Chasing History: No. 2 Harding is attempting to achieve a 7-0 start for only the third time in the program's history. The Bisons previously accomplished this feat in 2016 and the national championship season of 2023.

Road Success: Harding enters the game with an impressive streak, having won 15 of their last 16 GAC road games and 31 of their last 32 conference games overall.

Series Lead vs. Streak: Henderson State holds the all-time series lead 34-25-1 in the 61st meeting, but Harding has a recent domination in Arkadelphia, winning the last five games played at Henderson State.

Home Field Disadvantage: The home team has had a surprising lack of success in this rivalry recently, with a dismal 2-11 record in the last 13 meetings between the two schools.

GAC Offensive Showdown: This game is a matchup of the top two offenses in the Great American Conference (GAC). HSU leads with 482.7 total yards per game, narrowly beating HU's 453.2 yards per game.

Rushing vs. Passing Dominance: The contest features a clash of styles: Harding is the top rushing team in NCAA Division II (425.7 rush yards/game), while Henderson State is the top passing team in the GAC (285.3 pass yards/game).

Winningest QB: Harding quarterback Cole Keylon is making his 47th career start (with a remarkable 42-4 record as a starter), making him the winningest QB in GAC history. The previous record holder was Henderson State's Kevin Rodgers.

D2's Most Efficient TD Scorer: Harding's star back Braden Jay leads NCAA Division II by scoring a rushing touchdown on an astounding 25.6% of his carries (10 TDs on 39 rushes). He also leads the GAC in rushing yards and TDs.

Record-Chasing Tackler: Harding linebacker Clark Griffin is the active leader in the NCAA Division II for career tackles with 338 and needs only 1.5 more tackles for loss to become the Bisons' all-time career leader in TFL.

Elite Third-Down Bisons: Harding's offense and defense are both GAC leaders in third-down conversions: the offense converts on 54.0% of attempts, and the defense holds opponents to only a 31.0% conversion rate.

Historic Shutout: In last season's meeting, Harding crushed HSU 66-0 by rushing for 546 yards and 9 touchdowns, while completely stifling the Reddies' run game, limiting them to a mere 28 rushing yards and only four total first downs.