Today’s GAC game
EAST CENTRAL (OKLA.) AT HARDING
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE First Security Stadium, Searcy RADIO FM-95.3
INTERNET hardingsports.com
2019 RECORDS Harding (10-2); East Central (3-8)
COACHES Paul Simmons (30-9 in 4th season at Harding); Al Johnson (8-16 in 4th season at East Central)
SERIES Harding leads 15-3.
LAST MEETING Harding won 56-20 in Searcy in 2019.
NOTEWORTHY Harding is ranked No. 22 in the AFCA Preseason Top 25 Coaches
Poll. The Bisons have been picked to finish second by GAC coaches in their preseason poll. East Central (Okla.) is sixth in the coaches poll despite coming off 3-8 seasons in 2018 and 2019. … East Central opened some eyes by winning two games in the spring, beating Southern Nazarene 35-28 on March 12 and Division I FCS foe Tarleton State 21-14 in Stephensville, Texas. The Tigers were led in the spring season by RB Ontario Douglas (60-221 rushing, 5 TDs) and QB Kenny Hrncir (25-48 passing, 282, 5 TDs). … Douglas rushed for 1,132 and 18 TDs in 2019 and has rushed for 2,566 yards and 31 TDs in his 24-game career. … Harding in 2019 led NCAA Division II in rushing offense (373.6 ypg), scoring defense (12.3 ppg), fourth-down conversion pct. (75%) and net punting (41.92). … Senior LB Shedrick Robinson, senior CB Cory Batie and senior FB Cole Chancey will all be playing in their 40th game at Harding. Chancey leads the team with 36 career starts, followed by senior QB Preston Paden (25). … Paden has had 21 months to recover from a serious knee injury suffered in the Bisons’ 7-6 loss to Northwest Missouri State in the first round of the Divison III playoffs in 2019. … Chancey has 3,673 career rushing yards and needs 542 to become Harding’s all-time leading rusher. … Top defensive returnees are Dylan Hendricks (53 tackles, 3.5 sacks), Batie (34 tackles, 3 INTs) and DE Jay Marshall (25 tackles, 4.0 sacks). “These guys have been together for a long time,” Simmons said of the Bisons. “I think we have had groups before that have been more talented. But I’ve never had a better bunch of young men than I do right now.”