Harding is 23-7 in senior quarterback Preston Paden's 30 career starts. With the win over East Central, Paden became Harding's career leader in quarterback wins.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Taylor Bissell: RB; 5' 8"; Senior

#34 Cole Chancey: RB; 5' 11"; Senior

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

#1 Shedrick Robinson: LB; 6' 3"; Senior

#23 Omar Sinclair: RB; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#3 Taylor Bissell
: 5' 8"; Senior
: RB

#34 Cole Chancey
: 5' 11"; Senior
: RB

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

#1 Shedrick Robinson
: 6' 3"; Senior
: LB

#23 Omar Sinclair
: 5' 8"; Junior
: RB