The Harding University Bison football team will head into this weekend’s game against the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene with a 2-0 record on the year.
After leading all of Division II in rushing last season the Bisons continue to bring a strong offensive attack as well as boasting a strong defensive unit that has the ability to slow down opponents offenses with ease so far in 2012.
The Bison offense has averaged 42 points per game with 325 yards rushing per game and proves to be a tough matchup for any defense. Sophomore Donatella Luckett has proven to be one of the Bisons’ biggest assets.
Through the first two weeks of the season he is averaging 32 yards per reception with three touchdowns and a stiff arm move that makes many defensive backs second guess a solo tackle.
“He’s an animal,” said sophomore running back Ahmad Scott. “Ever since we got here our freshman year in practice nobody could take [Luckett] down.”
Not only have the Bisons won their first two games of the season, but both games have been on the road, and both against very talented teams as well.
The University of North Alabama boasts one of the most storied traditions in Division II while the University of Arkansas at Monticello nearly pulled the upset against Division I opponent Northwestern State University on the road.
Harding, however, pulled a 52-7 win over Monticello, which was originally predicted to be a close match up.
Head Coach Ronnie Huckeba has talked about how his team’s early success on the road can really go a long way toward boosting team confidence for the rest of the season.
“There is no doubt that starting the season out with wins is a huge positive,” Huckeba said. “Especially when you start off with a win on the road, and they’ve got a crowd of about 11,000 people and have a very storied tradition, to get a win in that situation has gotta be a huge confidence boost for us.”
Huckeba also talked about the strength on the defensive side of the ball. Harding has a very strongand experienced depth chart led by seniors linebacker Aaron Gillaspie and defensive linemen Ty Powell and Josh Aldridge.
The Bison defense has shown its strength so far this season against two capable offenses in UNA and UAM.
Huckeba said the team’s strength comes from a combination of factors, including senior leadership and depth.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors, we’ve got a lot of leadership over there,” Huckeba said. “Our entire secondary are all seniors and very experienced players. We have seniors at linebacker and defensive line as well. What you really look for at the Division II level is depth. And I feel like we have quality depth and that is a big X-factor for us.”
Now with the first two weeks of the season complete, the Bisons prepare for their third straight road game of the season as they head to Bethany, Okla., to face Southern Nazarene University.
After that the Bisons will be coming back home for their first home game of the season on their new turf against East Central Uni- versity on Sept. 29.
