Harding gets rush from run

If one possession defines Harding’s offensive mentality, it occurred midway through the third quarter of Saturday’s Great American Conference game at Arkansas-Monticello.

A holding penalty on first down meant the Bisons, leading 34-15, had first and 20 from the Boll Weevils’ 23.

Not surprisingly, Harding was in a rush to score.

Four consecutive running plays ended with fullback Romo Westbrook, a senior from Marion, scoring from the 1 to stretch the lead to 41-15.

Harding went on to a 5515 victory, its school-record ninth consecutive overall dating to last October.

The most productive period in Harding’s football history coincides with the most productive rushing attack in NCAA Division II.

The Bisons (5-0, 5-0 GAC) average 410.2 yards per game from an option-based Double-Slot attack that mirrors FBS programs Navy and Georgia Tech.

Harding, which began running the Double-Slot in 2011, is 24-4 in its past 28 games.

“We think it fits our personality,” Bisons Coach Ronnie Huckeba said. “We really think that when you combine really good defense with a solid offense, we have a chance to be in every single ballgame. It’s borne out over the last several years.”

Harding has nine players with at least 100 rushing yards this fall, led by Westbrook (498 on 75 attempts).

Harding’s offensive line averages 254 pounds per man and excels through speed and quickness, Huckeba said.

“We would race any O-line in the country, I promise you,” Huckeba said. “Our tackles, honestly, are more like fullbacks.”

Huckeba said Harding has tried to model its scheme after Navy, which ranks second nationally in FBS in rushing yards per game (342.1). Huckeba said Harding’s coaches have traveled to Navy to learn about the scheme and remain in contact with its coaching staff.

“They’ve been very helpful to us,” Huckeba said.

HARDING

Big game

The biggest game to date this season in the GAC is Saturday in Searcy when Harding, No. 13 in NCAA Division II in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll, hosts No. 22 Ouachita.

Kickoff is 6 p.m. at First Security Stadium.

Harding is 5-0 for the fifth time. The Bisons are also 5-0 in the GAC.

Ouachita (5-0, 5-0) was beaten 36-33 in last year’s meeting in Arkadelphia, but that was without senior quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who transferred from Auburn in the offseason.

One of the GAC’s most heralded players, Frazier has helped Ouachita start 5-0 for the third consecutive season.

“He has made a huge difference,” Harding Coach Ronnie Huckeba said. “The thing that jumps off the film is how well he’s throwing the ball. He has a rocket [arm].”

Frazier, who quarterbacked Shiloh Christian to three consecutive Class 4A state championship (2008-2010), has completed 76 of 113 passes for 866 yards and 7 touchdowns this season.

Frazier also has rushed 50 times for 303 yards and 1 touchdown.

“He certainly runs it well enough to make you pay if you get out of your rush lanes,” Huckeba said. “The guy’s just running their offense in a great way.”

Harding beat Ouachita 34-14 in 2012. That game also was played in Arkadelphia.

“We’re glad to get them in Searcy,” Huckeba said. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”

Harding will unveil a new scoreboard/video board for Saturday’s game.

The back of the scoreboard will recognize the late Carl Allison, Harding’s first head football coach during the modern era; former Harding president and current chancellor emeritus Clifton L. Ganus Jr.; and the 1959 football team, Harding’s first after a 28-year absence.

Allison coached the Bisons in 1959-1963.

Members of the 1959 team helped spearhead fund-raising for the new scoreboard/video board.

EXTRA POINTS

Ouachita Baptist Coach Todd Knight recorded his 100th career victory Saturday when the Tigers beat Northwestern Oklahoma State 41-10. Knight, a 1986 OBU graduate, was 28-32 in 1993-1998 at Delta State and is 72-82 at OBU since 1999. Knight, who is from Star City, led the Tigers to the GAC title in 2011, the conference’s first season. … Henderson State (6-0, 5-0 GAC) moved from No. 7 to No. 6 in NCAA Division II in the latest American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll. … Harding ranks third in NCAA Division II in rushing defense (55.4 yards per game). … OBU tailback Steven Kehner ranks 25th in NCAA Division II with 674 rushing yards.