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Football

No. 2 Harding vs. Ouachita Baptist -- GAME NOTES

#2 Harding Bisons (3-0, 3-0) vs. Ouachita Baptist (2-1, 2-1)
Sept. 26, 2026 • 7 p.m. • Arkadelphia, Ark. • Cliff Harris Stadium

THE MATCHUP: Consensus No. 2-ranked Harding (3-0, 3-0 GAC) travels to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, for a marquee Great American Conference clash against rival Ouachita Baptist (2-1, 2-1 GAC) on Saturday, Sept. 26 (7:00 p.m.) at Cliff Harris Stadium ... marks the second road contest of the Roddy Mote head coaching era and features the top two teams in the 2026 GAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

WEEK 3 RECAP (52-21 VS. SOUTHERN ARKANSAS): Harding exploded for 35 second-half points to pull away for a 52-21 Family Weekend victory over Southern Arkansas before 3,900 fans at First Security Stadium ... the Bisons rolled up 449 rushing yards (9.2 ypc) and six rushing TD, paced by 1st-year slotback Jeff Regan (3 carries, 108 yards, 2 TDs) and 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller (14 carries, 82 yards, 2 TDs) ... backup quarterback Camren Cavalier added two fourth-quarter TD (one rushing, one passing).

NATION'S NO. 1 RUSHING OFFENSE & DEFENSE: Harding enters Week 4 leading all of NCAA Division II in both rushing offense (457.0 ypg) and rushing defense (32.0 ypg allowed) ... the Bisons have outrushed their opponents 1,371 yards to 96 yards through three games, averaging a staggering 9.5 yards per rush while limiting opposing offenses to just 1.1 yards per carry.

DIVISION II'S STINGIEST TOTAL DEFENSE: The Bisons lead NCAA Division II in total defense (163.3 ypg allowed) and first downs allowed (29) ... Harding also tops the GAC and ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense (11.7 ppg), and ranks 10th in Division II with 3.33 sacks per game (10 total sacks).

EXPLOSIVE SCORING & YARDS PER PLAY: Harding ranks second in NCAA Division II in scoring offense (55.0 ppg) and sixth nationally in total offense (514.0 ypg) ... despite operating the run-heavy flexbone attack, the Bisons lead the entire country in both team passing efficiency (418.06 rating) and passing yards per completion (34.20 yards).

SPECIAL TEAMS EXCELLENCE & REGAN'S IMPACT: Harding leads NCAA Division II in kickoff return average (41.67 yards per return), fueled by 1st-year Jeff Regan, who ranks second nationally with a 41.7-yard return average and leads the GAC with 146.0 all-purpose yards per game ... the Bisons also rank 12th in the nation in net punting (41.40 yards) behind punter Griffin Thomas.

PERFECTION IN THE RED ZONE: The Bisons are tied for first in NCAA Division II with a 1.000 red-zone conversion rate, scoring on all 11 of their trips inside the 20-yard line this season (10 TD, 1 field goal) ... placekicker Dean Roberts is also tied for the national lead in field goal percentage (1.000, 5-for-5) and ranks 13th in Division II scoring among kickers (11.0 ppg).

MILLER AMONG NCAA ACTIVE LEADERS: 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller stands as the active leader in NCAA Division II in career rushing yards (3,962), rushing TD (55), total TD scored (55), points scored (330), and yards per carry average (7.3 ypc) ... on the all-division national leaderboard (spanning FBS, FCS, D-II, and D-III), Miller ranks second among all active college football players in rushing yards (3,962) and rushing TD (55), third in total TD (55), fourth in yards per rush (7.3), and seventh in total points scored (330).

MILLER REACHES 55 CAREER TD & TIES FOR 3RD IN RUSHING: 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller scored two TD against Southern Arkansas, increasing his career total to 55 rushing TD ... Miller sits alone in second place on Harding's all-time rushing TD list, trailing only Cole Chancey (66) ... Miller enters Week 4 with 3,962 career rushing yards across 48 games, placing him in an exact tie for third on Harding's all-time rushing list with former teammate Braden Jay (3,962 yards) ... Miller needs just one yard to take sole possession of third place in program history, and 38 yards to become only the third player in Harding history to reach the 4,000-yard career plateau.

REGAN'S HOME RUN SPEED: 1st-year slotback Jeff Regan followed up his GAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor at SWOSU with another dazzling display against SAU ... Regan ripped off TD runs of 34 and 46 yards, averaging an astounding 36.0 yards per carry on three attempts to record his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game ... over the past two weeks, Regan has touched the ball six times on offense for 166 rushing yards and three TD (27.7 yards per rush).

