Great American Conference capsules
HARDING AT HENDERSON STATE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, Arkadelphia
RADIO KVHU-FM, 95.3, Searcy; KYXKFM, 106.7 Gurdon; KVRC-AM, 1240, Arkadelphia; KDEL-FM, 100.9, Arkadelphia; KWPS-FM, 99.7, Hot Springs; KZYP-FM, 104.1, Malvern; KZYP-AM, 1310, Malvern
INTERNET hardingsports.com; hsusports.com
RECORDS Harding 3-0, 3-0 Great American Conference; Henderson State 3-0, 3-0
COACHES Paul Simmons (53-13 in sixth season at Harding and overall); Scott Maxfield (128-62 in 18th season at Henderson State and overall)
DIVISION II RANKINGS Harding is No. 10; Henderson State is No. 20
SERIES Henderson State leads 34-23-1
LAST MEETING Henderson State made a late field goal to take the lead and later came up with a huge defensive stop to win 15-14 on Oct. 15, 2022, in Searcy.
NOTEWORTHY Today’s game is the only one in NCAA Division II that features two teams ranked in the top 20. … In last year’s game, Harding turned the ball over four times in a loss. The Bisons have five turnovers in three games this season. … Henderson State quarterback Andrew Edwards has had at least 300 yards of total offense in all three games. He had 256 yards passing and 89 yards rushing last week in a win over Arkansas Tech. … The Bisons have won seven consecutive games since its defeat against the Reddies in 2022. That current streak is tied with Frostberg (Md.) State for the longest active run in the nation. … A different player has led Henderson State in receiving in each of its games. Timieone Jackson, Jalen Abraham and Cayden Davis have all paced the Reddies. … Five players average at least 39 yards rushing for Harding, guided by Braden Jay. The Cabot native leads the Bisons with 50.7 yards per game. Andrew Miller and Josh Strickland are second at 48.7, while Blake Delecruz and Jhalen Spicer are fourth and fifth at 41.3 and 39.7 yards, respectively. … Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield is 10-7 all time against Harding.
ARKANSAS TECH AT SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Wilkins Stadium, Magnolia RADIO KCJC-FM, 102.3, Russellville; KVMH-FM, 99.1, Magnolia
INTERNET arkansastechsports.com; muleriderathletics.com
RECORDS Arkansas Tech 0-3, 0-3 Great American Conference; SAU 2-1, 2-1
COACHES Kyle Shipp (12-24 in fourth season at Arkansas Tech and overall); Brad Smiley (6-7 in second season at SAU and overall)
SERIES Arkansas Tech leads 46-35-4
LAST MEETING SAU led 35-10 at the half before pulling away for a 49-33 victory on Oct. 15, 2022, in Russellville.
NOTEWORTHY This will be Arkansas Tech’s first trip to Magnolia since 2018 when SAU took a 38-0 victory. That game was also the first of four straight headto-head wins for the Muleriders, who’ve won six of the past eight meetings. … The Wonder Boys have lost their three games by a combined 12 points. Arkansas Tech will be trying to avoid an 0-4 start for the third time since 2019. … SAU is among the top 30 in NCAA Division II in several statistical categories, including total offense (27th), rushing offense (22nd) and total first downs (ninth). … Arkansas Tech quarterback Taye Gatewood is sixth in the Great American Conference in passing with 617 yards. Through three games, he’s completed 42 of 68 passes with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He’s coming off a outing against Henderson State in which he went 15-of-28 passing for 248 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a 27-24 loss. … Quarterback O.B. Jones is second in the GAC in total offense with 321.3 yards per game. … The Wonder Boys have 11 penalties on the season, which is tied for sixth nationally. … Thirteen players have caught a pass for SAU, led by the 14 that have been hauled in by Cole Williams.
OUACHITA BAPTIST AT ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Willis Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium, Monticello
RADIO KARN-FM, 102.9 (Little Rock); KZNG AM, 1340, KZNG-FM 97.9/105.5 (Hot Springs); KTPB-FM, 98.1, Pine Bluff; KCXY-FM, 95.3, Camden; KNASFM, 105.5, Nashville; KHGG-FM, 103.5, Fort Smith, KESA-FM, 100.9, Eureka Springs; KILX-FM, 102.1, De Queen; KQOR-FM, 105.3, Mena; KBHM-FM, 93.7, Monticello
INTERNET obutigers.com; uamsports.com
RECORDS OBU 3-0, 3-0 Great American Conference; UAM 2-1, 2-1
COACHES Todd Knight (146-99 in 24th season at OBU and 174-131-2 in 30th season overall); Hud Jackson (44-80 in 12th season at UAM and overall) DIVISION II RANKINGS Ouachita Baptist is No. 4.
SERIES OBU leads 47-33-1
LAST MEETING OBU scored the final 41 points to blow past UAM 41-7 on Oct. 15, 2022, at Arkadelphia.
NOTEWORTHY OBU is one of 34 teams in NCAA Division II without a loss. … UAM has dropped 10 of its previous 11 games against OBU, including five in a row. The last time the Boll Weevils won a game in the series was in 2016 when they came away with a 34-26 victory at home. … Freshman Carter McElhany is the reigning GAC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 32 yards on three kickoff returns a week ago for OBU against Southern Arkansas. He also caught a 73-yard touchdown pass. … UAM quarterback Demilon Brown is second in the league in passing yards with 799. He’s thrown for 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. … In last season’s matchup, OBU running back Kendal Givens rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns. … Arlie Lee is averaging nearly 40 yards per kickoff return for the Boll Weevils, with a long of 61 yards. That particular return is the second longest in the GAC. … Defensive end Chance Taylor has 3.5 sacks for OBU, which is tied for 12th in the country.