Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Harding continues strong run
Harding has put itself in position to be the highest-rated team from the Great American Conference when the first NCAA Division II rankings are released Monday afternoon.
Just do the math. Harding (6-1, 6-1 GAC) has won five games in a row since a Week 2 32-31 loss at Southeastern Oklahoma State, a stretch that includes convincing wins against Ouachita Baptist (6-1, 6-1), Henderson State (6-1, 6-1) and Oklahoma Baptist (4-3, 4-3).
The Bisons have played the toughest schedule to date of the GAC’s four remaining 6-1 teams, having faced seven opponents with a combined winning percentage of 61.2.
Their remaining four opponents — Arkansas-Monticello, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas Tech — are a combined 6-22.
Harding moved up to No. 12 in this week’s American Football Coaches Association top 25, is No. 4 in the d2football.com top 25 and even cracked Wayne Cavadi’s Power 10 Rankings, which appear weekly on NCAA.com, at No. 5.
All Harding needs to do to ensure itself a share of the GAC title and a spot in the Division II playoffs is to win its final four games, starting with intrastate rival UAM at 3 p.m. Saturday in Searcy.
The Boll Weevils (4-3, 4-3) are the last team with more than two wins left on the Bisons’ schedule, and UAM Coach Hud Jackson said it would be fine with him if Harding decided to exhale a bit after last week’s 46-21 road win against previously undefeated Henderson State.
“I hope they’re thinking all that,” Jackson said. “I doubt it. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
UAM, coming off a 34-0 home loss to OBU last week, needs a bounce-back effort from sophomore quarterback Demilon Brown, who had seasonlow totals in passing (93 yards) and rushing (14 yards).
Jackson said Brown was banged up a bit and was held out of practice last week, but he is full go right now.
“That guy’s special,” Jackson said of Brown, a sophomore from Rivercrest. “He’ll bounce back. He’ll be great.”
To beat Harding, which leads the nation in rushing yards per game (363.1) and time of possession (36:38) Jackson said it will take a team effort of the highest order.
“Assignment football,” Jackson said. “It’s not about going out there and making plays. It’s about doing your assignment. If you don’t do your assignment, you get exploited.
“If you do your assignment, that gives you your best chance at being successful. That’s the bottom line.”
Jackson couldn’t help but laugh when told the Bisons, who have completed 10 passes all season, lead the nation in passing yards per completion (28.1).
“If they’ve got to start throwing to beat us, we might be in pretty good shape,” Jackson said. “We’ll play that as it happens.”
Harding Coach Paul Simmons said he was surprised with how little celebrating there was among the Bisons in Arkadelphia, something he attributed to the business-like nature of his team.
“I really think these young men have big things on their mind,” Simmons said on his weekly YouTube show. “They expect to win. They expect to keep winning.”
Simmons said UAM is a difficult foe.
“Coach Jackson does a great job,” Simmons said. “He’s a good man. He’ll have his team ready to play against us. He always does. It’s never an easy game for us.”
Simmons said there is no rest for the Bisons if they plan on playing in the postseason.
“We have put ourselves in a position where every game is crucial,” Simmons said. “We’re not the kind of team that can just show up and beat somebody. We have to prepare and earn everything we can get.”