DIVISION II ACTIVE GAMES PLAYED LEADERS: 5th-year fullback Andrew Miller and 5th-year rover Luke Martin enter Week 4 tied for the NCAA Division II active lead in career games played with 48 appearances each (ranking 52nd across all NCAA divisions) ... both fifth-year veterans are on pace to become the next members of Harding's 50-game club on Oct. 3 at East Central ... the Bisons boast six active players with at least 40 career appearances: Martin (T-1st in D-II, 48), Miller (T-1st in D-II, 48), safety Zac O'Day (5th in D-II, 44), safety Deion Campbell (9th in D-II, 43), fullback Josh Strickland, Jr. (18th in D-II, 41), and defensive end Justin Sobczak (23rd in D-II, 40).

CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK: Harding extended its Great American Conference winning streak to 18 consecutive games with the Week 3 victory ... stands as the second-longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division II, trailing only CSU Pueblo (27 games, RMAC).

ROAD WINNING STREAK: Harding carries an eight-game road winning streak into Arkadelphia, representing the third-longest road winning streak in program history and the fourth-longest active road winning streak in NCAA Division II ... the school record is 11 consecutive road victories, established between Oct. 8, 2022, and Oct. 19, 2024.

HOME DOMINANCE EXTENDED: The victory over SAU pushed Harding's home winning streak at First Security Stadium to 26 games, ranking as the second-longest active home winning streak in Division II behind defending champion Ferris State (30).

SERIES HISTORY: 67th all-time meeting between Harding and Ouachita Baptist ... Harding leads the all-time series 35-27-4 ... the Bisons are 16-16-2 all-time in Arkadelphia ... Harding enters looking to snap a three-game skid at Cliff Harris Stadium, having dropped tight, one-possession battles in its last three visits: 17-13 in 2024 (which snapped HU's 25-game overall winning streak), 21-13 in 2022, and 16-14 in 2019 ... the Bisons' last victory at Cliff Harris Stadium came on Oct. 7, 2017, when Tristan Parsley drilled a 50-yard field goal and Cole Chancey scored late in a 31-28 triumph.

LAST MEETING (SEPT. 27, 2025): Harding defeated Ouachita Baptist 24-7 in Searcy last season to retain the Traveling Trophy ... the Bisons rushed for 326 yards and three TD while limiting OBU to 99 rushing yards and 285 total yards ... Andrew Miller (81 yards, TD) and Braden Jay (125 yards, 2 TDs) led the ground attack.

ROBERTS PERFECT ON THE SEASON: 2nd-year placekicker Dean Roberts improved to 5-for-5 on field goals and 21-for-21 on PATs this season after converting a 40-yard field goal and all seven extra points against SAU ... Roberts has totaled 36 kicking points through three games.

BALL SECURITY & TURNOVER MARGIN: Harding played turnover-free football offensively against Southern Arkansas while generating two takeaways on defense ... cornerback Corey Dean recorded an interception on SAU's opening possession, and linebacker Jordan Mays forced a fumble that Josh Garner recovered, leading directly to 10 points off turnovers.

DEFENSIVE IMPACT: Linebacker Jordan Mays led the defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble against SAU, pushing his team-leading tackle total to 19 stops ... defensive end Kaleb Walker registered a 10-yard sack and a quarterback hurry, giving him a team-leading 4.0 sacks on the season (ranking 2nd in D-II at 1.33 sacks per game).

NATIONAL RECOGNITION & 93-WEEK POLL STREAK: Harding maintained its consensus No. 2 ranking in NCAA Division II in both the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll (744 points) and the D2Football.com Top 25 Media Poll ... the selection marked Harding's 93rd consecutive appearance in the AFCA national top 25 poll.

GAC SUPREMACY: Harding is 92-10 (.902) 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

Braden Jay

#7 Braden Jay

RB
5' 9"
Senior
Deion Campbell

#4 Deion Campbell

DB
6' 0"
4th Year
Camren Cavalier

#17 Camren Cavalier

QB
5' 11"
3rd Year
Corey Dean

#15 Corey Dean

DB
6' 0"
3rd Year
Josh Garner

#93 Josh Garner

DL
6' 2"
2nd Year
Luke Martin

#6 Luke Martin

DB
6' 1"
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' 10"
Fifth Year
Justin Sobczak

#7 Justin Sobczak

DL
6' 6"
Fifth Year

Players Mentioned

Braden Jay

#7 Braden Jay

5' 9"
Senior
RB
Deion Campbell

#4 Deion Campbell

6' 0"
4th Year
DB
Camren Cavalier

#17 Camren Cavalier

5' 11"
3rd Year
QB
Corey Dean

#15 Corey Dean

6' 0"
3rd Year
DB
Josh Garner

#93 Josh Garner

6' 2"
2nd Year
DL
Luke Martin

#6 Luke Martin

6' 1"
Fifth Year
DB
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' 10"
Fifth Year
DB
Justin Sobczak

#7 Justin Sobczak

6' 6"
Fifth Year
DL
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Phone: 501-279-4760