Battle for the Top: The game is a clash for first place in the Great American Conference (GAC), pitting undefeated, No. 2-ranked Harding (4-0) against the second-place, one-loss East Central (3-1).

GAC's Best Defenses Face Off: The contest features the top two total defenses in the GAC. Harding is ranked 3rd in Division II in limiting opponents to just 224.8 total yards per game, while East Central is second in the conference at 301.0 yards allowed per game.

Home Field Dominance: Harding holds a perfect record against East Central at home, having won all 12 meetings in Searcy, Arkansas.

Decisive Series Lead: Harding has historically dominated the matchup, leading the all-time series 19-3. They've won 18 of the last 19 games overall, averaging 35.4 points per game in the series.

Unmatched DII Winning Streak: Harding is the only NCAA Division II school with 35 or more wins in its last 37 games.

Nation's Top Rushing Attack: Harding leads all of Division II in rushing offense, averaging a stunning 419.8 rushing yards per game and 7.92 yards per rush (also first nationally), with a DII-leading 19 rushing touchdowns.

Record-Setting Quarterback: Harding QB Cole Keylon is set to make his 45th career start, boasting a remarkable 40-4 record as a starter, which makes him the winningest quarterback in GAC history.

Elite Backfield Combination: The Bisons feature two highly-efficient rushers:

• Andrew Miller is the 12th Harding player to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards and leads the GAC with 435 rush yards this season.

• Braden Jay is the NCAA's active career leader with an incredible 12.4 yards per rush average.

Dominant Time of Possession & Ground Game: In their recent 24-7 victory over Ouachita Baptist, Harding rushed for 326 yards and controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes of the game.

Last Year's Shut Down: In last season's meeting, Harding dominated East Central 34-7, rushing for a massive 435 yards while holding ECU to a meager 106 total yards and only 8 first downs.

Tackling Machine: Harding linebacker Clark Griffin is a defensive standout, leading the GAC and the NCAA Division II active career leaders with 315 career tackles.