#23 Harding vs. Okla. Baptist - GAME NOTES

#23 Harding Bisons (3-1, 3-1) vs. Oklahoma Baptist (3-1, 3-1)
Oct. 2, 2021 • 2 p.m. • Shawnee, Okla. • Crain Family Stadium

Game Story
Six teams in the Great American Conference have one loss or fewer and two of those meet Saturday at Crain Family Stadium when 23rd-ranked Harding (3-1) travels to meet Oklahoma Baptist (3-1). Kickoff is at 2 p.m., Harding's first afternoon kickoff of the season.

Harding is coming off a 38-21 victory over then-No. 8 Ouachita Baptist at First Security Stadium. The Bisons rushed for 409 yards and five TD and again had more than 40 minutes of possession. Oklahoma Baptist held on to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma 31-27 Saturday in Weatherford. Running back Tyler Stuever had 178 rushing yards.

Harding has rushed for an average of 385.2 yards in its five games against Oklahoma Baptist. Senior Cole Chancey has 445 yards on 48 carries in three games vs. OKBU, an average of 9.3 yards per carry.

Harding returned to the AFCA Top 25 Poll with the win over Ouachita. The Bisons are No. 23 in the AFCA poll and No. 14 in the D2Football.com poll. Oklahoma Baptist is unranked.

Harding has averaged 387.2 rushing yards per game to lead NCAA Division II. Oklahoma Baptist has one of the top passing attacks in D2, averaging 305.8 passing yards per game, good for 18th nationally.

With one more TD, Chancey will become only the third active NCAA player with 50 or more career rushing TD, joining Jaleel McLaughlin of Youngstown St. (58) and Josh Petrucelli of Mount Union (50).

Harding slot back Omar Sinclair leads D2 with 9.97 yards per carry (min. 10 carries per game). He has 40 rushes for 399 yards. Oklahoma Baptist wide receiver Keilahn Harris leads the GAC and ranks third nationally in receiving TD (7) and second in catches per game (10.2).

Harding's four past opponents this season have a 12-4 record. Oklahoma Baptist's first four opponents are 5-11.

Harding has been called for 10 penalties through four games, tied with Mississippi College for the fewest in D2.

Up Next
Harding returns to Searcy to take on Southern Nazarene. Kickoff will be at 2 p.m. The Bisons lead the series 7-1, including 3-1 in Searcy.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons is in his fourth season as head coach at Harding. He has a 33-10 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.

Chris Jensen (Oklahoma '92) is 33-48 in eight seasons at Oklahoma Baptist.

Series History
Harding and Oklahoma Baptist are meeting for the sixth time with Harding leading the series 5-0, including 3-0 in Shawnee. Coach Simmons is 3-0 vs. OKBU, including his first career win in 2017.

Home/Road Records
Harding is 1-1 on the road in 2021 and 19-6 on the road under Simmons. Oklahoma Baptist is 2-0 at home in 2021 and have won four straight home games.

Last Meeting
Harding rushed for 492 yards and seven TD and weathered an impressive Oklahoma Baptist passing attack in a 50-33 Great American Conference victory on Oct. 12, 2019, at Crain Family Stadium.

Harding never punted and scored touchdowns on seven of nine possessions.

Junior fullback Cole Chancey rushed 19 times for a career-high 233 yards and two TD, including a 75-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Preston Paden carried 14 times for a career-high 119 yards and two TD. He had a 57-yard TD run with 7:26 left in the game, Harding's seventh rushing TD of the game. Chancey's 233 yards ranked fourth in a Harding single game.

Oklahoma Baptist quarterback Preston Haire completed 23-of-33 passes for 282 yards and four TD. Joshua Cornell caught eight passes for 150 yards and two TD.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Senior fullback Cole Chancey has 4,079 career rushing yards, good for second at HU. He needs 136 yards to pass Alan Dixon (4,214, 1970-73) for the Harding record.

Harding has rushed for more than 300 yards and three TD in each of its first four games. Dating to 2019, the Bisons have now rushed for more than 300 yards and three or more TD in 12 consecutive GAC games.

Harding's defense has limited opponents to 88.8 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 50 games.

Harding is 22-7 in senior quarterback Preston Paden's 28 career starts. With the win over East Central, Paden became Harding's career leader in quarterback wins.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

#34 Cole Chancey

#11 Preston Paden

#23 Omar Sinclair

Players Mentioned

#34 Cole Chancey

#11 Preston Paden

#23 Omar Sinclair