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Football

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

#2 Harding Bisons (0-0, 0-0) vs. Northwestern Okla. Rangers (0-0, 0-0)
Sept. 3, 2026 • 6 p.m. • Searcy, Ark. • First Security Stadium

Harding opens its 75th season of college football hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State at First Security Stadium ... marks the head coaching debut of Roddy Mote ... 2nd straight year opening against NWOSU and 6th consecutive opener vs. an Oklahoma opponent.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Harding enters the 2026 season as the consensus No. 2 team in NCAA Division II, earning the second spot in both the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll (738 points) and the D2Football.com Preseason Top 25 behind defending national champion Ferris State.

POLL STREAK: The No. 2 selection marks Harding's 91st consecutive appearance in the AFCA national top 25 poll, extending one of the longest active streaks in NCAA Division II.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Harding selected seven team captains for the 2026 season—5th-year QB Malik Young, 5th-year RB Andrew Miller, 5th-year OL David Gomez, 4th-year OL Cobe Williams, 5th-year LB Jordan Mays, 5th-year DL Justin Sobczak, and 5th-year DB Zac O'Day.

HOME DOMINANCE: Harding enters the 2026 campaign defending a 24-game home winning streak at First Security Stadium, the second-longest in D2 behind Ferris St. at 29.

CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK: Harding enters the game on a 15-game conference winning streak, the third-longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division II trailing only CSU Pueblo's 25-game streak in the RMAC and UIndy's 18-game streak in the GLVC.

OPENER SUCCESS: Harding is 48-23-3 (.669) all-time in season openers ... the Bisons have won 19 of their last 22 and 14 of their last 16 openers, including five straight victories in week one.

SERIES HISTORY: 19th meeting between HU and NWOSU ... Harding leads the series 16-2 and has won 14 straight meetings overall—the Bisons' longest active winning streak against any opponent.

LAST MEETING (SEPT. 4, 2025): Harding opened the 2025 campaign with a 49-7 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva ... HU amassed 547 total yards (484 rushing) while converting 10-of-11 third downs ... the Bison defense held NWOSU to just 66 total yards, three first downs, and zero offensive touchdowns, forcing 10 punts ... Andrew Miller rushed for 94 yards and a TD, while Malik Young and Ben Boehm also added rushing touchdowns.

PRESEASON POLLS: Harding was chosen as the unanimous No. 1 favorite in the 2026 GAC Preseason Coaches' Poll (11 first-place votes) ... NWOSU was selected 12th.

STAR POWER: HU returns senior fullback Andrew Miller, the 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy runner-up, Darren McFadden Award winner, and No. 92 on Bruce Feldman's 2026 College Football "Freaks List" ... Miller set HU single-season records last fall with 2,048 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns.

RECORD-BREAKING ATTACK: In 2025, Harding set NCAA all-division single-season records with 6,943 rushing yards and 88 rushing touchdowns while averaging a school-record 433.9 rushing yards per game.

RUSHING DOMINANCE: Harding has finished in the top three nationally in rushing for 12 consecutive seasons, leading Division II in rushing five straight years (2016, 2019, 2021–2025).

THE 24-MILE MARGIN: Over the last 12 seasons, Harding has outrushed its opponents 58,523 to 15,752—outgaining foes on the ground by more than 24 miles while accumulating 711 rushing touchdowns to just 122 allowed.

DEFENSIVE STANDARD: Harding led NCAA Division II in scoring defense (12.8 ppg) and red-zone defense (51.7%) in 2025 ... returning leaders include First-Team All-GAC selections Justin Sobczak (8.0 sacks) and Jordan Mays (71 tackles).

GAC TRACK RECORD: Harding is 89-10 (.899) 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

Ben Boehm

#24 Ben Boehm

RB
6' 0"
3rd Year
David Gomez

#56 David Gomez

OL
6' 2"
Fifth Year
Jordan Mays

#0 Jordan Mays

LB
5' 11"
Fifth Year
Andrew Miller

#8 Andrew Miller

RB
6' 1"
Fifth Year
Zac O

#28 Zac O'Day

DB
5' 9"
Fifth Year
Justin Sobczak

#7 Justin Sobczak

DL
6' 6"
Fifth Year
Cobe Williams

#75 Cobe Williams

OL
6' 0"
4th Year
Malik Young

#16 Malik Young

QB
5' 11"
Fifth Year

Players Mentioned

Ben Boehm

#24 Ben Boehm

6' 0"
3rd Year
RB
David Gomez

#56 David Gomez

6' 2"
Fifth Year
OL
Jordan Mays

#0 Jordan Mays

5' 11"
Fifth Year
LB
Andrew Miller

#8 Andrew Miller

6' 1"
Fifth Year
RB
Zac O

#28 Zac O'Day

5' 9"
Fifth Year
DB
Justin Sobczak

#7 Justin Sobczak

6' 6"
Fifth Year
DL
Cobe Williams

#75 Cobe Williams

6' 0"
4th Year
OL
Malik Young

#16 Malik Young

5' 11"
Fifth Year
QB
© 2026 Harding University Athletics Box 12281 Searcy, AR 72149
Phone: 501-279-4760