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No. 2 Harding vs. Southeastern Okla. -- GAME NOTES

#2 Harding Bisons (5-0, 5-0) vs. Southeastern Okla. (4-1, 4-1)
Oct. 10, 2026 • 2 p.m. • Searcy, Ark. • First Security Stadium

THE MATCHUP: Consensus No. 2-ranked Harding (5-0, 5-0 GAC) returns home to First Security Stadium in Searcy, Arkansas, hosting Great American Conference foe Southeastern Oklahoma State (4-1, 4-1 GAC) on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:00 p.m. ... marks the Bisons' first home contest since Week 3 and begins a two-game homestand that includes Family Weekend against Henderson State on Oct. 17.

WEEK 5 RECAP (42-21 AT EAST CENTRAL): Harding pulled away in the second half for a 42-21 road victory over previously unbeaten East Central before 975 fans at Koi Ishto Stadium in Ada, Oklahoma ... the Bisons rolled up 360 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, powered by 100-yard outings from 1st-year slotback Jeff Regan (7 carries, 118 yards, 2 TDs) and 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller (25 carries, 117 yards, 2 TDs) ... Malik Young added a 19-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Hawkins, and Josh Evans-Pickens scored on a 19-yard run ... the Bison defense limited ECU to 122 rushing yards, forced two takeaways, and broke up six passes.

MILLER ONE YARD FROM SECOND ALL-TIME: 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller enters Week 6 with 4,213 career rushing yards across 50 career games, leaving him just one yard shy of tying Alan "Snake" Dixon (4,214 yards, 1970–73) for second place on Harding's all-time rushing leaderboard ... Miller needs two yards to take sole possession of second place in program history, trailing only all-time rushing leader Cole Chancey (5,114 yards, 2017–21) ... Miller's two touchdowns at East Central elevated his career total to 60 touchdowns (all rushing), second in school history behind Chancey's 65 ... Miller leads the GAC and ranks fifth nationally in rushing touchdowns (10), eighth in rushing yards per game (119.0 ypg), and seventh in total points scored (60).

MILLER & MARTIN JOIN PRESTIGIOUS 50-GAME CLUB: 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller and 5th-year rover Luke Martin both appeared in their 50th collegiate game on Saturday in Ada, officially becoming the newest members of Harding's elite 50-game club ... Miller and Martin remain tied for the active NCAA Division II lead in career appearances ... Harding boasts five active players with 40 or more career games played: Martin (50), Miller (50), safety Zac O'Day (46), safety Deion Campbell (45), and fullback Josh Strickland, Jr. (43).

NATION'S NO. 1 RUSHING OFFENSE: HU enters Week 6 leading all of NCAA Division II in rushing offense (407.4 ypg), having accumulated 2,037 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns through five games ... the Bisons also rank sixth nationally and lead the GAC in rushing defense (75.4 ypg allowed), holding opponents to just 2.7 yards per carry.

WALKER PACES NATION IN SACKS: 3rd-year defensive end Kaleb Walker leads all of NCAA Division II in sacks per game (1.40) and paces the country with 7.0 total sacks on the season ... Walker dropped ECU quarterback Sergio Kennedy for a 7-yard sack in the third quarter on Saturday, registering at least one sack in each of Harding's five games this season ... Walker also ranks 22nd nationally with 1.40 tackles for loss per game (7.0 TFLs, -41 yards).

REGAN LEADS DIVISION II IN RETURN AVERAGE: 1st-year slotback Jeff Regan took over the outright NCAA Division II national lead in kickoff return average (39.0 yards per return) following a 39-yard return at East Central ... Regan leads the GAC and ranks 11th nationally in all-purpose yardage (144.8 ypg) and 16th in combined kick returns (352 yards) ... on offense, Regan has amassed 372 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on just 21 carries (17.7 ypc), scoring seven total touchdowns on 23 total offensive and return touches this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS EXCELLENCE: Harding leads NCAA Division II in kickoff return average (35.73 yards per return), bolstered by Regan and G'Kyson Wright (46-yard return at ECU) ... 3rd-year punter Griffin Thomas anchors a punt unit that ranks seventh in Division II in net punting (40.77 yards) ... placekicker Dean Roberts ranks 30th nationally in scoring (8.6 ppg) and remains flawless on the season, going 31-for-31 on PATs and 4-for-4 on field goals for 43 total kicking points.

DIVISION II'S STINGIEST FIRST DOWNS & TOTAL DEFENSE: Harding leads all of NCAA Division II in first downs defense (61 allowed) and ranks fourth nationally in total defense (232.2 ypg allowed) ... the Bison defense also ranks 17th in Division II in scoring defense (16.6 ppg) and 26th in team sacks (2.60 per game).

EFFICIENCY, PERFECTION & BALL SECURITY: Harding leads the nation in team passing efficiency (300.83 rating) and passing yards per completion (31.13 yards), remaining one of only three teams in Division II without an interception thrown this season ... the Bisons rank second in NCAA Division II in 3rd down conversion percentage (.604), conversion on 32 of 53 attempts, and are tied for first nationally in 4th down conversion percentage (1.000, 3-for-3) and red-zone offense (1.000, 21-for-21 with 20 touchdowns) ... Harding also ranks fourth in the nation in tackles for loss allowed (2.80 per game).

HOME WINNING STREAK AT 26 GAMES: Harding puts its 26-game home winning streak on the line Saturday at First Security Stadium ... the streak stands as the second-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division II, trailing only defending national champion Ferris State ... Harding's last home loss came on Oct. 23, 2021.

CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK REACHES 20: With the road win at East Central, Harding extended its Great American Conference winning streak to 20 consecutive games ... the run stands as the second-longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division II, trailing only CSU Pueblo (RMAC).

ROAD WINNING STREAK HITS DOUBLE DIGITS: Harding extended its overall road winning streak to 10 games, marking the second-longest road winning streak in program history (school record is 11, set from 2022 to 2024) ... the Bisons have also won 13 consecutive road games played in the state of Oklahoma, a streak dating back to 2021.

SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE: The Savage Storm enter 4-1 overall and 4-1 in Great American Conference play under head coach Bo Atterberry, tied for third in the GAC standings and riding a three-game winning streak following decisive victories over Southwestern Oklahoma State (27-21), Southern Nazarene (35-0), and Arkansas Tech (35-10) ... Southeastern's lone defeat came in a tight 23-17 loss to Ouachita Baptist in Week 2 ... the Savage Storm boast one of the premier defenses in Division II, ranking ninth nationally and leading the GAC in scoring defense (13.2 ppg), fourth in red-zone defense (.571), seventh in 4th down conversion defense (.167), and 18th in total defense (273.8 ypg) ... Southeastern ranks second in NCAA Division II in team tackles for loss (9.8 per game), anchored upfront by defensive end Jacob Geddes, who ranks second nationally with 2.50 TFLs per game (12.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks) and sack leader William Wallis (3.5 sacks) ... linebacker Prince Dweh leads the unit with 36 tackles (7.2 per game) ... defensive back Kole McKnight ranks sixth nationally with 1.80 passes defended per game (9 PBUs), while Tony Hamilton has picked off two passes ... offensively, dual-threat quarterback Levay Duncan commands the attack, totaling 1,004 yards of total offense and accounting for 10 touchdowns (5 passing, 5 rushing; 763 passing yards, 241 rushing yards) ... Sean Steens leads the receiving corps with 14 receptions for 282 yards (20.1 ypr) and two touchdowns, while returner Javon Towns ranks 12th in Division II in punt return average (12.4 yards).

SERIES HISTORY: 37th all-time meeting between Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma State ... Harding leads the all-time series 28-8 and has won four consecutive meetings against the Savage Storm ... the Bisons are a dominant 15-1 all-time against Southeastern in Searcy ... Harding holds a 15-3 edge in Great American Conference meetings ... Southeastern Oklahoma State's last victory in the series came in 2021 (32-31 in Durant), and the Savage Storm's lone win in Searcy came on Oct. 17, 1998 (27-24).

LAST MEETING (OCT. 9, 2025): Harding defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State 35-7 at Paul Laird Field in Durant on a Thursday night ... the Bisons rushed for 445 yards and five touchdowns, getting two scoring runs from Braden Jay (39 and 22 yards), a 9-yard touchdown by Andrew Miller, and a 76-yard touchdown sprint by Christian Franklin on the first play of the second half ... Harding held the Savage Storm to 226 total yards and 65 yards rushing on 29 carries (2.2 ypc).

NATIONAL RECOGNITION & 95-WEEK POLL STREAK: Harding enters Week 6 as the consensus No. 2 team in NCAA Division II in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and the D2Football.com Top 25 ... the ranking marks Harding's 95th consecutive appearance in the AFCA national top 25 poll.

GAC SUPREMACY: Harding is 93-10 (.903) in Great American Conference play since 2016 and has suffered only one conference loss by more than 10 points since 2015.
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Players Mentioned

Christian Franklin

#9 Christian Franklin

RB
6' 0"
Senior
Braden Jay

#7 Braden Jay

RB
5' 9"
Senior
Deion Campbell

#4 Deion Campbell

DB
6' 0"
4th Year
Josh Evans-Pickens

#10 Josh Evans-Pickens

RB
5' 9"
4th Year
Luke Martin

#6 Luke Martin

DB
6' 1"
Fifth Year
Andrew Miller

#8 Andrew Miller

RB
6' 1"
Fifth Year
Zac O

#28 Zac O'Day

DB
5' 10"
Fifth Year
Josh Strickland, Jr.

#2 Josh Strickland, Jr.

RB
5' 9"
Fifth Year
Griffin Thomas

#84 Griffin Thomas

K/P
6' 2"
3rd Year
Kaleb Walker

#35 Kaleb Walker

DL
6' 3"
3rd Year

Players Mentioned

Christian Franklin

#9 Christian Franklin

6' 0"
Senior
RB
Braden Jay

#7 Braden Jay

5' 9"
Senior
RB
Deion Campbell

#4 Deion Campbell

6' 0"
4th Year
DB
Josh Evans-Pickens

#10 Josh Evans-Pickens

5' 9"
4th Year
RB
Luke Martin

#6 Luke Martin

6' 1"
Fifth Year
DB
Andrew Miller

#8 Andrew Miller

6' 1"
Fifth Year
RB
Zac O

#28 Zac O'Day

5' 10"
Fifth Year
DB
Josh Strickland, Jr.

#2 Josh Strickland, Jr.

5' 9"
Fifth Year
RB
Griffin Thomas

#84 Griffin Thomas

6' 2"
3rd Year
K/P
Kaleb Walker

#35 Kaleb Walker

6' 3"
3rd Year
DL
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Phone: 501-279-4760