No. 7 Harding vs. Arkansas Tech -- GAME NOTES

No. 7 Harding Bisons (9-1, 9-1) vs. Arkansas Tech (4-5, 4-5)
Nov. 13, 2021 • 2 p.m. • Russellville, Ark. • Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field

Game Story
The seventh-ranked Harding Bisons, riding an eight-game winning streak, travels to meet Arkansas Tech on Saturday in Russellville. It will be Harding head coach Paul Simmons' 50th game in charge of the Bisons.

Harding enters the game ranked No. 2 in the third NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Rankings. The top seven teams in the super region advance to the playoffs. The announcement of the NCAA Division II Playoffs bracket is Sunday at 4 p.m.

Harding has won eight straight GAC games, and four straight road games and four straight (8 of last 9) over Arkansas Tech.

The Bisons are coming off a 55-7 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma Saturday in Searcy. Harding rushed for 459 yards and limited SWOSU to 24 rush yards and seven first downs. Tech had 458 total yards in a 56-21 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma. The Wonder Boys led 35-0 at half.

With its victory last week, Harding moved up three spots to No. 7 in the AFCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Harding is ranked No. 3 in the D2Football.com Poll, No. 3 in the NCAA Power 10 and No. 5 at MasseyRatings.com.

Harding leads NCAA II with 403.0 rushing yards per game. The Bisons have eclipsed the 300-yard rushing mark in nine of 10 games this season and in 17 of their last 18 GAC games.

Senior fullback Cole Chancey needs 62 rushing yards today to become the first Harding player ever with three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Chancey is tied with Youngstown State's Jaleel McLaughlin for the active lead in career rushing TD (62). Chancey has scored a rushing TD in 16 straight GAC games. He has a career high 20 rushing TD in 2021, one off the school record of 21 by Park Parish in 2016.

Harding leads the GAC in both third-down conversion percentage (55.8%) and third-down conversion percentage defense (29.1%). The Bisons have converted more than 50% of third downs in eight straight games. HU opponents have been over 50% only once this season (SAU, 5 of 9).

Harding leads Division II in time of possession (36:08) and has won the TOP battle in every game this season and in 59 of its last 63 games dating to 2016.

Harding leads Division II with only 3.20 penalties per game. Ten of the 31 penalties called against the Bisons came in the Southern Nazarene game.

Up Next
Harding will learn Sunday at 4 p.m. of its postseason fate.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons is in his fourth season as head coach at Harding. He has a 39-10 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.

Kyle Shipp (Arkansas Tech '07) is 7-14 in three seasons at Tech.

Series History
Harding and Arkansas Tech are meeting for the 58th time with the Wonder Boys leading the series 31-26. Harding has won the last four and eight of the last nine. Tech leads 19-9 in games played in Russellville, but Harding has won three of the last four at Thone Stadium.

Home/Road Records
Harding is 4-1 on the road this season and has won four straight. Arkansas Tech is 2-3 at home and has won two of its last three.

Last Meeting
No. 14 Harding took advantage of three Arkansas Tech miscues to score three early touchdowns and won its 10th consecutive game 49-14 on Nov. 16, 2019, at Thone Stadium.

Tech lost a fumble for only the third time this season on its first drive, and Harding responded with a 55-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard Cole Chancey TD run.

After Tech missed a field goal, Harding quarterback Preston Paden threw a 52-yard TD pass to Taylor Bissell, who caught the pass on the right sideline, cut across the field and picked up two key blocks before scoring inside the left pylon. Harding led 14-0 after one quarter.

On Tech's first drive of the second quarter, the Wonder Boys drove into Harding territory, but Jacory Nichols intercepted a deflected pass at the 12-yard line and zigzagged down the field for an 88-yard TD return.

Harding led 21-0 with 13:50 left in the first half.

Harding rushed for 406 yards and four TD. Chancey led Harding with 121 yards on 18 carries.

Harding's Scoring Numbers
Harding has scored 40 or more points in each of its last five games. The Bisons have scored 40 or more points in six straight games only once in program history (Dec. 13, 2013 - Oct. 11, 2014).

Harding has scored 50 or more points in each of the last three games, a feat accomplished only one other time (Sept. 27-Oct. 11, 2014).

During Harding's eight-game winning streak, the Bisons have outscored their opponents 393-93, an average of 49.1-11.6.

Harding has scored more points in both the first quarter (126 points) and second quarter (146 points) than its opponents have scored total (125 points).

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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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

#3 Taylor Bissell

#34 Cole Chancey

#11 Preston Paden

Players Mentioned

#3 Taylor Bissell

#34 Cole Chancey

#11 Preston Paden